Utilising EID Data to increase profit

Electronic Identification (EID) tags are now mandatory in Australia and there is an opportunity for sheep farmers to harness this technology to enhance their operations. By effectively utilising EID data, farmers can improve productivity and profitability. This guide outlines how to collect, manage, and apply EID data to optimize flock performance.

What Do You Need to Collect EID Data?

To gather data using EID, you need:

• An EID reader: This can be a handheld device, a panel reader or a sheep handler that has an integrated EID tag reader.
• A data entry device: Some handheld readers allow direct data input, while panel readers require a scale indicator, laptop, or similar device to capture data.
• Data management software: Basic programs like Excel can be used, but specialised livestock management software such as Te Pari’s Macrostock Studio App offers greater functionality. Alternatively, data service providers can manage this for you.
• Additional equipment (optional): Depending on your needs, you may require a barcode printer, barcode scanner, and scales for fleece weighing.
• Agriculture Victoria and AWI Extension SA provide useful resources to help identify suitable equipment within your budget. Before purchasing, recommend that you research the options, visit suppliers and neighbours to test out different equipment and see what will work best for you. 

Benefits of EID for Sheep Farmers

• Enhanced data accuracy: EID ensures precise recording compared to visual tag reading.
• Efficient data management: Streamlines record-keeping and decision-making processes.
• Measure individual animal performance: EID data helps identify top-performing sheep to retain and underperformers to cull or inspect for parasites.
• Better resource allocation: With EID data you can optimise pasture use, feed distribution, and labour.
• Greater traceability: EID data enhances transparency within the supply chain.
• More informed management decisions: Allows for evidence-based decision-making in breeding, nutrition, and marketing. 

What Data Should You Record?

Effective data collection should align with your farm’s goals and profitability drivers. Consider:

• Long-term business objectives (5-10 years).
• Key breeding traits that influence profit.
• Practical data that aids decision-making and reduces labour.
• Easy-to-record information that enhances productivity.

To integrate EID efficiently, collect data during routine handling, such as pregnancy scanning, lamb marking, or shearing. Beginners may start with a small-scale approach, tracking a few traits in young stock before expanding.

Key data points to record include:

• Pregnancy scanning result
• Lamb birth type
• Dam age
• Wet/dry udder assessments at marking
• Fleece weight and micron
• Live weight and condition score
• Treatments and add alerts for animals getting a treatment that has a withholding period.

Many pregnancy scanning contractors can link scan results to EID tags—check with yours when booking.

How to Use EID Data for Productivity and Profitability

1. Improve Selection Pressure: Retain Top Ewes & Cull Underperformers

Identifying high-performing ewes and culling poor performers enhances flock efficiency. Key opportunities to use EID data include pregnancy scanning, lamb marking, and weaning.

• Ewes that scan dry or fail to rear lambs in two consecutive years should be considered for culling.
• Identifying consistently productive ewes allows for better retention and breeding decisions.
• Matching lambs to dams enables tracking of total kilograms of lamb weaned per ewe, which can guide selection rankings.

Click here to see a case study about how a flock can be improved.

2. Use Fleece Weight & Micron Data for Wool Quality Improvements

EID data can help monitor fleece weight and wool quality, enabling farmers to rank sheep based on production performance. This information also supports genetic selection and ram purchasing decisions.

Fleece weighing setup:

• A handheld or panel reader scans the EID tag.
• A barcode printer generates a barcode linked to the sheep.
• The fleece and barcode move to fleece scales, where the barcode is scanned, and fleece weight is recorded.
• Wool testing facilities can use barcode-linked samples to associate wool test results with individual sheep.

3. Differentiate Selection for Single & Twin-Born Lambs

Twin-born lambs often have different growth and survival rates than singles. Recording lamb birth type at marking ensures fairer selection decisions, preventing bias against twin-born lambs.

• Recording dam age helps assess the impact of ewe maturity on offspring performance.

4. Assess Flock Responsiveness to Nutrition at Joining

Ewe nutrition at joining can influence conception rates. By collecting ewe condition scores at joining and pregnancy scanning results, farmers can determine how their flock responds to nutritional interventions. The Lifetime Wool project showed that some ewe flocks are more responsive to improving condition score at joining than others:

• Highly responsive flocks (+30 lambs per condition score) justify investment in supplementary feeding.
• Less responsive flocks (+10 lambs per condition score) require a more cautious approach to feeding strategies.

5. Manage Sheep by Weight & Condition Score

Regular weight and condition score monitoring enables smarter flock management. Benefits include:

• Optimising paddock allocation and feed supplementation to meet condition targets for breeding and lambing.
• Ensuring rams are in optimal condition for joining.
• Tracking weaner growth rates to enhance productivity and survival.
• Meeting market specifications by the target sale date.

Condition scoring vs. live weight: Condition scoring is preferable during pregnancy and dry periods, as it accounts for foetal growth and gut fill variations. A random sample of 25 sheep per mob can provide an accurate average condition score, guiding feeding and paddock decisions.

Maximise the Value of Your EID Data

To ensure effective data utilisation:

• Define clear objectives for your data collection.
• Incorporate data recording into your existing management activities.
• Use data to make strategic decisions on breeding, nutrition, and sales.
• Continuously refine your data collection process for greater efficiency and impact.

By leveraging EID technology, Australian sheep farmers can make data-driven decisions that enhance flock productivity, streamline operations, and ultimately boost profitability.