On the face of it, genetics and accounting are two very different disciplines, but Massey University student and Beef + Lamb New Zealand Scholar Jess Smith has found the opposite to be true.
Genetics are such a powerful driver of farm profitability, but it is the genetic improvement of livestock, rather than accounting, that really piques her interest.
Having completed her thesis on genetic connectedness between sheep flocks and the accuracy and outcomes of genetic evaluation, Jess is about to begin working as a Herd Improvement Analyst for LIC, running evaluations on animals for the dairy industry.
While Jess grew up on a small beef farm on the outskirts of Invercargill, she admits she had no idea what she wanted to do when she got to University, so pursued both her interest in science and accounting.
She says it was her third-year paper in quantitative genetics and animal breeding that really decided her future direction.
“That just clicked for me, and I knew that’s what I wanted to do.”
Fortunately, being a four-year degree, she was able to pick up an animal breeding paper in her final year.
For her thesis, Jess worked with Beef + Lamb New Zealand’s (B+LNZ) genetics team, Neville Jopson from AbacusBio and used nProve pedigree and performance data to ask whether the three-year connectedness window currently used is too conservative and what would it look like if this changed.
Connectedness is about having enough shared genetics (linkage) between flocks so animals can be fairly compared, even when they're raised on different farms. Jess investigated whether the current connectedness requirements could be relaxed without affecting the accuracy of breeding values, allowing more flocks to be included. Her research found that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer, with the level of connectedness needed varying depending on the trait being measured and the quality and quantity of available data.
Jess was one of 20 students selected to attend B+LNZ’s recent Sheep Breeder Forum and Out the Gate conference in Christchurch.
“It was a big three days, learning so much and making connections,” she says.
The Sheep Breeder Forum in particular was an opportunity for Jess to talk to breeders about their thoughts and concerns about connectedness.
She also enjoyed meeting the other B+LNZ scholars and while she knew some from her Masters’ study, she met a lot of other young people who shared her interest in livestock production.
Fortunately for New Zealand’s primary sector, Jess has no intention of taking her skills overseas. Instead, she is looking forward to rolling up her sleeves and working on the practical side of genetic improvement.