Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Cormo
Cormos are smaller than Columbias and Rambouillets (see page 78) but yield
70 to 73 percent clean-weight, fi ne fl eece under range conditions and have
a high-yielding carcass. The fl eece is very uniform and therefore valuable to
industry. Handspinners fi nd the Cormo one of the most exciting of the fi ne-
wool breeds.
Traditional pedigrees aren't kept. Instead, the sheep are numbered and
allowed into the registry based on performance. Computer management
makes the Cormo the most strictly scientifi c genetic improvement scheme in
sheep history. The criteria for selection are clean fl eece weight, fi ber diameter
between 17 and 23 microns, fast body growth, and high fertility.
ORIGINS AND CHARACTERISTICS
OF THE CORMO BREED
Cormos were developed in Tasmania, guided by principles origi-
nated by Dr. Helen Newton Turner, who is believed to be one of the
world's leading sheep geneticists. A group of Australian scientists
selected Tasmanian-Corriedale rams to cross with superfi ne Saxon
Merino ewes, which resulted in the Cormo breed. The Cormo's
outstanding qualities are fi ne, well-crimped wool; excellent confor-
mation; fast growth; high fertility; and the ability to thrive in areas
of heavy snowfall, severe climatic conditions, and rough terrain.
Corriedale
The white or naturally colored Corriedale is a Merino-Lincoln-Leicester
cross that was developed in Australia and New Zealand during the late 1800s
and fi rst brought to Wyoming in 1914. The breed is now distributed world-
wide, with its greatest population found in South America.
The fl eece is dense and medium fi ne, 56s grade, and soft and has good
length and light shrinkage. It falls somewhere between a medium wool and
long wool and is a favorite of handspinners in many areas of the United States.
The Corriedale's face is clean of wool below the eyes and is naturally polled.
It's a large-framed breed that has been developed as a dual-purpose sheep: it
has good wool and good meat for greater profi ts and is noted for a long pro-
ductive life, which means a greater return on investment. Because of a strong
herding instinct, it does well as a range animal.
