So what traits are the traits that will take our sheep into the future? What ones will help us breed animals that have true commercial value in the red meat industry? What are the traits that we need to focus on and what can we do to improve them in our flock? Obviously we are always making decisions on phenotype/breed standard and structural correctness – things like pasterns, shoulders, back, feet, teeth, testicles, temperament, horn set, pigment, shedding ability and general visual appeal. The question is where do we go after that structural/visual assessment? These traits are growth rate, muscle/ carcass characteristics, reproductive traits, fecundity and mothering ability.  In this episode we focus on growth rates and how to increase the growth rates in our sheep.