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 Photo courtesy of the American Polypay Sheep Association |
The directory will be available on the Internet and in hard copy. It will be searchable by species, breed or type, and county (or region). Producers are encouraged to make copies of the survey and share them with other interested sheep and goat producers. The survey is available in downloadable PDF format from the Internet at http://www.sheepand goat.com/mdsurvey.html. The form can also be filled out and submitted online at the same web site.
Only producers with animals or products to sell on a regular basis should apply for a listing in the directory. If you have sheep and/or goats but do not routinely sell breeding stock, market animals, or related products, there is no reason to be included in the directory Producers in nearby states are eligible to have listings in the directory if they conduct business in Maryland. The directory is open to producers all breeds of sheep and goats and for all products derived from sheep and goats.
Surveys should be returned to the Western Maryland Research & Education Center, Maryland Sheep and Goat Directory, 18330 Keedysville Road, Keedysville, MD 21756, PH: (301) 432-2767, FAX (301) 432-4089; e-mail: sprovost@umd.edu.
Download a copy of the Maryland Sheep and Goat Directory Survey: MS Word document - PDF file
On November 19, 2001, the new regulations for movement of sheep and goats in interstate commerce took effect. Due to the late notice to producers, enforcement for compliance to these regulations was delayed to allow for education for producers of the regulations and the distribution of premise numbers and ear tags.
In order to accomplish this, an information brochure and application for premise identification has been mailed by the National Agricultural Statistics Service to all Maryland and Delaware sheep and goat producers in their database, a similar mailing to all producers registered with 4-H, two mailings to all extension offices, and handouts distributed at all livestock auctions. There have been numerous presentations and information distributed at producer meetings and 4-H meetings. At this time we have 479 premises in Maryland and 61 in Delaware.
This has been an extraordinary effort on the part of USDA, APHIS, Veterinary Services, Maryland Department of Agriculture, Delaware Department of Agriculture, Maryland Cooperative Extension, 4-H Extension, and livestock market personnel to educate their customers on these new requirements. Therefore, enforcement of these new interstate regulations began on October 1, 2002 at all fairs, shows, livestock auctions and sales which engage in interstate commerce. Interstate commerce is defined as trade, traffic, transportation, or other commerce between a place in a state and any place outside of that state, or between points within a state but throughout any place outside that state. Any event which has animals from out of state exhibited or sold would meet these criteria. It is important that producers comply with the identification requirement for their sheep and goats as soon as possible in order to minimize any regulatory action needed.
Please note that there is a difference between the Scrapie Flock Certification Program (SFCP) and the Mandatory Program. The SFCP is a voluntary program within APHIS, VS designed to monitor flocks/herds and certify flocks/herds that have been free of evidence of scrapie over a specified time period. The official identification required for the SFCP meets the identification requirements for interstate commerce. Animals in the SFCP do need to have certificates of veterinary inspection when moving interstate for sale or exhibition (this is a requirement for any sheep/goat moving across state lines, regardless of which scrapie program they participate in). The Mandatory Program requires sheep and goats to have official identification (usually ear tags) to cross state lines. The tags provided through the Mandatory Program are free, while the tags provided through the SFCP are available at a cost to the producer.
Please contact our office at (410) 349-9708 if you have any concerns or questions. In order to register your flock and obtain ear tags, call toll free 1-866-USDA-TAG (1-866-873-2824).
More information:
www.animalagriculture.org/scrapie
www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/scrapie
Dr. Williams can be reached at (443) 310-9114 or by e-mail at Lynette.D.Williams@aphis.usda.gov. She looks forward to working closely with the sheep and goat industry in Maryland and Delaware.
Editor's note: An outbreak of Exotic New Castle's Disease in poultry in Southern California has caused some APHIS programs, including scrapie surveillance to be relegated to "low priority," until the situation in California is under control.
Garrett College will host the 6th Annual Meat Goat Conference on Sunday, June 8, from 9 a.m. to 12 noon. All of the topics will be hands-on using live animals and equipment for demonstration. They are:
The conference will include a barbecue goat lunch at 12 p.m. Pre-registration ($10 per person) is required by May 28 and should be sent to Willie Lantz, Garrett College, 687 Mosser Road, McHenry, MD 21541, PH: 301-387-3331 or wlantz@garrettcollege.edu.
Schedule
10 a.m. - Weigh market goats
11 a.m. - Youth fitting and showing class and workshop
1 p.m. - Market wether classes
1:30 p.m. - USBGA sanctioned Boer Goat Show
6:30 p.m. - Boer Goat Production Sale
You must be a member of the MPWV Meat Goat Producers Association (as of 4/15/03) to consign an animal to the sale. Consignments are due April 15. The show will include classes for unregistered meat goats (of any breed) as well as registered full blood or purebred Boers. Entries are due May 15. There is a registration fee of $5 per goat. Youth are not required to pay registration fees.
For information about the show and sale contact Willie Lantz at Garrett College at 301-387-3331 (301/334-4121 in the evenings) or wlantz@garrettcollege.edu.
ASI has existed for about 14 years. It was formed in the late 1980's by merging the American Sheep Producers Council (ASPC) with the National Wool Growers Association. This year, the National Lamb Feeders Association, the other major national sheep association, became a member organization of ASI.
ASI is a federation of state organizations and individual sheep and goat producers. It consists of various councils and committees, an executive board (of producers), as well as a board of directors which has representatives from each member state association. David Greene, a sheep producer from Baltimore County, serves on the executive board, representing the Southeast region, of which Maryland is a member. Pennsylvania producer Janet Mawhinney represents the Northeast region . Peggy Howell, a sheep producer in Howard County, serves as Maryland's representative to the board of directors. I (Susan) serve on the goat committee. The newly elected president of ASI is a producer from Ohio, Guy Flora. Flora is also editor of Shepherd Magazine. While ASI has a paid staff headquartered in Englewood, Colorado, ASI policy is set by producers.
Over the past several years, ASI has done much to help ALL sheep and goat producers. ASI was previously funded by the Wool Incentive Program. When the wool incentive program was phased out in the mid-1990's, other sources of funding were sought. ASI is currently funded by a "Wool Trust Fund," monies that originate from tariffs on imported textiles. The Wool Trust Fund is used to finance wool promotion, product development, and producer education. Lamb promotion activities are funded by a grant from USDA. Legislative activities are funded by dues and donations.
ASI state membership dues are based on a combination of state membership numbers and sheep numbers. Votes are weighted according to the amount of dues that a state pays. For example, Texas has the most members in its state sheep and goat association, as well as the most sheep; therefore, its "vote" carries the most clout. Small states (small membership and small number of sheep) pay the minimum dues and have only one vote.
Some smaller states, such as Maryland, have seen their influence increase as a result of recent changes in the dues structure, which is giving more weight to people numbers and less to sheep population. At this year's convention, dues were set at $6 per member and 3¢ per stock sheep. States in the East also benefitted when the East region was split into two regions – Northeast and Southeast – giving the East an additional vote on the executive board. The Northeast Sheep & Goat Marketing Program was also granted membership status in ASI at this year's convention, providing yet another voice for sheep and goat producers in the East.
Over the past several years, ASI has done much to help ALL sheep and goat producers. ASI's most recent accomplishment was inclusion of sheep and goats in the federal drought assistance program, which put $4.50 per head into the pockets of sheep and goat producers in drought-stricken areas of the U.S. ASI spearheaded efforts to reduce cheap lamb imports, which resulted in three years of tariffs on imported lamb and an infusion of $126 million into the industry to boost competitiveness in global markets. Many producers have received payments for rams, facilities, slaughter and feeder lambs, and/or ewe lamb replacements. We are in the final year of the Lamb Meat Assistance Adjustment Program, which ASI will seek to get extended, since widespread drought has prevented many producers from benefitting from the ewe lamb retention program.
ASI led efforts to get a national lamb check-off, an assessment of one half cent per pound of live sheep and an additional 30 cents per head (carcass), which began on July 1, 2002. Check-off funds are vital to American lamb promotion efforts. ASI was instrumental in getting wool and mohair included in the most recent Farm Bill. Wool and mohair producers are now eligible for marketing assistance loans or loan deficiency payments for shorn wool and mohair and unshorn lambs.
ASI partners with other industries on a variety of other issues, including mandatory price reporting, country of origin labeling, and MUMS, the "Minor Use Minor Species" program, which seeks to make more drugs available to minor species such as sheep and goats.
I would encourage all sheep and goat producers to become members of their state and national associations. The easiest way to become a member of ASI is to join your state association. Individual memberships to ASI are also available. Memberships are available to breed associations, corporate, and business allies. ASI is in the beginning stages of inviting goat producers and goat associations into the organization. The sheep and goat industries share many of the same issues and opportunities and will benefit greatly by working together and presenting a unified voice to policy and decision makers.
While on test, the bucks will have free-choice access to a concentrate diet containing at least 16% protein. A grass-alfalfa mixed hay will also be fed free choice. An index will be used to rank the bucks at the conclusion of the test to determine the sale order for the bucks within their respective breeds or breed group. The index score will be based on average daily gain (40%), loin eye area (30%), and leg circumference (30%) The loin and leg scores will be adjusted for metabolic body weight.
Pennsylvania has conducted a ram testing program for many years. The tentative sale date for rams and bucks will be Saturday, August 2.The sale will be held at the Pennsylvania Livestock Evaluation Center in State College, PA. For more information, call Glenn Eberly, Director, or Greg Hubbard, Assistant Director, at (814) 238-2527 and (814) 865-5857.
In 1999, FI slaughter accounted for 96.1% of total sheep and lamb slaughter. In 2000, FI slaughter fell to 95.6% and then again to 95.1% in 2001. This is a decline of about 1 percent over a two year period.
This slight shift in slaughter distribution suggests that the industry is seeing some sort of change in how sheep and lambs are being marketed. U.S. sheep producers could be supplying lamb to recently developed alternative markets. One such possibility is the rise in ethnic populations which has created a market for lamb that prefers fresh carcass lambs to meet religious demands and cultural tastes. Such groups often purchase lambs directly from the producers, thus classified under commercial slaughter. Coupled with this could be an increase in the number of backyard sheep flocks designed to directly meet such cultural and other individual demands for sheep and lamb.
The date for this year's Maryland Wool Pool will be Wednesday, July 2, 2003. In our continuing attempt to make improvements at the Wool Pool, we have decided to condense the collection of wool down to one day. During the last few years, the pool has handled less wool than in the past. Since I've been manager (1994 to present), the amount of wool handled has gone from a high of 105,000 pounds to 55,000 pounds. This lesser volume of wool has resulted in a need for us to look for ways to further cut costs associated with running the pool.
In the past, wool was delivered to the pool on two successive days. The first day was reserved for large consigners in the morning and producers from over 50 miles from Timonium in the late morning and afternoon. Last year, day two was reserved for consigners from within 50 miles of Timonium and the pool shut down (as far as taking wool was concerned) at noon.
This year, we will collect wool only on July 2. July 3 will be reserved for packing the wool and loading the trucks. One other change is that we plan on offering incentives to producers who bring their wool to the pool in well-packed square bales. We hope to offer producers who bring in their wool (300 pounds or more in a square pack) an incentive payment of 5 cents per pound. Ultimately, we would like anyone who has uniform wool to pack their wool into square packs and bring it to the pool ready to ship. We hope larger consigners will help us in this effort. Additionally, there will be a deduction of 3 cents per pound for any wool brought to the pool in burlap bags. If you have small lots, please bring your wool to the pool loose, in plastic garbage bags (not woven feed sacks), or cardboard boxes. Wool brought to the pool in polypropylene feed sacks will be sent home with you.
We realize that there may be some snags with making these changes as any change will take a little getting used to. One change I plan to make is to have three lines instead of the normal two to help accommodate the extra traffic on the first day. Additionally, starting in the morning, we will have one or two lines accepting smaller lots. As always, I'm willing to listen to comments or suggestions for ways we can improve the pool. It is our intention to package all the wool collected in square bales, which will further reduce the costs of trucking and should get us a better price. As usual the pool will be sold in early May and we plan on sending the announcement letter out by late May or early June. Happy shearing!
2003 Maryland Wool Pool - July 2nd
An unshorn pelt is defined as the removed skin and attached wool from a slaughter lamb that has never been shorn. LDP's for unshorn pelts will be based on a standard weight of 6.865 pounds per pelt. LDP's for unshorn lamb pelts will be calculated by multiplying the effective LDP rate by the standard weight for an unshorn pelt (6.865 lbs).
In order to be eligible for payment, the producer must have "beneficial interest" in the unshorn lamb. The unshorn lamb must be sold for immediate slaughter (within 7-10 days) or be slaughtered for personal use. It must have been owned for at least 30 days.
Sample calculation:
$ 0.04 (LDP rate as of 4.1.03)
x 6.865 (standard weight)
$ 0.27 (Payment per pelt)
The study: Eighteen (18) intact male Boer crossbred goats, averaging 161 days (5.4 months) of age and 62.5 pounds, were used in the study. After a period of adjustment, they were placed in pens of three, resulting in three pens of goats for each feed treatment. The goats were hand-fed the grain diets twice daily and grass hay (CP=10.1%) once daily at levels which maximized feed intake and minimized feed wastage. All feed and hay was weighed before being placed in the pens. The goats were weighed at weekly intervals, and the data was analyzed every two weeks. The feeding period was 42 days.
The results: Average daily gain was similar for both diets, averaging 0.352 pounds per head per day. During the study, feed intake increased from 2.2 pounds to 3.3 pounds per head per day. Goats on both diets consumed the same amount of hay, 1.2 lbs. per day. Because the goats gained equally well on both diets, the primary difference was cost. The diet cost per day is summarized in the table below:
| Diet | Period 1 | Period 2 | Period 3 |
| Commerical | 13.6 cents | 19.5 cents | 22.7 cents |
| Barley | 7.7 cents | 11.8 cents | 10.5 cents |
Conclusion: A diet composed primarily of whole barley is an acceptable, economical ration for growing and finishing meat goats. It is significantly lower in cost than a commercially prepared diet. A barley-based diet can easily be made on the farm by combining whole barley grain with a pelleted protein supplement (~36-40% CP, available from most feed stores). Ideally, the supplement should contain ammonium chloride to prevent urinary calculi and a coccidiostat (Bovatec, Rumensin, or Deccox) to prevent coccidiosis.
Development of the Polypay breed began in 1968 when newly imported Finn rams were crossed onto Rambouillet ewes from the research station. At the same time, large-framed Dorset rams were brought to the research station and crossed with the station's Targhee ewes. The Finn x Rambouillet lambs were then crossed with the Dorset x Targhee lambs to produce a 4-breed composite which eventually became the Polypay. The term "Polypay" was coined from the word "poly," meaning many, and "pay," meaning return on investment. The American Polypay Sheep Association was organized in 1980 in Twin Falls, Idaho, with 69 members.
Polypays are a medium-sized, white-faced sheep that produce a medium wool with a spin count of 54 to 62. Rams average 240 to 300 pounds in body weight, while ewes weigh between 150 and 200 pounds. Polypays are best utilized as a maternal breed. Ewes are capable of lambing for the first time at 12 months of age. They will breed out-of-season and can produce lamb crops in excess of 200%. Polypay-sired market lambs finish between 100 and 140 lbs.
Polypays are raised throughout the United States and are much more of a commercial sheep than a show sheep. To emphasize this point, the American Polypay Association recommends that all Polypay show animals be from multiple births (twin or better) and that all ewes in yearling ewe classes have lambed.
Many Polypay breeders participate in the National Sheep Improvement Program (NSIP), a computerized, performance record-keeping program for genetic selection. In fact, the Polypay is only one of six breeds in NSIP in which across-flock EPDs are calculated. An EPD or "expected progeny difference" is an estimate of the genetic merit of an animal for a single trait. Specifically, the EPD of an animal is the expected difference between the performance of that animal's progeny and the average progeny performance of all the animals in the breed, for that trait. Across flock EPDs allow rams from different flocks to be compared.
Editor's note: image provided by American Polypay Sheep Association
American Polypay Sheep Association - http://www.polypay.org
National Sheep Improvement Program - http://www.nsip.org
Tentative schedule
For more information contact MDGA president Brett Dietrich at (717) 692-4648 or president@marylanddairygoat.org.
http://www.marylanddairygoat.org/
Sample calculations:
If you sell a 120 lb. freezer lamb, you owe:
120 lbs. x .005 cents/lb. = $0.60
1 lamb x $0.30/head = $0.30
Total = $0.90
If you sell a 50 lb. hot house lamb to an ethnic/religious buyer, you owe:
50 lbs. x .005 cents/lb. = $0.25
1 lamb x $0.30/head = $0.30
Total = $0.55
Editor's note: 4-H and FFA members who sell lambs at county fair auctions are also required to pay the lamb check-off. This may be done individually or collectively by the fair/auction.
Vaccination: There are different types of vaccines now available for immunization against C. pseudotuberculosis. One contains a toxoid of C. pseudotuberculosis alone. Another combines C. pseudotuberculosis, Clostridium perfringens type D, and Clostridium tetani. Although there is little research data currently available to confirm their effectiveness, reports indicate that vaccines help prevent and lessen the effects of the disease. Vaccination alone, however, should not be utilized as the only protective measure against CLA. In most cases, the first vaccination can be given at 3-4 months of age in animals where the mother has previously been vaccinated. In lambs/kids from mothers that have not been previously vaccinated, a first dose should be given at 1-3 weeks of age. Many products should be boostered again 4 weeks later and repeated annually, thereafter, about 6-8 weeks before the lambing/kidding season. Some vaccines may cause the formation of a sterile granuloma at the injection site. This granuloma may persist for many years. Some vaccines can cause significant problems in goats already infected with CLA and should be used with caution.
Control and Eradication: An effective control program for this disease requires a great deal of dedication, patience, and daily observation. Eliminating the organism from an infected herd will primarily involve eliminating it from the environment. The following goals are essential when attempting to control CLA and prevent additional infections:
Zoonotic Potential: Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis infections in humans are rare but can occur, particularly where infected sheep and goats are skinned by hand. The most common scenario involves puncturing of the human skin with infected knives. The disease has also been spread to humans consuming raw milk from infected sheep and goats. Precautions should always be taken to prevent human skin contact with the discharge (purulent exudate) from an abscess or contaminated objects, and milk should always be pasteurized prior to consumption.
Source: Small Ruminant Production Medicine and Management CD-ROM. Reprinted with permission from Infovets (www.infovets.com).
This will be the first year that there will be a separate 4-H/FFA Meat Goat Division at the Maryland State Fair.
April 30 (see article)
Maryland Dairy Goat Association Spring Workshop
Howard County Fairgrounds, West Friendship, Maryland
Contact: Brett Dietrich at (717) 692-4648 or president@marylanddairygoat.org
May 3-4 (always the first full weekend in May)
Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival
Howard County Fairgrounds, West Friendship, Maryland
Contact: (410) 531-3647 or info@sheepandwool.org
June 7-8 (see article)
Mt. Top Boer Goat Show and Production Sale and 6th Annual Meat Goat Conference.
Garrett County Fairgrounds and Garrett College, McHenry, Maryland.
Contact: Willie Lantz at (301) 387-3331 or wlantz@garrettcollege.edu
June 21
Scott County (VA) Hair Sheep Association Sale
Homeplace Farm Museum, Gate City, Virginia
Contact David Redwine at (276) 386-6101 or cowdoc@mounet.com
July 2-3 (see article)
Maryland Wool Pool
Maryland State Fairgrounds, Timonium, Maryland
Contact: Rich Barczewski at (302)857-6410 or rbarczew@dsc.edu
July 20-23 – RECOMMENDED –
Howard Wyman Sheep Industry Leadership School - sponsored by National Lamb Feeders Association
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Contact Howard Wyman, P.O. Box 238, Bristol, IL 60512-0238; web: www.nlfa-sheep.org
August 2 (see article)
Pennsylvania Performance Tested Ram and Buck Sale
Pennsylvania Livestock Evaluation Center, State College, PA
Contact: (814) 238-2527 or (814) 865-5857
August 15
Deadline to sign-up for ewe lamb retention payments.
Contact: local FSA offices
August 23
Virginia Performance Tested Ram Lamb Sale
Steele's Tavern, Virginia
Contact: Scott Greiner at (540) 231-9159 or sgreiner@vt.edu
.
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 The Maryland Sheep & Goat Producer is published bi-monthly by University of Maryland Cooperative Extension. It is edited by Susan Schoenian, Area Agent for Sheep and Goats at the Western Maryland Research & Education Center. Dr. Niki Whitley, UMES Extension Animal Scientist, and Willie Lantz, Garrett College Ag Program Coordinator, are contributors to the newsletter. To subscribe to the newsletter, contact Susan at the Western Maryland Research & Education Center, 18330 Keedysville Road, Keedysville, MD 21756, (301) 432-2767 ext. 343, fax (301) 432-4089; e-mail: sschoen@umd.edu. In lieu of receiving a hard copy of the newsletter in the mail, you can be added to the e-mail list to receive notification when the latest newsletter has been posted to the web. Comments and suggestions regarding the newsletter are always welcome and appreciated. |
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