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The Maryland Sheep & Goat Producer newsletter is available on the Internet
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With the increasing costs of paper, copying, and postage, along with budget
cuts to Cooperative Extension, persons with Internet access are encouraged to
print their own copies of the newsletter off the Internet. If you print a PDF
copy of the newsletter, it will be identical to the copy of the newsletter that
is mailed out. If this is an option for you, please contact Susan Provost at
sp178@umail.umd.edu or Susan Schoenian
at sschoen@umd.edu to have your name switched
to the e-mail subscriber list.
We are continuing to collect data for the new Maryland Sheep & Goat Directory, which will facilitate communication between sheep/goat producers and buyers of sheep and goat products. The survey for the directory can be submitted in person, by fax, mail, or e-mail. The survey can be downloaded from the web at http://www. sheepandgoat.com/directory.html. The directory will be accessible on the Internet in several months.
A new research program is being established at the Western Maryland Research
& Education Center (WMREC) in Keedysville (Washington County), Maryland.
Ten acres of pasture, previously used to graze dairy heifers, is being developed
for sheep and goat grazing. The fencing has been modified to contain small ruminants
and control predators. It is a six strand, high-tensile electric fence with
all wires carrying a charge. The first wire is approximately six inches off
the ground. Movable metal shelters (port-a-huts) will be used to provide protection
from the elements. Animals will only be maintained during the spring to fall
growing season.
The goal of the research program at WMREC is to conduct applied research and
demonstration projects. The initial project will involve the grazing of up to
90 Boer cross meat goat kids, obtained from the University of Maryland Eastern
Shore. Two systems of grazing will be compared: continuous vs. rotational (~2
week rotation). The goats will be monitored for growth rates and parasite levels.
At the conclusion of the study, the goats will be used for a marketing study
to compare marketing goats at local vs. regional livestock auction markets.
In addition, hair sheep lambs will be used to graze a 4 acre field that contains
several plantings of walnut trees. This will be a demonstration project to show
how livestock grazing can be incorporated with tree production. This practice
is called agroforestry or silvopasture.
Editor’s note: If you have opinions as to the type of small ruminant research
that you would like to see conducted in Maryland in the future, do not hesitate
to contact Susan, Niki, or Willie.
A Goat, Sheep, and Forage Day will be held on Saturday, August 16, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Western Maryland Research & Education Center in Keedysville, Maryland. Field day topics will include:
• Pasture and grazing management
• Integrated parasite management (IPM)
• Agroforestry/silvopasture
• Grass variety trials
• Forage/Hay quality
The cost of attending the program is $15 (payable to the University of Maryland)
per person, which includes a lamb and goat roast. Register by contacting Susan
Schoenian at the Western Maryland Research & Education Center, 18330 Keedysville
Road, Keedysville, MD 21756, (301) 432-2767 x343, sschoen@umd.edu
or Susan Provost at (301) 432-2767 x315 or sp178@umail.umd.edu.
The registration deadline is August 8.
The Western Maryland Research & Education Center in Keedysville recently
received a Northeast SARE grant to conduct a three year research and education
project related to Integrated Parasite Management (IPM) in sheep and goats.
The primary goal of the grant project will be to teach producers how to perform
their own fecal egg counts and to apply the FAMACHA1 technique to their animals
to determine the need for anthelmintic treatment. IPM workshops will be held
at various locations in Maryland and possibly neighboring states. The project
will also involve on-farm studies to test for anthelmintic resistance and to
determine the effectiveness of various treatments and management practices.
1 FAMACHA is a technique whereby you look for signs of anemia (barber pole infection) by examining the sheep/goat’s lower eyelid. A bright, reddish pink color is indicative of good health and no need for deworming.
Editor’s note: If you would like to have a Fecal Egg Counting/FAMACHA workshop in your county or region, please contact Susan, Niki, or Willie. Also, let us know if you would like to do a field study on your farm.
Sheep have been raised for milk for hundreds of years. Milk production from
sheep is an important agricultural enterprise in the countries near the Mediterranean
Sea. In the United States, there are few sheep dairies, but it is a growing
enterprise in many parts of the country, such as the New England states and
the Midwest.
Most sheep’s milk is processed into cheese, with smaller amounts going
into yogurt, ice cream, and fluid milk. Some famous world cheeses made from
sheep’s milk are Roquefort (from France) and Feta (from Greece).
The U.S. imports about 38 thousand tons of sheep-milk cheese annually, representing
half of the world trade in the cheese. This amount has more than doubled in
the past 15 years, according to Michael Thonney
from Cornell University. Less than 100 tons of sheep-milk cheese are produced
in the U.S. each year, and Thonney believes there is a large potential market
for this product.
According to researchers at the University of Wisconsin Spooner Research Station,
with a small investment in milking facilities and equipment, a sheep producer
can increase his/her gross income by approximately 75% by milking sheep (compared
to producing just meat and wool). Sheep milk can be made into cheese on the
farm or sold to cheese plants which make specialty sheep cheeses or blend sheep’s
milk with cow and/or goat’s milk. Sheep milk can be frozen without harming
its cheese-making capabilities. This allows producers to stockpile their milk
until they have enough to ship.
Domestic sheep breeds which have not been selected for milk production can be
expected to produce 100 to 150 lb. of milk over a 90 to 100-day lactation period,
whereas dairy ewes can average three pounds of milk per day over a 150-day lactation
period. The “Holstein” of the sheep world is a German breed called
East Friesian. At the University of Wisconsin, Friesian-cross (¼ blood)
ewes are producing a little over twice the milk per day as the Dorset crosses
that serve as controls.
In a sheep dairy, milking generally starts after lambs are weaned at about 30
days of age. Yield can be increased substantially if lambs are raised on milk
replacer and milking is initiated 24 to 36 hours after parturition. Wisconsin
researchers determined the most profitable management system is to leave lambs
with the ewe for half of the day and milk the ewe once per day.
Dairy sheep can be milked by hand or machine, at stands or in a milking parlor
with a pit. They are milked from behind. A separate milking area and milk room
are needed. Dairy ewes need to be calm and well-mannered and have well-set udders.
It goes without saying that they should be prolific ewes that produce lambs
with good weaning weights.
Sheep’s milk is higher in fat, protein, and total solids than goat’s
or cow’s milk and yields more cheese. Four to five pounds of sheep milk
produces a pound of cheese, whereas it takes eight to nine pounds of cow milk
or goat milk to produce a pound of cheese.
| Type of milk | % Solids |
% Protein |
% Fat |
| Human | 12.50 |
1.03 |
4.38 |
| Cow | 12.01 |
3.29 |
3.34 |
| Goat | 12.97 |
3.56 |
4.18 |
| Sheep | 19.30 |
5.98 |
7.0 |
More information:
http://www.uwex.edu/ces/animalscience/sheep/
agalternatives.aers.psu.edu/livestock/milkingsheep
http://www.attra.org/attra-pub/dairysheep.html
The 46th Annual Maryland Wool Pool will be held July 2 and 3 at the Maryland
State Fairgrounds in Timonium. Wednesday, July 2 will be the only day for delivery
of wool to the pool. Wool will be accepted between 7:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. There
will be three lines to accept wool. Two of the lines will accept loose wool.
The third will handle wool baled in square bags. Any producer bringing wool
to the pool in nylon square bags weighing 250 pounds or more will receive a
5 cent per pound bonus, plus a new bag. Smaller lots of wool
can be delivered in plastic trash bags or loose in vehicles. Wool delivered
in polypropylene bags will be refused. Wool delivered
in burlap bags will be discounted 3 cents per pound. Wet wool
will not be accepted. “Wool” from hair sheep
or hair sheep crosses will not be accepted.
This year’s Maryland Wool Pool was purchased by Chargeurs, Inc. of Jamestown,
South Carolina, at the following prices:
| Grade | Price per lb. |
| Choice white-face | 0.42 |
| Medium white-face | 0.32 |
| Coarse white-face | 0.31 |
| Non white-face | 0.30 |
| Short | 0.15 |
Checks will be mailed to consigners within several weeks of the pool. The
price received for wool will be the price listed above minus a deduction for
wool pool expenses (usually around 6 cents per pound). Maryland Sheep Breeders
Association dues of $15 will be deducted on wool sales over $30. The MSBA Board
of Directors has made a policy that no refunds will be made. MSBA members receive
the quarterly, “Maryland Sheep News.” If membership dues are not
deducted, MSBA annual dues can be sent to Kris Thorne, 2367 Carrollton Road,
Westminster, MD 21157.
Questions or concerns regarding the Maryland Wool Pool should be directed to
pool manager Rich Barczewski at (302) 857-6410 during the day and at (302) 659-1211
in the evenings prior to 9 p.m. Rich can also be reached via e-mail at rbarczew@dsc.edu.
Producers planning to apply for loan deficiency payments (LDP’s) or marketing
assistance loans must make application with their local FSA office before losing
beneficial interest in their wool. Beneficial interest is lost when wool is
delivered to a wool pool or sold. Each Tuesday, the USDA posts rates to calculate
the loan deficiency payments at http://www.fsa.usda.gov/dafp/psd/
MKTPRICLEAN1.htm.
by Niki Whitley
University of Maryland Eastern Shore
nwhitley@mail.umes.edu; (410) 651-6194
Northeast SARE (Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education) has funded
a grant in which UMES and Maryland Cooperative Extension (Niki Whitley and Susan
Schoenian) will be looking at utilizing low- input Katahdin hair sheep females
with three different sire breeds to determine which sires will economically
increase carcass quality on a pasture production system. The second phase of
the study will consist of producers being able to use one of the three sire
breeds on their own farms to determine if any of the three will help to increase
their individual farm profits (to help sustain the small farm lifestyle).
The three sires being tested include a “traditional” lamb breed
– the Suffolk and two “import” types – the Texel, a
wool sheep bred extensively for and excelling in muscling and carcass traits
and the White Dorper, a hair sheep also bred for and excelling in muscling and
growth. Right now, the sires we have are a yearling Suffolk with outstanding
growth EPDs, a 3-year old proven White Dorper sire and a 6-year old Texel with
proven carcass contest sire winners in his bloodline.
The plans are to breed 20 to 40 ewes to each sire and produce the lambs in as
low-input a management system (as much on pasture) as possible. Producers will
be involved in the research through workshops on ultrasound and parasite resistance
studies between the breeds and again, through the potential use of the sire
breeds in their own flock.
If you are interested in learning about the use of ultrasound to look at carcass
traits (to select better sires, etc.) and/or how to use fecal egg counts to
determine internal parasite loads, please do not hesitate to contact me or Susan.
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Use of Prostaglandin (Lutalyse) to Synchronize Breeding in Meat goats
by Dr. Niki Whitley
When I first began working at the Ruminant Farm at UMES, the goats were bred
in the fall using natural breeding for a 45-day breeding period (to accommodate
two 21-day cycles). That meant kidding (and labor) was spread out over at least
45 days. Being a reproductive physiologist, the first and second things I wanted
to do with the animals was to synchronize breeding and organize out-of-season
(summer) breeding in the goats (and sheep). Being new to goat production, I
did not know what to use to synchronize goats. Using my knowledge of cattle
reproduction and realizing that during the breeding season goats estrous (heat)
cycles are a lot like cattle cycles, I decided to conduct an informal, “on-farm”
experiment in order to get the goats bred within a 2-week period. Our farm manager
organized all the labor and I was mostly just the “idea” person.
We only had 20-something animals. A few were Nubian, so I left them out of the
study and used only our 19 Boer and Boer-crossbred animals (because breed does
make a difference).
It is known that drugs that work like prostaglandins (hormones found naturally
in animals and people) have been used in dairy goats to synchronize estrus (heat)
during the breeding season, but little is known about use of prostaglandin in
meat goats. In mid-October, we took the 19 cycling does (that had seen, heard
and smelled bucks but had no fence-line contact yet) and put them into two groups.
We gave one group of 8 does 1.5cc Lutalyse (from Pharmacia & Upjohn) intramuscularly
the day we put in mature bucks wearing a marking harness. The other 11 did not
get any treatment yet.
We checked for marks on all does 4 days after putting the bucks in, and any
of the 19 does that were not marked were given 1.5cc Lutalyse IM (some for a
second time) and checked for marks again another 4 days later (8 days after
bucks were put in with does). The plan was to continue in that pattern until
all does were bred. As mentioned above, the plan was to have them all bred within
two weeks. I knew that the goats should come into heat within 2-3 days after
getting the treatment if they were going to come into heat because of the treatment.
We recorded the does marked each time we checked and followed them through kidding
to measure number kidding and number and birth weight of kids. In the group
of 11 does that was not treated when the bucks were put in, one doe recycled
28 days after the first breeding, and one doe aborted just prior to kidding
due to stress). We measured the cost of treatment by calculating the total cost
of each dose ($.80) multiplied by the number of doses given, not counting labor
costs.
All does were mated by day 8, indicating that both treatment methods were effective.
In addition, treatment timing did not impact the number mated by day 4 (around
15/19 does), number that kidded due to the treatment (18/19 counting the one
that aborted), number of kids born (around 1.8 kids per doe), or kid birth weights
(around 7.5 lb each). The cost per doe bred was, of course, statistically higher
for the does treated when bucks were put in compared to the group that were
only given the treatment if they did not cycle within 4 days after the bucks
were put in. The overall cost averaged $.90 per doe for group given treatment
at the beginning compared to only $.22 per doe for the group that was only given
treatment if not bred. However, labor costs were not included and there was
not a totally “untreated” group. The extra cost of $.22/doe to get
all animals bred within 8 days may not have been needed, though in my mind,
it did give more of a “guarantee”.
An interesting note for those of you who don’t think you would like breeding
in that short of a time period: after finishing with “synchronized”
kidding within a 10-day period because of our 8-day breeding, our farm manager
is now a fan of synchronized breeding. This allows for all of the kidding chores,
vaccinations, and weaning to be done all at one time, making daily work chores
much lighter the other days of the year.
Editor’s note: For access to Dr. Whitley’s research abstracts, visit her web page at www.umes.edu/ livestock and click on “research”.
Anthelmintic (dewormer/anti-parasitic drug) resistance is a major problem in the small ruminant industry, especially among goat producers. Last summer (2002), studies to determine the extent of anthelmintic resistance were carried out in Maryland, Virginia, and Oklahoma.
Maryland
Two studies were carried out at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore to
determine resistance to anthelmintics. Boer crossbred kids (n=27) and Katahdin
hair sheep lambs (n=18) were orally treated with 2X the sheep dose of Ivomec,
Tramisol, or Valbazen. Fecal egg counts were determined prior to treatment and
7 days after treatment. Ivermectin, Tramisol, and Valbazen treatments reduced
fecal egg counts by 95% in only 33.3%, 13.3%, and 40% of the treated animals,
respectively. Fecal egg count reduction was not different between species, averaging
66.6% egg reduction. Pre-treatment fecal egg counts were higher for goats than
sheep 3,532 epg vs. 190 epg.
In the second study, mature does (n=69, primarily Boer) and ewes (n=47, primarily
Katahdin) were orally administered Cydectin or Levasol or 2X the labeled dosage
of SafeGuard. Fecal egg counts were determined prior to treatment and 10 days
after treatment. Animals with beginning FEC of <50 were excluded from the
study. Overall, Cydectin, Levasol, and Safeguard worked effectively (reduced
FEC by >95%) in 71.2%, 29.8% and 30.2% of the animals, respectively indicating
reduced drug efficacy for all treatments. However, overall percentage egg count
reduce was greater for Cydectin (92.7%) than for Levasol (44.5%) or SafeGuard
( 38.3%). Fecal egg count reduction was less for meat goats (23.5%) than hair
sheep (63.9%).
For more information about the Maryland studies, contact Dr. Niki Whitley at
(410) 651-6194 or nwhitley@mail.umd.edu.
Source: UMES Research Abstracts 2002 www.umes.edu/livestock/ <=click on research
Virginia
Researchers at Virginia State University surveyed sheep and goat producers regarding
their management practices and parasite control strategies. As part of their
survey, they visited a number of farms (mostly meat goat) and tested for anthelmintic
resistance. The products that were tested were fenbendazole (SafeGuard/Panacur),
albendazole (Valbazen), levamisole (Levasol/Tramisol), ivermectin (Ivomec),
and moxidectin (Cydectin).
All products were administered orally to goats at 1.5 to 3 times the oral dosage
for sheep or to sheep at 1 to 1.5 X the labeled dosage. All animals were weighed
prior to treatment, so that an accurate dose could be administered. Fecal egg
counts were done prior to treatment and 7 to 14 days after treatment. Products
which reduced fecal egg counts by 90 percent or more were deemed effective.
Products which reduced egg counts from 60 to 90 percent were considered to be
moderately effective. At less than 60 percent fecal egg reduction, severe resistance
was reported.
Based on these criteria, severe resistance to fenbendazole (at 2X the dose)
was found on six of nine Virginia farms. Moderate resistance was found on three
additional farms (at 3X the dose). Similarly, albendazole (at 2X the dose) showed
only a 40 and 78 percent fecal egg reduction on two Virginia farms. There was
severe resistance to ivermectin on 9 of 11 farms (at 2X the dose) and moderate
resistance on the two other farms and two additional farms (at 3X the dose).
In contrast, levamisole was over 90 percent effective on five of six farms (at
1.5X the dose). Moxidectin was over 90 percent effective on 8 of 11 farms (at
2.5X the dose) and between 73 and 83 percent effective on the other three farms.
It is important to note that the data in Virginia are preliminary and represent
a limited number of farms. It was also a drought year in which fecal egg counts
were generally lower than average. For more information about the Virginia study
or to participate in the study, contact Dr. Joe Tritschler at (804) 524-5957
or jtritsch@vsu.edu.
Source: Virginia Shepherd, Virginia Sheep Producers Association, January 2003.
Oklahoma
In Oklahoma, producers were similarly asked to participate in a survey conducted
by researchers at Langston University. As part of the study, 15 goats at each
participating farm were treated orally with levamisole, (Tramisol /Levasol),
albendazole (Valbazen), or iver-mectin (Ivomec). The animals (mostly Boer and
Boer crosses) were weighed at the time of treatment, and individual fecal samples
were collected prior to treatment, then one to two weeks later. As compared
to the Virginia study, EPG’s were generally higher (>500 EPG), making
for a more effective comparison.
As in Virginia, ivermectin and the benzimidazoles were shown to be ineffective
in sufficiently reducing fecal egg counts, even at higher doses. Only Moxidectin
and Levamisole showed any promise as effective anthelmintics. For more information
about the Oklahoma study, contact Dr. Terry Gipson at (405) 466-3836 or tgipson@luresext.edu.
The Kiko is one of the newest breeds of goats in the U.S. They are a meat breed
that originated in New Zealand when a corporation of large breeders (Goatex
Group LCC) began capturing and farming an unselected population of native, feral
goats. These goats were subjected to stringent selection criteria. The two main
criteria for selection were survivability and weight gain. No shelter was provided
to these goats. No assistance was given during kidding. No supplemental feeding
was provided. No hooves were trimmed. Minimal parasite control was administered.
The animals that performed exceptional were retained, and in 1986, the herd
was closed to outside bucks.
The Kiko is a large framed, early maturing goat. They are not as heavy boned
as some breeds. Though Kikos may be any color, in the U.S. they are mostly white,
because white goats were originally imported. Their coat ranges from slick in
summer to flowing hair in winter. The primary characteristic of the Kiko is
its hardiness and ability to produce under natural conditions without supplemental
feeding. They are best utilized in a crossbreeding program to produce kids for
the meat market.
Kiko is a word used by the indigenous people of New Zealand to describe substantial
meat producing animals. Prior to leaving New Zealand, all purebred Kikos are
fitted with a microchip to safeguard the integrity of the breed.
Web site:
http://www.kikogoats.com
The Live Animal and Carcass Contest at the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival
recognizes producers of superior meat-type lambs and helps producers correlate
live traits (subjective) with carcass traits (objective). The lambs are evaluated
on the hoof, prior to processing at Mt. Airy Locker, where actual carcass measurements
are obtained.
For the fifth consecutive year, the Live Animal and Carcass Contest was won
by Beverly and Sherman Pearsall from Thurmont, Maryland. Their champion lamb
was a crossbred Texel ram lamb weighing 
80 pounds. The lamb dressed out an impressive 58 percent, producing a 46 lb. carcass
and a a 3.2 square inch loin eye (lamb chop), the largest in the class. The
lamb had only 0.17 inches of back fat. The Texel breed is known for its extreme
muscling in the leg and loin regions.
The reserve champion carcass lamb was a 107-pound Dorset ram lamb exhibited
by Bill and Katie Powers from Townsend, Delaware. This lamb had the highest
scoring leg in the class (15/high prime) and only 0.18 of back fat. Its loin
eye was 2.8 square inches, the second largest in the class. It is not unusual
for Dorset lambs to do well in a carcass contest. Besides being excellent mother
sheep, Dorset-sired lambs are thickly muscled. They are the preferred type of
lamb in the hothouse lamb trade.
For information about the Live Animal and Carcass Contest or how to evaluate
carcass traits in live lambs or goats, contact the contest chair Susan Schoenian
at (301) 432-2767 ext 343 or sschoen@umd.edu.
A bill was recently introduced by Congressman Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) to add
poultry and goat meat to the new country-of-original labeling (COOL) law. Last
year’s Farm Bill included a voluntary provision asking retailers to label
certain agricultural commodities with a country of origin. This voluntary provision
becomes mandatory Sept. 30, 2004. Under the new country -of-origin law, meat
may not be labeled as having a U.S. country-of-origin, unless it is born, raised,
fed, slaughtered, and processed in the United States.
The intent of COOL is to provide consumers with information regarding meat origin,
which supporters suggest will boost U.S. meat sales. There are two exemptions
to COOL. First, COOL doesn’t include covered commodities that are ingredients
in processed food products. For example, hamburger on frozen pizzas would be
exempted. Second, COOL excludes food service establishments from informing consumers
of country-of-origin.
Urinary calculi or “water belly” is a common metabolic disease
of male sheep and goats. The disease occurs when calculi (stones), usually comprised
of phosphate salts, lodge in the urinary tract and prevent urination. The culprit
is diets which are excessive in phosphorus and magnesium and/or have an imbalance
of calcium and phosphorus. Lack of water and water sources that are high in
minerals also contribute. Animals being fed high concentrate diets are most
prone. Wethers are at greatest risk since castration of young males removes
the hormonal influence necessary for the penis and urethra to reach full size.
In females, calculi are formed, but excreted due to anatomic differences in
the male and female urinary tract.
Clinical signs start with restlessness and anxiety. Affected animals may experience
abdominal pain, distention and rupture of the urethra, loss of appetite, a humped-up
appearance, edema under the belly, urine dribbling, kicking at the belly, straining,
and attempts to urinate. In goats, there may be increased vocalization and tail
twitching. If left untreated, affected animals will die when the bladder bursts
and urine fills the peritoneal cavity.
Treatment of urinary calculi depends upon the location of the obstruction and
may be as simple as snipping off the urethral process to allow calculi at the
end of the penis to dislodge. Tranquilizers and antispasmodics may help to naturally
dislodge calculi. In more advanced cases, surgical intervention may be necessary
to save valuable animals or pets. Veterinary advice should be sought when urinary
calculi is suspected.
Like most disease conditions, it is better to prevent urinary calculi than to
treat it. It can be prevented by feeding rations which contain a calcium-to-phosphorus
ratio of at least 2:1. Cereal grains (corn, barley, etc.) have an abnormal calcium-to-phosphorus
ratio of 1:4 to 1:6 and need to be balanced with other feeds or mineral sources
to form a complete ration. In contrast, legumes (e.g.. alfalfa, clover) have
much more calcium than phosphorus.
Adequate water intake is also necessary to prevent urinary calculi. The use
of salt (up to 4% of the ration) will help to increase water intake. The use
of ammonium chloride at a level of 0.5 percent of the total diet will help to
acidify the urine and prevent the formation of calculi. Most commercial lamb
and meat goat diets contain ammonium chloride, as well as the proper ratio of
Ca:P.
When formulating your own feed rations, you need to include minerals in the
ration or a source of calcium (such as legume hay). Free choice minerals may
not be adequate to prevent urinary calculi in male goats and sheep, since you
do not know if they are consuming sufficient quantities of the mineral.
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
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
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 16
Western Maryland Goat, Sheep, and Forage Day
10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Western Maryland Research & Education Center, Keedysville,
MD.
Contact: Susan Schoenian at (301) 432-2767 ext 343 or sschoen@umd.edu.
August 23
Virginia Performance Tested Ram Lamb Sale
Steele's Tavern, Virginia
Contact: Scott Greiner at (540) 231-9159 or sgreiner@vt.edu
.
Links are
provided as an information service. They do not constitute an endorsement of
any non-affiliated organizations, businesses, products or content of these pages
by Maryland Cooperative Extension or the University of Maryland. Mention of
product names is for information purposes only. It is the policy of Maryland
Cooperative Extension that no person shall be subjected to discrimination on
the grounds of race, color, sex, disability, age, religion or national origin.
 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
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