Maryland Sheep & Goat Producer

A central performance test is where animals from different herds are brought to one central location where performance is recorded. The rationale is that observed differences are more likely due to genetic differences, which will be passed onto offspring, rather than environmental differences, which will not be passed onto offspring. The goal of a central performance test is to identify genetic differences among animals.

A Pasture-Based Meat Goat Performance Test was initiated at the Western Maryland Research & Education Center in Keedysville, Maryland, on June 10, 2006. Forty-seven (47) male goats are currently grazing at the facility. The goats will remain on test until October 7, 2006. While on test, they will be evaluated for growth performance, carcass merit, and parasite resistance.

The goats in the test have been consigned by breeders from seven states: Maryland (23), Pennsylvania (1), Virginia (12), West Virginia (3), Georgia (4), Tennessee (1), and Oklahoma (3). Of the 47 goats, 35 are intact males, 12 are wethers. The goats are mostly Kiko and Kiko x Boer crosses. There are a few high-percentage Boers on test.

The goats will be handled every two weeks to determine FAMACHA© eye anemia scores, body condition scores, and the need for deworming individual animals. Every four weeks they will be weighed. Fecal samples will be collected at 0, 28, and 56 days and analyzed for fecal egg count determination. Towards the end of the testing period, back fat and ribeye area will be determined using realtime ultrasound.

While on test, the only supplementation the goats will receive is free choice minerals. Minerals are being provided by Summit Livestock Minerals, of Pulaski, Virginia.

Keep up-to-date with the pasture test by visiting the web site:   http://mdgoattest.blogspot.com/

Meat Goat Quality Assurance Program

Meat goat production is one of the fastest growing sectors of the livestock industry in the United States. New producers, as well as some established ones, have an expressed need for current, correct information on how to raise goats and produce safe, wholesome products in demand by the public.

Langston University (Oklahoma) was awarded funding by the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) of USDA to develop training and certification for meat goat producers to meet such a need. Langston is working with other institutions to develop a web-based certification program for meat goat producers. As the meat goat industry grows and evolves, a quality assurance program that is compatible with HACCP-like programs, is essential. A meat goat production handbook is also in the works.

See “Introduction to Goat Nutrition,” an excerpt of the online program on page 4 of this issue. To view the entire program, visit http://www2.luresext.edu/goats/training/qa.html

Learn FAMACHA©

Gastro-intestinal parasites (worms) are the primary health problem affecting sheep and goats in warm, moist climates like Maryland. Because of widespread drug resistance, regular deworming is no longer advocated. Nor is it recommended that all animals in a flock/herd be dewormed. Instead, a more integrated approach to internal parasite control is necessary.

To help producers develop integrated parasite management (IPM) programs for their farms and flocks, Maryland Cooperative Extension will be holding Internal Parasite (IPM) Workshops for sheep and goat producers in various Maryland counties and nearby locations.
In addition to teaching the basics of internal parasites and their control, the workshop will teach proper anthelmintic use and provide hands-on training in doing fecal egg analyses and using the FAMACHA© Eye Anemia Guide to determine the need for deworming individual animals. Participants will receive a laminated FAMACHA© Guide.

What is FAMACHA©?
FAMACHA© is a new system for identifying the need to deworm individual animals. The FAMACHA© system utilizes a color eye chart, showing varying degrees of anemia. Anemia is the primary symptom of barber pole worm infection. The barber pole worm is the primary parasite affecting sheep and lambs in warm, moist climates.

To receive a FAMACHA© card, producers must take a training. Contact an Extension agent in your county or region if you're interested in having an IPM workshop or presentation. Organizations and clubs may also host workshops. Workshops need to be scheduled during prime "barber pole worm season" (May-September), so that worm eggs can be found in fecal samples and varying degrees of anemia can be observed in live animals.

Why should you attend?
Since 2004, twenty Integrated Parasite Management (IPM) workshops have been held in seven states. 556 people have been certified in the use of the FAMACHA© system. Based on 84 producers completing follow-up surveys,

• 91% of producers surveyed are using the FAMACHA© system.


• 74% are deworming their animals less—none are deworming their animals more.


• 57% are having less problems with internal parasites.


• 69% of producers surveyed spent less money on anthelmintics in 2005 compared to 2004.

As a result of attending the workshops, producers are adopting various other IPM practices to control internal parasites in their flocks/herds such as:

• fecal egg counting, 29%


• pasture rest/rotation, 71%


• browsing, 52%


• multi-species grazing, 31%


• increasing grazing height, 37%


• reducing stocking rates, 28%


• genetic selection, 58%


• resistant breed selection, 48%


• and periparturient anthelmintic treatments, 63%.

Feed Hay First

Bill McCutcheon, Sheep Specialist/OMAF

Sheep are ruminant animals; this makes it possible for them to consume and utilize roughage or highly fibrous feeds. Animals with simple stomachs (pigs or dogs) are not capable of fully digesting fibrous plant material such as hay. However, the ruminant animal can digest more complex carbohydrates such as cellulose that is the major component of the fibre in hay. The microbes that inhabit the rumen of the sheep can break down the fibre and make the energy, protein and other plant components available to the sheep. It is very important that the microbial populations in the rumen are maintained at a proper level to ensure efficient breakdown of the roughage (hay) consumed by the sheep. Furthermore, much of the protein absorbed by the sheep is in the form of microbial protein. Therefore, the microbial populations in the rumen are continually being replaced. When the hay is fed in relation to when the grain ration is fed will affect the growth of microbes in the rumen and affect the ability of the microbial population to break down fibre and supply microbial protein to the ewe.

When hay is eaten by the ewe, large amounts of saliva are secreted. This saliva is basic (high pH) and creates an environment in the rumen to encourage the growth of microbial populations that will digest the fibre in the hay. The saliva also acts as a buffer to control the pH in the rumen from dropping too low. When the rumen pH becomes acidic, the microbes needed for efficient digestion of the forage are killed. If the pH in the rumen falls too low, the ewe will become ill and suffer from acidosis, commonly known as grain or rumen overload.

When grain is fed to the ewe, it creates an environment in the rumen that is acid (low pH). If too much grain is fed at one time or if grain is consumed by the ewe into a rumen that has not been buffered with the ewe’s saliva, grain overload or acidosis can occur. When large amounts of grain are being fed, it is important that the rumen is properly buffered. A large amount of grain would be in excess of one pound per feeding. The rumen can be properly buffered by feeding part of the total hay consumed by the ewe to her before feeding grain. I would recommend the ewes consume hay for about 30 to 45 minutes before feeding grain. By allowing the ewe to eat hay before feeding grain a drop in rumen pH can be avoided. By feeding hay first, the forage in the rumen will break down more efficiently because the pH is maintained at the proper level to promote regeneration of microbial populations. Carbohydrates supplied by grain provide energy for microbial regeneration.

By improving the efficiency of fibre breakdown, the amount of total dry matter intake (DMI) can be increased. When DMI is increased, the amount of crude protein and TDN (energy) for the ewe is increased. This increase in nutrients should result in increased production. This increase in production is important in late gestation and during lactation. Improving DMI in late gestation, helps prevent pregnancy toxaemia and reduce the number of stillborn lambs. If DMI can be increased during lactation, the production of milk will increase and this translates to improved 50 day lamb weights. Body condition should also be more easily maintained during lactation; this may improve conception rates for ewes on an accelerated lambing program because less time will be required to get the ewe into breeding condition after weaning.

By feeding hay first, an environment in the rumen is created to promote proper microbial growth, the efficiency of fibre breakdown is improved, dry matter intakes are increased, and the risk of grain overload will be reduced. The consumption of more nutrients by the ewe will improve the production of lamb and wool and hopefully improve the profit per ewe per year.

For more information:
Toll Free: 1-877-424-1300
Local: (519) 826-4047
Email: ag.info@omafra.gov.on.ca

© Queen’s Printer for Ontario, 1991. Reproduced with permission.

Introduction to Goat Nutrition

Steve Hart, Langston University

Proper nutrition is essential for the health and productivity of all animals and is the basis of successful production systems. A well planned and executed preventive health program cannot overcome problems that are created by poor nutrition. Nor can advanced reproductive technologies overcome nutritional limitations of reproduction. Therefore, nutrition of the goat is of paramount importance for successful goat production. Nutrition is the science of providing nutrients to animals in adequate amounts and in forms that the animals will consume. For sustainable and profitable production, these nutrients must also be provided in a cost-effective manner.

The Ruminant Stomach
Goats are ruminants, animals with a four-compartment stomach, as are cattle, sheep, and deer. The compartments are the reticulum, rumen, omasum, and abomasum (true stomach). Monogastric or simple-stomached animals such as humans, dogs, and cats consume food that undergoes acidic breakdown in the stomach and enzymatic digestion in the small intestine where most nutrients are absorbed. In ruminants, feed first undergoes microbial digestion in the reticulum and rumen (together often called the reticulo-rumen) prior to acidic digestion in the abomasum and enzymatic digestion and nutrient absorption in the small intestine. It is the microbial digestion in the reticulo-rumen that allows ruminants to consume and utilize grass, hay, leaves, browse, etc.

The reticulum and rumen form a large fermentation vat that contains microorganisms, mainly bacteria, that breakdown and digest feedstuffs, including the fibrous component of grass, forbs, and browse that cannot be digested by monogastric animals. Some of the breakdown products produced through digestion of feed by bacteria are absorbed by the animal through the rumen wall and can supply a large part of the energy needs. The rest of the byproducts of digestion, undigested feed, and ruminal microorganisms flow out of the reticulo-rumen into the omasum where large feed particles are trapped for further digestion and water is reabsorbed. Material then flows into the abomasum where acidic digestion takes place and then to the small intestine for further enzymatic digestion and nutrient absorption.

The rumen provides several advantages to the goat in addition to digestion of dietary fiber. The bacteria in the rumen are capable of synthesizing all B vitamins needed. Bacteria can also synthesize protein from nitrogen recycled in the body, which may be advantageous on low protein diets. For proper ruminal function, goats require a certain level of fiber (measured as crude fiber, acid detergent fiber, or neutral detergent fiber) in the diet. Goats have bacteria in the rumen that can detoxify antinutritional factors, such as tannins. This enables goats to better utilize feedstuffs containing high tannin levels such as those found in browse. There are very few situations in which a goat will not consume adequate fiber, but one is when a very high grain diet is being fed. Inadequate fiber consumption can then lead to several disease conditions. The most important disease condition is acidosis or an extremely low pH in the rumen, causing decreased feed consumption.

When ruminants are born, the first three compartments of the stomach are underdeveloped and the stomach functions similar to that of a monogastric animal. This enables absorption of antibodies in colostrum and efficient utilization of nutrients in milk.
As the young ruminant consumes solid feed, especially high in fiber, and the microbial population is established, the rumen is stimulated to develop. The rumen must have an acceptable degree of development for successful weaning.

The greatest asset of goats is the ability and tendency to utilize woody plants and weeds, not typically consumed by other species of animals (e.g., cattle and sheep), converting them into a saleable product. Therefore, these plant species can be inexpensive sources of nutrients and make for a very profitable goat enterprise. Goats typically consume a number of different plant species in any one day and can utilize some poisonous plants because they do not consume enough to be toxic. Similarly, goats are believed to have a relatively high ability to detoxify absorbed anti-nutritional factors. Goats are more resistant to bloating than other ruminants, and after a brief adaptation may graze alfalfa without bloating.

Nutrients
Nutrients are defined as substances that aid in the support of life. The six classes of nutrients include protein, carbohydrate, fat, vitamins, minerals, and water. Nutrients are often classified as organic (carbon-containing) or inorganic (minerals).

Energy is not considered a nutrient, but can be derived from the breakdown of several nutrients including fat, protein, and both simple and complex carbohydrates. Energy is required to propel the biochemical processes that are necessary to sustain life. A deficiency of energy will cause weight loss, low productivity, and ultimate death of an animal. An oversupply of energy will usually result in excessive fatness, which is also unhealthy. A simple unit of measurement of energy is pounds of total digestible nutrients (TDN). A lb of TDN, equivalent to a pound of digested carbohydrate, equals 2,000 Kilocalories (or Calories as used in human nutrition) of digestible energy. There are a number of other measures of energy used, but they are less easily understood.

Water should be kept clean to encourage intake. This usually involves regular cleaning of the waterer. It is important that the area around the waterer not be muddy, as this is a good environment to spread foot rot and internal parasites. Placing some rock or gravel around the waterer can help keep feet dry and reduce disease problems. Water cleanliness is especially important for bucks on high grain diets. Their water needs to be shaded in summer and warm in the winter to encourage intake and reduce the risk of urinary calculi.

Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates usually provide the majority of energy to goats. Carbohydrates can be classified as simple, such as sugars (easily identified by their sweet taste; maybe 1, 2, or 3 sugar molecules linked together), or complex, such as starch (found in grains) or cellulose (i.e., fiber). Grass, forb, and browse plant species generally contain high levels of cellulose, which must be digested by rumen bacteria to provide energy.

Cellulose is often referred to as fiber, although the term fiber also pertains to other substances such as hemicellulose and lignin. Fiber in young plants may be highly digestible and provide a high level of energy, but fiber in older, mature plants is often poorly digested and may only provide half the energy of other carbohydrates. Fiber in the diet may be characterized chemically in several ways, such as crude fiber (CF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), and neutral detergent fiber (NDF). These abbreviations are used in hay analysis and may appear on feed tags. In general, the lower the fiber level, the higher the level of digestible energy. However, a certain minimum fiber level is required for healthy rumen function.

Goats do not adapt as easily to high concentrate diets as cattle and sheep and are more likely to get acidosis, founder, urinary calculi, and enterotoxemia. To avoid these problems, very gradually increase the concentrate level in the diet when placing goats on high concentrate diets and maintain a minimum of 12% crude fiber in the diet or about half of the diet as grass, browse, or hay. Goats are typically not feed efficient, except for some rapidly growing Boer goats, and may require 7 lbs or more of feed per pound of gain. Also, one must be very alert for health problems with goats on high grain diets.

Fats
Fats, also called lipids, are very high in energy, providing more than twice the energy of carbohydrate on a weight basis. The fat content of ruminant diets is generally low, as plants have a low fat content. Plant waxes are fats that goats consume as they graze and browse, but they are not digested. Fat may be added to diets to increase the energy content. However, high levels of added fat depress fiber digestion unless treated to be inactive in the rumen. These fat sources are termed “bypass” and may be used in dairy goat diets but are generally not used in meat goat diets.

Protein
Protein is composed of building blocks called amino acids that the body uses to produce all of the different proteins required for growth, production, and maintenance. Protein is required in the diet for accumulation of new body mass (growth) and for replacing protein lost by normal wear and tear.

Ruminant animals are usually fed supplemental protein to make up for dietary shortfalls. In the rumen, bacteria degrade much of the consumed protein and use the amino acids to form bacterial protein. Bacteria can also form protein from nonprotein sources such as urea and, if provided with sufficient energy, can form significant quantities of protein. To prevent breakdown and digestion by ruminal bacteria, some protein sources are protected from degradation by coating or other means. Some natural proteins are also resistant to ruminal degradation by bacteria. These types of proteins are referred to as “bypass protein” as they bypass digestion in the rumen. Other common terms for bypass protein are “ruminal escape” and “rumen undegraded.” Bypass protein sources are very important in dairy cow nutrition, but have lesser significance in most meat goat production systems.

Urea is the main nonprotein nitrogen source fed to ruminants. However, goats are not fed urea as frequently as cattle are. This may be because goats are more subject to urea toxicity than cattle. Goats appear more efficient than other species at recycling nitrogen in the body to the rumen where it can be used to form microbial protein, given that sufficient energy is available. This recycling of urea to the rumen helps to reduce the amount of protein required in the diet. When animals are consuming a low quality forage, a grain supplement may also improve protein status by providing additional energy for protein synthesis by ruminal microbes.

Reprinted with permission from author.

Meat Goat Certification Program:
http://www2.luresext.edu/goats/training/qa.html

Sheep Safety & Quality Assurance Program:
http://www.colostate.edu/programs/SSQA/

Featured Breed

Rare Black Welsh Mountain Sheep

Mr. Tom Wyman -- President (and Founder) of the American Black Welsh Mountain Sheep Association (www.blackwelsh.org) and longtime resident of Maryland's Eastern Shore -- first introduced the rare Black Welsh Mountain breed to the United States in 1973, and he and his family continue to welcome new members of their flock each spring at their lovely Wye Heights Plantation just north of Easton, Maryland.

With a current worldwide Black Welsh Mountain population of approximately 9,000 sheep, these small and wonderfully personable all-black sheep are found in England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. Our smaller North American population, whose own genetic basis has its origins thanks to Mr. Wyman's original importation of 16 Black Welsh Mountain sheep, numbers closer to 800 registered sheep, spread between nearly 50 small flocks located throughout the United States and Canada.

Since the late 1990s, the American Black Welsh Mountain Sheep Association and its member breeders have introduced three new UK genetic lines to Mr. Wyman's original two Black Welsh Mountain sire lines via the use of AI and UK champion Black Welsh Mountain frozen semen, thereby adding a healthy degree of genetic diversity to the existing North American population of Black Welsh Mountain sheep.

For more information on these wonderfully hardy but little-known sheep, please contact ABWMSA Secretary/Treasurer Oogie McGuire @ oogiem@desertweyr.com.

Text and photo of Tom Wyman submitted by: Robin Morse, Bankside Farm, Washington State

Featured Website

Shepherd’s Notebook Blog

Shepherd's Notebook is a blog for the sheep and goat industry in the Mid-Atlantic region. The blog will provide an avenue to keep producers up-to-date on events and special topics in between quarterly issues of the Maryland Sheep and Goat Producer newsletter. It originates from University of Maryland Cooperative Extension. The main contributor is Susan Schoenian, Area Agent, Sheep & Goat Specialist at the Western Maryland Research & Education Center in Keedysville, Maryland.

Bookmark and check the Shepherd’s Notebook blog often: http://mdsheepgoat.blogspot.com/

Blog is short for weblog. A weblog is a journal (or newsletter) that is frequently updated and intended for general public consumption. Blogs generally represent the personality of the author or the Web site.

Research Highlights

High Tannin Milo Preliminary Study

Dr. Niki Whitley, University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES)

Research indicating the success of using tannin-containing forages (such as sericea lespedeza) for their deworming properties in sheep or goats has been conducted in the U.S., France, the U.K., New Zealand, and Australia. However, not all forages can be grown in all areas because they have specific soil or environmental requirements for cultivation. In addition, drying the forage into hay may destroy the tannin content such that the deworming effect may not be seen.

An alternative high tannin “treatment” for parasites in sheep and goats may be high tannin milo (grain sorghum; bird resistant varieties). Since the grain contains high tannin, it can be harvested and fed as with corn, barley, and other grains and could thus be shipped anywhere it would be needed without the goat or sheep producer needing to raise their own.

Feeding a natural parasite suppressor would be easier than individually handling each animal and would reduce the use of chemical dewormers, so we conducted a preliminary study at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore to determine the possible effects of high tannin milo on fecal egg counts in goats.

The research was designed with advice from Dr. Joan Burke at the USDA-ARS in Booneville, Arkansas. The diets contained around 70% milo (remainder was alfalfa pellets and commercial sheep mineral mix with a coccidiostat) which was either a mix of low/no tannin varieties grown at UMES (control) or a variety with high tannin (high tannin; tannin level measured by Dr. Lloyd Rooney at Texas A&M University) that was donated by the National Grain Sorghum Growers’ Association. The milo needs to be cracked, so we mixed the feed in a grinder-mixer with a screen set so that the small milo grain was cracked but not ground into powder.

Twenty-five Boer x Saanen crossbred wether and doe kids approximately 4-5 months old were used. The goats (purchased for the study) had previously been grazing pasture with some mixed/ground grain fed daily and had not been dewormed for at least 6 weeks. Fecal egg counts and packed cell volume (an estimate of anemia/blood loss due to parasitism by Haemonchus contortus) were measured before the start of the study and animals were assigned to treatments (8 goats per milo treatment, either control or high tannin) with the remaining 9 goats having to be dewormed right away (they were “off” the study and fed commercial goat pellets, but samples were still collected on them to get information). Animals were housed in pens with concrete slatted floors so that they could not get re-infected with worms and had free access to clean water and salted trace mineral blocks.

Every week for 3 weeks, body weights were recorded and fecal samples were collected to measure fecal parasite egg counts, blood samples were collected to measure packed cell volume (PCV), and a FAMACHA® eye lid score (to estimate anemia) was assigned. A PCV of 22-38% is normal in goats and goats were dewormed if PCV went below 18%.

For this study, there were no differences in eye color or body weight over time for the milo diets. For the goats that were dewormed with chemical dewormer prior to the start of the study, PCV increased over the 3-week period while it remained the same for the milo diets. The FEC were similar over time for both milo feeds and the deworming treatment (numerically lower for the deworming treatment after deworming) except the control in which the counts were higher at week 2 than at other time periods sampled.
Overall, it appears that the one variety of milo tested at the one level of feeding was not effective in reducing fecal egg counts or increasing packed cell volume in goats. However, more studies are planned this summer to test different high tannin varieties at different levels. For more information, contact Dr. Whitley at 410-651-6194 or nwhitley@umes.edu.

The Word on Wool

Wool Pool Prices Announced

This year's Maryland Wool Pool has been purchased by Chargeurs Wool, Inc. of Jamestown, South Carolina. Prices are down from last year about 10 to 20 cents due to global market forces.

• Choice white-face - 0.55
• Non white-face - 0.25
• Medium white-face - 0.32
• Short - 0.20
• Coarse white-face- 0.27

The coarse white-face grade is for long wool breeds. Black and gray wool and wool from hair sheep and hair sheep crosses will not be accepted. Wet wool will not be accepted. Wool delivered in polypropylene bags will be refused. Wool delivered in burlap bags will be deducted 3 cents per pound. The price producers will receive for the wool is the above prices minus a deduction for wool pool expenses (usually between 4 and 8 cents per pound).

Maryland Sheep Breeders Association dues of $15 will be withheld on wool sales over $30. Checks will be mailed within several weeks of the pool. The wool pool will open from 7:30 a.m. until 3 p.m. on Wednesday, June 21 at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium. There will be three lines to accept wool. Two lines will accept loose wool. The third line will accept baled wool. Questions pertaining to the wool pool should be directed to Rich Barczewski at (302) 857-6410 or rbarczew@desu.edu.

Apply for LDP's Before Losing Beneficial Interest in Wool Producers planning to apply for loan deficiency Payments

Just for Youth

A Successful First Skillathon

Seventy youth from four states and eight Maryland counties competed in the first-ever Sheep & Wool Skillathon at the recent Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival.

The first place team came from Harford County. Team members included Katie and Margaret Stump and Mark and Nathan Holloway. Teams from Frederick and Calvert/St. Mary's placed second and third, respectively. Mark Holloway from Harford County was the top junior. Mark got 366 points out of a possible 400 points. Mark had previously won the state contest in Hagerstown.

The first place senior team was from Carroll County. Team members included Claire Bennett, Drew Cashman, and Kim Rawlings. Teams from Frederick and Loudoun County (VA) placed second and third, respectively. Claire Bennett from Carroll County was the high senior. She scored 346 points out of a possible 450. Claire had previously won the state contest in Hagerstown. Sarah Culver from Cecil County was the only one in the contest with a perfect wool score.

Team members (holding t-shirts) were Drew Cashman (L), Claire Bennett (C), and Kim Rawlings (R). Claire Bennett was the high senior individual. Also pictured are Carroll County's junior team which placed 4th in the competition: Troy Bennett (back left), Cody Cashman (back right), Dean Bennett (front left), and Audrey Bennett (front right).

Photo by Karen Holloway

First place junior team from Harford County
(L-R) Katie Stump, Margaret Stump, Mark Holloway, Nathan Holloway

Calendar of Events

June 21- Wool Pool
Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium — Rich Barczewski (302) 857-6410; rbarczew@desu.edu

June 22 - IPM/FAMACHA Workshop
Jefferson Co., WV — Craig Yohn (304) 728-7413 ext. 2; craig.yohn@mail.wvu.edu

June 24 - Virginia Horn & Hairsheep Sale
Berryville, VA — Scott Strosnider (540) 868-1323; ccolt@adelphia.net

July 1 - Mtn. State Open Boer Goat Show/Youth Jackpot Open Market Show
Martinsburg, WV — Mike Lucas (304) 676-3741; Mike@SunsetAcresBoers.com

July 6 - IPM/FAMACHA Workshop
Frederick, MD — Terry Poole (301) 631-3577 ext. 13577; tepoole@umd.edu

July 21 - West Virginia Performance Tested Ram Sale (and ewe sale)
WVU Reymann Memorial Farm, near Wardensville, WV — Brad Smith (304) 257-4688 – bsmith@mail.wvu.edu

August 5 - Pennsylvania Performance Tested Ram/Buck and Invitational Ewe/Doe Sale
PA Livestock Evaluation Center, Furnace, PA — Glen Eberly (814)238-2527 - geberly@state.pa.us

August 26 - Virginia Performance Test Ram Sale
Virginia Sheep Evaluation Center, near Steeles Tavern, VA — Scott Greiner (540) 231-9159 – sgreiner@vt.edu

September 1 - North Carolina Performance Tested Buck Sale and Field Day
North Carolina Department of Agriculture Umstead Research Farm, Butner, NC — Dr. Brian Faris (919-515-7722) – brian_faris@ncsu.edu

Calendar of Events at SheepGoatMarketing.info

Summer 2006

PRINTER FRIENDLY
PDF FILE

Inside this issue ...
Western MD Goat Test
Quality Assurance Program
Learn FAMACHA©
Feed Hay First
Intro to Goat Nutrition
Featr'd Breed: Black Welsh
Featured Website
Research Highlights
Wool Pool Prices
Apply for LDPs
Just for Youth
Upcoming Events

Last issue
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Contact Us ...

Susan Schoenian
Dr. Niki Whitley
Willie Lantz
Willard Lemaster
Jeff Semler
Cindy Mason
Pam Thomas

LINKS ...

MD Small Ruminant Page
Shepherd's Notebook Blog
SheepGoatMarketing.info
Sheep 101 | Sheep 201
Maryland Coop. Extension
MD Sheep & Wool Festival
MPWV Meat Goat Assoc.
MD Dairy Goat Assoc.
Maryland State Fair
MD Dept. of Agriculture
MarylandAgriculture.info