Virginia Clearinghouse Newsletters

A valuable resource for Mid-Atlantic sheep and goat producers is the sheep and goat clearinghouse newsletters published by the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS).

The newsletters consist of four sections: supply (sheep or goats for sale), demand (sheep or goats wanted for purchase), events, and equipment/services.

The newsletters can be accessed from the VDACS's Livestock Marketing Main Page. Click on sheep or goats for the appropriate newsletter.

There is also a hay clearinghouse newsletter that lists hay for sale in Virginia.

Free business planning software

A few months ago, the Center for Farm Financial Management (CFFM) at the University of Minnesota released free online software for creating business plans.

AgPlan™ helps rural business owners develop business plans. It includes templates for commodity-based agriculture, value-added agriculture, small businesses, and commercial fishing. The software is suitable for both large and small operators.

Business planning is an important part of successful farming, especially during these difficult economic times. According to anecdotal evidence, those who prepare a business plan are 10 to 20 times more profitable.

http://www.agplan.umn.edu/

News "Ewe" Can Use

The Winter 2009 issue of News "Ewe" Can Use has been published on the web as a PDF file. Topics in this issue include the lamb referendum, upcoming marketing opportunties, the new naturally-raised marketing claim, and the 2009 Ram and Buck Performance Test.

News "Ewe" Can Use is published by the West Virginia Small Ruminant Project, in conjunction with the West Virginia University Davis College of Agriculture, Forestry, and Consumer Sciences and West Virginia University Cooperative Extension Service.

Winter 2009 News "Ewe" Can Use

Don't forget to vote

It's still possibe to vote in the referendum for the American Lamb Checkoff. The referendum is being conducted from February 2-27 at local county USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) offices.

Ballots may be requested in person, by fax, or mail from the county FSA offices and via the internet at www.ams.usda.gov/lsmarketingprograms.

Any person who was or is a lamb (sheep) producer, feeder, first handler, exporter, or authorized representative engaged in the production, feeding, exportation, or slaughter of lambs during the period January 1, 2008 through December 31, 2008 is eligible to vote.

Ballots must be returned in person, by fax, or by mail to the appropriate county FSA office. More information about the referendum, including a sample ballot, is available at http://www.lambcheckoff.com/ or (866) 327-5262.

Your vote will help determine whether or not the checkoff is continued.

Maryland Grazers' Newsletter

The third issue of the “Maryland Grazers’ Network News & Notables,” has been posted to the web. This is a newsletter for individuals interested in the benefits of grass-fed beef, dairy, sheep, and goats.

If you have any questions regarding the Maryland Grazers’ Network project, please contact Michael Heller at mheller@cbf.org.

Winter 2009 Maryland Grazers' Newsletter

National Goat Study

In July and August 2009, USDA will contact randomly selected goat producers in 21 states to participate in the first national study on goat health. USDA will collect data from producers representing 78.4 percent of U.S. goat operations and 85.3 percent of U.S. goats.

APHIS's National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS), which designed the study, will analyze the data. The Goat 2009 study has the following objectives:

• Determine producer awareness of veterinary services program diseases and describe management and biosecurity practices important for the control of infectious diseases: brucellosis, scrapie, caprine arthritic encephalitis (CAE), Johne's Disease, and caseous lymphadenitis.
• Establish a baseline description of animal health, nutrition, and management practices in the U.S. goat industry.
• Estimate the prevalence of Mycobacterium paratuberculosis (Johne's disease) infection, internal parasitism, and anthelmintic resistance.
• Characterize contagious ecthyma (sore mouth) in U.S. goats. Determine producer awareness of zoonotic potential and practices to prevent sore mouth transmission, and assess producer interest in an improved vaccine for sore mouth.
• Examine factors that correlate with CAE virus levels.
• Provide genetic and serological banks for future research.

Participation in USDA's Goat 2009 Study is voluntary and confidential. Results will be presented in regional and national databases.

NAHMS Goat 2009 Info Sheet

New Rural Development Web Site

The Maryland Rural Enterprise Development Center (MREDC) is now the place for the agricultural and natural resources community to go for valuable information thanks to the creation of a new website: mredc.umd.edu. The website was formally introduced at the Maryland Ag Commission meeting on February 11.

MREDC was established by the University of Maryland College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (AGNR) to serve these communities through programming and support. The need for such an effort was identified through a series of statewide listening sessions and documented in a Maryland Agriculture Commission report to the Governor.

Raw milk controversy continues

Controversy over the legality of selling raw (unpasteurized) milk and dairy products and the alleged health benefits of these foods continues.

In a new peer-reviewed scientific publication, Ohio State University food safety expert Jeff LeJeune evaluated the dangers of drinking raw milk and argued that, contrary to claims from advocates, there is no scientific evidence supporting the notion that raw milk cures or prevents disease.

Raw milk advocates claim that pasteurization robs milk of nutrients that can prevent and treat a wide spectrum of diseases, including heart disease, kidney disease, cancer, and lactose intolerence. However, in this article, LeJeune presented scientific data that refute such a claim.

The sale of raw milk is illegal in 22 states.

Source: Feedstuffs. January 26, 2009.

New tool to fight OPP

In the not too distant future, sheep producers may have a genetic tool to fight the costly, common sheep virus, Ovine Progress Pneumonia (OPP).

As in scrapie, producers one day may be able to cull sheep that are more susceptible to the OPP virus and breed animals that carry some genetic resistance. This is called "DNA Marker-Assisted Selection."

Research has found a flock with some animals that have partial resistance to OPP. They are in the process of validating the results. This should take approximately a year's time. As a practical matter, it is likely to be several years before the test is widely used as a breeding selection tool.

"Hot boxes" for lambs and kids

Here is a picture of the hot boxes I made. Please credit Brad Rill, Hampstead with the idea. A heat lamp is mounted inside at the top with the wire pulled through the opening of the 55 gallon barrel. The hole size is 9" wide and 14" high.

During the recent cold snap, I found that I could put the wet lamb inside and the mother could finish licking the lamb. I found that a 125 watt bulb was sufficient. When temperatures got below zero, one may have to use a 250 watt bulb. I found that a 250 watt bulb got almost too warm and caused the lambs to leave.

I pulled the barrels out when the temperatures rose or after a couple of days.

Submitted by John Hall, a Suffolk sheep breeder from Chestertown, Maryland.

Niche meat marketing initiative

Niche meats are growing in popularity as consumers hunger for exotic flavors, such as grassfed beef, goat, sheep and other livestock; while others seek to support small-scale farming and conservation; and health-conscious consumers pursue more nutritious meat produced and processed using non-conventional methods. But moving into niche meat production can be complicated.

The University of Maryland Extension Ag Marketing Program is organizing a Maryland niche meats and poultry marketing initiative. The goals of this initiative include:

• Developing a searchable, geographic product database to facilitate product searches by consumers, restaurants, and institutional buyers- this effort will supplement, not replace the “Maryland’s Best” directory and other on-line listings.
• Providing information and resources for product development, regulatory issues, and collaborative marketing efforts.
• Offering training and economic analysis to determine “best fit’ business structures and the profit potential of niche meat markets in the Mid-Atlantic region.

If you're a Maryland farmer and interested in carving out a marketing niche for your specialty meat and poultry products, fill out and return the Maryland Niche Meat & Poultry Producers’ Marketing Initiative Interest & Directory Form.

Garlic and papaya fail to control worms

Garlic and papaya failed to control internal parasites (worms) in goats and sheep in three experiments conducted in Arkansas.

In the first experiment, weaned, naturally-infected meat goat kids were administered water or a commercially-available, certified-organic garlic product: garlic juice (7 goats per treatment). They were fed bermudagrass hay and a corn/soybean supplement.

In the second experiment, goats were administered water, garlic juice, or fed garlic bulbs (9 or 10 goats per treatment). They were maintained on bermudagrass pasture. In a third experiment, lambs were administered nothing or papaya seed in water (12 lambs per treatment). They were maintained on mixed grass pastures.

Blood and fecal samples were collected at 0, 7, and 14 days after treatment. No changes were observed in fecal egg counts (FEC) or packed cell volume/PCV (# red blood cells) between treatment groups in the three experiments. As a result, the reseachers could not recommend either garlic or papaya seed as an aid in the control of parasites in goats and sheep.

Source: Veterinary Parasitology. February 2009.