2011 Worm webinar series

A series of webinars is being offered to help sheep and goat producers better understand and control gastro-intestinal parasitism in their animals.

Parasitized lamb

A webinar is a seminar that is offered on the world wide web.  Anyone who has a computer or similar device with access to the internet can participate (high speed access is recommended).

The webinars will be held on consecutive Thursdays in May (5, 12, 19, and 26). They will begin at 8 p.m. EST and last for approximately 1 hour. Participants will be able to interact with the instructor and other participants via a chat box. The webinar will remain "live" for as long as there is interaction.

The instructor will be Susan Schoenian, University of Maryland Extension Sheep & Goat Specialist.

For more information and/or to pre-register for one or more of the webinars, go to: http://2011wormwebinars.eventbrite.com.

2011wormwebinars.eventbrite.com

2011 Junior Sheep & Wool Skillathon

The 2011 Junior Sheep & Wool Skillathon will be held on Sunday, May 8, 2011, at the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival.  The Festival is always held the first full weekend in May at the Howard County Fairgrounds in West Friendship, Maryland.

The skillathon will be held in the dining hall (a different location from previous years).  Registration will begin at 8 a.m.  The contest will start at 9 a.m.  Results are usually announced around 2 or 3 p.m.

Premiums and awards will be provided by the Maryland Sheep Breeders Association (Festival committee) and the University of Maryland Small Ruminant Extension Program.

Last year's 1st place senior team from Queen Anne's County  (L-R)
Matt Kerner, Susan Schoenian (organizer), David King, and Julia King.

The skillathon is open to individual and teams (3 or 4) of youth, ages 8 to 18, from any state of province.  Youth compete according to their age as of January 1, 2011.

Pre-registration is requested by Friday, April 29. Teams must be pre-registered in order to compete. To pre-register, send names and ages to Susan Schoenian at sschoen@umd.edu or (301) 432-2767 x343.

Junior Sheep & Wool Skillathon web page

Nomination period for 2011 goat test

The nomination period for the 2011 Western Maryland Pasture-Based Meat Goat Performance Test opens on Friday, April 1 and closes on May 15.  All nominations received by May 15 will be treated the same.

There is a $20 per goat nomination fee. A balance of $65 per goat will be due upon delivery to the test site. It is not necessary to identify individual goats on the nomination form.

Bucks from the 2010 test

Goats must be delivered to the test site on Friday or Saturday, June 3 or 4. If nominations exceed test capacity, preference will be given to Maryland residents and previous consigners.

Producers from any state may consign up to five goats, of any breed or cross, to the test.  Eligible male goats must have been born between December 15, 2010, and March 20, 2011, and weigh between 35 and 70 lbs. upon delivery to the test site.

The test is best-suited to meat goat producers who raise their goats predominantly on pasture and/or who want their goats evaluated for parasite resistance and resilience. The test is an excellent source of commercial bucks.

Test guidelines and protocol
Nomination form

Special Easter Sale

The Westminster Livestock Auction will be holding an Easter Sale on Saturday, April 16, 2011, starting at 12 p.m.  Items will be received from 7 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. on the morning of the sale. 

The following items will be accepted:  goats, lambs, small pigs, large and small poultry, rabbits, bunnies, eggs, pottery, flowers, homemade candies, and baked goods. Lambs and goats must be weaned or sold with their mothers as a family. Poultry must be in good health; adults cannot be missing feathers.

4-H and FFA members are encouraged to use the sale to purchase or sell their livestock projects.

For more information, call the office at (410) 848-9820 or call Victoria at (443) 277-7952 or Earl at (443) 506-5243.  Let Victoria or Earl know if you will be bringing items to the sale. This way they can inform potential buyers.

The Westminster Livestock Auction is located at 1117 Old New Windsor Pike, Westminster, MD  21157.

Brunswick Cooperative Open House

The Brunswick Cooperative Association will host an Open House on Saturday, March 26, 2011, from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m.

The open house will include a shearing demonstration by Margi Dunlap. Representatives form Singleton Fiber Processing Mill will discuss the processing services their mill offers:  processing raw wool into roving.  Rebecca Trussel will demonstrate carding and spinning.  She will provide hands-on activities for youth and the young at-heart

Phil Drake of Red Hill Sharpening Service will demonstrate correct techniques for sharpening shears and  clippers. Representatives from LambCo LLC will discuss their meat processing services. 

Calico Clovers 4-H Club will offer hot dogs and sodas for sale, with proceeds going to fund their club activities. Due to the time of the year, chicks and baby ducks will be on display in the showroom. Sheep feeds and health products will be reduced by 10 percent on the day of the event.

Brunswick Cooperative Association is located at 630 Souder Road in Brunswick, Maryland. Their phone number is (301) 834-7141.

4-H Goat Day Camp

WVU Extension Berkeley County will be holding a 4-H Goat Day Camp on Saturday, April 16, 2011, at the Berkeley County Youth Fairgrounds.

The camp is open to youth between the ages of 9 and 21. Parents, 4‐H Leaders, FFA Advisors and others interested in raising and showing goats are also encouraged to participate.

The Goat Day Camp will focus primarily on showmanship. In addition, feeding, general care, health management, fitting and show day preparations will be discussed. Brad Smith and Todd Ramboldt will be guest presenters.

The registration deadline is April 11. Participation is limited to the first 50 youth.  The cost is $10 per youth participant.

Download program flyer

New web site on coccidiosis

A new web site intended to be a source of information about coccidiosis in calves and lambs has been launched by Janssen Animal Health.

Designed by veterinary professionals, suitably qualified producers and farmers, the new site, www.takingcareofcoccidiosis.com, provides an overview of coccidiosis and discusses issues such as immunity, sources of infection, risk factors, clinical signs, diagnosis, treatment, and the role of husbandry in prevention.

Coccidiosis is a major cause of scouring and poor growth in lambs and kids.

Taking care of coccidiosis

"You be the vet"

"You be the vet" is the title of a new online quiz, designed to test (and improve) the user's knowledge of treatments for disease conditions which commonly affect sheep and goats.

It's important to note that some of the treatments advocated in the quiz require extra label drug use and consultation with a licensed veterinarian.

There will be a "You be the vet" station at both of the small ruminant skillathons this year.  The Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival will host the Junior Sheep & Wool Skillathon on Sunday, May 8 at the Howard County Fairgrounds.

The Junior Goat Skillathon will be held on Saturday, September 24, in conjunction with the annual Western Maryland Goat Field Day & Sale at the Washington County Ag Center near Boonsboro, MD.

While developed as study resources for youth competing in animal science skillathons, the online quizzes are useful to anyone who wants to "test" and improve their knowledge of sheep and goat production.

"You be the vet" quiz
All online quizzes

Webinar recordings online

Recordings of the recent (winter 2011) webinar series on Ewe and Doe Management (late gestation through weaning) are available on the web at http://www.sheepandgoat.com/recordings.html.

The page also includes links to other webinar recordings, as well as links to the PowerPoint presentations that accompany each recording.  The PowerPoint presentations have been uploaded to Slideshare, a presentation-sharing web site. Anyone can view presentations at Slideshare, but registration (free) is required for downloading.

A webinar is a seminar presented through the world wide web.  To participate, all you need is a device that connects to the internet. High speed access is recommended.

If you would like to have your e-mail address added to an e-mail reflector list, to receive notification of upcoming webinars (pertaining to sheep and goats), contact Susan Schoenian at sschoen@umd.edu.

Webinar recordings
Slideshare presentations

Engage the public

Livestock producers and processors wanting tools and advice for communicating with consumers and others interested in animal handling and other issues can seek help from a new website, www.cfiengage.com.

Produced by the Center for Food Integrity (CFI), the website includes primers on social media, advice on writing letters to the editor and op-ed articles and sample scripts and documents for various types of communication.

The home page includes a Twitter feed, headlines of interest to industry and special alerts about issues raised in media reports.

The forum is intended to help farmers and others "connect with a population that has little understanding of today's food system," CFI said in a news release.

Source:  American Sheep Industry News, 3.4.11

Read Drovers CattleNetwork article

Three big events -- mark your calendars!

The University of Maryland's Small Ruminant Extension Program will be holding three BIG events for sheep and goat producers in 2011. All events will be held in the fall months.

Goat Field Day & Sale
The 4th Annual Western Maryland Goat Field Day & Sale will be held Saturday, September 24 (a week earlier than usual) at the Washington County Ag Education Center near Boonsboro, MD.

Dr. Ken Turner from the ARS Appalachian Farming Systems Research Center in Beckley, WV, will be the speaker for the field day. Dr. Turner's research emphasis is on low-input, forage-based livestock production.

The top-performing bucks from the 2011 Western Maryland Pasture-Based Meat Goat Performance Test will be offered for sale via silent auction. Does will be available for sale via private treaty.

The event will also feature a Junior Goat Skillathon for youth ages 8 to 18.

Small Ruminant Dairy Conference
A Small Ruminant Dairy Conference has been scheduled for Saturday, October 8 at the Carroll County Ag Center in Westminster, MD.

The conference will have concurrent sessions to serve multiple interests: persons wanting to establish commercial goat or sheep dairies, as well as hobbyists or 4-Hers milking a few goats or sheep in the backyard.

Lambing and Kidding School
The 4th Biennial Lambing and Kidding School will be held Saturday, November 19, at Chesapeake College in Wye Mills, MD.  Dr. Susan Kerr from Washington State University will be the featured speaker.  Dr. Kerr is both a 4-H educator and a veterinarian.

This year's Lambing and Kidding school will feature a separate educational tract for youth. Youth sessions will be more hands-on than the adult sessions.

All of these events are still in the planning stages, so if you have ideas for speakers and topics, please convey them to Susan Schoenian at sschoen@umd.edu or (301) 432-2767 x343. 

Registration information will be included in future blog entries, as well as in the Wild & Woolly newsletter, and on the Maryland Small Ruminant web page.

New Farm Manager

University of Maryland campus farm manager Lindsay Callahan left in May 2010 to pursue a degree in Veterinary Medicine at St. Matthews University in Grand Cayman.

The campus farm welcomed a new farm manager, Crystal Caldwell. Crystal comes to the University of Maryland with nine years of experience in animal agriculture, largely at university farms. She was the livestock manager at the University of Maine campus farm.

Crystal Caldwell

Crystal has a Bachelor of Science degree in Animal and Veterinary Sciences from the University of Maine and a Masters of Science degree in Animal Science from the University of Idaho. She was raised in Washburn, Maine.

Welcome Crystal!  You can contact Crystal at crystalc@umd.edu.

Fast bleat predicts lamb survival

The time a lamb takes to bleat after being man-handled has emerged as a novel genetic avenue to boost lamb survival to weaning.

As part of a Sheep CRC study exploring the genetics of lambing, SARDI scientists and colleagues across the country have been delving into the myriad ways to breed for sheep that are more likely to survive well after birth.

During the lambing season, managers at the CRC’s Information Nucleus sites, including at Struan and Turretfield in South Australia, do two paddock inspection rounds daily, taking crucial measurements of new born lambs within 18 hours of birth, identifying them and their mother.

One of their final measures involves popping the lambs on the ground and setting the stop watch to time how long it takes them to bleat, and it has revealed some interesting insights.

Studies confirm that of 14 traits investigated soon after birth, ease of lambing, hairier birth coat, shorter time taken for the lamb to bleat, warmer rectal temperature and a shorter crown-rump length (head to butt) showed links to genes for lamb survival.

Read full article at Science Alert

Maryland AHQA Training now online

Beginning in 2011, all Maryland 4-H members enrolled in alpaca, beef, dairy, goat, horse and pony, poultry, sheep, swine and rabbit projects MUST complete a new online quality assurance training program to be eligible to exhibit their project animals in Maryland County 4-H and State 4-H Shows.

4-Hers are required to complete the training program in 2011, unless they completed the online training course during 2010 as one of the four pilot counties: Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Howard, and Frederick. Even if a member completed the training at a face-to-face session in their county in 2010, they MUST complete the new online training program this year.

The quality assurance training teaches best management practices for 4-H animal science projects.

Maryland AHQA Program