Register Now for Lambing & Kidding School

Registration is now open for the 2015 Lambing & Kidding School to be held Saturday, December 5 at North Harford High School in Pylesville, Maryland.

The day-long program will feature separate educational tracks for adults and youth (ages 8-18). The keynote speaker for the adult program will be Dr. Richard Ehrhardt. The youth program will be mostly hands-on.

Dr. Richard Ehrhardt

Dr. Ehrhardt is the Small Ruminant Specialist at Michigan State University. In addition to working with both large and small-scale producers, Dr. Ehrhardt is involved in the training of veterinary students. Other speakers will include Susan Schoenian, Karen Holloway, Sara Meager BhaduriHauck, Dwayne Murphy, Chris Anderson, Dr. Angela Black, Dr. Mara Mullinix, and Dan Severson.

The pre-registration deadline for the school is November 20. The registration fee is $40 per adult and $30 per youth (age 8-18).  The registration fee will include morning refreshments, lunch, door prizes, and resource materials (on a flash drive). There is an additional charge of $10 to receive resource materials in a notebook (binder). Youth will be charged an additional $20 if they want to make a feeder and halter in the first session. The $20 will cover some of the material cost.

You can register online line via EventBrite at http://2015lambkidschool.eventbrite.com. You can pay by credit card, but there is a small fee to do so. Alternatively, you can mail your registration information and payment to Lambing & Kidding School, Western Maryland Research & Education Center, 18330 Keedysville Road, Keedysville, Maryland 21756. Checks should be made payable the University of Maryland.

For more information, go to http://www.sheepandgoat.com/#!2015lambkidschool/c5y1.

Download registration form

2015: Year of the Sheep (Goat or Ram)

According to the oriental zodiac, 2015 is the Sheep. Depending upon the translation, 2015 is also called the Year of the Goat or Ram.

The Sheep (goat or ram) is the 8th sign of the zodiac, which consists of 12 animal signs. The animals follow one another in an established order and are repeated every 12 years: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig.

Each animal has particular characteristics and people born in a certain year are believed to take on those characteristics. People born in the Year of the Sheep are creative and have great artistic talent. They are easy-going and have good manners and charm.

Many traditions and celebrations are associated with the zodiac signs.

The Guardians

A great video about livestock guardian dogs from the Oprah Winfrey Network.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvOHVfWAbpc&noredirect=1 

Katahdin is most popular sheep breed

In 2013, Katahdins surpassed Suffolks as the most popular breed of sheep in the United States, as measured by registrations and transfers. In fact, the Suffolk breed slipped to #3. Hampshires are the second most commonly registered sheep breed.  Dorsets, Dorpers, and Southdowns round out the top six.

Breed	2013	2012	2011	2010	2009
Katahdin	8338	8131	6744	4753	4979
Hampshire	7447	7760	8112	6793	8459
Suffolk	7439	8761	9546	9811	10146
Dorper	6335	6505	6176	5045	4998
Dorset	6265	6493	6045	6240	7211
Southdown	5157	5072	5010	5059	5026

Transfers, which are an indication of sales, movement, and growth of a breed, were also tops in the Katahdin breed. Hampshires had the second most transfers, followed by Dorpers, Dorsets, Suffolks, and Southdowns.

Breed	2013	2012	2011	2010	2009
Katahdin	4197	4456	3907	2761	2584
Hampshire	3435	3587	3485	3390	3752
Dorper	3374	3289	2723	2645	2384
Dorset	3032	3370	2912	3157	3545
Suffolk	2871	3094	3140	3453	3934
Southdown	2804	2573	2506	2548	2426

The Katahdin is a hair sheep developed in Maine in the 1950's. They are an easy-care breed that doesn't  require shearing, crutching, and tail docking. They are more resistant to gastro-intestinal parasites than other breeds and excel in reproductive traits, such as fertility, prolificacy, mothering ability, and milk production.

At one time, there were three times as many Suffolks registered as any other breed. In terms of purebred registrations, Southdowns have probably been the most consistent breed over time.

Source: Director's Corner, Katahdin Hairald,Spring 2014.

Do you remember Dolly?

Dolly died ten years ago (on February 14, 2003, to be precise). Dolly was the first cloned animal  in history, the first to be cloned from an adult cell rather than an embryo.

Dolly

To produce Dolly, scientists used the nucleus of an udder cell from a six year old Finn x Dorset ewe. After "re-programming" it, they injected the nucleus into an unfertilized egg  which had had its nucleus removed. The unfertilized egg came from a Scottish Blackface ewe.

After fusing the nucleus with the egg and "culturing" it, they implanted the resulting embryo into another Scottish Blackface ewe, Dolly's surrogate mother. Dolly was born on February 23, 1997, at the Roslin Institute in Scotland.

Dolly was a normal sheep. Over her lifetime, she gave birth to six lambs. Dolly was euthanized when she was six and a half years old. She was suffering from arthritis and a lung ailment. Some scientists speculate that Dolly suffered from premature aging.

Dolly's remains are on display at the National Museum of Scotland. She is long gone, but her creation ushered in a new era in science.

Scholarship Opportunity

The Maryland Sheep Breeders Association (MSBA) is offering at least one $500 scholarship to students who are currently high school seniors, college freshmen or sophomores under the age of 21, whose parents are members of MSBA.

Applicants must be attending or have been accepted to a technical, vocational, community college, or university.  All academic majors will be considered.  Preference will be given to those with agricultural career goals. Scholarship will be awarded in September 2013 at the Maryland State Fair.  The winning applicant will also be honored at the MSBA Annual Banquet in October 2013.

Selection Criteria:

1. Experience and involvement in the sheep industry
   (4H, FFA, family business)
2. Career goals
3. Community service and leadership
4. Academic record
   (Current High School or College Transcript)
5. Essay (500 words)
6. Two letters of recommendation

 For applications and information, please contact Victor Loun at vloun@msn.com.

The deadline for submission:  June 1, 2013.

Shepherd's Notebook Blog Listserv

A listserv is an electronic mail list of people who wish to receive information from the internet. To subscribe to the Shepherd's Notebook blog listserv, send an e-mail message to:

listserv@listserv.umd.edu

In the body of the message, write:   subscribe shepherdsnotebook

Subscribers will automatically receive Shepherd's Notebook blog entries via e-mail.

To unsubscribe, send an e-mail message to the same address (listserv@listserv.umd.edu), but in the body of the message write:  unsubscribe shepherdsnotebook

If your e-mail changes or you wish to use a different e-mail address for the listserv, you can unsubscribe, then re-subscribe to the list using your new e-mail address.

Previously, an e-mail reflector list was used to distribute blog entries, but in order to be added or deleted from the list, you had to contact the list administrator.

The e-mail reflector list has been discontinued and all the e-mail addresses from the reflector were added to the new listserv.

Nutrition webinars follow-up survey

If you participated in any of the 2012 Sheep & Goat Nutrition & Feeding Webinars, please complete this short 7-question survey.

http://www.surveyshare.com/s/AQAELJB

Completion of this survey will help us plan more and better programs for the future.

Thank you.

Happy Holidays from the
University of Maryland Extension
Small Ruminant Program

 
 

Jacob sheep and Tay-Sachs disease

There is a unique connection between Jacob sheep and Tay-Sachs disease in people.

Jacobs are a rare breed of small, piebald, multi-horned sheep. Tay-Sachs is a deadly disease of the nervous system passed down through families.

Jacob sheep

Recent research has revealed that Tay-Sachs disease exists in some flocks of Jacob sheep. The initial diagnosis goes back ten years to a Texas farm that lost four Jacob lambs to strange neurological symptoms.

Now, Jacob sheep are being used as a model to study Tay-Sachs disease. More specifically, they are being used to develop gene therapies that may one day provide a cure for the deadly disease.

Read ALBC newsletter article

The upside to parasites

Contrary to popular opinion, people (and animals) are supposed to have parasites. In fact, many scientists believe that there have been negative consequences to ridding the human gut of parasites.

Various studies suggest that parasites can regulate the immune system in ways that prevent it from going "wild" and attacking healthy tissue.

Joel Weinstock at Tufts Medical Center in Boston has been using parasitic worms to treat people with ulcerative colitis. He says drug companies are now trying to create parasites that would actually be approved by the FDA for treating inflammatory bowel disease.

While common in the U.S., inflammatory bowel disease is rare in places where parasites are common. 

Read NPR article

Poetic sheep

A writer in England has been given a grant to use sheep to create random poems, which also utilize the deepest workings of the universe.

BBC image link

The author created a poem for the project, based on the traditional Japanese haiku form of poetry. Each sheep has a word from the poem sprayed on their back, and when they come to rest, a new text is created.

One of the poems created by the sheep reads:

Warm drift, graze gentle,
White below the sky,
Soft sheep,
mirrors,
Snow clouds.

The exercise is not just an attempt to create living poems, it is also, according to the poet, an exercise in quantum mechanics.

Read BBC News article

Thanks to Kelly Cole for suggesting this story.

Corn maze features a goat

Zekiah Farms in Bryantown, Maryland, has two corn mazes, with over three miles of paths.  Their large maze (top) features farm animals:  a pig, goat, cow, and chicken.  The mini-maze (bottom) features pumpkins and gourds.

Google Map Image of Zekiah Farms corn maze

Zekiah Farms is a great place for a fall family outing.  In addition to the corn mazes, there are hayrides, farm animals, pumpkins, a straw pit, a picnic area, and a farm store.  At the farm store, you can purchase local seasonal fruits and vegetables, naturally-raised USDA inspected meats, and unique gifts and decorations by local craftsmen and artisans.

Zekiah Farms is owned by Cindy and David Thorne. The Thornes raise goats and other livestock. Their two sons are active in the 4-H livestock program.

2010 Farm Flyer

Sheep-pigs!

It was back in the 1970's that the last known pair of sheep-pigs were sent to slaughter.  But, now they're making a comeback and living  in Wiltshire, England.

They're called sheep-pigs because they look like sheep AND pigs. They are a distant relative of  the Lincolnshire Curly Coat, a pig that used to be sheared annually.

Their woolly coats make them very winter hardy. During the summer, their coats are not as thick, but protect them from getting sunburn.  Otherwise, sheep-pigs are aren't that different from other pigs.

Sheep-pigs hit the headlines last month when actress Emma Thompson took one to the London premier of her latest film.

 Read article at Mail Online

Thanks to Kelly Cole and Cindy Mason for suggesting this story.

Pink ear tags support breast cancer

Bright pink ear tags for sheep are now being sold to help raise funds for breast cancer. A company producing sheep tags has come up with the novel idea to raise money for the McGrath Foundation. The foundation's Tracey Bevan says it is a wonderful initiative.

"From each pink ear tag, a cent will be donated to the McGrath Foundation which will then go towards the funding of our breast care nurses," she said. Some of the funds raised will go to the Breast Cancer Association of Queensland.

October is National Breast Cancer Month.

Source: ABC News Australia

Test your goat IQ

To help youth study for goat skillathons, an online quiz has been developed. The quiz is composed of mostly multiple choice questions, with a few true/false, matching, and sequencing questions.

Pictures accompany each question. Some questions allow multiple "guesses." The quiz covers all aspects of goat production: dairy, meat, and fiber. Sixty percent is a "passing" grade.

Adults can take the online quiz to test their goat IQ. Many of the questions are equally applicable to sheep.

A Youth Goat Skillathon will be held on Saturday, October 3rd, 9 a.m. to 12 noon, at the Washington County Agricultural Education Center near Boonsboro, MD. The skillathon is being hosted by the 2nd Annual Western Maryland Goat Field Day & Sale. For information or to pre-register, contact Susan Schoenian at (301) 432-2767 x343 or sschoen@umd.edu.

Online Goat Quiz

The Poo-Canoe

Two Welshmen are set to paddle across the English Channel in a canoe made from sheep dung.

Lez Paylor and Lawrence Toms run Creative Paper Wales, where they produce paper made from sheep excrement. Animal poo paper is becoming more and more common as an environmentally safe way of producing paper.

Toms and Paylor have now embarked on a mission to build a canoe using only environmentally-friendly materials and to cover the frame with waterproofed poo paper. The pair are confident the canoe can be made seaworthy and have announced plans to paddle across the English Channel in aid of the Wales Air Ambulance.

Source: The Morningstarr*, July 18, 2009.

Help Sponsor the Poo-Canoe

Sheep Photo Contest

Entries must be postmarked by September 1, 2009, to be eligible for the American Sheep Industry (ASI) Association's 2009 Photo Contest. The contest is open to all who wish to enter. The only rule is that photographs contain sheep.

Entries will be judged on clarity, content, composition, and appeal. More than $1,000 in prize money will be awarded in four categories: action, scenic, people and sheep, and open. Entries are limited to two per person.

Entries should be mailed to: American Sheep Industry Association; Attn: Photo Contest; 9785 Maroon Circle, Suite 360; Englewood, CO 80112. Entries should be e-mailed to amy@sheepusa.org with the subject line of ASI Photo Contest.

Be sure to visit ASI's newly designed web site at http://www.sheepusa.org/.

Less of a carbon footprint

There is a common perception that pasture-based, low-input dairy systems characteristic of the 1940s were more conducive to environmental stewardship than modern milk production systems. Scientists conducted a study to compare the environmental impact of modern (2007)
US dairy production with historical production practices as exemplified by the US dairy system in 1944.

A model based on the metabolism and nutrient requirements of the dairy herd was used to estimate resource inputs and waste outputs per billion kg of milk. Both the modern and historical production systems were modeled using characteristic management practices, herd population dynamics, and production data from US dairy farms.

Modern dairy practices require considerably fewer resources than dairying in 1944 with 21% of animals, 23% of feedstuffs, 35% of the water, and only 10% of the land required to produce the same 1 billion kg of milk. Waste outputs were similarly reduced, with modern dairy systems producing 24% of the manure, 43% of CH4, and 56% of N2O per billion kg of milk compared with equivalent milk from historical dairying.

The carbon footprint per billion kilograms of milk produced in 2007 was 37% of equivalent milk production in 1944.

Read full article in the Journal of Animal Science

A "beauty pageant" for sheep

Locally-bred sheep were featured in Saudi Arabia's first "beauty pageant" for sheep. In the past few years, beauty pageants involving camels and goats -- which, together with sheep, symbolize Bedouin lifestyle -- have been held across the kingdom.

The pageant offered an opportunity for breeders to do business and a rare outlet for entertainment. The goal of the competition was to encourage Saudis to breed for quality. Some of those who attended the event said Saudi sheep -- known as Nejdi sheep -- have markedly improved over the past decade because of the attention given to breeding them.

Four thousand men (no women) assembled on a stretch of desert just north of Riyadh. The men sat in armchairs around a tiny runway covered with red carpeting, as rams and ewes were put on display following a fireworks show and a competition for the best poem in praise of sheep.

According to the organizer, good ewes sell for 20,000-30,000 Saudi riyals, the equivalent of $5,300-$8,000 while good rams can fetch hundreds of thousands of riyals.

Read article at FOXNews.com