Producer roundtables at UMES

-- updated news release --

Several roundtable events are planned for sheep and goat producers in the month of June.

An integrated management of internal parasites in sheep and goats roundtable is scheduled for Saturday, June 9, and a roundtable  that explores how to determine body condition in goats is scheduled for Saturday, June 16, both from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the UMES Center for Food Science and Technology.

The June 9 event offers a hands-on workshop that will teach sheep and goat producers how  to use the FAMACHA card to reduce the use of dewormers and minimize worm resistance to anthelmintics. In addition,

Dr. Nelson Escobar

Dr. N. Enrique Escobar, associate professor and small ruminant specialist, will present an overview of methods for parasite fecal egg counts.

Participants may bring a fecal sample from their own farms for analysis, but will need to contact the UME office for detailed instruction on sample collection and transport. The June 16 event will show participants how to tell if their does are either too  thin (under-conditioned) or too fat (over-conditioned).

Knowing how to properly score the body condition of their animals, goat producers will be able to adjust feed intake as well as improve fertility, kid survival, and milk production and avoid decreasing  productivity.

Participants will take home a body condition scoring card to help evaluate their goat herds. Both roundtables will offer a classroom style lecture for the morning session and hands-on exercises for the afternoon session.

Pre-registration is required  for both events. Registration fees for the June 9 workshop are $35 per person. A $12 charge will be assessed for each additional FAMACHA card. The June 16 workshop costs $20 per person. Additional body condition scoring cards will be provided at $2 per card. Registration  fees include lunch and one set of materials.

For more information about the June roundtables or to register, visit www.umes.edu/1890-mce or call (410) 651-6206.

Register online

Two parasite workshops in Maryland

Two Integrated Parasite Management (IPM) workshops will be held in Maryland this summer.

The first workshop will be held Saturday, July 7, 2012, at Sheepman Supply Company in Frederick, Maryland. The second workshop will be held Saturday, August 11, 2012, and will be hosted by The Mill (of Bel Air). The workshop will be held in either Harford or Carroll County.

Both workshops will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and consist of two hours of lecture/discussion and two hours of hands-on training with the FAMACHA system and fecal egg counting.  Participants will receive a FAMACHA card and become certified in the use of the FAMACHA eye anemia system. The instructor for both workshops is Susan Schoenian, University of Maryland Extension Sheep & Goat Specialist.

For the Frederick County workshop, pre-registration is required by July 2.  For the second workshop, pre-registration is required by August 6. The registration fee is $40 per person, farm, or family. Checks made payable to the University of Maryland should be sent to Susan at the Western Maryland Research & Education Center, 18330 Keedysville Road, Keedysville, MD  21756.

For more information, contact Susan at (301) 432-2767 x343 or sschoen@umd.edu.

Download program flyer

Participating flocks needed

The University of Maine Cooperative Extension received a multi-year grant from Northeast SARE in 2010 for an applied research project to Eliminate the Effects of Footrot in Sheep Flocks in the Northeast. So far, we  have gathered data from over 750 sheep from eleven farms in the region. The protocol developed for the research project to eliminate footrot has proven to be immediately applicable to participating farms.

In 2012, the research project will focus on specific sheep breeds (Katahdin, Merino, and Rambouillet) to help us determine a possible genetic connection. We are seeking sheep producers within the 12-state region (ME, NH, VT, CT, MA. RI, NY, PA, NJ, DE, MD and WV) with flocks of Katahdin, Merino, and/or Rambouillet sheep with a history of footrot and lameness. We seek farms that have sheep within the flock that include individual sheep with footrot and individual sheep that are not affected by footrot.

Dr. Richard Brzozowski, University of Maine

Participating farms agree to follow a 28-day protocol under the direction of the research team to eliminate the disease from the farm. The research team makes at least two visits to each farm to trim and score the feet of each sheep, collect data, and teach the shepherd how to trim and score feet. Supplies and tools are provided to each participating farm. All information is confidential. For more information about the research project and the protocol see the project website http://umaine.edu/sheep/.

If you are interested in participating in this applied research project this spring, summer or fall, please submit an application as soon as possible. The application might take 5 minutes to complete. The application can be found at this link http://umaine.edu/sheep/apply/.

Feel free to call or email me if you have any questions.

Richard Brzozowski
Principle Investigator
University of Maine Cooperative Extension
(207) 781-6099
richard.brzozowski@maine.edu

Most popular sheep breeds

One way to measure the popularity of a breed is to look at the number of purebred registrations and transfers.  A transfer is when ownership changes.  Transfers are an indication of the number of purebred sheep sold in a breed.

Recently, Banner Magazine compiled the data on purebred sheep registrations and transfers.  The Suffolk breed registered the most number of sheep in 2011, whereas the Katahdin breed recorded the most transfers.

Top 6 breeds for registrations (2011)
Breed	Number
Suffolk	9546
Hampshire	8112
Katahdin	6744
Dorper	6176
Dorset	6045
Southdown	5010
Top 6 breeds for transfers (2011)
Breed	Number
Katahdin	3907
Hampshire	3485
Suffolk	3140
Dorset	2912
Dorper	2723
Southdown	2506

In terms of the commercial sheep industry, it is probably the Rambouillet that is the most popular, as this is the foundation breed of most western range flocks.

Zeranol improves feedlot performance

Mexican researchers were able to significantly improve the feedlot performance of 3/4 Dorper x 1/4 Katahdin lambs.

Twenty-four lambs implanted with 12 g of zeranol (a single Ralgro pellet) grew 20 percent faster than non-implanted lambs. The implanted lambs had a feed-to-gain ratio that was 20 percent higher than the non-implanted lambs.

In another experiment, the researchers determined that twice-implanted (d-0 and d-28) lambs grew faster than non-implanted lambs and lambs that received a single dose (d-0) of zeranol.

Ralgro is approved by the Food & Drug Administration for use in lambs. There is no withdrawal period.

Source:  2011 Annual Meeting Abstracts, American Society of Animal Science

Teaching lambs to prevent bloat

Bloat can be a serious condition in ruminant livestock.  To simulate bloat, a Utah researcher inserted balloons into the rumens of cannulated lambs. When the lambs ate one food, the balloons were inflated to simulate bloat.  When they ate other food, the balloons were deflated to simulate relief.

What the lambs ate was monitored to see if they learned from their experiences. They did. They formed strong aversions to the foods associated with inflation of the balloon and gut distension. They formed a strong preference for the foods associated with deflation of the balloons.

The next step in the research is to determine if the lambs will form the same aversions and preferences under field conditions. For example, if given the choice, will they choose a mixture of birdsfoot trefoil and alfalfa (versus just alfalfa) to prevent bloat.

Source:  Utah State University

Scientists clone rare Himalayan goat

Scientists have cloned a rare Himalayan goat in Indian-controlled Kashmir, in a bid to increase numbers of the animal, famed for their silky soft undercoats.

The first clone, a female kid called "Noori," meaning "light" in Arabic, could spark breeding programs across the region and mass production of the high-priced wool, Dr Riaz Ahmad Shah, a veterinarian in the Animal Biotechnology Center of Sher-i-Kashmir University, said.

"Noori"  (Image link)

Shah and six other scientists took two years to clone Noori, using the relatively new "handmade" cloning technique involving only a microscope and a steady hand.

Eventually, Shah hopes to clone threatened species such as the critically endangered Kashmir stag, or hangul, the only surviving species of Asian red deer.

Read full Telegraph article.

DNA Test for OPP

The U.S. Meat Animal Research Center (USMARC) in Clay Center, Nebraska, has discovered a gene (TMEM154) that affects susceptibility to OPP infection. There are three major variants of the gene, called haplotypes 1, 2, and 3.  In more than 8000 sheep tested, 97 percent had some combination of these three haplotypes.

Haplotypes 2 and 3 were strongly associated with OPP infection and considered to be "susceptibility alleles." One copy of the haplotype 2 or 3  was needed to increase susceptibility to OPP infection.

In contrast to ewes with one copy of haplotype 2 or 3, those with two copies of haplotype 1  were many times less likely to be infected.  The findings were confirmed with the help of scientists at the Animal Disease Research Unit in Pullman, WA, and the U.S. Sheep Experiment Station in Dubois, ID.

In collaboration with GeneSeek©, USMARC is developing a TMEM154 genotyping test for commercial use. The aim of the test is to correctly determine the TMEM154 haplotypes for each animal tested.  The test is expected to be available  to producers in May 2012. As research continues, genetic guidelines  for reducing the incidence of OPP infection will evolve.

OPP-infected ewes are 20% less productive (USMARC).

Ovine progressive pneumonia (OPP)  causes an incurable, slow-acting, wasting disease that affects millions of sheep worldwide. The disease affects multiple tissues, including those of the respiratory and central nervous system.

In North America, OPP is one of the most costly diseases affecting sheep due to decreased productivity, "hard bag", lameness, and early culling of ewes. Once infected, sheep are carriers throughout life. 

Source:  Research on genetic susceptibility to ovine progressive pneumonia at the USDA Meat Animal Research Center (USMARC), Clay Center, Nebraska

Editor's note:  CAE (caprine arthritic encephalitis) is a similar lentivirus that affects goats. Cross infection is possible.

2012 Maryland Wool Pool

The 2012 Maryland Wool Pool will be held Wednesday, June 13th at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium.

Wool should be delivered to the pool between 8:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. There will be three lines to accept wool. Two lines will accept loose wool. One line will accept wool baled in square bales. Consigners are expected  to unload their own wool.

The pool will not accept wet wool, black or gray wool, or wool from hair sheep or hair sheep crosses.  Wool delivered in polypropylene  bags will be refused and wool delivered in burlap bags will be discounted 3 cents per lb.

Wool being packed in a square nylon pack.

The pool now uses nylon square packs to ship the wool.  Anyone bringing wool to the pool in a nylon square pack weighing 250 lbs. or more will receive a 5 cent per lb. bonus payment for their wool. A replacement bag will be issued for each pack weighing 250 lbs. or more. Smaller lots of wool can be delivered in plastic trash bags (clear preferred) or loose in the vehicle.

This year's pool has been sold to Chargeurs, Inc. of Jamestown, South Carolina. Prices are slightly below last year:  Choice white-face, $1.10/lb.; Medium white-face, $1.00/lb.; Coarse white-face, $0.95/lb.; Non white-face, $0.90/lb.; and Short, $0.70/lb. The coarse white-face grade is for long wool, typically Romney, Lincoln, Cotswold, and Leicester breeds.

Payment will be made within several weeks of the pool.  The price received will be the above prices  minus a deduction for wool pool expenses (usually between 5 and 8 cents per lb). Maryland Sheep Breeders Association membership dues will be deducted  on wool sales over $40.

Questions pertaining to the wool pool should be directed to the wool pool manager Rich Barczewski at (302) 857-6410 or rbarczewski@desu.edu.

OSU Sheep & Goat WebExSeries

The Ohio State University Extension Sheep Team has posted all four sessions of its 2012 Sheep & Goat WebExSeries.  The sessions included:

• Lambing and kidding management and newborn issues, by Dr. Bill Shulaw, OSU (forthcoming);
• Internal parasites chemical resistance and life cycle, by Jeff McCutcheon, OSU Extension Educator
• Sheep and goat internal parasite management, by Rory Lewandowski, OSU Extension Educator;
• Udder health and mastitis, by Dr. Leo Timms, Iowa State University;
• Recognizing, treating, and preventing  major diseases of sheep and goats, by Dr. Eric Gordon, OSU.

To view the sessions, go to the OSU Sheep Team Blog at sheep.osu.edu.

Junior Sheep & Wool Skillathon

Sixty-one (61) youth competed in the 2012 Junior Sheep & Wool Skillathon:  17 junior, 20 intermediate and 24 senior. The annual skillathon is hosted by the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival and is held at the Howard County Fairgrounds.

The top-placing junior (ages 8-10) was Chet Boden from Virginia.  Brody Miskimon from Cecl County was the second place junior.  Kevin Spicer from Howard County placed third.

A volunteer helps out the junior competitors.

The top-placing intermediate (ages 11-13) was Katie Burroughs from Calvert County. Cameron Dorsey from Frederick County placed second.  Magdalena Goodmuth from Howard County was third.

The senior competitors were split into two groups.  Among members of the Maryland state skillathon team, Charlie Sasscer placed first and had the most points among all seniors.  Helen King and Sarah Manning placed second and third, respectively.

Among the rest of the seniors, Aislinn Latham from Frederick County was the top-placing senior (ages 14-18).  Cody Boden from Virginia placed second. Brianne Hevner from Carroll County was the third place senior.

Charlie Sasscer was the top-scoring senior.

This year's skillathon consisted of the following stations: breed ID, forage ID, equipment ID, retail meat ID, meat judging, hay judging, fleece judging, numbers, parts, quiz, and a senior problem.

Premiums, ribbons, and t-shirts were provided by the festival committee of the Maryland Sheep Breeders Association.

Special thanks is extended to all the volunteers and extension workers who assisted with this year's skillathon.

Roundtable at UMES

-- POSTPONED--

Dr. Nelson Escobar will be conducting a roundtable for new and beginning sheep and goat producers on Saturday, May 19, at the Center for Food Science and Technology on the campus of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES).

Dr. Nelson Escobar

The roundtable presents a unique opportunity for sheep and goat producers who are just beginning to raise sheep and goats for production or for those are thinking about raising sheep and goats for production.  Farmers who are raising sheep and goats for other reasons are invited to attend as well.

A morning session will explore the basic concepts about managing and providing nutrition for sheep and goats in a classroom setting. The afternoon session will give participants hands-on training with the animals on the UMES farm.

Other opportunities for sheep and goat farmers/producers will follow in the month of June when Escobar offers several roundtables covering the integrated management of internal parasites (FAMACHA Card) in sheep and goats on Saturday, June 9, and how to determine body condition in goats on Saturday, June 16.

For more information about training opportunities for sheep and goat farmers/producers or to register online for the May 19 event, visit www.umes.edu/1890-mce or call (410) 651-6206.  Pre-registration is required for the event, which is sponsored by the UMES University of Maryland Extension office.  Individual registration fees, at $12 per person, include lunch and one set of materials.  Families may register at $15 per family.