Workshop: Controlling Unwanted Vegetation

Use of Small Ruminants to Control Unwanted Vegetation is the title of a workshop to be held Saturday, February 21, 2015, at the University of  Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES).

The workshop will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Richard A. Henson Center on the campus of UMES. Several speakers will describe their practices, accomplishments, and challenges.

The cost of registration is $25 per person or $40 for couples.

View flyer

2015 Tennessee Small Ruminant Conference

The 2015 Tennessee Small Ruminant Conference will be held on July 30 - August 1 on the UT Ag Campus in Knoxville at the Brehm Animal Science Building. The conference will count for Tennessee Advanced Master Meat Goat and Sheep Producer certification, if needed.

The conference this year will be highlighted with a tour of the UT College of Veterinary Medicine, Portable Fencing Demonstration and Trade Show. This year's trade show vendors will give away door prizes including a tilt table and gates valued at $1450.00 donated by Ketcham's Sheep Supply, $250 in livestock supplies donated by Estep Livestock Show Supply and $250 in feed from Tennessee Farmer's Cooperative.

Pre-registration is required. The cost is $100 per individual or $160 per couple which covers the costs of the training sessions, educational manuals, other teaching/instructional materials and lunch all three days.

Download program brochure and registration form

Winter 2015 Wild & Woolly

The Winter 2015 issue of Wild & Woolly has been published to the web at http://www.sheepandgoat.com/news/Winter2015.html.

A printer-friendly (PDF) version of the newsletter can be downloaded from http://www.sheepandgoat.com/news/PDF/Winter2015.pdf.

The newsletter is also now available on ISSUU, a digital publishing platform at http://issuu.com/mdsheepgoat/docs/winter2015/0.

Savannas are the featured breed in this issue.
(image courtesy of North American Savanna Association)

Subscribe to the newsletter listserv to receive an e-mail message when a new issue of the newsletter had been posted to the web. To subscribe, send an e-mail message to listserv@listserv.umd.edu. In the body of the message, write subscribe sheepandgoatnews. You can also follow ISSUU to receive notification of new newsletters.

Wild & Woolly is a quarterly newsletter for sheep and goat producers and anyone else interested in small ruminants. It is published by University of Maryland Extension.

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Vaccine Proving Effective

One of the most damaging and prevalent roundworm parasites in the world is now being seriously challenged by a new vaccine developed by the Moredun Research Institute in Scotland.

The barber pole worm or Haemonchus contortus is a voracious blood sucker which causes anaemia in sheep and goats and can quickly cause fatalities.

Barber pole worms (image by Ray Kaplan)

The long road to producing a commercially available vaccine started at the Moredun several years ago with the identification of the proteins in the intestines of the barber pole worm. Extracting and purifying these proteins and then incorporating them in tiny quantities in a vaccine has turned out to trigger a reliable immune response in sheep. Essentially the antibodies produced circulate in the bloodstream and then block the digestive system of the invading worm. It will eventually die and should produce far fewer eggs before its demise.

“We have noted a 90% reduction in egg laying on pastures,” said David Smith, project leader at the Moredun. Initially, Mr Smith considered using molecular biology to reproduce the proteins but soon discovered that it would be far cheaper and easier to harvest barber pole worms from the intestines of infested sheep and then extract the proteins.

Remarkably, no pharmaceutical companies are involved allowing profits to be recirculated back to the Moredun for further research into animal diseases.

Read full article

2015 Maryland Shearing School

The 2015 Maryland Sheep Breeders Association (MSBA) Sheep Shearing School will be held Friday and Saturday, April 17-18 (Friday and Saturday), 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Ridgely Thompson's farm at 1942 Uniontown Road, Westminster, MD 21157.

The school is open to anyone in Maryland, Delaware and surrounding states who wants to learn to shear sheep. The New Zealand method of shearing will be taught. Shearing machines will be provided. Blade shearing will not be taught. Instructors are Aaron Geiman and Emily Chamelin-Hickman. Aaron is an Agriscience teacher at North Carroll High School. Emily is a professional shearer.

The registration fee is $80 per person and includes a copy of ASI's Sheep Shearing Notebook and an instructional DVD. Pre-registration is required. No registrations will be accepted after April 5. Participation is limited to 20 people. The minimum age is 16. Checks should be made payable to the Maryland Sheep Breeders Association, Inc. and mailed to Aaron Geiman at 429 Hook Road, Westminster,  Maryland  21157.

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.

New Lambing & Kidding Resources

With the help of additional sponsors and partial funding from Northeast SARE, Cornell University has created two valuable resources for sheep and goat producers.

Kidding With Confidence is a Kidding Season Mentoring Program for Northeast Meat Goat Producers.

http://www.ansci.cornell.edu/goats/Resources/GoatArticles/GoatHealth/KidCare/KiddingHandbook.pdf

The Low Input Lambing & Kidding Guide is a Resource Guide for Managing Lambing and Kidding Without Sacrificing Animal Well Being.

http://www.ansci.cornell.edu/goats/lowinput_birthing.html 

Additional copies of these publications can be ordered through the Cornell Sheep & Goat Extension Program, Room 114, Morrison Hall, Dept. of Animal Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853.