Experts Predict Lamb Price Rebound is Sustainable

Mateusz Perkowski/Capital Press December 31, 2013 Lamb prices are rebound-ing after a prolonged slump, but experts don’t expect the increase to lead to more market volatility. Slaughter lamb prices were hov-ering in the range of $1.50 per pound or higher in late December 2013, compared to about $1.00 per pound or less at the same time in 2012, according to USDA market reports. The strongest increase in both feeder and slaughter lamb prices has come since the late summer of 2013, according to data compiled by the Live-stock Marketing Information Center. Even so, the spike won’t likely destroy demand for lamb, leading to an-other price rollercoaster, experts say. “I think they’ve increased to lev-els that are sustainable at the consumer level and through the producer chain,” said Tim Petry, an agricultural economist at North Dakota State University. The price increase in recent months has shifted most U.S. lamb pro-ducers from barely breaking even to profitability, said Ron Cole, an industry consultant in Greeley, Colo. “We’ve had better quality prod-uct and less supply,” Cole said. Producers reduced the size of their herds as a glut in the lamb market and high feed costs forced them to operate at or below the cost of production, he said. Those cuts have now paid off, resulting in a lamb inventory that’s in line with demand and profitability for lamb producers, feedlots and slaughter plants, Cole said. Yet prices haven’t risen so sharply that they scared off consumers, which bodes well for the industry, he said. “I see stability.”

Record high prices in 2011 set the stage for the recent turbulence in the lamb market, causing consumers to balk and inventories to climb, Cole said. “We had an excess supply of lamb that was very heavy,” he said. “They simply didn’t want to buy it at that price level and it backed up the market.” As fewer lambs were slaugh-tered, living animals were also getting older and putting on weight — degrading quality and aggravating the problem, Cole said. “We couldn’t move lambs through the system, and lambs kept get-ting heavier and heavier,” he said. The market corrected itself at a great cost to producers, who also had to con-tend with scarce and expensive feed due to the 2012 drought, Cole said. Weakening corn prices and bet-ter hay availability have since improved the outlook for all sectors of the sheep industry, he said. Cheaper feed bodes well for feeder lamb prices, since the cost of fat-tening them up is reduced and thus de-mand increases, said Petry. In recent years, part of the in-dustry’s instability was cause by feed shortages in the U.S. and in Australia and New Zealand, but those conditions have since been allevi-ated, he said. “I think we’re back at a plateau now that we can sustain,” Petry said.

2013 MSP-FFA State Public Speaking Contest

The 2013 Missouri Sheep Pro-ducers State FFA Speaking contest was held at Tan-Tar-A Resort on Sunday December 8th. The contest is designed to develop individual public speaking skills and to promote interest in and awareness of the many different aspects of the sheep industry. Participants earned the right to compete at the state contest by winning their respective dis-trict competitions. District winners included; F Southwest – Alysa Arko – Stockton FFA, South Central – Cheyenne Busbey – Koshkonong FFA, Southeast – Coleman Erwin – Fredricktown FFA. Results of the competition were as follows; First Place – Brant Francis - Paris FFA, Sec-ond Place – Morgan Walkup – East Bu-chanan FFA, Third Place – Libby Martin – California FFA. Sarah Gehring MSP President presented each of the partici-pants a plaque and check from MSP. Pictured from left to right are Alysa Arki, Cheyenne Busbey, Brant Francis, Mor-gan Walkup, Libby Martin and MSP President Sarah Gehring.

Sarah Gehring, president•573-886-9417•sb.gehring@gmail.com•Ray Jones, vice-president•573-729-6324•REJ_Sheep@hotmail.com Stacy Ward, treasurer•636-932-4664•stacy.ward@myfcsfinancial.com•Scott Kaden, executive director•573-341-0284•rollakadens@embarqmail.com

January 2014 Newsletter

Breeds of Sheep: Barbados Blackbelly Several studies have been made as to the origin of the breed, which has been widely accepted as African. There is little doubt that the Blackbelly has African ances-try. However, there is compelling historical evidence that the Barbados Blackbelly, as a breed, originated and evolved on the Caribbean island of Barbados following the col-onization by the English in 1627,

Four ewes and one ram of this breed were originally introduced into the U.S. in 1904. The most notable importation from Barbados in 1970 by North Carolina State University to establish a purebred research flock at the university. Currently, between 250,000 and 500,000 descendants of these sheep are found in Texas, where virtually all flocks have been crossed to varying degree with domestic sheep, mostly Rambouil-let, and in recent years with the European Mouflon, a wild species. Game management officials refer to the resulting crossbreed as Moufflon-Barbados or simply Barbado. Through careful selective breeding for horn growth, shedding ability, and color charac-teristics, this crossbreed was developed into a separate breed of sheep called the American Blackbelly. As of 2007, there

are fewer than 400 purebred Barbados Blackbelly sheep in the U.S. The majority of these sheep are held in research flocks with a handful by private breeders. Barbados Blackbelly sheep are considered to be resistant to the effects of internal parasites. In many parts of the U.S., no deworming is necessary when adequate pasture rotation and good husbandry are employed. These sheep are also resistant to most of the sheep diseases that can easily decimate unvaccinat-ed wooled flocks. Mature Barbados Blackbelly ewes have a high prolificacy. Studies have shown the average lambing rate to range between 1.50 to 2.30 lambs per ewe lambing. Body weights of yearling ewes are variable due partly to the tendency to breed and lamb as ewe lambs (<12 months old), and depending whether pregnant at the time of weighing. Most weigh 80 to 90 pounds, with ma-ture ewes 100 pounds, and rams 105 to 125 pounds.

Scott Kaden Executive Director Missouri Sheep Producers 15850 CR 7200 Rolla, MO 65401

Message from the President

Hi, I hope eve-ryone had a won-derful Christmas & New Year! It’s like a frozen tundra here in Central Mis-souri this week. We had a great turn out at the Annual Meeting in November. Thank you to everyone who attended the Annual Meeting and to the sponsors Stegall Fabrication & Manufac-turing and Miller County Regional Stock-yards. MSP has several opportunities coming up this winter/spring. One is the Howard Wyman Sheep Industry Leader-ship School. This is a program hosted by the National Lamb Feeders Association. Each year, MSP pays for one member or couple to attend this school. The 2014 program is in Califor-nia and looks very interesting. Partici-pants will be learning about sheep by-products and working with Superior Farms Director of Food Science. To learn more about the agenda visit www.nlfa-sheep.org/leadership.html. If you are interested in attending, please contact me (sb.gehring@gmail.com or 573-819-0806) or Scott Kaden (573-341-0284 or rollakadens@embarqmail.com). Two youth programs with dead-lines this spring are the Starter Flock Grant and the MSP Scholarship. The Starter Flock Grant is a $600 grant avail-able to youth who have not been in-volved previously in the sheep industry. The deadline for this program is May 1. The scholarship is available to any grad-uating high school senior or college stu-dent who has been involved in the sheep industry for at least three years. The application deadline is May 15. More information about both of these programs can be found on the MSP website at http://www.missourisheep.com/youthprograms.htm. The next board meeting is Feb-ruary 1 at 1:30 at the Animal Science Center at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Any member is welcome to attend. I hope you have a prosperous lambing season! Sarah

Watch Cold, Wet Weather with Sheep and Goats

NEOSHO, Mo. – Management of mature sheep and goats may change only slightly in colder weather compared to the routine management throughout the rest of the year. Nothing takes the place of good routine observations for chang-es in feed availability and body condition score, health problems such as internal parasites and foot rot. However, management will need to change in very cold tempera-tures and even more so in wet, cold tem-peratures according to Dr. Jodie Pen-nington, small ruminant educator with Lincoln University Extension. For example, most producers who kid or lamb in late spring or after there is little likelihood of snow of freez-ing rain, no shelter may be needed for animals giving birth outside. “For other producers who plan to have sheep or goats give birth in the winter months, they need to plan ahead for shelter when the babies are born,” said Dr. Pennington. “Keep in mind that it is possible to lose most of the babies born in cold, wet weather if there is no shelter for the babies. Lambs and kids are smaller than calves and need more shelter in the cold, wet winter.” If it is wet, then shelter is need-ed for babies born in cold, wet weather because the babies will not be able to maintain their body temperature outside. “The wind chill will negatively affect the babies before it will the larger mothers which will generate more heat from the bodies. If you are inside, a heat lamp will provide extra heat for the babies,” said Pennington. If it is not wet, then a wind break may be needed to protect the babies in cold weather. Many lambs and kids will be fine in cold weather, but the wind and wet will significantly add to the problems of maintaining body temperature. According to Pennington, in se-vere weather, sheep and goats will eat more than normal in order to maintain body temperature. Good quality hay or other feed should be available to them. “Make sure that the water is not frozen and is available to the animals. It is also possible the pipes to the water can be frozen in very cold tempera-tures,” said Pennington.

For more information about rais-ing goats and sheep contact Dr. Jodie A. Pennington, a Lincoln University region small ruminant educator headquartered at Newton County Extension Center, Neosho by phone at (417) 455-9500 or by email at PenningtonJ@lincolnu.edu.

2013 Annual Meeting The Missouri Sheep Producers held their annual meeting on November 23, 2013 at Lincoln University’s Carver Farm in Jefferson City. There were 37 members with an additional 19 visitors in attendance. Greg Brann, owner/operator of Big Spring Farm in Kentucky and USDA’s Tennessee Grazing Specialist, was the feature presenter. He spoke about managing pasture and marketing/economics for sheep and goats. Addi-tional presentations were given by Dan Kleinsorge of Missouri Farmers Care, Nick Forrest of the American Lamb Board, Wendy Cantrell of Miller Co Re-gional Stockyard, and the board of direc-tors of the Midwest Junior Preview Show. MSP president Sarah Gehring lead a short business meeting where she highlighted MSP’s 2013 activities and elections conducted for the 2014 MSP board of directors. Those elected include: President-Sarah Gehring, Vice President-Ray Jones, Treasurer-Stacy Ward, District 1-Lynn Fahrmeier, District 3-Andrea King, District 5-Mary Ann Keck, At Large-Bill Mousadakos and Ed DeOrnellis. These newly elected repre-sentatives join District 2-Matt Lambert, District 4-Leon Busdieker, District 6-Don Wissman and At Large Anthony Bock-hold and David Coplen. Funding for the annual meeting was provided by Stegall Fabrication and Engineering in Moberly, Miller Co Re-gional Stockyard in Eldon, Missouri Sheep Merchandising Council and the American Sheep Industry. The next board meeting will be held February 1, 2014 in Columbia at the Animal Science Research Center on the Mizzou campus at 1:30. Any MSP member may attend if they have an in-terest in the operation of the organiza-tion.

Education...The Gift That Keeps Giving

Missouri Farmers Care is excited to pre-sent an update on their Ag Education on the Move program. A squeal of excitement, a wel-coming smile and a curious and anxious mind is commonly found among third graders participating in a new interactive agricultural education program, entitled "Ag Education on the Move." Ag Education on the Movie is an interactive ten-week program that teach-es students about food and farm fami-lies. The program involves regional edu-cators, who visit classrooms once a week for ten weeks, to discuss food, nutrition, and how farmers provide them with every day products. They are especially excited for their agricultural lesson, says Mrs. Car-roz, a third grade teacher from Hanni-bal,, who participated in the education program this fall. "Students looked for-ward to each lesson and learned about concepts that impact their daily lives. We are surrounded by agriculture, but our students know little about it," she said. On their first day, students take an introductory quiz to determine what they know about agriculture, how and where their food is produced, and gen-eral items about crops and livestock. Students are encouraged to identify their favorite foods, and indicate where they believe it was produced. At the conclu-sion of the ten-week program, students complete the same quiz to monitor their progress. One of the important concepts of the program is allowing students to experience hands-on agriculture. Stu-dents see, taste, smell, and touch agri-culture. Whether it is tasting dairy prod-ucts or smelling feed samples, students interact in a way that leaves a lasting impression. Students create edible soil pro-

files when learning about soil conservation, as well as bread in a bag, trail mix feed ra-tions, and on the last day students make piz-zas while identifying where ingredients come from and their "real time" production. Ideally, taking

students and teachers to a farm would create the greatest experience of all, but time and resources are limited. Virtual tours are the next best thing and stu-dents take a virtual tour of a poultry, pork, beef, and a dairy farm. They learn about modern housing and animal health and welfare, feed, and crop sys-tems. Students also identify farming equipment involved in producing and harvesting crops. Farmers take students around their farm to discuss temperature controlled housing, feed, animal care, and what happens to the product once it leaves their farm. Ultimately, students develop an understanding of how farm families work hard to ensure they provide safe and wholesome food. "It is important we put a face with their food," said Amanda Smith, an agriculture education student at the University of Missouri and an edu-cator for Ag Education on the Move. "It is amazing how much students learn over a ten week period. On their tenth week, they are overflowing with infor-mation and so excited to share. It is a rewarding and enjoyable experience." Missouri Farmers Care is work-ing to expand the program to include more urban schools and communities in the future. "The students loved it and

learned so much," said Jane Kruse, a third grade teacher at Westran Elem. Program curriculum objectives meet Missouri State Standards. Teach-ers and parents also receive educational packets with an adult and consumer per-spective. Ag Education on the Move will begin its second semester this spring in over twenty schools. Educators, under the direction of Missouri Farmers Care, will continue to work together to provide an educational experience for third grade students across the state. For more information on the pro-gram, to receive agricultural lesson plans, or to participate in the program, please contact Missouri Farmers Care at info@MOFarmersCare.com.

A Moment in Time… Below: Sheep grazing on the Davis Grant farm near Claycomo in Clay Co., date 1922 Photo from Missouri Valley Special Col-lections, Kansas City Public Library, Kansas City, MO

A Bray Keeps Predators Away: Guard Donkeys Protect Goat

and Sheep Herds

By Charlotte Clifford-Rathert, Lincoln University JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – There’s a new guard dog in town. And it’s more likely to bray than bark. A growing number of sheep and goat farmers are using donkeys to keep predators at bay, says Charlotte Clifford-Rathert, small-ruminant specialist at Lin-coln University Cooperative Extension in Jefferson City. Clifford-Rathert is studying the effectiveness of donkeys in guarding goat and sheep herds from coyotes, bobcats, dogs and other predators. Donkeys have an inherent dislike for dogs and other canines. When they sus-pect a predator, they perk up their ears, sound a warning with loud braying and charge. If the intruder comes too close, the donkey will stand upright and stomp at or on the predator, which can injure or at least discourage it. Young donkeys introduced to a herd of sheep or goats will bond with the animals and stay close while grazing and sleeping. Many sheep and goat producers choose guard donkeys over traditional herd dogs like the Great Pyrenees be-cause donkeys are inexpensive, low-maintenance and don’t need extensive training. They require little care beyond routine shots, treatments for parasites and trimming of hooves. They eat the same feed as the herds they guard. Clifford-Rathert recommends that producers use only one female (jenny) or gelded male (jack) per 80-acre or smaller pasture. Sexually intact males tend to become too aggressive, and two or more donkeys have been known to bond with one another rather than with the herd they are to protect, so she ad-vises against putting guard donkeys in pastures that share a common bounda-ry. Good fencing is necessary. Donkeys work best when intro-duced to the herd at one year of age or younger. To introduce a donkey to the herd, put it in a pasture next to the herd to allow it to see the herd and “visit” across the fence in a neighborly fashion for several weeks. You may need to remove don-

keys from a herd before lambing or kid-ding begins. Ownership of the herd is sometimes so intense that donkeys may hover over a doe or ewe as it nears time to give birth, and may interfere with the mother-baby bonding process, Clifford-Rathert said. As with any species, donkeys vary in personality. Some work hard while some hardly work or won’t work at all. Some are gentle and others are ag-gressive. If a donkey appears too ag-gressive with the herd, cull it or sell it, she said. It won’t change with time. At Lincoln University’s Busby Farm near Jefferson City, Clifford-Rathert manages students who oversee herds guarded by two female and two gelded male donkeys. Since putting the guard donkeys in place, the research farm has not had a single loss. Donkeys are generally available for $200 to $800 in Missouri. Jacks gen-erally cost half as much as jennies. Clifford-Rathert offers these tips for producers who want to use guard donkeys: • Select donkeys from medium to

large size stock. Do not use ex-tremely small or miniature donkeys.

• Test a donkey’s guard response by challenging the donkey with a dog in a corral or small pasture.

• Raise donkeys away from dogs and avoid the use of herding dogs around donkeys.

• For best results, use donkeys in open pastures with no more than 200 head of sheep, goats or cattle. Large pastures, rough terrain, dense brush and large herds lessen their effectiveness.

Number of Meatless Monday Organizations Questioned

October 17, 2013 –After weeks of inves-tigation, the Animal Agriculture Alliance has concluded that the Meatless Mon-day Campaign is grossly misrepresent-ing the campaign’s enrollment and prev-alence among schools, restaurants, hos-pitals and colleges. Since the inception of the Meatless Monday campaign, the Alliance has closely monitored the cam-paign’s progress and tried to correct its misinformation about the healthfulness of meat consumption and environmental impact of livestock production. In anticipation of the Meatless Monday campaign’s 10th anniversary,

the Alliance analyzed the overall effects of the campaign and gauged its effec-tiveness by individually surveying every participant listed on the Meatless Mon-day website. The Alliance found that the campaign has not been as popular as the Meatless Monday movement claimed. Most notably: • Out of the 236 kindergarten through twelfth grade schools listed as participat-ing, more than 51% no longer or never participated in the program; • Out of the 155 colleges/universities listed as participating, more than 43.2% no longer or never participated in the program; • Out of the school districts listed as participating, more than 57% no longer do. The Meatless Monday campaign also counts restaurants and food service providers among their allies, yet, over 35% and 47%, respectively, no longer participate in the program. “These results are truly astound-ing. When we started the project, we didn’t expect nearly as many organiza-tions to not actually be participating in the program,” said Alliance President and CEO Kay Johnson Smith. “The Meatless Monday campaign tries to pro-mote a reduction in meat, milk and egg consumption as trendy, but clearly it hasn’t taking off as strongly as they’d hoped.” Schools, restaurants and food service providers also echoed these sentiments noting that adoption of the campaign was widely unpopular, led to food waste, and elicited complaints from parents worried about proper nutrition. Meatless Monday is a carefully orchestrated campaign that seeks to eliminate meat from Americans’ meals seven days a week — beginning with Mondays. Organized through the Center for a Livable Future at John Hopkins University’s Bloomberg School of Public Health, the campaign, which is funded in large part by wealthy, long-time animal rights activists Sid and Helaine Lerner, pushes an extreme animal rights and environmental agenda by promoting false claims about animal agriculture. To learn more about the myths and facts of the Meatless Monday move-ment and for access to any of the Alli-ance’s comprehensive resources includ-ing our “Why Meat” guide, please visit the Animal Agriculture Alliance at www.animalagalliance.org.

The Long Slow Decline of the US Sheep Industry

By Luke Runyon, Harvest Public Media Over the last 20 years, the num-ber of sheep in this country has been cut in half. In fact, the number has been de-clining since the late 1940s, when the American sheep industry hit its peak. Today, the domestic sheep herd is one-tenth the size it was during World War II. The decline is the result of eco-nomic and cultural factors coming to-gether. And it has left ranchers to won-der, “When are we going to hit the bot-tom?” Some sheep are raised for their wool, others primarily for food. Both products – lamb meat and wool – have seen declining consumption in the U.S. If you look at the tags on clothes in your closet, chances are quite a few pieces will be blended with synthetic fibers: ny-lon, rayon and polyester. As these hu-man-made fibers have become more prevalent and inexpensive, people are wearing less and less wool. The same goes for lamb. In the early 1960s the average person in the U.S. ate about 4.5 pounds of lamb in a year. That has dropped to less than a pound in 2011. At the same time as the Ameri-can sheep industry’s decline, Australian and New Zealand wool and lamb im-ports are way up, squeezing into niche markets that America’s sheep producers are having a hard time filling. Ranchers are feeling the indus-try contraction, whether it’s caused by epic drought, scarce feed supplies, harsh winters, or wild price volatility. “The numbers are just way down – and less sheep ranchers, just in gen-eral,” said Albert Villard, a sheep ranch-er in Craig, Colo. Blizzard and drought the past three years have culled Villard’s herd to its lowest point in a long time. Building it back up hasn’t been easy. “The industry as a whole, I think, is trying to get the numbers up, but there’s so many factors as to why,” Vil-lard said. “I don’t think you can blame any one thing.” Double J Feeders outside Ault, Colo., which is one of just a handful of lamb feeding operations in the country, feels the decline too. The feedlot can hold up to 50,000 sheep at any given

time and fattens them up before slaugh-ter. One part of the decline could be the changing agricultural landscape across the country. Farms have grown larger, more technologically advanced and there are fewer small family farms today than ever before. “Thirty or 40 years ago, every farmer in the winter time would buy 1,000 lambs, run them out on the beet tops, corn – whatever – and then they’d market those lambs in the spring. Well, all that has changed,” said Jeff Hasbrouck, the owner of Double J Feed-ers.

Most farms aren’t fenced in any more, Hasbrouck says, and have grown so large that maintaining a sheep herd makes no economic sense. It’s more trouble than it’s worth for a large crop grower. Hasbrouck’s feedlot is part of Mountain States Rosen, a large co-op that markets lamb to meatpacking com-panies and locks in prices. But the lamb and sheep industry is still wildly volatile. Price swings are the norm and when risk is too high ranchers tend to bow out. Another problem that has plagued the industry is lamb’s percep-

tion by the average consumer. Longtime sheep producers put the blame on the meat fed to soldiers all the way back in World War II. “Those troops were fed canned mutton and when they came home they said, ‘No more lamb, no more sheep. Don’t eat any of it.’ And that’s where we saw the steady decline,” said Brad An-derson, livestock supply manager for Mountain States co-op. That steady decline of sheep numbers started at the same time pro-duction of beef, chicken and pork all got way more efficient. Lamb couldn’t com-pete. So while cattle research has turned beef production into a well-oiled, highly profitable enterprise, Anderson says the same isn’t true for lamb. “We deal with just a percentage of the budget that other proteins have for research, so it’s very tough to get that kind of research and be able to get that information to the producers,” Anderson said. But there is hope for sheep pro-ducers. Because many sheep and lamb operations tend to be small, the growth in farmers markets and local food has benefited sheep ranchers. One-third of all lamb sold in the U.S. now is direct sale from producer to consumer, accord-ing to the American Sheep Industry As-sociation. There’s plenty of room for growth in big cities too. “It’s ethnic communities. Every major metropolitan city in the U.S. has a large immigrant neighborhood,” said Pe-ter Orwick, executive director of the American Sheep Industry Association. “Where are the people coming from? Where they prefer lamb. It’s their meat,” With little time to worry about the future, Northwest Colorado rancher Al-bert Villard is focused on the upcoming year. Prices have risen recently, but coming off a drought, he expects to see even more of his neighbors dropping out. “A lot of guys might liquidate because they don’t want to fight it any-more, which from my perspective, be-cause I need to buy more sheep, might be a good thing,” Villard said. A good thing for him to build up his herd, but with fewer young ranchers joining the ranks, a bad piece of news for an industry shrinking every year.

Sheep States The top 10 sheep raising states in total inventory as of January 1, 2012:

Texas 650,000 California 570,000 Colorado 460,000 Wyoming 370,000 Utah 305,000 South Dakota 285,000 Idaho 240,000 Montana 225,000 Oregon 200,000 Iowa 195,000 (For comparison, Missouri’s sheep inventory as of January 1, 2012 was estimated at 83,000)

Source: USDA-NASS

YOUTH SHEEP PRODUCER PROFILE

Name: Luke DeOrnellis County : Osage Family Members : Ed and Cindy DeOrnellis, Megan and Rachel DeOrnellis, Kate and Danny Kuschel, Emma and Matt Bescheinen. Education : I am a Senior at Fatima High School in Westphalia, MO. After graduation, I will enter Marine Corp boot camp at Camp Pendleton, San Die-go, CA. Leadership positions I have held: Eagles 4-H Club, historian; captain, Fat-ima wrestling team (2011 & 2012) Influences: Henry Shultz family– they were always there to help our family and they are a lot of fun.

What I enjoy about the sheep industry : I enjoy being able to go to sheep shows and hang out with my friends. We help each other and have fun during and after the shows. I’ve met some of my closest friends at sheep shows. One thing sheep production has taught me: Showing sheep taught me to be a humble winner and to look for ways to improve when I didn’t do well. Raising sheep taught me responsibility and helped me develop a good work ethic.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Pre-Lambing Ewe Management Pipestone Veterinary Clinic International Sheep Letter Vol. 19 No. 7, January 2000 Time and effort spent on the ewe flock pre-lambing can result in relieving

stress during lambing and improve health of the baby lamb. A few management checks or changes at this time can save dollars and time down the road. Pre-lambing vaccination - ewes should be vaccinated 3 weeks prior to lambing with Clostridia perfringes C & D with tet-anus. This will stimulate the ewe's immune system to produce antibodies that will concentrate in her colostrum. The lambs will then have high levels of antibodies that will help prevent type C and tetanus. This is the best and most cost-effective way to pro-tect young lambs against these two diseases. Nutrition - ewes should be on an increasing plane of nutrition. Requirements for ewes in late gestation greatly increase as they approach lambing. Ewes carrying twins or triplets require even more feed. Any thin ewes should be sorted into a smaller group to allow them to eat a more concentrated ration and have less competition for bunk space. If the ewes have been main-tained on cornstalks as their primary feedstuff it is critical that you begin feeding vitamins if you haven't already. Crop residue has very low levels of vitamins and gestating ewes can become deficient. If the ewes are on a hay diet the vitamin level may be sufficient although you will still benefit from feeding a mineral high in Selenium and Vitamin E. These are important to ensure that the lambs are not born deficient in Selenium or Vitamin E which will predispose them to White Muscle Disease. Gestating ewe lambs are still growing and less competitive at the bunk so they need to be in a separate pen than the mature ewe flock. If conditions allow, ewes should be shorn one month before lambing. This will allow the ewes to begin mobilizing energy from fat reserves. Also, lambs have a much easier time finding the udder of shorn ewes. Shorn ewes take up less space in the lambing barn and give off more heat into the environment. Care must be taken the first week after shearing. It is important that the ewes have dry shelter that will protect them from rain and snow. If the temperature is below zero shorn ewes will require additional energy which can most cost-effectively be supplied by increasing the grain fed to the ewes. Small amounts of exer-cise is beneficial to the pregnant ewe such as feeding in an outside lot or allowing the ewes access to a small pasture during the day. Often this gives the shepherd an opportunity to see slow, limping, ketotic or problem ewes. These are all candidates to move to a smaller group such as with the ewe lambs. All feed fed to gestating ewes should be fed in bunks or feeders. Feeding gestating ewes on the ground greatly enhanc-es the transmission of abortion disease. Additionally, feeding 250 mg. per head per day of tetracycline will help control Chla-mydia abortions. Any aborted fetuses and placenta need to be immediately removed from the pen to prevent transmission. The shepherd should always wear disposable latex gloves when handling aborted fetuses as many of the common causes of abor-tions can infect humans. Pregnant women should stay out of the lambing barn.

ADULT SHEEP PRODUCER PROFILE Name: Lynn Fahrmeier County: Lafayette Family Members: Donna, Samuel (16), Elizabeth (13) Occupation: Farmer, 2000 acres of corn, soybeans, hay and pas-ture, 40 cow, commercial cow-calf herd, and 200 registered Katahdin ewe flock. Education: Graduate of Wellington-Napoleon R-9 High School, BS Agriculture (Animal Science) from University of Missouri – Colum-bia, 1984 My Sheep enterprise consists of: 200 registered Katahdin ewe flock. We sell registered breeding stock and the rest of the lambs are sold to a person in Kansas City that direct sells frozen lamb at farmer’s markets in the Kansas City area and to upscale restau-rants. I began sheep production in: 1997 The people who most influenced / assisted me in ach ieving success in the sheep industry: Nancy Case and David Copland. They were both early mentors as Donna and I were new to the sheep industry. From giving me advice on selecting herd sires, to answering health and industry questions their advice and council was invaluable. Hopefully we are emulating their example with new shepherds that purchase breeding stock from us. What I like about the sheep industry: The people. We have met many great people at shows, conferences, and on the farm. From people that only want a few ewes for dog herding training to commercial shepherds to purebred shepherds, it is interest-ing listening to the goals that people have and helping them select breeding stock to help their operations. My favorite lamb dish/recipe : One frozen leg of lamb, two cans of Cream of Mushroom soup and one package of Onion soup mix. Put everything into a crockpot set on low before you go to bed. In the morning turn the leg over. At noon the leg of lamb is fall off the bone great. Sheep industry leadership positions I have held: Board member and current president of the Midwest Katahdin Sheep Breeders Association. Newly elected board member of the Missouri Sheep Producers Association. Why I raise sheep: I enjoy working with animals. I enjoy the smaller size of sheep compared to cattle and that you can stock them more densely on your pastures. I have been involved with NSIP (National Sheep Improvement Program) and use EBVs to produce maternally productive ewes while increasing muscle mass without increasing mature ewe size. I have been collect-ing Fecal Egg Counts for the last 6 years and have been scanning for backfat and loineye thickness for the last two years. My greatest sheep production success: My involvement with NSIP has helped increase the maternal traits of my flock. It is amazing to see ewes have triplets and raise all three unassisted. How would I improve/change the sheep industry : I think the Hale Report did a great job of pointing out the dichotomy of the current sheep industry. We have many small flocks in the Midwest and Eastern USA. They mainly sell through small sale barns, small processors or directly to the consumer. This has been a drastic change from 20 years ago. I think there is tremen-dous growth potential for small commercial sheep flocks in the Midwest and Eastern USA. We need to help educate new shep-herds on production, health and reproductive issues as many of these shepherds are new to the sheep industry. The best sheep advice I ever received: Buy some of those Hair Sheep. The greatest threat to the sheep industry is: PETA, HSUS, and internal conflicts. One thing sheep production has taught me: It has taught me that I don’t know as much as I thought I did. I was raised on a farm with cattle and hogs. I never knew I would learn so much by adding a sheep flock.