Marketing Tips

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On the SheepThings Podcast, marketing emails and questions are becoming more prevalent. How do I market my sheep? That is such a broad question and I usually start with, "That depends …." That is the easy part. When you first started in the sheep business, determining who your market is should have been the first step. Once you determine the market you want to be in, then you can set your sights on how to reach them. One of the first things you need to do for your operation is to raise something people want to buy. Doesn't matter how…

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The Nuts and Bolts of EBVs

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EBVs are tools that producers can use to select breeding animals that will help them meet flock goals for specific traits such as growth, milk, reproduction, parasite resistance and carcass quality. It is important to understand that selecting for extremes in one trait will often put negative selection pressure on other traits of interest. Often, animals with extremely high EBVs in certain traits will require additional nutritional support or better management to perform successfully at that level. In addition, some traits are antagonistic to other traits, meaning that if you select strongly for one trait you may be inadvertently reversing…

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Producer Profile: Alex Caskey from Barred Owl Brook Farm, NY

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As producers we cannot control the weather, but we can build resilience into our farm systems to mediate its effects. Silvopasture - the intentional integration of trees and grazing livestock - has been a hot topic of agricultural webinars because growing trees can do just that. Alex Caskey combines his education in conservation biology with his love of lamb chops. His Katahdin sheep graze the trees along with the pasture grasses and then chew their cud under the shade of those same trees. "Rotational grazing is foundational to silvopasture since trees cannot thrive under continuous livestock pressure. I approach it…

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Winter Grazing for Livestock: Enhancing Animal Performance, Health, and Farm Profitability

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Winter grazing for livestock offers numerous benefits that extend beyond traditional feeding practices. This article explores the advantages of winter grazing, including improved animal performance, enhanced animal health, reduced labor for farmers, and ultimately, improved profitability. Improved Animal Performance: Winter grazing allows animals to continue their natural behaviors which limits exposure to mud and pathogens that often occur at hay feeding stations. Research by Johnson et al. (2018, "Effects of Winter Grazing System on Cow Performance and Pasture Productivity") demonstrates that properly managed winter grazing can maintain or even enhance body condition in livestock leading to improved reproductive performance and…

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Buying Parasite Resistance: considerations for greater success

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Often producers interested in adding genetics for parasite resistance to their flock are faced with deciphering the fecal egg count (FEC) EBVs listed on a stall card or catalog at an auction (online or in person). Is that enough information to identify a parasite resistant animal? In my experience, no. Estimated Breeding Values (EBVs) provide a wonderful tool to predict animal performance, but when it comes to parasite resistance, the stated EBV often doesn't provide the whole answer. More than other traits, FEC EBVs can be subject to some pretty big changes over time. Partly that's because there is such…

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Meningeal Worm

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Meningeal worm (Parelaphostrongylus tenuis), also known as deer worm or brain worm, is a parasite of white tail deer that typically causes disease in sheep in the late summer and fall. In deer, the adult P. tenuis worms live on the membranes covering their brains, the meninges. In most deer there is no adverse effect from the parasites. Female worms lay eggs on the meningeal membranes, they hatch, the larvae migrate into the bloodstream and travel to the lungs. Here larvae are coughed up and swallowed, passing through the intestinal tract and larvae are excreted with the deer manure. These…

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Plant Toxicity in Sheep

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Like many sheep articles, personal experience was the inspiration for this one. And like most sheep problems, the exact cause isn't certain, but the pattern of symptoms - photosensitivity and the sudden death of a few 7-month-old ram lambs - led to a suspected diagnosis of plant toxicity and photosensitivity exacerbated by a brutally hot summer. Photosensitization is an inflammation of the skin and is caused by either primary sources (e.g., direct contact with photosensitizing plants) or secondary causes from liver damage caused by an accumulation of toxins. Primary plant toxicity is the most common cause in sheep and occurs…

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Where to Buy Sheep

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We often get asked "Where's the best place to buy sheep?" A lot depends on your goals and what you'll use the sheep for, but one thing is pretty much certain: Don't buy sheep from the local sale barn. Below are some of the more common sale venues with some of the pros and cons listed. Venue Pros Cons On Farm Often lowest cost option Least chance of biosecurity issues Least stress for animals Ability to inspect the whole flock and observe management Potentially more choices of one farm's genetics May allow better opportunity to develop relationship with seller, especially…

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Evaluating your mineral program

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We all know that our sheep need minerals, but how do we know that we are not over- or under-supplying their needs? Mineral deficiencies can lead to disease, but too much can lead to toxicity and even death. Minerals interact with each other; high levels of molybdenum can suppress copper levels and cause copper deficiency but it is also used to protect against copper toxicity in instances where high copper levels are present. The whole diet needs to be evaluated, not just the minerals you are offering. Minerals in the soil determine what minerals are available in the forages grown…

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Understanding “Number of Lambs Weaned” (NLW) Estimated Breeding Values

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We've been members of NSIP since 2006 and I must confess that I've never really understood what all went into the calculation of "Number of Lambs Weaned", let alone Genomically-enhanced Estimated Breeding Values (GEBV) for NLW. Seems most of my ewes had NLW GEBV that were about the same as their NLB GEBV, with a few exceptions. Some were a little lower and some were a little higher, and since they are correlated, I didn't pay a whole lot of attention to these slight differences until I bought a ram last year with a NLB of 0.04 and a NLW…

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