Scale Options for On-Farm Use

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A producer needs a way to weigh animals when they want to understand how well their lambs are growing, and when to take them to market. There are a variety of reasons to weigh animals, depending on what data you are collecting and what results you want to be able to achieve from it. Before we were involved in the National Sheep Improvement Program (NSIP), we just wanted to know weights between 30 & 150 pounds, as we only cared about how our lambs were growing between one and 12 months of age. We didn't weigh newborns or adults, as…

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Udder Health in Ewes: Mastitis, Udder Scores and Management

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Ewes only have two teats and hopefully raise at least twin lambs, so maintaining healthy udders and culling ewes with udder problems is important to minimize lamb losses and bottle lambs while ensuring optimal growth of lambs on your farm. Mastitis leads to lower weaning weights in lambs of affected dams, takes time and money for treatment, as well as slowing down genetic progress due to forced culling of ewes. Rates of mastitis are variable across different farms. It is important to keep track of the percentage of ewes that get mastitis each year or are culled for lumpy udders…

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Producer Profile: Vince Pope, Double Ewe Farm

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As a dairy nutritionist by training, Vince Pope knows well the science of raising sheep. However, he feels there is a lot of art in raising sheep as well. This art is just as important as science in producing strong animals, yet often takes many years to master. That education happens on the fields and in the barns, as the rhythm of each year moves forward. Vince grew up on this land of Double Ewe Farm in the rolling hills of southern Wisconsin, which was bought by his great grandfather in 1912. Four generations in his family have farmed this…

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Shepherd to Shepherd: Introducing our NEW Producer Forum

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Sharing experiences is the hallmark of education. In this new producer forum, four experienced EAPK members enrolled in NSIP, from very diverse areas of the U.S., answer questions and share their knowledge and insights into shepherding. In a series of interviews, Lynn Fahrmeier (Fahrmeier Katahdins, Western Missouri), Michelle Canfield (Canfield Farms, Western Washington), Roxanne Newton (Hound River Farm, South Georgia), and Etienne and Isabel Richards (Gibraltar Farm, Central NY) describe their operations, unique challenges and what traits and qualities best fit their goals, management system and environment. The interviews will continue throughout the year with additional questions. In 2023, a new…

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Making Genetic Progress

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As breeders of purebred livestock, attention to genetic progress should be at the forefront of our selection programs. The equation below summarizes the components that contribute to genetic progress. indicates change in genetics ( stands for change, G stands for genetics). Genetic progress can be improved by increasing those components in the numerator (Accuracy, Selection Intensity, and Genetic Variation) and decreasing those traits in the denominator (Generation Interval). Each component is described in greater detail below. Accuracy: Accuracy values represent the relationship between the "estimated" breeding value and "true" breeding value. Increased accuracy results from greater records in the evaluation…

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Selecting for Maternal Traits Drives Profit

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Katahdins are raised in diverse environments using a wide range of management styles and for a variety of reasons. However, there should be a few common goals in any flock. In addition to being a shedding hair breed, Katahdins have always been viewed as an easy keeping maternal breed. In recent years, many breeders have also begun selecting for parasite resistance to make the breed even more easy keeping. We know that the number one predictor of profitability in a ewe flock is the "Pounds of Lamb Weaned per Ewe Exposed." This metric combines several maternal traits. This article will…

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Selecting Your Next Breeding Ram

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Achieving genetic progress and meeting your production goals depend in large part on selecting the right breeding ram for your flock. No animal has greater influence on genetic progress (or lack thereof) than your breeding ram. Selecting a new sire should be considered an investment in the genetic future of your flock. We all know that the ram provides 50% of his genetics to his offspring and we often hear the phrase that "your ram is half your flock", so careful selection is important. For many breeders it all starts with the phenotype. That is, the physical appearance of the…

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Selecting for Parasite Resistant Katahdins

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People frequently ask us for suggestions on improving the parasite resistance of their flocks and how to identify resistant animals, and with good reason. Intestinal worms, or parasites, are one of the most limiting factors to profitable production for shepherds raising sheep on pasture. Lambs and late gestation and lactating ewes are the most susceptible. The main parasite of concern in much of the U.S. is Haemonchus contortus or barber pole worm. The most obvious cost to producers is through deaths of lambs and ewes. But probably more loss occurs in lambs because of anemia, reduced appetite, slower growth, delays…

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Data Collection for NSIP

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Data collection is the cornerstone of obtaining Estimated Breeding Values (EBVs) through the National Sheep Improvement Program (NSIP). But the need for good records and accurate data is not limited to producers submitting data to NSIP. All flocks can benefit from good data collection since selection and culling decisions should be based on measured production criteria. Those considering joining NSIP at some point, will find collecting accurate data from the start will be helpful. There are many excellent resources (see Resources below) that describe the individual traits and/or give detailed instructions for entering the data into Pedigree Master. This document…

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NSIP – What Is in It for Me?

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For most of us, raising sheep is a business. All successful businesses continually and objectively evaluate their products for performance, accuracy, and predictability. Estimated Breeding Values (EBVs) as provided by the National Sheep Improvement Program (NSIP), allow shepherds to convert performance records for economically important traits into information about an animal's genetic merit while increasing accuracy and predictability for those traits. EBVs provide a science-based selection tool to improve or enhance preferred traits but do not take the place of direct evaluation of an animal's physical appearance, health, or structural correctness. There are multiple ways to use the power of…

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