Producer Profile: Tom Perkins, Con-O-Creek Farm, PA

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“I do what is best for the grass and that is good for the sheep too.” says Tom Perkins, who grazes his sheep 365 days a year on his farm in Fombell Pa. ‘Big Tom,’ as he is known, runs his 150 registered Katahdin ewes on 70 acres of owned land and eight acres of leased ground. On Big Tom’s Con-O-Creek Farm, he has created a unique system utilizing both fields and barn for optimal production. Big Tom grew up on his family’s farm milking cows until the mid ‘80’s when the farm was transitioned to a beef cattle operation.…

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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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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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Grazing Native Warm-Season Grasses: SARE Grant Update

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In my career with USDA-NRCS I've been fortunate to see a lot of different production methods involving a variety of livestock operations across North Carolina. Beginning in 2016, I began working with more producers that had established or wanted to establish native warm-season grasses (NWSGs) in their pasture operations. Those producers mainly worked with beef cattle. These work experiences led me to want to do the same thing on our small 20-acre farm in North Carolina. However, I wanted to do something different by using sheep. Study Design My proposed theory was that I could use NWSGs to lower feed…

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Scours: Causes, Treatment, and Prevention

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Scours or diarrhea is something that most of us probably see in our flocks over the course of a year. Animals scour whenever there is a disturbance in the normal processes that regulate how much fluid is excreted in their manure. Scours is a symptom, sometimes due to a serious disease that requires prompt treatment, but often diet induced and transient, requiring only tincture of time to resolve. Diet plays a large role in manure consistency; expect looser manure for a few days whenever there is an increase in protein and/or energy or a decrease in fiber in their diets.…

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It All Starts in the Rumen

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As prey animals, sheep evolved with the ability to harvest their food quickly with very little chewing, then retire to a safe place to further process their meal. Sheep are unable to directly digest the cellulose in forages and must rely on billions of microorganisms in the rumen (bacteria, protozoa and fungi) for fermentation and digestion. The byproducts of these microbes provide the sheep with needed nutrients (protein, energy, B vitamins and vitamin K). The health of the entire animal is reliant on the health of the rumen microbes. The rumen is often referred to as a large fermentation vat…

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Managing Feed Costs in a Time of Expensive Inputs

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As we enter the fall and look ahead to winter feeding months, hay prices continue to climb. With feed accounting for more than 50% of production costs, managing these expenses is critical to remaining profitable in current times. Two strategies for decreasing feed costs are: 1) extending the grazing season to reduce hay feeding; and 2) making smart hay purchasing decisions to get the most out of your investment. The grazing season can be extended with improved forage management. With cattle, the Amazing Grazing team at NCSU has coined the term "POW - The Power of One Wire." Unfortunately, many…

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Small Flock Pasture Management

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At weaning time, you will need your best pastures in tip top shape for your lambs to continue growing. Your free input resource must be managed throughout the late spring and summer. This can be challenging with limited equipment and modest grazing space. Rotational grazing techniques are helpful and can be complimented with proactive management. Early in the warmer seasons, cool season grasses and forbs are dominant and provide great forage. As the temperatures climb, the availability of palatable grasses and plants decline. Grasses can go to seed too quickly to graze your animals on them. Rain followed by hot daytime temperatures cause the grasses…

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