Category: Interviews

A Tribute to Dr. Charles Parker, Mentor and Friend

Dr. Charles Parker (1935-2024) was a sheep specialist, researcher, industry leader and experienced advisor to many of us in the Katahdin breed. As an early supporter of the breed, Charles felt that Katahdins could and should be the Complete Meat Sheep, genetically balanced for reproductive and growth efficiency and easily

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Producer Profiles: Lambing Flow in Different Operations

As producers we organize our barns for lambing according to what works best in our own situation. Here, three producers, from Iowa, Kentucky and Maine, share how they manage their sheep during lambing, with a focus on barn lambing. Producers were asked to describe how their lambing barn is organized

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

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

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Profile: Dr. Scott Bowdridge

This past summer, Dr. Scott Bowdridge, Associate Professor of Food Animal Production, West Virginia University, opened our minds to his exciting research identifying immune mechanisms in sheep to eliminate parasitic infections. At the 2022 Eastern Alliance for Production Katahdins (EAPK) symposium he discussed his data that links low FEC EBVs

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Shepherd to Shepherd: Producer Forum Blog #4

For our fourth and final producer forum we asked our four shepherds to share some words of wisdom. As usual, their answers are as varied as their production systems and geographic location. What has your experience taught you over the years and what nuggets or advice would you share with

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Shepherd to Shepherd: Producer Forum Blog #3

For our third producer forum we asked our four shepherds, all enrolled in NSIP, how they select their breeding rams and how they make breeding decisions on their farms. Their answers, shared below, reflect the differences among the farms in environment, markets, individual flock goals and management styles. As a

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Shepherd to Shepherd: Producer Forum #2

For our second producer forum we asked our four shepherds what data they collect besides that used for NSIP; how they manage their data; what software programs they use; and how they analyze and use their data to make selection decisions.   Michelle Canfield, Canfield Farms, Western Washington I use

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Producer Profile: Vince Pope, Double Ewe Farm

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

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Shepherd to Shepherd: Introducing our NEW Producer Forum

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

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EAPK Producer Profile: Richard Manning, Sweet Seasons Farm

“The Man Born to Farming” is more than a poem by Wendall Berry of quaint sentiments. It speaks of a producer such as Richard Manning who has lived his life as: “The grower of trees, the gardener, the man born to farming, whose hands reach into the ground and sprout,

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