Sheep

2022 Buckeye Shepherd’s Symposium

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Sheep Indoors is the Focus of 2022 Shepherd’s Symposium

The Ohio Sheep Improvement Association in partnership with The Ohio State University invites all sheep enthusiasts to the 2022 Buckeye Shepherd’s Symposium in Wooster, Ohio from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, December 3 at the OARDC Shisler Conference Center (1680 Madison Avenue, Wooster, OH 44691).

This year’s symposium theme is management and marketing. The primary focus of discussion will be around housed and dry lot management of commercial sheep. Additional breakout sessions will elaborate on marketing strategies for lamb and wool.

A full slate of distinguished speakers will be featured at the symposium.

Dr. Eric Gordon, a clinical veterinarian at OSU Large Animal Services in Marysville, will address strategies to promote animal health and welfare in confined systems.

Dr. Richard Ehrhardt, a Senior Extension Specialist in small ruminants at Michigan State University, will provide considerations for facility design and economics of conversion to a housed sheep system.

Dr. Andrew Weaver, an Assistant Professor and Extension Small Ruminant Specialist in the Department of Animal Science at North Carolina State University, will continue discussion of sheep management in confinement with a focus on genetics and nutrition.

Additional special guests at the symposium will include Roger Hunker- Online Livestock Sales; Garth Ruff- Marketing Meat Products Off-Farm; Sandra Morris- Adding Value to Wool; Dr. Brady Campbell and Christine Gelley- OSU Research Update on Solar Grazing; Courtney Anderson- Coyote Research; and more!

Additionally, the night prior to the symposium beginning at 6 p.m. on December 2, the Young Shepherd’s Assembly will gather at JAFB Brewery (120 Beall Avenue, Wooster, OH 44691) for appetizers, pizza, drinks, and discussion with some of the symposium’s featured guests. This event serves as an opportunity for shepherds under 40 to gather with their peers for social interaction and networking ahead of a day of education together. To attend, note your attendance with registration.

Shepherds of all ages, sectors, and regions are invited to attend the symposium to connect with other shepherds and to continue learning together. If you are unable to attend the symposium in-person, you won’t have to miss the event. The 2022 symposium will be held in a hybrid format including options for both in-person or online participation depending on your preference. If you would like to join the symposium virtually, be sure to select that option during registration and provide an accurate and valid email address.

Be sure to mark your calendars for December 3, 2022! Proceed to register online, print a form, or view the full program schedule visit OSIA Programs at ohiosheep.org or the OSU Sheep Team Events/Programs page at sheep.osu.edu. Refreshments will be provided throughout the day and a delicious lunch featuring lamb chops and cheesecake will be included in registration. Registrations are appreciated by Nov. 18, 2022.

Go to https://go.osu.edu/ohiosheep for direct access to the registration information.

Written for Distribution by OSIA, OSWP, and OSU Extension.

Submitted by:

Christine Gelley, M.S.
Extension Educator, Agriculture & Natural Resources
Noble County Extension
46049 Marietta Rd., Suite 2, Caldwell, OH 43724
740-732-5681 Office / 740-732-5434 Fax
gelley.2@osu.edu noble.osu.edu

 

 

Licking County Hosting Lambing and Kidding School

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OSU Extension in Licking County and the Licking County Sheep Improvement Association are providing a Lambing and Kidding School on Thursday, October 20th from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.  There will be no fee for this class, but we do require registration by October 17th.  Call 740-670-5315 to make your reservation.  The location will be the Licking Valley Church of Christ at 158 Dayton Rd NE, Newark OH 43055.

With lambing and kidding seasons approaching, now is the time to prepare.  Our class will discuss nutrition needs for nannies and ewes, pregnancy management from beginning to end and delivery techniques using hands on birthing simulators.  Lunch will be included!

IMPORTANT: Required Livestock Forms for Hartford Fair

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Hartford Junior Fair Livestock and Equine exhibitors have online forms that will be due before they bring their animals to the fair. Please note below which forms are required for each species and the deadline for each form. Most species must have their forms completed by 11:59p.m. on Friday, August 5, 2022. The only exception to this is Market Hogs. Market Hogs will complete their forms after the Hartford Fair tag is placed in their hog’s ear on August 6th and before 10:00am on August 7th. Instructions will be displayed throughout the Swine Complex. All MARKET ANIMALS must have forms completed in order to be allowed to weigh-in on the fairgrounds – no exceptions.

DUNF: https://go.osu.edu/2022HartfordDUNF (all market animals)

UPI Form: https://go.osu.edu/ProducerForm2022  (market steer / heifer, market goat, market lamb, dairy feeders)

Livestock Project Skillathons at the Hartford Fair

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All members are encouraged to participate in the Livestock Project Skillathons at the Hartford Fair. Members do NOT have to be entered in a species to participate in the skillathon for that species; all are welcome! Be sure to check the schedule HERE to ensure you know when and where each skillathon will take place as there have been some changes from previous years.

 

Workdays at the Hartford Fair

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Several Hartford Fair departments have upcoming workdays to help get the barns ready for fair week. Please review the departments and days below and see if you can come lend a hand!

Sheep

A Sheep Barn work night has been scheduled for Wednesday, July 27th at 6:00 p.m. We will meet in the Sheep Barn to work on preparations for the Hartford Fair. Projects include painting the wash rack, installing new pens, and general clean-up of the barn areas. This is quite a bit of work, and much help will be needed!

Items to bring: shovels, rakes  –  and be sure to wear old clothes! There are jobs for all ages and abilities!

We hope that you will mark your calendar and plan to join us! This is a great way to meet others within the Sheep Department, visit with Sheep Improvement Association members, Senior Fair Board members, and get information about happenings at the fair.

Swine

A Hog Barn work day has been schedule for Sunday, July 31st at 9:00 a.m. We will meet in the Hog Barn to work on preparations for the Hartford Fair. Bring your brooms, rakes, shovels, leaf blowers, drills, etc. and be sure to wear old clothes!

We hope that you will mark your calendar and plan to join us! This is a great way to meet others within the Swine Department, visit with Senior Fair Board members, and get information about happenings at the fair.

Hartford Fair Verification Letters

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Verification Letters for Hartford Fair entries went in the mail on July 7, 2022. Please watch for your letter to arrive in the mail. Once you receive it, please open it immediately and check that all is correct. If you find a mistake or missing entry, reach out to the Hartford Fair Office IMMEDIATELY to have it corrected or to add missing/additional entries. There is a $10 late fee to add on entries at this point. All corrections/additional entries must be made before July 22, 2022. No changes will be made after this date.

If you do not receive your verification letter (within a reasonable time frame for it to be delivered), please check in with the Hartford Fair Office to ensure that they did receive your entries and that your mailing address is correct. PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO REVIEW YOUR VERIFICATION LETTERS!

I’ve Submitted My Fair Entries… Now What?

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Hopefully you were able to submit your fair entries by the June 18th deadline. The next step will be to check your verification letters when they arrive. All entries (open and junior classes) will be mailed verification letters. Those letters will be going out in the mail late next week so please be sure to watch for them. Once they arrive, please take the time to review them to ensure that they are correct. If you find an error, you must contact the Hartford Fair Office before Friday, July 22nd to have the correction made. NO CHANGES WILL BE MADE AFTER JULY 22, 2022.

A few thing to keep in mind…

  • For Junior Fair Entries (4-H specifically), the address listed in 4-HOnline is the address that will be used to mail your entries. If you have moved since you completed your 4-H enrollment, if you forgot to update your address when completing your enrollment, OR if your mailing address is a PO Box but you have your physical address listed in 4-HOnline, you will need to correct that immediately. Please reach out to Adrienne Anderson at anderson.1410@osu.edu to have your address updated. She will then reach out to the fair office with your corrected address.
  • If you do not receive your verification letter or you will be out of town or unable to check your mail, please know that you can reach out to Beth at the fair office. She would be happy to provide you with the information so that you are able to confirm that your entries are correct.
  • We encourage members to have their advisors look over their verification letters to help catch any mistakes or issues.
  • PLEASE take the time to check and confirm that your entries are correct. Checking for and correcting mistakes now will set members up to have a good experience come fair time.

Hartford Fair Logo

Ohio State Fair Virtual Skillathon Registration

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Registration is now open for the Ohio State Fair Virtual Skillathon Contests. These contests are a great way to participate in the Ohio State Fair skillathon program without having to attend the fair in person. Registration to participate is due by June 21st and can be completed be visiting go.osu.edu/skillathonregistration. Members are NOT required to be enrolled in a species project to participate so all 4-H and FFA youth are encouraged to participate!

Please note: outstanding breeding exhibitors (goat, sheep, swine, and beef) must complete the virtual skillathon to be eligible for OBE.