Month: August 2024

2024 Statewide Sheep Shearing School – A Few Spots Still Remain!

Dr. Brady Campbell, Assistant Professor, OSU State Small Ruminant Extension Specialist

A few seats still remain – register today to secure your spot!

Event Registration Link

The Ohio State University departments of Animal Sciences and Extension are pleased to announce the dates of the 2024 Fall Statewide Ohio Sheep Shearing School to be held on September 20-21, 2024 from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm at the Dave Cable Farm in Hebron, Ohio (10491 Canal Rd., Hebron, OH 43025).

During this two day schooling event, attendees will be given the opportunity to learn how to properly shear a sheep using the Australian shearing method. Those in attendance will be taught by veteran shearers as they walk through each step and demonstrate how to properly position the sheep and shearing hand piece in the correct location. Attendees will also learn Continue reading 2024 Statewide Sheep Shearing School – A Few Spots Still Remain! →

D3 Drought – What Does That Mean?

Christine Gelley, OSU Extension Educator ANR, Noble County

Dry conditions have continued, despite all our best efforts to put in requests for rain. This past week, all of Noble County along with several other SE Ohio counties moved from the classification of D2- Severe Drought to D3- Extreme Drought. What does that mean, exactly, other than that it is really dry?

Well, it means that  a group of experts have evaluated the changing conditions that have resulted from the lack of precipitation to create the United States Drought Monitor Mapping System and determined that parts of Southeast Ohio have sustained drought conditions for so long that the impacts of drought will have an increased impact on the resiliency of the land to bounce back from  drought conditions, to the point that the potential economic damage could be substantial.

The Drought Monitor website explains Continue reading D3 Drought – What Does That Mean? →

Forage Nitrate Toxicity a Major Concern as Drought Worsens

Jason Hartschuh, Dairy Management and Precision Livestock, Field Specialist

(Image Source: University of Missouri Extension)

Weather conditions across Ohio have been challenging this growing season with some areas of the state reaching a D3 drought status. Other areas of the state may not currently be under drought status but are drier than normal and at risk of quickly experiencing a flash drought. These adverse growing conditions can cause unforeseen challenges with forages. We have had multiple reports of high nitrate levels this year in early harvested summer annual forages as producers needed feed.

Plants readily take up nitrates from the soil, even under dry or cool conditions.  Once in the plant, nitrate is converted to nitrite, then ammonia, and finally into amino acids and plant protein. Any environmental stress that significantly slows down plant photosynthesis and metabolism can lead to excessive nitrate levels in the plant because the nitrate uptake from the soil will be faster than its metabolism into plant protein. Such stresses include drought, frost, extended cold weather, cloudy conditions, or hail damage. While Continue reading Forage Nitrate Toxicity a Major Concern as Drought Worsens →

Managing Forage to Finish 2024

Christine Gelley, OSU Extension Educator ANR, Noble County

With the drought conditions we have experienced this summer, many livestock producers and haymakers are concerned about the winter to come and how to stretch resources to next spring when the supply of stored forages will be low. Other than doing the rain dance and hoping for yield salvation on third cutting hay, what else can we do to boost forage availability now and through to the spring?

We can practice good management tactics. Those ones that we should be doing every year, but become more critical during times of stress, like now. We can restrict animals from overgrazing areas that we will need later this fall. We can consider reducing the size of the herd while prices are decent at the sale barn and have fewer mouths to feed through the winter. We can start shopping for supplemental winter feed now, because as supply dwindles and the months turn cold, demand will increase and so will costs.

There is limited time left to plant emergency annual forage crops, but it is an option. If we get Continue reading Managing Forage to Finish 2024 →

Off-Season and Accelerated Lamb Production

Melanie Barkley, Senior Extension Educator: Livestock, Penn State Extension
Dr. Jayson K. Harper, Director, Penn State Fruit Research and Extension Center
Lynn Kime, Former Senior Extension Associate, Penn State University
David Hartman, Former Extension Educator: Livestock, Penn State University
(Previously published with Penn State Extension: January 4, 2023)

Sheep are ideally suited to small-scale and part-time farming operations in Pennsylvania due to their adaptability and nutritional versatility. Sheep can be fed a diet high in concentrates (similar to swine) or solely a forage diet. Furthermore, marketing opportunities are plentiful in the northeastern United States. Lambs can be marketed at any age and often vary in weight from 40 to 160 pounds, depending on the time of year and market demand. This publication will focus on accelerated production practices to take advantage of both off-season and holiday markets.

There are about 3,800 sheep producers in Pennsylvania with around 80,000 ewes, rams, and replacement

Continue reading…

Large-scale Ohio Research Project to Explore how Solar and Farming can Co-exist

Kathiann M. Kowalski
(Previously published online with Energy News Network: July 29, 2024)

Research underway at a Madison County solar farm promises to shed light on how well multi-use farming can work at a large scale. The answers will help shape best practices for future projects, while addressing some concerns raised in ongoing debates over siting large solar projects in rural farm areas.

Spread across more than 1,900 acres, the 180 MW Madison Fields project will be one of North America’s largest test grounds for research into agrivoltaics — essentially farming between the rows on photovoltaic solar projects.

As farmers seek to lease land for solar arrays to diversify their incomes, the practice could help them maximize their income and fend off opposition from critics concerned that solar development will take prime farmland out of production.

Some farmers have also said Continue reading Large-scale Ohio Research Project to Explore how Solar and Farming can Co-exist →

Set Production Benchmarks for Sheep and Goat Production

Melanie Barkley, Senior Extension Educator: Livestock, Penn State Extension
(previously published with Penn State Extension: May 7, 2024)

No matter what type of business you work with, those who are successful will set goals and evaluate them on a regular basis. For a sheep or goat operation, producers can set production benchmarks to improve performance that could lead to more profitability. These production goals could focus on only one year, or they could focus on reaching goals five or ten years down the road.

Producers should start by evaluating the production characteristics that are most important to their operation. Then, use the results of the evaluation to assess how to improve performance. Production benchmarks often focus on basic production or performance, reproduction, health, nutrition, marketing or finances. A few examples might be lambing or kidding percentage, weaning weight, ewe or doe production, loin eye size, fat depth, or even resistance to internal parasites.

As producers think about Continue reading Set Production Benchmarks for Sheep and Goat Production →

2024 Statewide Sheep Shearing School Announced – Sept. 20-21

Dr. Brady Campbell, Assistant Professor, OSU State Small Ruminant Extension Specialist

Event Registration Link

The Ohio State University departments of Animal Sciences and Extension are pleased to announce the dates of the 2024 Fall Statewide Ohio Sheep Shearing School to be held on September 20-21, 2024 from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm at the Dave Cable Farm in Hebron, Ohio (10491 Canal Rd., Hebron, OH 43025).

During this two day schooling event, attendees will be given the opportunity to learn how to properly shear a sheep using the Australian shearing method. Those in attendance will be taught by veteran shearers as they walk through each step and demonstrate how to properly position the sheep and shearing hand piece in the correct location. Attendees will also learn Continue reading 2024 Statewide Sheep Shearing School Announced – Sept. 20-21 →