Carri Jagger, OSU Extension Educator ANR, Morrow County

OSUSheep 101 Field Day Flyer Morrow County Extension and Morrow County Farm Bureau welcomes local shepherds to the 2021 Sheep 101 Field Day. The event is slated for Saturday, August 14, 2021 from 9:00 am – 2:30 pm at Dale and Cathy Davis’s Farm located at 3149 County Road 169 Cardington, Ohio 43315. This FREE program is open to both beginning and experienced shepherds.

Topics of the days event include: labor saving time tricks, shearing, vaccination considerations, lambing simulator, USA Scrapie update, experienced producer panel Q&A session, and much more! The outlined sessions will be taught by OSU Extension Educators, Department of Animal Sciences faculty and staff, as well as industry professionals. Lunch will be provided at no charge, however, pre-registration is required. To reserve your spot at this years event, please do so by contacting the Morrow County Farm Bureau at (419) 747-7488 or through morrow.ofbf.org. The event is sponsored by the Morrow County Farm Bureau, Ohio Sheep and Wool Program (OSWP), Ohio Sheep Improvement Association (OSIA), and the American Sheep Industry (ASI).

For those interested in further details about the event, please view the attached flyer.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Jaelyn Quintana, Extension Field Specialist I – Sheep, South Dakota State University

For those that haven’t had a chance to do so yet, please be sure to submit your responses for this national sheep and goat needs assessment survey!  Your input will be crucial in the development of future small ruminant programming and support. Currently, Ohio represents 3% of the total responses. I know that we can do better than that!

The South Dakota State University (SDSU) Extension Small Ruminant Team is seeking input from sheep and goat producers across the U.S. to identify producer interests and enhance future Extension programming efforts. Responses collected from this voluntary survey will be complied into a Sheep and Goat Producers Needs Assessment.

“Across the nation many producers have adapted to the ever-changing dynamics of today’s world. As Extension professionals we have also experienced

Continue reading →

Dr. Brady Campbell, Program Coordinator, OSU Sheep Team
Christine Gelley, OSU Extension Educator ANR, Noble County

Small ruminant growth and health losses associated with parasitic infection continues to be of great concern in many intensively grazed management systems such as those in the Eastern United States. Diagnostic techniques used to monitor parasitic infection on-farm include the FAMACHA© eye scoring system and Fecal Egg Counts. implementing these tools within your operation will not only allow for producers to detect the early onset of parasitism within their flocks and herds, but can also be used as a guide to determine which animals need to be treated. These workshops will provide training for producers to conduct FAMACHA© eye scores and fecal egg counts from the comfort of their home.

Two separate sessions will be held in Caldwell, Ohio for those interested in learning how to better monitor their flocks and herds through selective anthelmintic treatment. Continue reading →

Christine Gelley, OSU Extension Educator ANR, Noble County

The Ohio Forage and Grasslands Council cordially invites you to join forage and livestock enthusiasts from across the state for their 2021 Summer Forage Field Days. Anyone with an interest in pasture management, hay production, or livestock systems is welcome to attend one or all of the field days planned as drive-it-yourself day tours in Central Ohio.

The series will begin June 25, 2021 in Crawford County. Finishing sheep, goats, and cattle on forage will be the topic of this field day and will include Continue reading →

Michelle Wallace, Northwest Regional ANR Extension Educator, Central State University

Central State University (CSU) Extension will be hosting a free Sheep Shearing Field Day on March 27, 2021.

Designed for beginning farmers, CSU Extension is partnering with H.O.O.V.E.S in presenting a Sheep Shearing Field Day beginning at 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 27, 2021 at the H.O.O.V.E.S facility, 4055 Wilkins Rd., Swanton, Ohio.

Participants at the field day will:

• Learn how to shear a sheep
• Learn how to protect the quality of the fleece while shearing
• Learn how to skirt the fleece
• Learn how to wash the fleece

Presenters will include Continue reading →

Jaelyn Quintana, Extension Field Specialist I – Sheep, South Dakota State University

The South Dakota State University (SDSU) Extension Small Ruminant Team is seeking input from sheep and goat producers across the U.S. to identify producer interests and enhance future Extension programming efforts. Responses collected from this voluntary survey will be complied into a Sheep and Goat Producers Needs Assessment.

“Across the nation many producers have adapted to the ever-changing dynamics of today’s world. As Extension professionals we have also experienced significant transformations in educational programming and find it is critical to remain in sync with our producers and colleagues across the United States,” says Kelly Froehlich, Assistant Professor and SDSU Extension Specialist in Small Ruminant Production. “This year provides a timely opportunity to gather producer preferences on production and management topics and program delivery as well as identify challenges to raising and marketing these animals and products, and finally to learn more about farm and ranch demographics.”

“We believe this nationwide response will add value by Continue reading →

Dr. Lyda Garcia, Assistant Professor – Meat Science, The Ohio State University

The Ohio State University Extension Meat Specialist offer two day workshops to tackle meat industry labor challenges.

When COVID-19 hit the US meat industry early 2020, many disruptions quickly surfaced – impacting our livestock and meat industries. As large-scale meat plants were in the process of slowing and even shutting down, local meat processors were looked upon to relieve the pressures brought forth by COVID-19. As many, if not all, local meat processors stepped up to fill these needs, significant stresses were quickly felt by the employees on the front lines. As many small scale, to very small scale meat processors were accustomed to a slower steady pace, the onset of doubling or tripling work load caused employees to reconsider their future. In the world of the meat industry, physical labor is Continue reading →

Brady Campbell, Program Coordinator, OSU Sheep Team

For the first time in its history, the 2020 Buckeye Shepherd’s Symposium was presented 100% virtually and might we add, went off without a hitch! Due to the unique format of the event, this years symposium was a one day event hosted on December 4th from 2:00 – 5:30 pm. According to our registration poll, we had well over 200 participants registered for the event – a record high for the Friday program in my time serving on the planning committee. Of our viewers in attendance, a vast majority were from the United States, but due to this unique webinar opportunity we were also able to connect with other shepherds in Canada and Argentina. Although it would have been nice to end this chaotic year visiting with our fellow shepherds in person over an Ohio lamb meal, we feel that this was an amazing alternative. For those that attended this years event, thank you! You will be receiving an email with the entire program recording, including the Q&A sessions in addition to the OSIA (Ohio Sheep Improvement Association) annual meeting. Please access and view the recording as soon as possible as it will only be available online in full for 120 days. For those that were unable to attend this years event, we have provided some program highlights below. Furthermore, presentation recordings from our guest speakers this year will be periodically shared throughout 2021 on the OSU Sheep Team webpage. Continue reading →

Brady Campbell, Program Coordinator, OSU Sheep Team

On behalf of The Ohio State University Department of Animal Sciences, Ohio Sheep Improvement Association, and Ohio Sheep and Wool Program we are pleased to announce the schedule for the 2020 Buckeye Shepherd’s Symposium virtual event! Although this year’s event will be condensed and we will miss gathering in person, its significance in networking and sharing knowledge to shepherds across the nation will not miss a beat. I hope you have your calendar ready as this years event will take place on Friday, December 4, 2020 from 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm via Zoom.

Those interested in attending this free event (yes, you read that correctly – no fee necessary) must register online by visiting  https://go.osu.edu/ohiosheep. Once you have clicked this link, you will be sent to a new web browser that contains the Zoom webinar registration form. Continue reading →

Brady Campbell, Program Coordinator, OSU Sheep Team

On behalf of The Ohio State University Department of Animal Sciences, Ohio Sheep Improvement Association, and Ohio Sheep and Wool Program we are pleased to announce the schedule for the 2020 Buckeye Shepherd’s Symposium virtual event! Although this year’s event will be condensed and we will miss gathering in person, its significance in networking and sharing knowledge to shepherds across the nation will not miss a beat. I hope you have your calendar ready as this years event will take place on Friday, December 4, 2020 from 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm via Zoom.

Those interested in attending this free event (yes, you read that correctly – no fee necessary) must register online by visiting  https://go.osu.edu/ohiosheep. Once you have clicked this link, you will be sent to a new web browser that contains the Zoom webinar registration form. From here, all that is needed for attendance is Continue reading →