Friday, October 13, 2006

The Forum for Rural Innovation

Presents

Meat Production with Goat and Sheep in the Mid-Atlantic

Turn Grass into $

A CD version of this Web page is also available upon request from WVU Extension Agent Craig Yohn

The Program

The Goat and Lamb Market in the Northeast (Audio Presentation)

Bob Herr, New Holland Livestock Auction

Mr. Herr will discuss trends in the demand for lamb and goat, the calendar for demand and this relationship to a growing ethnic market.

Publication: Bob Herr Handout

Traditional Sheep and Goat Markets in Virginia (PowerPoint without Audio) (6 .5 minutes)

Mike Carpenter, Virginia Department of Agriculture

Mr. Carpenter will discuss trends in the sale of goats and lambs in the traditional auction markets of Virginia.

The Scott County Hair Sheep Association (42 minutes)

Dr. David Redwine, DVM, Co-Founder of the Scott County Hair Sheep Association

The Scott County Hair Sheep Association is a model of livestock marketing opportunities. Learn the history, marketing strategies, and current production methods of this group of Southwest Virginia Farms to supply a meat marketing niche.

Publications:

Food City Lamb Selling	Redwine Says......
Scott County Hair Sheep Economics	Scott County Health Protocol
Scott County Hair Sheep Protocol for Selling

Success in Numbers—A Panel Discussion (Audio Presentation)

Scott County Hair Sheep Association –
Dr. David Redwine

Loudoun Valley Producers -
Bill Bundy, Lamb Sausage Manager
Old Dominion Livestock Producers –
Gary Hornbaker, Secretary\Treasurer and founder

Moderating this session will be Jeff Semler, Senior Agent, Agriculture and Natural

Resources—Washington County for the Maryland Cooperative Extension Service

Working Budgets for Goat and Sheep Production (28 minutes)

Susan Schoenian, Sheep and Goat Specialist, University of Maryland Extension Service
Where’s the money? Susan will provide a realistic overview of the economics of the goat and lamb business and discuss the potential income that can be derived from one of these enterprises.
Fact Sheet: Economics of Raising Meat Goats and Sheep

Budgets:

Meat Goat Budget	Sheep Budget
Budget Explanation	Budget Explanation
Budget Web Link (Excel)	Budget Web Link

Predator Control with Proper Fencing and Guardian Animals (34 minutes)

Corey Childs, Extension Agent , Agriculture and natural Resources—Loudoun County for the Virginia Cooperative Extension Service

One of the deterrents to entering the goat or sheep business is the threat of predators. Corey will address several options to keep potential predators at bay and protect these small ruminants.

Available Resources

Craig Yohn, Extension Agent—Jefferson County for the West Virginia Extension Service

Where can a novice find information about the management of small ruminants, nutrition, pasture management and other aspects of the small ruminant industry. Craig will attempt to give an overview of the resources available.

Web Pages:

–

Virginia Cooperative Extension (Sheep)
Virginia Cooperative Extension Excel Budgets

Penn State (Goats) Fact Sheet

Maryland Small Ruminant Page

West Virginia Sheep Management Project

University of Kentucky
University of Kentucky Excel Budgets

Budgets:

Sheep

University of Kentucky Fall Lambing

University of Kentucky Early Winter Lambing

University of Kentucky Late Winter Lambing

Virginia Tech December\January Lambing

Virginia Tech March Lambing

Virginia Tech March\April Lambing

Meat Goat

University of Kentucky Low Intensity Production

University of Kentucky Medium Intensity Production

University of Kentucky High Intensity Production

Bonus Presentation - Terry Hutchens, University of Kentucky Extension Associate for Goat Production. This was presente at the Berkely County Youth Fairgrounds on March 16, 2006.

Meat Goat Production 101 (63 minutes)

Our Speakers

Dr. Bob Herr

Owners of Nix Besser Farm located in Narvon, Pennsylvania, Dr. Robert Herr and his wife, Betty, have been in the purebred Polled Dorset business for more than forty years, raising, showing and selling quality breeding stock throughout the eastern U.S. Nearly twenty years ago they added meat goats to the farm by way of a meat goat feed lot, feeding several hundred small goats to a marketable size. Seven years ago Herr purchased 7 full blood Boer does, the beginning of a full blood herd. Today the herd has grown to twenty breeding does and 2 full blood bucks.

Judging livestock has been a part of his life since his days at Penn State as a member of the Livestock, Meats and Wool Judging Teams. He currently judges beef, swine, sheep and meat goats with the strong emphasis on market meat goats and market lambs. He has worked with many county, regional and state livestock shows to encourage the addition of meat goat shows to their program. He has served as a livestock judge at fairs in eight surrounding states and dozens of county fairs throughout Pennsylvania for more than forty years.

In addition to raising livestock Herr has been a sheep and goat order buyer for the past fifteen years regularly attending various livestock sales including New Holland Sales Stables, Leesport, Hackettstown, NJ, and Vintage Auction. He also has a consulting service working with individuals setting up livestock enterprises, particularly sheep and market goat operations.

Mike Carpenter

A graduate of Virginia Tech, Mr. Carpenter has been with the VDACS for 23 years with responsibilities for the marketing programs for feeder pigs, market hogs, feeder and slaughter cattle and sheep and goats. He has served as program manager for the Virginia Sheep Industry Board which administers funds collected through the Virginia lamb check-off.

Mike and his wife Mandy live in Agusta County with their two daughters who have followed in footsteps being active in 4-H and FFA. They currently have a flock of 45 ewes selling market lambs for 4-H and FFA projects.

Dr. David S. Redwine

Dr. David Redwine was born in Scott County, Virginia (30 miles west of Bristol). He received a BS in Animal Science from Virginia Tech, and after obtaining his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Virginia Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine in Blacksburg, he returned to Scott County where he opened a mixed animal practice.

Dr. Redwine co-founded the Scott County Hair Sheep Association in 2000. In 2005 he received the Virginia Sheep Producer’s Outstanding Shepherd award. Dr. Redwine runs a flock of 200 Dorper-Katahdin crossbred ewes. He serves as Chairman of the Scott County Board of Supervisors, and lives in Gate City with his wife Jodi, and their two children, Lindsey, 13 and Lendon, 4.

Gary Hornbaker

Gary was an Agricultural Extension Agent in Virginia for 22 years, and prior to that managed a 1400 head ewe flock in Maryland. He sheared sheep in the Mid-Atlantic region for 20 years. He has maintained a flock of 150 purebred Dorset and commercial ewes for 30 years, and been a source of sheep for breeding, meat, rodeos, research, and sheep dog trials. He was the recipient of the Virginia Sheep Producers Association “Outstanding Sheep Producer Award” in 1998. He was the founder of the Old Dominion Livestock Producers Association to cooperatively market sheep and goats. He currently manages an Angus farm, raises cattle and sheep, and works part-time in the Loudoun Department of Economic Development.

Bill Bundy

Bill is a recently retired biochemist who has been assisting his wife Sue in raising one of the largest flocks of rare breed Karakuls on the East

Coast over the last ten years. Karakuls are a dual purpose breed, thereby providing opportunities for marketing wool and meat along with breeding stock. He has been involved with the Loudoun Valley Sheep Producers for ten years and has been managing the sausage production for six years. He is currently President of the Loudoun Beekeepers Association and an Adjunct Professor at Northern Virginia Community College.

Susan Schoenian

Susan Schoenian is a Sheep & Goat Specialist at the Western Maryland Research & Education Center, where she recently initiated a Pasture-Based Performance Test for Meat Goats. She has been with Maryland Cooperative Extension since 1988.  She holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in Animal Science from Virginia Tech and Montana State University, respectively.  Susan is the author of several web sites pertaining to small ruminant production and marketing.  She raises meat sheep on her small farm in Clear Spring, Maryland.

Corey Childs

Corey is the Director of Extension Services for the County of Loudoun. He graduated from VA Tech in 1986 with degrees in Animal Science and Agricultural Education. After managing several farms, he began his Extension career in 1990 as a 4–H Agent in Loudoun. He transferred to Warren County to become an animal science Extension Agent in the early 90’s. For the last ten years, he also provided leadership to Warren Extension as Unit Coordinator/Department Head. Corey has worked with Gary Hornbaker over the years to provide regional educational programs in the area of animal science and is no stranger to many Loudoun producers and is familiar with the County.

Corey and his wife, Janet live in Clarke County and have four children. The family owns and operates Cornerstone Farm in Berryville where they raise sheep, cattle, and quarter horses.

Craig Yohn

For over 25 years, Craig has been an Agriculture educator with the WVU Extension Service in Jefferson County, the tri-county area and West Virginia. He has been involved in issues related to land use planning, nutrient management, ground water quality, computer use on the farm and most recently classes for the small new farmer. Yohn received his Bachelor's and Masters Degrees from West Virginia University and currently holds the rank of WVU Extension Associate professor.