Cornell Sheep Program

Thinking of Starting a Red Meat Packing Plant in NYS? Wed, Dec 9, 2020, 12-1:30pm 2020 has been a challenging year for livestock farmers and red meat packers i...n NY. With many packers already booked solidly for 2021, livestock farmers are feeling panicked about how to get their animals harvested in a timely way. This has driven unprecedented interest in opening new slaughterhouse facilities in the state. But anyone who doesn't already have a strong background and expertise in the industry faces a steep learning curve, with high risk and a large investment of money. This webinar will lay out some of the primary considerations for opening a red meat slaughter and processing facility, from infrastructure to regulations and from labor to financing. Presenter Marty Broccoli of Cornell Cooperative Extension in Oneida County has 40 years of experience in the meat packing industry, and provides technical assistance for new plants in NY. Keith Schrader is a long-time beef farmer who owns Schrader Farms Meat Market, a USDA slaughterhouse in Romulus, NY. Both will share key tips and lessons learned, with ample time for Q&A. Hosted by Cornell Cooperative Extension's Livestock Program Work Team. Register in advance for this free session at https://cornell.zoom.us//tJEscuCurTooGdzjJoqiKYAEGaEUq3KWZ. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Because wool is grown on sheep and 100% natural it makes sense that it’s fully biodegradable. After the long and useful life of wool garments and textiles, they... can be returned to the soil to completely decompose and release valuable nutrients back into the earth. Link in bio for more on the natural and biodegradable benefits of wool. #experiencewool : Janet Marie Felted Goods See more

https://vimeo.com/475538688

Our sheep at the Cascadilla Solar Farm.

Our ewes at the Cascadilla Solar Farm.

Wish they would bring this back.

Happy #SheepSunday Weekend Fact - High in water and nitrogen content, wool is naturally flame-retardant. Wool does not melt, drip or to stick to the skin caus...ing burns, and when subject to extreme heat it produces less smoke and less noxious fumes, making it a safer fibre solution. Keith Appleton Photography

https://www.forbes.com//its-more-profitable-for-farmers-/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RcwZGtAhGw&feature=youtu.be

This "little" 17.2 lb ram lamb was born unassisted last evening (15 Oct 2020) from ewe ST19110 born on 4 February 2019. She previously raised a nice set of twins born on 27 January 2020.

We mounted a Go Pro to the horns of this goat to show you what plants she was eating in May. During 10 minutes of foraging she ate 10 different species includin...g woody plants, broadleaved plants and one grass. Some of her favorites were sericea lespedeza, ragweed and wood sorrel. OSU researchers are working on The Prairie Project, a U.S. Department of Agriculture funded grant, to see how goats and fire can be used to manage woody plants on rangeland pastures.

https://www.facebook.com//Empire-Sheep-Producers-Associat/

https://ecommons.cornell.edu/handle/1813/69933

https://www.facebook.com/WABITV5/videos/776251353200501

Lambs being raised artificially from ewes being milked by students in ANSC 3850 - Dairy Sheep Management.

Survey of Small Ruminant Producers’ Attitudes Towards Willow Forage Adoption in the Northeastern United States Researchers at Cornell AgriTech and SUNY Cobleskill are investigating shrub willow (Salix spp.) as a feasible forage crop for sheep and goats in the Northeastern United States. Shrub willow is a fast-growing, woody perennial produced as a carbon neutral, bio-fuel crop. Shrub willow can provide ecosystem services such as streambank stabilization, nutrient retention in... riparian buffers, and early spring pollinator forage. Preliminary research efforts have shown that shrub willow may be a viable forage for livestock animals. This survey is intended to garner information relative to sheep and goat producers, their livestock enterprises, and their attitudes toward adopting new feedstuffs for small ruminants. https://cornell.ca1.qualtrics.com/j/form/SV_3yiANRhHQDNIy8J See more

https://www.facebook.com/hornershearing/videos/1625800510921950

A shearing school for advanced shearers will be led by Doug Rathke, a well-known shearer and shearing instructor from Minnesota, in Jordanville, NY on 11 and 12 December 2020. For more information, contact Doug at 320-583-7281.

Such a great message from one of Allbirds partner sheep farms in New Zealand. Mark and Amanda Hasselman of Temple Peak Farm, are passionate about having a regen...erative approach to farming, working in a way to find a balance with nature that protects biodiversity and allows native vegetation to flourish. Most people don’t know that sheep play a key role in helping to create healthy ecosystems - like stimulating plant growth, fertilizing soil, and feeding the micro-organisms that live there. We all agree that natural, regenerative materials can be the key to solving climate change and are an important part of reducing the carbon footprint.

A lamb that arrived a little early. The expected starting date for our 29 ewes lambing this fall is 28 September.

Sheep crossing the Columbia River via Grand Coulee Dam only a few years after it was constructed. https://www.britishpathe.com//sheep-crossing-grand-coulee-

The return of the disco goats, an instant cure for the midweek blues. Sound on

In an October 2018 survey 62 of 99 respondents were interested in more research into grazing strategies, 32 listed grazing management as the biggest challenge on their farm, and 43 (74%) listed research into grazing as important priority for the Cornell Sheep and Goat Programs. We are in the process of identifying concrete steps to respond to this need by completing the survey here. Please help us by answering the brief (< 5min) survey. If the link doesn’t work, please paste ...the following address into your web browser: https://cornell.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9oSo3ZNErgBnSfz The submitted surveys are anonymized by the Qualtrics survey tool we are using, and at no point in the survey are we requesting information from you that could identify you or your business. We guarantee that your data will be handled anonymously. Thank you very much for your participation! Please feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns: Niko Kochendoerfer, Postdoctoral Associate Animal Science Department, Cornell University [email protected] Michael L. Thonney, Professor Animal Science Department, Cornell University [email protected]

Start of the west to east sheep move.

Moving sheep through the trail in the woods from the west side (3 fenced arrays) of the South Cascadilla Solar Site to the east side (2 fenced arrays). Sheep ar...e used to control vegetative growth to prevent panel shading. The sheep are rotated from one array to the next about every 10 days. Within each array, Dr. Niko Kochendoerfer - who is the primary leader for this project - made 6 paddocks which contain 0 (control), 4, 6, 8, 10, or 12 sheep; colors on backs indicate to which paddock density each sheep goes. Our goal is to quantify the effect of sheep density on pollinators and the plants that support them and on soil carbon sequestration. See more

The dogs on the ranch have always been useful for all sorts of things

Red group moving from fenced array S2 to fenced array S3 on our solar farm grazing project to quantify the effect of grazing density on pollinator plants and bees and on soil carbon sequestration. The red group is 12 sheep per acre, the highest density. (Photo courtesy of Kaila Davis.)

Ready for breakfast this morning!

We moved 8 yearling ewes and their 10 lambs to pasture this afternoon.

Video by Niko Kochendoerfer. For the first time today we moved a flock of 80 ewes and lambs between two solar arrays that we're grazing as part of a study investigating the impact of stocking density (sheep per acre) on pollinator habitat and soil carbon sequestration. We walked them 35 minutes to get to fresh pasture in the next solar array. Throughout the grazing season we'll be moving this group 10 times through these woods and ravine. We're confident that (smart as they are) that they'll have it figured out after the second time and won't need us anymore to show them the way.

Yearling ewe getting acquainted with her newborn lamb. 10 lambs from 7 ewes since yesterday morning. 50 ewes left to lamb.

https://mailchi.mp/22d80e5f9dc1/american-lamb-board-news

Most of our ewes were put on the Cascadilla Solar Farm on Tuesday.

Even Cornell sheep aren't good at social distancing.

When you have run out of lamb milk! https://youtu.be/1zt71rN7vxo

Welcome to the 2020 Virtual Online Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival! Here is our main page for today's virtual festival: https://sheepandwool.org/welcome-to-the-v...irtual-online-mar/. You might want to bookmark it so you can return to it throughout the day. Think of it as a combination program/information tent announcer! And remember, with no gate, we won't have to close down at night, so the party can go on all weekend long! For that true, hanging-out-with-all-of-your best-fiber-buds experience (including friends you haven’t even met yet), head over to our Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival Online Community Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/mswfOnlineCommunity. Now sit back, kick your feet up, and enjoy the virtual festival! See more

We have 19 ram lambs born in January and February for sale. The details are below. If interested, please contact Jessica Waltemyer at [email protected] with an offer.

I went to sleep on a pile of sheepskins last night, and I had the greatest sleep of my life. Jessica swears I look at least forty years younger... #sheepskinrug... #sheepskinthrow #sheepskin #cutekid #beautysecret #downtownithaca #visitithaca #ithacasheepskin #interiordesign #keepthelightsonithaca See more

Julia Sheridan's montage of Cornell sheep during her internships last fall and winter.

From ASI: Free, Online Marketplace Available to Fiber Producers In response to the 2020 canceled wool festivals and shows, Fiber Artist Market is offering a free online marketplace to farmers, ranchers, fiber producers, FFA/4-H students and independent fiber artists through the fall shearing season. We have all been hit hard by this pandemic and we need to stand together and support each other, read a release from the group. This is our small way of supporting our fiber pr...oducers and artists. We will make the online marketplace free of all charges through the fall for all vendors. Sign up today and set up your own store and sell direct trade to your customers. We manage the SEO, advertising, secure payment pathway and stable bandwidth. You can link to your own website as well. https://fiberartistmarket.com/

Here's the thing about wearing a mask. 1. If you wear a mask and you are exposed to someone who isn't and is infected, you have a 70% chance of becoming infect...ed. 2. If someone infected wears a mask and you don't, you have a 5% chance of being infected. 3. If you wear a mask and someone who is infected wears a mask, you have a 1.5% chance of becoming infected. Now, put yourself in the position of being the one who is infected - what do you think is the right thing to do? Someone explain to me why masks are not mandatory? Civil liberties? Bullshit. You should never have the right to intentionally spread a known and deadly contagion. Unless you are tested, you do not know if you carry it - so, explain to me again why you are not wearing a mask - come one, you can do it, be truthful - you can't be bothered and you just don't care. Isn't that really the bottom line? If this feels personal to you, go ahead, get mad at me. I only have my own mirror to look in - you?

Incredible Goat Girl picture from https://www.facebook.com/AbrahamsGFC

More than most pickups!

Gotta do what ya gotta do

Our list of sheep shearers (thanks to tatiana Stanton) in the Northeast has been updated:https://cpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com//04/Sheep-shearers-2020v2.pdf

The range ewes heading for the river again this year. Time for a haircut and lambing. This is our 43rd year of sheep here at Miller Ranch. I’m not sure these gi...rls have heard the terminology social distancing yet. 2020 will definitely be a year to remember. We will be producing meat and fiber for the world right through the lock down. Some things just can’t wait for better conditions. Hope this lightens your day. thebarnsion.com See more

Catch Up on Let’s Grow Webinars, ASI Resources If you’ve got some free time on your hands in the next few weeks or if you’re looking to supplement your children’s education while they are out of school, consider watching archived versions of the 32 Let’s Grow-sponsored webinars. Maybe you missed that one on the Seasonality of the American Lamb Industry or the most recent one on Artificial Lamb Rearing: Transitioning from Nuisance to Potential Profit Center. They’re all free a...nd available online, complete with video and pdf copies of the presentation slides. Click Here for the full list of webinars. In fact, the Let’s Grow Program offers a treasure trove of sheep producer resources that you might usually be too busy to sort through. Now would be the perfect time to take a look. Click Here for more Let’s Grow Resources. Click Here for past issues of the Sheep Industry News if you're looking for additional reading materials. Click on the three bars in the upper left-hand corner and choose Archive for issues dating back to May 2018. Click Here for Sheep Industry News issues dating from April 2018 to October 2011.

Webinar on impact of COVID-19 pandemic on sheep and goat markets (Texas A&M) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciFDMjIzDFM&feature=youtu.be

Our sheep are sheltering in place. On the left are ewes pregnant to lamb in late May. On the right are lambs born in Jan-Feb 2020.

The Live Lamb Sale at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds scheduled for Saturday 4 April has been cancelled.

Paul Kelly the singer of the hit song "Cut The Grass" has released his newest tune "Lambing Time" and its another cracker!!!

From ASI: Woolmark Offers Free Wool Courses The Woolmark Learning Center is offering a series of free, online courses that cover a variety of wool topics. From a fundamentals program suitable for learners of all levels to advanced programs for technical specialists, the center has courses for everyone.... Courses offered include: Wool Appreciation Course, Insight Series, Wool Fiber Science, Introduction to Wool Processing, Raw Wool Scouring, Worsted Top-Making, and Worsted & Woolen Spinning. Learning center features include: certification, progress tracking, interactive courses, shareable content, free access and teacher resources. Woolmark worked in conjunction with several universities and fashion colleges including the State University of New York to create the courses. Woolmark Learning Center https://www.woolmarklearningcentre.com/