Sheep and goat producers from around the state will come together Saturday (March 2) to participate in an industry short course offered by West Virginia University and the West Virginia Shepherd’s Federation.
The day-long event will be held in Franklin, W.Va., in the Pendleton Community Building and will feature presentations about ongoing research from faculty, staff and students in WVU’s Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design and Extension Service.
“The course will provide basic information for the new producer and updates for the experienced producer,” said Keith Inskeep, professor of reproductive physiology in the Davis College and participant in the West Virginia Small Ruminant Project.
Attendees will also tour Alleghany Meats in Monterey, Va.
“The afternoon visit to Alleghany Meats is a great opportunity to show what a group of farmers can accomplish in a cooperative,” he said.
Since its founding in 1998, the project has sought to help farmers see a greater return to sheep and goat production and to help revitalize these industries in West Virginia. The project promotes out-of-season breeding, allowing producers to take advantage of off-season market prices and improve their profitability.
A variety of sheep-related topics will be covered during the course.
Marlon Knights, associate professor of animal and nutritional sciences, will talk about nutrition and management considerations for ewe flocks; Darin Matlick, Extension specialist in agriculture and natural resources, will offer tips on basic preventive health management and lambing; and Domingo Mata-Padrino, research associate professor of agronomy, will discuss the effects of mixed species grazing on forage quality and parasitism.
As the keynote speaker, James Morgan, owner Round Mountain Katahdins in Fayetteville, Ark., will discuss selecting superior seedstock for meat production and parasite resistance. Morgan and his wife, Teresa Maurer, raise and breed Katahdin Hair sheep on their 25-acre farm and focus on marketing their meet locally. Morgan is also the coordinator of the National Sheep Improvement Program, the sheep industry’s performance testing system.
Kellie D’Souza, a reproductive physiology student and graduate teaching assistant, will present results of a survey she conducted on the status of the West Virginia sheep industry.
For more information or to register for the short course, contact Brad Smith, director of the West Virginia Small Ruminant Project and Grant County Extension Agent, at 304-257-4688 or Brad.Smith@mail.wvu.edu.
-WVU-
law/02/28/13
CONTACT: Keith Inskeep, Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Design
304-293-1936, Keith.Inskeep@mail.wvu.edu