For sheep producers, an unproductive animal is a drain on the enterprise’s resources. A West Virginia University scholar will research ways to improve productivity of ewe lambs (replacement females) while educating farmers on successful management plans for their flocks.

Marlon Knights, an associate professor of reproductive physiology in WVU’s Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design and a Faculty Leader of the WV Small Ruminant Project, received a $134,152 grant from the USDA, Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program to develop approaches to improve fertility in replacement lambs.

“Replacement ewe lambs make up 30 percent of a producer’s breeding flock, but their productivity is 30 to 40 percent lower than adult ewes,” Knights said. “Two-thirds of producers consider this a serious problem, but few turn to management practices to address the fertility problem.”

“We will be addressing lower productivity in ewe lambs by conducting trials investigating the impact of genetic potential for growth, nutritional management, and assisted reproductive technologies on fertility in replacement females,” Knights said.

“We will also attempt to develop endocrine markers of fertility and use the research findings to develop and deliver a comprehensive education program to producers in West Virginia and surrounding states.”

-WVU-

09/12/14

CONTACT: David Welsh, Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design
304-293-2394, david.welsh@mail.wvu.edu