OSU Sheep Team

The Ohio Heartland Sheep Improvement Association is sponsoring a Lambing and Kidding School  on Saturday January 30, 2010.   Classroom Session I will be from 9 – 11:30 AM at the Applewood Community Room Center in the Applewood Student Housing Complex on the ATI campus, 1328 Dover Road, Wooster with Dr. Eric Shaver DVM of East Holmes Veterinary Clinic in Millersburg providing leadership.   Dr. Shaver has conducted several of our previous schools and will cover many topics ranging from ewe condition before lambing to providing care of newborn lambs and their mothers.   This session is open to anyone who would like to learn more about lambing/kidding.  We will then break for lunch which is “on your own”.   There are several eating options nearby – we hope to have a list available.   Session II  will run from 1 – 3 PM  at the OARDC Sheep Facility barn, 5651 Fredericksburg Road, Wooster with Doug Clevenger, OARDC Sheep Research Manager, providing additional leadership.   January 30^th is right in the middle of the OARDC winter lambing season so we should have many “hands-on” opportunities for docking tails, castrating, tubing, etc.   Session II is limited to only 25 participants and each must have attended Session I.    These 25 participants must come dressed to work in the barn.   Please remember to wear clean work clothes & footwear to minimize cross contamination.

Cost for Session I is $5 for Heartland members, $5 for students, $10 non-members, or $25 per family.   Cost for Session II is a flat rate of $10 per person.

Registration is required no later than Thursday January 28th – so register early!   Contact Suzie Gortner, OHSIA S/T, at 419.869.7353 or skg2ewe@verizon.net.    If you need more information, contact Suzie or Kathy Bielek, OHSIA president, at 330.264.5281 bielek@bright.net.

SMALL RUMINANT SCHOOL
Rory Lewandowski, Extension Educator, Athens County

OSU Extension, Athens County, and the Ohio Sheep Improvement Association (OSIA) are sponsoring a 5-session small ruminant school in January/February of 2010. The focus and theme of the school is sheep and goat nutrition.
The small ruminant nutrition school will be held on 5 consecutive Tuesday evenings at the Athens County Extension office beginning on Tuesday, January 19 and concluding on Tuesday, February 16. Class will run from 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm each evening. The specific topics that will be covered include:
• January 19: Basic Elements of Ruminant Nutrition, Forage Quality Measurements and Interpreting Forage Analysis
• January 26: The Anatomy and Physiology of the Rumen, How the Rumen Handles and Functions with various Feedstuffs
• February 2: Ewe and Lamb Nutrition (Does and kids included)
• February 9: Mineral Nutrition/ Developing a Mineral Program, Current Sheep and Goat Issues and OSIA
• February 16: Nutrition and Profitability
Special guest presenters include: Francis Fluharty, Rumen Nutrition Researcher at OARDC in Wooster, Steve Loerch, Ruminant Nutrition at OARDC in Wooster and Roger High, OSU Extension Sheep Specialist and Director of OSIA.
Participants will receive a 3-ring binder with copies of the presentations and supplemental materials.
Cost of the school is $35 per person or for a farm couple sharing one notebook. Each additional person from the same farm unit is $15. Additional notebooks are $15. Fees are used to cover speaker travel expenses, notebook and materials, copy expense and refreshments provided each evening.
Registration is required to the Athens County Extension office by Tuesday, January 12. Phone in your registration to the office at (740) 593-8555 or by e-mail to: lewandowski.11@osu.edu. Please include your name, address, phone number, email address, and number that will be attending. More information is also available on-line at:

http://athens.osu.edu/topics/agriculture-and-natural-resources/news/small-ruminant-production-school-scheduled

Targeted grazing utilizing sheep will be showcased by the award-winning television series, The Profiles Series. The show will air on the Discovery Channel on Monday, Nov. 30, at 7 a.m. EST and PST. Narrated by Lou Gosset Jr., the episode will be aired in 80 million television households.

This project took life with the funding assistance of an Invasive Species Grant by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service awarded to the American Sheep Industry Association (ASI). With industry funds matching this grant, ASI was able to team up with The Profiles Series to produce a quality program intended to inform, educate and enlighten viewers, both nationally and internationally, about the U.S. sheep industry and how targeted grazing is an ecological-friendly tool that is gaining a foothold to help manage invasive weeds.

“The ASI team of sheep producers and university resource specialists saw this project as an opportunity to reach a broad range of people across the nation to teach them about conservation grazing and how it can play a significant role in natural resource management,” said Peter Orwick, executive director of ASI. “Whether it be for reducing sagebrush density, reducing fire-fuel loads or improving wildlife habitat and croplands, the general public is greatly unaware of this environmentally friendly tool that is often less expensive than other vegetation manipulation techniques.”

The full segment is also available to watch at http://profilesseries.com/Americansheep.htm.

FDA Announces the Approval of a New Product for the Management of Reproduction in Sheep
November 16, 2009

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today is announcing the approval of EAZI-Breed CIDR Sheep Insert (progesterone solid matrix) for induction of estrus in ewes (sheep) during seasonal anestrus. This progesterone Controlled Intravaginal Drug Release (CIDR) is a steroid hormone that allows out-of-season breeding in sheep.

The data to support this approval were gathered in collaboration with the National Research Support Project–7 (NRSP-7), a USDA program intended to support the approval of new animal drugs for minor species of agricultural importance.

“Members of the U.S. sheep industry have long cited this type of product as their top priority need,” said, Dr. Meg Oeller, Director, Center for Veterinary Medicine, Office of Minor Use and Minor Species Animal Drug Development. “And through efforts with our partners at NSRP-7 and the pharmaceutical firm, the FDA can now point to an approved drug product that is fulfilling a real need in the sheep industry.  It represents the true spirit of the MUMS Act.”

Clinical researchers funded by NRSP-7 grants conducted the studies to support the effectiveness, target animal safety, human food safety, and environmental safety of the progesterone CIDR.  These data were made available in a Public Master File in March of 2009.  The pharmaceutical company was able to use these data in conjunction with its own manufacturing, labeling, and other information to complete the new animal drug application.

EAZI-Breed CIDR Sheep Insert is manufactured by Pharmacia and Upjohn, a division of Pfizer, Inc., New York, NY.

It is soon time for the 2009 Buckeye Shepherd’s Symposium. This year’s Buckeye Shepherd’s Symposium is being held in conjunction with the Small Ruminant Health Symposium, a program has been developed for both sheep and goat farmers. It will be on Saturday December 12, 2009 at the Ohio Department of Agriculture, Bromfield Building, 8995 East Main Street, Reynoldsburg, Ohio 43068

The symposium will have a similar spin to past years, a one-day event. For a schedule see the Symposium Flyer. The registration fees have changed to provide the opportunity to make this event a “family affair”.  Follow this link for a registration form. It will definitely be a benefit to be a member of the Ohio Sheep Improvement Association. As you will note on the registration form, we will only be charging for families and individuals, we just need to know how many are attending for meal purposes. A family registration will include participation in all of the symposium programming. This program effort will include the symposium program, the lamb meal during the lunch hour for all attendee’s, adults and youth alike. Also included is your attendance at the OSIA Annual Meeting. We hope that you and your family will come and participate in the entire day’s activities.

Cost of the mini-course is $5 for OHSIA members and $10 for non-members.  Registration is required no later than Monday November 16th.  For registration and directions please contact Kathy Bielek at 330.264.5281/bielek@bright.net or Suzie Gortner at 419.869.7353/skg2ewe@verizon.net.

Roger A. High, Executive Director OSIA

Who said there’s no such thing as a free lunch? Not Ohio’s farmers. In fact, they will be offering the chance for consumers statewide to win free groceries for breakfast, lunch, and dinner – for an entire year.

Beginning July 20, Ohio residents will be able to register for three grand prizes of “Free Groceries for a Year!”* courtesy of Ohio’s farmers at www.FarmersFeedUS.org. Upon visiting the site, consumers will be able to register by meeting an Ohio farmer and learning how they produce safe, nutritious and affordable food. Consumers can register with each of seven farmers daily through the end of the program on Oct. 18.

“As Ohio farmers, we’re thrilled to offer free groceries for a year to the consumers of our great state,” said Jim Heimerl, a hog farmer from Johnstown, who is a featured farmer on FarmersFeedUS.org. “This is an opportunity for us to share what we produce with Ohio consumers and to let them know we share their values – taking care of our families, taking care of our animals and land, and giving back to our communities.”

The site features beef, dairy, pork, lamb, soybean, egg, and turkey farmers from across the state, each sharing information about their farm and their family In addition to guiding visitors through their registration for free groceries for a year, each farmer also offers a brief online tour of their farm. “I’m proud to produce food in the Buckeye state,” Heimerl said, “and I want to show people how today’s farms operate.”

Over the course of the 90-day campaign, consumers throughout the state will also have the opportunity to interact with these and other Ohio farmers at the Ohio State Fair, and even on their blogs and Facebook pages.

Participating Ohio agriculture groups include Ohio Farm Bureau Federation, Ohio Livestock Coalition, Ohio Beef Council, Ohio Pork Producers Council, Ohio Sheep Improvement Association, Ohio Soybean Council, Ohio Egg Marketing Program, Ohio Turkey Council, and American Dairy Association – Mideast.

*Based on FMI, a $5,000 value.

The Center for Food Integrity is a not-for-profit corporation established to build consumer trust and confidence in the contemporary U.S. food system. Our members, who represent every segment of the food system, are committed to providing accurate information and addressing important issues among all food system stakeholders. The Center does not lobby or advocate for individual food companies or brands. For more information, visit www.foodintegrity.org.

Tim Fine, Extension Program Assistant, Miami County

The Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative (GLCI) will be holding their annual conference on December 13-16 in Reno, Nevada.  For more information about the conference, including agenda and registration information, visit http://www.glci.org.

Roger A. High, OSIA Executive Director

The 2009 Buckeye Shepherd’s Symposium is once again going to hit the road!  After four years on the road and back into Columbus for the 2008 Buckeye Shepherd’s Symposium, the 2009 Buckeye Shepherd’s Symposium will once again hit the road for this annual shepherd’s event!  This year’s Buckeye Shepherd’s Symposium will be held on December 12, 2009 at the Ohio Department of Agriculture Bromfield Building, 8995 East Main Street, Reynoldsburg, OH  43068. The primary educational portion of the symposium will be conducted on Saturday December 12, 2008.  The primary focus of the 2009 Buckeye Shepherd’s Symposium will be health management programs that will help our sheep producers stay profitable in the future.  The 2009 Buckeye Shepherd’s Symposium will be in conjunction with the Small Ruminant Health Symposium and will cover information on the small ruminant species, sheep and goats.

The main speakers of the day will include Dr. Richard Erhardt, Small Ruminant Specialist, Michigan State University.  Dr. Eharhardt will be discussing several health preventative programs as they relate the health maintenance of the small ruminant animal.  We will be offering other topic areas and speakers as well that should be of interest to our sheep and goat producers as well.  Speakers such as Dr. Dale Duerr, DVM from Tuscarawas County, will discuss the “Development of a Flock and Herd Health Plan”, Dr. Bill Shulaw and Dr. Hayes, of ODA will taking a look at ewe and lamb mortality, and we are going to offer tours of the ODA facility and programs such as an update on the USDA Scrapie program..

“These are topics that make a symposium unique, it may be the only time you have a chance to see the programs and the tours of the facilities that we have planned,” states Roger A. High, Executive Director of The Ohio Sheep Improvement Association.

The Ohio Sheep Improvement Association Annual Meeting will also be held.It will be the first item on the agenda prior to the program beginning.  During the OSIA Annual meeting, the election of a new OSIA officer team will be held.

OSIA members will be receiving registration packets in early November.  Please pass the information along to other sheep producers in your area, as we would love to have another attendance breaking symposium.  We will also have the tradeshow, so if you need to purchase anything, it should be available.  And of course, the silent auction will be held to raise money for the Ralph Grimshaw Memorial Scholarship Fund.   If you would like more information about the Buckeye Shepherd’s Symposium, please contact Roger A. High at (614) 246-8299 or by email at rhigh@ofbf.org.