Needs for USA Sheep Industry Extension/Education & Research

1. Needs for USA Sheep IndustryExtension/Education & Research Jim Morgan Fayetteville Arkansas Katahdin NSIP Breeder’s Group – Data Coordinator Direct Meat Marketing NSIP Board President Contributing Editor – The Shepherd magazine Registered Katahdin Breeder

2. Parasites • Parasite Resistant Genetics • Management • Southern Consortium for Small Ruminant Parasite Control – www.scsrpc.org • Excellent Work – Integrating Immunology, Population Genetics of worms, Nutrition, Ecology ……… • Providing New Tools – FAMACHA, Sericea Lespedeza …….. • Preaching Selective Deworming

3. DrenchRite Anthelmintic Tests for 35 Farms/Ranches in the USA (2002-2004)

4. National Sheep Improvement Program • Need a strong buy in from the Academic, Research & Extension Communities • Excellent Product • New traits • Ewe Productivity Trait (lbs lamb weaned/ewe lambing • Targhee Financial EPD Index • In development • Accelerated Lambing EPD • FEC-EPD • Carcass traits – Lean Growth EPD

5. NSIP II • Need Support – USDA-ARS is a great option • Impact all 50 states • Multiple species • Boer Goats • Alpacas • Kiko Goats in 2007 • Minimal Investment • $50,000 - $100,000 • $100,000 would allow • Faster development of new traits • Improved Education – Prevent the train wrecks that have occurred in other species. “BALANCED SELECTION”

6. Easy-CareLow Energy Meat Production • Meat production in the USA will be drastically different in 25 years. Energy costs and access to grain. • Corn & Soybean Production is shifting overseas. • More need for information on forage-based meat production • Use small ruminants to help manage landscape & pests • If paid for the services, then value received for meat can be more competitive on the global market • Low labor costs to compete with the global market • Ewe Productivity Trait (EPT-EPD) – Identify genetics of ewes that are in tune with their environment and management (% weaned EPD as well as pounds)

7. Hair Sheep Leather • Estimated 500,000 raw skins a year are imported from Africa into the USA (Dr Dennis Shelley – Texas Tech Leather Institute) • Disease risk • Berry Amendment • $4-$20 value/lamb • Fighter Pilot Helmets, Apparel, Upholstery • Golf gloves • Why Hair Sheep Leather • Softness of wool sheep leather & strength of goat/cattle (hair leathers)

8. Hair Sheep Leather - II • Preliminary Studies at TTU • 50% Rambouillet x 25% Dorper x 25% St Croix had too many genetic defects • 25% Rambouillet x 37.5% Dorper x 37.5% St Croix was acceptable • Dr Maurice Shelton cites earlier work • Hair is dominant • 90% of the secondary wool follicle is lost in the first cross with a tropical hair sheep

9. Hair Sheep Leather - IIII • Future Work • Repeated? • Environment x genotype interactions • Season of harvest • Age • Environmental temperature – ND versus FL? • Breed – Does a Suffolk cross have the same number of defects in the leather as a Rambouillet cross? • Result • Commercial shedding ewes – Can they have significant shedding wool or do they need to be what KHSI calls a AA coat? • What coat type can a terminal sire on shedding ewes have for cross-bred lamb production • Charles Parker has asked, “Will the value for leather skin returned to the producer be the third lamb from a hair sheep ewe?” (2 x $20 = $40 profit)

10. Terminal Hair Sire • Does the industry need a terminal hair sire? • By definition, it doesn’t matter if it is hair or wool since all lambs would be slaughtered. • Take away some of the impetus for Dorper and Katahdin breeders to produce 180-250 pound ewes • Leather – may need it • Markets for hair sheep meat – e.g. Major marketing coops • 150+ members in SW VA – 7-9000 ewes • 50 member – 13000 ewes centered in OK

11. Diseases • Know more about financial implications of the following diseases. Should seedstock producers be providing OPP or Johne’s free animals? • Johne’s • OPP – Maedni-Visna Virus • Different strains of the virus? • Difference in individual animal or breed resistances • Management – Seems like Northern flocks that lamb in the barn have major management & financial impacts • Mastitis • Survey – Why do some flocks experience 15-20% incidence? Major effect on ewe longevity. • Are their breed differences? • Scrapie – Need a 6 yr protocol for exporting genetics rather than the current 5 yr protocol for SFCP. • Gene Markers for Foot Rot Resistance – Do the NZ researchers have the whole story?

12. Lamb-Mutton Taste & Nutrition • Personal Anecdotes – I can market 3-5 year old hair sheep mutton next to lamb at our Farmer’s Market. Leftovers are not issues. • Susan Duckett has found that there are differences in fatty acid composition when hair sheep are compared to wool lambs. • Current research supports minimal breed differences in lamb prepared under standard conditions. • May need to try methods more typical of kitchens – leftovers • Document nutritional differences, if any in lambs raised on forage and grain.

13. Extension • 25% of my time for the Katahdin breed association is extension. • Budget cutting has eliminated both sheep research & extension