Division of Extension
Wisconsin’s small ruminants provide meat, milk, and fiber to meet the growing local and national demand for quality products. Extension Specialists and Educators support the economic viability of Wisconsin’s sheep and goat producers with the following resources.
The Small Ruminant Webinar Series provides research-driven solutions to popular sheep production issues. It also connects sheep and goat producers to useful tools, techniques, and tricks of the trade & tips from the field.
Many beef and small ruminant producers are looking forward to pastures greening up in Wisconsin. In some pastures that will include troublesome weeds. Management timing for weed control is narrow for some species and can be the difference between success and a waste of time and money.
UW-Madison Extension’s Sheep Operation Enterprise Budget Excel Spreadsheet can estimate the cost of production using your farm’s historical and current data. Utilizing records and an enterprise budget can assist in answering these questions and making informed decisions.
Dr. Robert Van Saun, Penn State University Extension Veterinarian, joins the UW-Madison Division of Extension’s 2023 Small Ruminant Webinar Series. Dr. Van Saun outlines and supports with research, the nutritional needs of ewes and does in late gestation to prevent pregnancy toxemia and to support the creation of high-quality colostrum in adequate amounts.
Download a copy of the Sheep Operation Enterprise Budget to determine the past year’s production costs and profitability, and develop budgets for evaluating next year’s profitability. Accurate closeouts and projections can help identify the sheep enterprises’ strengths and areas for improvement.
The FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) plan for supporting veterinary antimicrobial stewardship will be fully implemented in 2023 when all remaining over-the-counter (OTC) antibiotics are switched to prescription-only status. The medically important antibiotics (used by humans and animals) becoming prescription only include injectable tylosin, injectable and intramammary penicillin, injectable and oral tetracycline, sulfadimethoxine and sulfamethazine, and cephapirin and cephapirin benzathine intramammary tubes.
It may be common knowledge Wisconsin leads the United States in cheese production, but did you know that Wisconsin is the leader in sheep milk and cheese production? Sheep cheese is not a new culinary concoction, rather a 4000-year-old tradition staking a claim amongst Wisconsin’s dairy producers, cheesemakers, and cheese lovers. Wisconsin’s sheep milk is […]
Gene Schriefer, former University of Wisconsin Division of Extension Agriculture Educator from Iowa County will discuss how to optimize the utilization of forages to meet the nutritional needs of sheep and goats by properly planning grazing systems with forage production, carrying capacity, and paddock size in mind.
Dr. Whit Stewart Assistant Professor and Extension Sheep Specialist from the University of Wyoming joins the UW-Madison Division of Extension’s 2022 Small Ruminant Webinar Series. Dr. Stewart outlines and supports with research, the mineral needs of sheep during the different stages of production and the various regions of the US. Stewart provides insight into how soils affect mineral levels in forages and how testing forages allows producers to balance rations to meet nutritional needs.
UW-Madison Arlington Research Station Sheep Unit Program Manager Todd Taylor discusses the most complex sheep on the farm, the ewe. As the ewe moves through the production cycle, her needs change. Learn about how to care for the ewe before breeding, during gestation, after lambing, and at weaning to ensure she is productive for years to come.
Gene Schriefer, UW-Madison Division of Extension, and Adam Abel, Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) Soil Conservationist discuss planning for intentional grazing of sheep and goats.
