2008 Sheep & Goat Industry Grant Initiative

Grant Awardees

The American Goat Federation Startup 

At the American Sheep Industry Association meeting in Las Vegas in late January 2008, members of the ASI Goat Committee decided that in order for collaboration of efforts between ASI and the goat industry on various projects to occur, there needs to be a central entity, a national organization to represent all goat groups. It was decided at that time that the U.S. Goat Council should be reborn as the American Goat Federation.
            The goat industry currently represents the fastest growing segment of American agriculture, however lack of a central organization to represent the interests of the industry have been seen as a major impediment to continued maturation. Support for the American Goat Federation would allow that organization to fill the existing void and move the goat industry forward.
            To date a structure for implementation of this idea, the principle catalyst, has been missing. Recently, the Kentucky Sheep and Goat Development Office (KySGDO) under the oversight of the Kentucky Sheep and Wool Producers Association and the Kentucky Goat Producers Association stepped forward and agreed to provide that structure and serve as interim host of the American Goat Federation.

North Dakota State University

Application of Reproductive Techniques in the U.S. Sheep and Goat Industries. 

This project proposes to use an integrated approach for advancing and disseminating reproductive management practices, particularly AI, in both the sheep and goat industries of the U.S.
            The following specific aims will be pursued: 

1) Enhance the success of currently available estrous synchronization and AI techniques in sheep; 

2) Develop and distribute educational materials for reproductive management in sheep and goats; 

            Bollman Hat Company -

            Wool Processing Trials

To continue being more competitive with plants around the world, Bollman will conduct scouring trials and research to ascertain the most efficient way to blend and process wool that maximizes cost and makes the wool comparable to the cost of wool processed in other countries.

The research will include maximizing energy efficiency, as well as all other costs associated with scouring wool. The scouring results of various blends will be provided the American Sheep Industry Association (ASI), to develop a knowledge base to be shared across the country. Also, U.S. wool producers have become increasingly dependent on exporting wools since there are a limited number of processors in the U.S. The buyers of U.S. wool have requested various scouring blends that the U.S. currently does not provide. This research will include developing blends which would be of interest and more competitive to foreign buyers.

     The goals of this program will be to:

• Ascertain the most efficient blend of wool to maximize efficiency and develop a database, which will be shared with ASI.

• Develop at least 5 blends that can be scoured at a rate comparable to overseas costs.

• Learn new ways to scour that will add value to the wool and make it affordable for sales to overseas buyers.

• Develop new processing methods that maximize energy efficiency and increase production capacity.

• Market these wools overseas and develop new markets for US wools.

        California Wool Growers Association -

        E. coli risks associated with grazing sheep in vegetable stubble fields, orchards and vineyards

The California Wool Growers Association in collaboration with University of California, Davis is developing a multiyear study to provide scientific data to identify the management and risk factors associated with E. coli and the utilization of sheep grazing in the crop stubble fields of California.

Recent outbreaks of E. coli O157:H7 linked to California produce have dramatically elevated concern that ruminants such as sheep grazing of crop residues may elevate levels of this pathogen in the soil and in subsequent crops grown at the grazed location. This concern is now being extended to the use of sheep as a non-chemical method for controlling unwanted vegetation in

orchards and vineyards.

In order to assess the validity of these claims and to develop science-based recommendations regarding sheep grazing and produce food safety, we need to answer several key questions.

 First, what is the prevalence of E. coli O157:H7 in the feces of California sheep that graze crop residue and orchard/vineyard floor vegetation.

Secondly, what is the range of concentration or intensity of these bacteria in excreted sheep fecal material.

Thirdly, does this prevalence or intensity of fecal shedding E. coliO157:H7 shift upward or downward as sheep are rotated through different crop systems.

Lastly, what is the rate of inactivation of E. coli O157:H7 once it is deposited onto the soil surface and subsequently exposed to solar radiation or tilled into the soil profile in preparation for the next crop

            Texas AgriLife Research 2147 TAMU,
 
            The Prevalence of Caeous Lymphadenitis in Selected Goat Populations and the Impact of Treatment with Tulathromycin Versus CUlling Affected Animals

According to a large 2002 survey, the population of goats in the United States has risen substantially over the past few years, and, more currently, this trend has continued. Caseous lymphadenitis (CL), caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium pseudotuberculosis, is an important disease for the goat and sheep industry. One study of culled sheep from the Western United States found that this disease was the third leading cause of economic loss, and another report found the prevalence of CL in sheep from 9 Western states to be 42%. Unfortunately, to date, such prevalence studies of CL in large goat populations are lacking. One difficulty in establishing prevalence within populations is the detection of sub-clinical disease. A commonly utilized blood test only looks for antibody levels to CL, but does not consistently define disease status (whether they have real lesions, or have just been exposed). Treatment of this disease varies from culling affected animals from the herd, opening, flushing and draining characteristic abscesses associated with the disease to the use of formalin (a known carcinogen) injected directly into the lesion. Over the past 18 months, our "team" has investigated a new therapy for this disease involving the use of an antibiotic (tulathromycin) injected both in the lesion and under the skin in the neck. This therapy has proven to be comparatively effective and safe and poses less risk of spreading the disease than the standard therapy. The goals of our project with this grant would include the following: test three populations of goats for the presence of antibodies to CL, identify goats with abscesses and culture them to confirm the presence or absence of CL (find the true prevalence), treat goats with these characteristic signs of CL with tulathromycin in one of the three herds and evaluate how treatment affects prevalence compared to culling affected animals in other herds.

Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation (MAEF)

The Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation (MAEF) seeks  to develop and implement a Goats/Sheep in the Classroom curriculum. Our goal is to reach over 1,000 Elementary and Middle School students and 35 teachers annually with hands-on, innovative lessons that advance the understanding and importance of goats and sheep and their roles in agriculture and the lives of student.  The three Goats in the Classroom lessons and three Sheep in the Classroom lessons will be packaged in easy to carry totes which could be replicated as a resource to Ag in the Classroom programs nationwide, and which could be modified for use by volunteers in the agricultural community, education system, and youth organizations, to provide an innovative, educational program to civic organizations and other public venues.  Each lesson will include a component where students have an actual visit with live lambs or kids.

MAEF plans to work with several groups to develop this program and complete the outreach.  The Maryland Dairy Goat Association (MDGA) will help MAEF to locate goat farmers who would like to participate in bringing live goats to each Goats in the Classroom lesson.  The Maryland Farm Bureau Women’s Committee has invited MAEF to train the Miss Maryland Agriculture County Ambassadors in teaching the lessons.  These ambassadors will visit schools in their counties with the lessons.  The Maryland State FFA Association will work with MAEF to train FFA chapters across the state to share lessons to their feeder schools through a program called Partners in Active Learning Support (PALS).

The main goal of this project is to educate the general public and students about agriculture through educational experiences with both sheep and goats.  The products made from sheep and goats will be marketed and promoted to help increase sales in the local area.  Local farmers who participate will learn how to interact with the public using their lambs and kids.  The main area of focus will be Maryland but MAEF hopes to share the program with the rest of the country.

                 2009 HOWARD WYMAN SHEEP INDUSTRY LEADERSHIP SCHOOL

The Howard Wyman Sheep Industry Leadership School is an educational program designed to enhance the understanding and ability of domestic sheep and goat producers to address the challenges of efficiently producing and competitively marketing sheep and goat products. The program accepts a limited number of participants who are actively involved in the industry. The objective is to educate and assist producers with long-term goals for the industry. Educators and successful industry leaders serve as instructors for the program. The program has an intensely focused curriculum, which is developed by the individual chosen to coordinate the annual program. The school is held in a different sheep producing part of the country each year, which enables producers from different sheep/goat producing regions to experience areas they are unfamiliar with and to compare successful operations within differing sheep/goat producing regions. The primary goal is to provide a stimulating environment and bring together a highly motivated group of producers to learn from experts, educators, and from each other in order to foster new and innovative solutions

to industry problems. In addition, the program encourages this group of participants to utilize the information gained within their own state or regional area, to influence other producers to develop new and innovative solutions that ultimately will improve the production and marketing for the U.S. sheep/goat industries.  

                                        American Sheep Industry, Inc. - 2008 Tri-Lamb Meeting

In Sept. 2003, the first Tri-Lamb Summit was held in the U.S. The result of this summit was an agreement between lamb producers from Australia, New Zealand and the U.S. The agreement was formalized in a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and the goals are:

·                 Improve demand for lamb in the U.S. and halt decline in per capita consumption without

reducing current farm-gate prices.

·                 Coordinate activities to maintain the high value of lamb in the U.S.

·                 Develop benchmarks to measure the effectiveness of the tri-lamb group in terms of cut prices, supplies/volume and promotion activities.

·                 Strengthen the sheep industries in all three countries by taking whatever actions necessary to ensure that markets in each country are at a level that will be profitable for each segment of the industry, especially the producer (farmer) and feeder.

·                 Monitor seasonal supplies and evaluate appropriate responses to market fluctuations.

·                 Enhance export market opportunities for lamb and lamb products.

To meet those goals, representatives from Australia, New Zealand and the U.S. hold yearly meetings on a rotational basis in each country. The formal MOU adopted in 2003 was renewed in 2006. Participation in this meeting is important for the U.S. Lamb industry to meet the goals of the agreement and improve communications of U.S. lamb suppliers. In past years, these communications were minimal. The U.S. has one of the highest valued lamb markets in the world. The goal of the U.S. lamb industry is to build stability in the U.S. market, enhance consumer demand for lamb and maintain its high value. Although the value is high, U.S. consumption is declining. This project will assist the U.S. industry in working cooperatively to increase demand and therefore value, for lamb in the U.S.

                        Wisconsin Dairy Goat Association -

Establishing a Dairy Goat Research Herd in Wisconsin; A Comprehensive Feasibility Study for Public and Private Funding

         The overall object is to conduct a feasibility study for creating a dairy goat research herd in Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Dairy Goat Association believes that this study represents a first step in establishing a research herd that will serve interests in Wisconsin and many producers and processors in the northern climate of the US.

As part of the feasibility study, fundamental issues must be answered prior to the establishment of a dairy goat research herd in Wisconsin – these include the following:

 (1) Financial issues;

(2) Technical purpose of the research herd;

(3) Creation of appropriate infrastructure; and

(4) Ongoing partnerships.