Proceedings of the 54th Biennial

Spooner Sheep Day

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Spooner Agricultural Research Station University of Wisconsin-Madison

Spooner, Wisconsin

Arthur L. Pope 1921-2010

ii

A life of service to Wisconsin Sheep Producers and UW-Madison

i

Arthur L “Art” Pope 1921-2010

The 54th Biennial Spooner Sheep Day is dedicated to the memory of Professor Art Pope. He

was active in organizing the very first Spooner Sheep Day 58 years ago, and he was present for all subsequent field days except for one or two through 2009. The current active UW-Madison sheep program owes much of its success to the firm foundation that Art established in his many years of sheep research and outreach. For this, we are extremely appreciative.

Arthur Lloyd Pope, 89, died peacefully at his home and in the presence of his family on Monday, July 5, 2010. Art was born to Stella Spalding and Leon T. Pope in Caldwell, Idaho on Jan. 28, 1921 and then raised on a farm near Hillsdale, Michigan. Art received a bachelor's degree in animal husbandry from Michigan State University (1942), then headed for the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he earned a master of science in animal nutrition in 1943 and a Ph.D. in biochemistry and animal nutrition in 1946. Art spent his career as a faculty member of the Department of Meat and Animal Science at the UW-Madison where he taught and conducted research in animal science and small ruminant nutrition for 43 years. Prior to his retirement in 1989, he served as department chair for 12 years. While a student, Art married Vivian Tretsven in 1944 and, prior to her death in 1973, they raised four children. Art then married Elizabeth Nord Zoerb, who shared his life for 37 years until his death.

Art Pope was a world leader in research on trace mineral requirements in sheep. His early work with cobalt deficiency in sheep in the late 1940’s was the stimulus for the U.S. feed industry to manufacture and distribute trace mineralized salt for all farm animals. He subsequently conducted pioneering work in the calcium, phosphorus, copper, molybdenum, and selenium requirements of sheep. For his research accomplishments, he received many national awards and recognitions including the Morrison Award, the highest award presented by the American Society of Animal Science, and the Silver Ram Award presented by the American Sheep Producer’s Council. His research and educational outreach took him to numerous continents to advise governments and universities and to Australia for a year as a Fulbright Scholar.

Art Pope is regarded with deep respect by the sheep producers of Wisconsin. He was an active leader and participant in the Wisconsin sheep industry for over 65 years. He taught countless numbers of college students in his B.S. degree and Short Course Sheep Production, Animal Nutrition, and Livestock Judging courses and a few hundred shearers in beginning sheep shearing schools. He was a perennial presenter of research results and sheep husbandry recommendations at field days throughout the state, including the annual Spooner Sheep Day. He owned and raised a flock of purebred Hampshire sheep for 73 years. There were only one or two Hampshire flocks in the U.S. that had been under ownership of the same family for a longer period. Art consigned rams to the Wisconsin Ram Test Station and was an active participant in the National Sheep Improvement Program, and his rams were sought after by commercial producers looking for fast-growing, muscular sheep with true Hampshire breed type.

To preserve his unique property, he helped the Town of Middleton purchase his farm to establish a 105-acre educational conservancy. He took great joy in the creation of "Pope Farm Park" and watching young people walk the trails, build native gardens and learn about the land.

No one was more strongly associated with the state’s sheep industry than was Art Pope. His knowledge of the biology and practical rearing of sheep, his honesty and integrity, his humor, and his camaraderie with fellow sheep producers endeared him to all in the sheep industry.

ii

Spooner Sheep Day was held annually at the Spooner Agricultural Research Station for 50 years – from 1953 through 2002. We believe that it is the longest running agricultural field day of the several organized each year on the various Agricultural Research Stations of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison. After the 2002 Spooner Sheep Day, the decision was made to hold the event every-other year on even-numbered years. This decision was made so that a Spooner Dairy Sheep Day could be held on odd-numbered years with a program that could be better tailored to the focused issues of the dairy sheep industry. Therefore, there is still a sheep field day at the Spooner Agricultural Research Station every year, and even though the 2010 field day is the 54th Spooner Sheep Day, it is the 58th consecutive sheep field day held at the station, and we hope to host many more.

David L. Thomas, Editor Department of Animal Sciences University of Wisconsin-Madison 1675 Observatory Drive Madison, WI 53706 dlthomas@wisc.edu 2010

iii

PROGRAM

54th BIENNIAL SPOONER SHEEP DAY Spooner Agricultural Research Station of the University of Wisconsin-Madison

Spooner, Wisconsin Saturday, August 21, 2010

8:30 a.m. Registration - Station Headquarters 9:00 Welcome and CALS and Station Updates – Molly Jahn, Dean, College of

Agricultural and Life Sciences(CALS), UW-Madison and Philip Holman, Superintendent, Spooner Agricultural Research Station, CALS, UW-Madison

9:15 Wolves, Bears and Coyotes - Depredation Identification, Prevention, and Current Management Practices - David Ruid, Assistant District Supervisor, USDA, Wildlife Services, Rhinelander, WI

10:00 Using Guard Dogs to Decrease Predation Losses – Janet McNally, Sheep Producer, Hinckley, MN

10:30 Break 10:45 Managing a 200-Ewe Operation Part-Time – Greg Brickner, Sheep Producer,

Wonewoc, WI 11:20 Where, When, and at What Weight Should I Sell my Lambs? – David Thomas,

Professor, Department of Animal Sciences, CALS, UW-Madison 11:55 Presentation of Sheep Industry Award – Rudy Erickson, Sheep Producer, Wilson,

Wisconsin Noon Lamb Barbecue Lunch – $8.00/adult, $5.00/child under 12 1:00 Demonstrations and Tours of the Sheep Facilities and Pastures: Groups will

rotate among stations -Establishment, Longevity and Use of Kura Clover-Orchardgrass Pastures – Phil Holman, Agronomist, Spooner Agricultural Research Station -Fencing Options for Pasture Utilization – Randy Cutler, Cutler Fence LLC, Auburndale, WI -Buildings and Facilities for Sheep Management – Yves Berger, Researcher, Spooner Agricultural Research Station, CALS, UW-Madison

3:00 Adjourn Spooner Sheep Day is sponsored by the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS) of the

University of Wisconsin-Madison and Cooperative Extension of the University of Wisconsin-Extension.

iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ARTHUR L. “ART” POPE, 1921-2010………………………………………………………… i PROGRAM ...……………………………………………………………………………………iii WHAT’S NEW AT THE SPOONER AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH STATION - Phil Holman and Yves Berger .................................................................................................................1 WOLVES, BEARS AND COYOTES - DEPREDATION IDENTIFICATION, PREVENTION, AND CURRENT MANAGEMENT PRACTICES - David Ruid ..................3 MAINTAINING CONTROL AND SANITY WITH EIGHT LIVESTOCK GUARD DOGS – Janet McNally ...............................................................................................................................4 THE CHANGING PREDATOR LANDSCAPE – Janet McNally .............................................7 MANAGING A PART-TIME 200 EWE FLOCK - Greg Brickner ..........................................10 WHERE, WHEN, AND AT WHAT WEIGHT SHOULD I SELL MY LAMBS? – David Thomas ..........................................................................................................................................12 ESTABLISHMENT, LONGEVITY AND USE OF KURA CLOVER-ORCHARDGRASS PASTURES - Phil Holman ...........................................................................................................19 FENCING OPTIONS FOR PASTURE UTILIZATION – Randy Cutler ...............................21 2010 PERFORMANCE OF THE SPOONER AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH STATION FLOCK – Yves Berger .................................................................................................................22 PAST RECEIPIENTS OF THE SHEEP INDUSTRY AWARD .............................................26 INDEX OF ARTICLES FROM SPOONER SHEEP DAY AND SPOONER DAIRY SHEEP DAY PROCEEDINGS FROM 1995-2009 ...................................................................27

1

WHAT’S NEW AT THE SPOONER AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH STATION

Phil Holman and Yves Berger

Spooner Agricultural Research Station University of Wisconsin-Madison

Spooner, Wisconsin 1. Rainfall – well not exactly “new” but normal summer rainfall hasn’t happened for several

years. April and May were dry but June had normal precipitation and July was above average. Thus, this summer, pastures have been productive and excess pasture has been harvested. Alfalfa harvest has had excellent yields and the rest of the crops look good so far.

2. Updates to the Lambing Area – Windows have been installed on the outside wall, and the in-the-barn wall and office were painted. Staff here completed these projects and did an excellent job.

3. Coating on the Sheep Barn/Parlor/Hay Shed – The pole shed roofs of the sheep barn and hay shed have had minor leaks for many years. A poly coating was applied three years ago but errors were made in the installation. This summer a Teflon based product was applied. In addition, the barn vent which housed numerous sparrow nests was removed. The barn roof looks good and no leaks have been observed so far.

4. Tarp barn re-roofing – The tarp barn is used for lamb rearing from February till June. In late May, straight line winds ripped one end of the roof tarp ruining the whole roof. The tarp barn was built in 1999. A new top and end tarps are scheduled to be installed the week of August 9, 2010 and should be available for viewing at Sheep Day.

5. Black colored East Friesians in the Milking Ewes – A couple years ago two black colored East Friesian rams were purchased and their daughters entered the milking group this spring. They aren’t any different than most other East Friesians other than their color, but it makes for a colorful looking pasture group.

6. Perennial Ryegrass Variety trial with both harvested data and grazed yield estimates. In the fall of 2009, a perennial ryegrass variety trial was established. This summer, half of the plot is harvested mechanically and half is grazed by the ewes. Data from this plot will be available for future sheep day events.

7. UPCOMING – Wear, tear, & deterioration along the walls and doors of the milkhouse are noticeable. Thus, remodeling of the milkhouse will take place in October at the completion of the milking season.

2

Elsewhere on the Spooner Agricultural Research Station 1. New agronomic trials include soybean seeding rate and nitrogen fertilization trials. Also a

winter wheat fungicide, variety and nitrogen rate trial was conducted. Continued trials include variety trials with corn, corn silage, soybeans, alfalfa, Italian ryegrass, oats and barley.

2. The Hybrid Poplar plantation was harvested in April this year. This planting was established in 1999. Total weight was 291 tons obtained from 4.7 acres. Gross income was $821/acre. A replant project was started in the area with more hybrid poplar and willow. The remaining area will need to be stumped to return to field production.

3. Camelina is a crop grown commercially in Montana as a potential oil seed. A small test area was planted to see its productivity in Wisconsin. Yields were low, however.

4. A second switchgrass plot was established. Switchgrass varieties are being tested for yield and bio-fuel production abilities across several states.

5. A new addition to the garden demonstration area is a “high tunnel” greenhouse where crops are grown directly in the soil within a greenhouse. A fall bearing raspberry trial has been established and the high tunnel is currently being built.

6. Lastly, this is the third year of a wine grape variety trial that was planted just north of the office and auditorium. This year has had good weather conditions for vine growth. Hopefully in a couple years, we will start the grape harvest portion of this trial.

3

WOLVES, BEARS AND COYOTES - DEPREDATION IDENTIFICATION, PREVENTION, AND CURRENT MANAGEMENT PRACTICES

David Ruid

Assistant District Supervisor USDA/Wildlife Services Rhinelander, Wisconsin

In Wisconsin wolves, coyotes, and bears are the primary wildlife predators of livestock.

Domestic dogs, Bald Eagles, and occasionally foxes and bobcats kill livestock. The ability of wolves, coyotes, and bears to depredate livestock is well documented. Statewide losses of livestock from wolves and bears are < 100 head of livestock/year. Accurate estimations of coyote/livestock depredation are not available. Proper documentation and identification of which species depredate livestock is important. Management options and compensation for wolf and bear depredations are administered differently. Compensation for livestock depredation by other predators is not available. Management options to abate wolf depredation depend on federal classification. Non-lethal techniques include animal husbandry options, and other noise and frightening devices. Lethal control for wolf depredation management is currently not available. Shooting permits and trap/euthanize are the recommended abatement for bears that depredate livestock. Animal husbandry and farm management practices to mitigate livestock depredations include: night penning, electrified fencing, proper carcass disposal, guarding animals, and pasture selection.

4

MAINTAINING CONTROL AND SANITY WITH EIGHT LIVESTOCK GUARD DOGS

Janet McNally

Sheep Producer Tamarack Lamb & Wool

Hinckley, Minnesota

Today’s large number of predators, and larg-er predators require managing farms with a greater number of livestock guard dogs. While many producers added their first or second dog with minimal problems, they may find that managing more than two dogs seems to bring out a whole new set of issues they have not had to deal with before. When a farm has 2 livestock guard dogs, there is never more than one juvenile dog on the farm at a time. The youngest dog will be fully mature before the next dog is added. But when a farm requires 8 livestock guard dogs such as mine does, this means adding a new pup every year assuming a working lifespan of 8 years. The result is I often have on hand 3 dogs under the age of 3 at any given time. This year I have five dogs under the age of two, a truly challenging situation!

Juvenile dogs are the source of most behavioral problems. Nearly all serious problems with

chasing or rough housing, begin near puberty (six to 8 months of age), and continue for the first 18 to 24 months of age. At this age, the juvenile dog is nearly fully grown, has sharp, adult teeth, and adult strength, but still wants to play like a puppy.

Having several young dogs in one place can mean more intense chasing or play behavior, or

one dog might enable another, or excite the other dog by participating in the chase. Two dogs grabbing a lamb by the wool means the lamb is less likely to get away and more likely to get injured.

Anytime there are two or three dogs in one place, competition can be a problem. A prime

example is when a ewe gives birth. Normally with one dog, the dog will wait patiently nearby until the ewe moves off the birth site, and only then will clean up the placenta. Add a young dog, or several dogs to the scenario, and the dogs, competing for the placenta, will pressure the ewe to leave the birth site, or might even chase her off the site because they are competing with each other. The worst case scenario is where several dogs, eager for the placenta, wind up pushing the ewe off and grabbing everything, including newborn lambs. Young maiden ewes are the most easily intimidated, and for this reason, only one well mannered adult dog should be used with ewes lambing for the first time.

Roaming is another problem that can be exacerbated by having multiple dogs. While most

dogs will not take a hike by themselves, they are quite more likely to leave the farm if they have a partner to tag along.

The first golden rule of the multi dog farm is to never have more dogs under the age of 3 than

there are separate securely fenced pastures with sheep on the farm. That is to say, it is imperative to be able to split up the young dogs into separate pastures, for up to a year or more. I also recommend not starting more than two pups at a time. Perhaps the greatest fiascos that I

5

have heard of, is where the producer has produced a litter of puppies and decided to keep all or most of them or could not find buyers for the rest. Unable to separate the pups the play got rough, and the young dogs wind up inadvertently killing some sheep. Perhaps the old world shepherds had real purpose when they kept only two pups out of each litter. The rest would be put down at birth. While it has been suggested that only two pups were kept for various reasons ranging from having only two saddle bags, to the demands of transhumanance being so hard on the mother, that she could only raise two, I have no doubt the old world shepherds knew managing more than two pups was problematic. In a world where puppies are not bought and sold, but only traded among shepherds, more than two pups was a liability.

The second golden rule is to remove all the young dogs for the first week or more of

lambing. Any dog experiencing its first lambing will be curious about the activity, and the first lambs born will be a novelty. Dogs are drawn to novelties, be it a sick lamb, runty lamb, a bottle lamb, or simply the first newborn of the year. The ideal arrangement is to have the young dog in a pen with some rams or adult ewes that are not lambing, but in a location where it is possible to observe lambing taking place. As lambing progresses, and becomes old news, the young dog can be allowed into the lambing area under supervision. Should the pup show too much interest in a lambing ewe or newborn, the flock owner should harshly scold the dog and make it very clear the dog should give the newborns space. As lambing progresses the young dog can spend more and more time with the lambing flock.

Some juveniles just are not ready for lambing. Just because a pup winds up killing a

newborn does not mean it will not turn into a trustworthy dog later on, but it does mean that pup needs to spend more time with adult sheep before being trusted with newborns. By all means avoid having two young dogs in the same lambing paddock at a time.

I have learned to not fret about being under dogged during the first week or two of lambing.

If I have done a good job managing the dogs through out the winter, our farm will not be high on the predatory hit list come spring. I find I can skate through the first two to three weeks of lambing with a minimal guard dog team on duty.

The final golden rule is to only have as many guard dogs on duty as are needed for the

circumstances. During June, when I have as many as 6 different paddocks on four different farms with newborn lambs, I need more dogs than I actually have. But in March, when all the ewes are together in one group, I only need four dogs. Two for the ewes, and two for the rams. The rest are kenneled or tied unless a pack of wolves is to show up. A study at the Dubois sheep station found that LGDs can be kenneled for the winter and will remember their job come spring when it is time to go back out to pasture.

For tying a dog, I prefer to use a 30 foot chain, with a swivel 4 feet from the snap that

attatches to the collar. On the other end is a large ring (a horseshoe works great) which is slid over a T post. The swivel prevents the chain from knotting up should the dog pace in circles. I place the T post on the top of a hill or rise where the sheep are likely to bed down so that the dog can maintain contact with the sheep and still serve as an alarm. Any time a dog is tied, some kind of shelter should be provided, and a dog should never be tied without an adult dog on hand, especially in wolf country.

6

Dog owners should know that there now technology available that can make the job easier.

Two frequently used tools on my farm are the tri tronics “trashbreaker” electronic training collar, and the garmin gps dog tracking collar. Together these tools help me keep track of and correct errant dogs. The GPS collar communicates with the satellite, and with the hand held receiver I keep in the house. I can watch a dog in a pasture up to two miles away, and buzz it if it attempts to cross the fence. With our sheep scattered in pastures through out the neighborhood, it became necessary to ‘explain’ to some dogs, that they cannot take shortcuts across neighboring land to swap sheep. I also use this equipment to teach the young dog to not follow me out of the pasture or down the driveway. The trashbreaker has the greatest range of all the ‘shock’ collars, and is very simple to use. With one or two dogs it might be hard to justify this equipment but with 8 or 10 it certainly has made my job easier.

Managing 8 LGDs is definitely not for people who do not like dogs. While managing a

multi dog farm may seem to be a lot of bother, it is still considerably less demanding than the time required for hunting and trapping. The LGDs have allowed me to graze pastures far from my home, and utilize leased land around the neighborhood. Without them, I could not manage enough sheep to make a living.

One key element to keeping the LGD team under control is to have the ability to separate

younger dogs into separate pastures. Doing so requires secure fencing. I like to use electricity, in particular electrified netting. While most dogs eventually learn to jump out of electrified netting, they usually don’t do so until 2 or 3 years old.

7

THE CHANGING PREDATOR LANDSCAPE

Janet McNally

Sheep Producer Tamarack Lamb & Wool

Hinckley, Minnesota

I watched and listened as a coyote, just a stone’s throw from a young Maremma livestock guard dog, yapped at the dog, enticing her to chase. The Maremma, would dash at the coyote then retreat back toward the sheep. The coyote would come back and yap again, trying to lure the dog out into the woods. The coyote persisted, for over three hours, but the Maremma was only 8 months old. Typical of her breed, she stayed close to the flock and would not be enticed out toward the freeway. The week before this coyote succeeded in drawing three older, bolder livestock guard dogs out onto the highway where they were promptly struck and killed by cars in three separate incidents over the course of just two days. These were older dogs that were familiar with navigating traffic. Is a coyote smart enough to know the cars would kill the dogs? Now with three of the most dangerous dogs out of the way, the coyotes were emboldened. Fortunately I had several more dogs kenneled for breeding, otherwise I am certain they would have had them out on the highway as well. I put GPS collars and shock collars on the remaining dogs so I could watch and stop them from reaching the highway.

For several more nights I watched and noticed that while one coyote had one dog distracted

from the flock, another coyote lurked in the shadows and attempted to enter the pasture with the sheep. Fortunately I had enough dogs that one always remained behind with the sheep.

If we were surrounded by wilderness, and the dogs could be allowed to just do what they do,

I am confident these coyotes would have warn out and moved on. Normally two or three dogs pursue the coyote while one or two others stay behind. But these coyotes had a trick up their sleeve that I was not able to protect the dogs from. Several sheep producers have recounted a similar scenario, but with a different twist. The coyotes would lure the dog out, one dog at a time, and several more coyotes would ambush the guard dog once away from its partner. Recently a producer with two eight month old pups had exactly this happen to him, and only one pup returned.

I honestly thought I was dealing with only one coyote, but the local trapper warned me this

was probably a family group consisting of a mated pair, some youngsters and maybe one or two grandparents. He was right. We proceded to remove 5 of 6 coyotes, including a mature male, a yearling male, yearling female, and an old geezer…literally… his teeth were so worn he had nothing but nubs. We heard the rifle slug hit the fifth coyote, but it ran off, and the sixth one, probably a pregnant female, was more cautious. After shooting 5, the sixth one never returned. What surprised me is that the trick of luring the dogs out, was demonstrated not by just one member of this pack, but several members. It’s a scary thought to know how quickly these animals can adapt and pass on their adaptations to family members.

8

This was the first time in 30 years that I had to use lethal force. With the pack decimated, life returned back to normal.

We were still not lacking for coyotes, there were two more groups to the north east and south

east, maybe 5 or 6 others. But the remaining coyotes behaved like normal wild coyotes. They respected our dogs giving our farm a wide berth, and did not try to lure the dogs out. Game cameras proved there were no more coyotes visiting the farm.

At times it seemed like I have a ridiculous number of livestock guarding dogs. But a

situation like this, which erupted quickly and unexpectedly, is exactly why I have them. The first time I came to realize we need a multitude of dogs was in ’99 when we lost 40 lambs in ten days to a pack of 23 wolves. The sheep were lambing and I had the flock split into 5 different groups. One dog guarded each flock, and the 5th was guarded by a llama. The dogs were showing signs of distress. One lost her voice, another joined a nearby dog. The llama just stepped out of the way once it realized it was not on the menu.

By consolidating the flock into one mob, and putting all four guard dogs together, I was able

to stop the depredation overnight. Working as a pack the dogs are much bolder. They distributed themselves around the pasture, and were able to be more vigilant.

A single dog is in grave danger when faced with larger predators, and both the dog and the

predator intuitively know this. One thing that separates the livestock guardian dog from other breeds of dogs, is that the LGD does have a sense of self preservation still intact. This self preservation is bred out of many breeds to allow them to do a task, such as police work. A dog without this sense of self preservation is more willing to bite people, or engage in a fight. This makes that dog more of a dog bite liability, and when it comes to guarding the flock from wild predators, the dog that is quick to engage in a fight with wolves, is not likely to live long. Providing the dog a partner to back it up helps build confidence which will be conveyed to the predator.

Some other factors that influence the effectiveness of the livestock guardian dog include age,

and whether or not there is an intact male and female pair. Wolves and coyotes give a mated pair a wider berth, as mated pairs are usually more protective of their territory. A single dog would be considered transient and easy to chase off by a pack of wolves or even sometimes even coyotes looking for a new home. A LGD dog is not an adult until two or three years old. A juvenile does not command the same respect as adult dogs do.

Some producers, upon buying their first dog, are baffled when the dog is unwilling to

confront the predator. Chances are the dog is overwhelmed. Either the number of coyotes is large, or the predators are large such as wolves, bears, or cougars. Sometimes the LGD is intimidated because it is confronted with an older mature male (coyote, dog, or wolf). Social programming dictates that juveniles submit to adults.

Just as I had guessed wrong about the number of coyotes on my farm, many producers are

surprised to find out that they have not one, but many coyotes visiting in a night. Some farms are finding they have a dozen or more coyotes. Wolf packs can number into the 20’s. Predator

9

numbers have been on a steep rise since the 1970’s where some of the larger predators such as wolves, cougars, and grizzly bears were either placed on the endangered species list or at least given state protection. In the east a large amount of marginal farm land, has been returned to woodland or brush providing a great habitat for prey species such as rabbits and deer. In many states the deer herd is larger than pre European settlement. The deer herd has burgeoned due to the lack of natural predators, and due to the increase in browse as farm fields convert back to forest. All this adds up to a growing population of coyotes, wolves, foxes, cougars, and bears along with an increasing exposure to farms and farm livestock. There are also fewer sport hunters and trappers today, and they are less productive than trappers and hunters of the past. Biologists are just now starting to recognize that hunting helps keep predators wild. Without hunting, predators are becoming bolder, a problem that is particularly alarming among wolf, bear, and cougar populations. Predation of cougars on humans is one example of a complex set of factors including habituation and lack of experience with hunting. Likewise coyotes are becoming bolder just as I had experienced in my story above. In the early 80’s when the idea of using livestock guardian dogs first took hold, predator numbers were near an all time low. One dog was usually sufficient. But the days of running just one guard dog are over.

How many dogs?

I found that two dogs per group of sheep were minimal number required for coyotes, and as

many as four to six may be required for wolves. As I often had four groups of sheep, on as many as four separate farms, I need a minimum of eight dogs, that is eight adult dogs. To sustain a population of eight adult dogs, assuming an average working life expectancy of 8 years, I need to be raising a pup every year. So it takes a total of 9 dogs to keep this flock safe.

Do I need to explain that managing 8 or 9 Livestock guardian dogs can be complex? I’ve

been working out the kinks for the past 19 years. In the next issue, I will address the kinds of problems that can come up with the multi dog sheep farm, and how to maintain order and your sanity.

10

MANAGING A PART-TIME 200 EWE FLOCK

Greg Brickner Sheep Producer

Wonewoc, Wisconsin I’ve been asked to talk about how we (Greg, Vicki and 2 daughters) manage our flock while having off-farm jobs. We currently keep around 200-220 ewes on 150 acres. In the recent past we have had up to 450 ewes managed on the Star system. Therefore, we have had to develop ideas that allow us to do our work as labor efficiently as possible. Unfortunately, it would take around a 900-1,000 ewe flock for us to raise sheep full time, so this is the compromise we have had to strike for the time. We like to visit other farms to see what tricks they have that would make our lives easier at home. I hope that this may be as helpful as a visit to our farm. These are three major factors that help us with the most time consuming parts of managing a sheep flock:

1) Having our whole farm fenced with lanes and a pasture water supply making all moves and management easy to do.

2) A ewe flock that has strong maternal traits. 3) Growing and harvesting dairy quality hay and dairy quality pasture.

Our whole farm is surrounded by perimeter fence and is subdivided into 17 paddocks. We subdivide these paddocks with electric net fence as needed. We have water pipes laid out so that water is piped to all but 3 paddocks (those are supplied with a water tank on a wagon). The water tanks are 25 gallon plastic tanks with a float valve. It takes just a few minutes for one person and a dog to move the sheep to the next paddock and move their water and salt. Once lambing time is over, our sheep chores on most days are about 30 minutes to 1 hour a day. We grow 10-15 acres of corn for grain each year on different paddock(s) and having the fencing already in place makes it easy to graze the corn residue. The paddocks that are growing hay have 3 cuttings taken off and the fourth cutting is easily set aside for fall grazing to extend our grazing season. Between the corn residue, hay and pasture paddocks we usually graze the ewe flock (no hay fed) until the middle of December. That in itself is a huge time and money saver. We have a commercially made sheep handling system (Sydell) that ties nicely into the overall lane and pasture system. A handling setup is necessary even for a smaller flock than ours. Our 2 Border Collies are also an essential part of our system. As for genetics, we started our flock with a group of western white face crossbred ewes. We have purchased all of our rams from other breeders and select the rams based predominantly on their maternal traits and ability to breed out of season. Over the years we have ended up with a flock of ewes that is predominantly a Dorset/Polypay type ewe. We cull any ewes that have had mastitis and only have half an udder. We also cull any ewes with behavior that would make our life harder at lambing time. To paraphrase Tom Lasater , we may get rid of a few good ewes, but

11

we get all of the lemons. At lambing time, this translates into the vast majority of ewes moving from lambing to jug to mixing pen to pasture with little fussing from us. These ewes have proven to be very fertile. We leave the rams in for just 30 days. Our biggest problem is that 80-90% of the ewes lamb in the first 14 days of the lambing period, so jugs and pens get a little overwhelmed during that time. I wish I knew how to get the ewes to spread the lambing out evenly over the entire 30 days. Ewes that don’t lamb in those 30 days are culled. We grow our own winter hay supply so we have the options of planting and harvesting the kind of hay we want. We plant an alfalfa/high energy grass mixture. After about 4 years of haying, these paddocks go back into strictly grazing for several years. We harvest 1st crop as round bale baleage. We try hard to make 2nd and 3rd crop as dry hay but sometimes have to wrap these bales, too. The bales are fed using Premier’s welded wire panel feeders out in the pasture. The feeders are moved every time new hay is fed. With 5 or 6 of these hay feeders, I can feed the ewes enough hay to last 5 days in just a half hour. The ewes are outside all winter with just the bales, salt, and hopefully some snow until the end of March when they are shorn. Five days after lambing, ewes are back out on pasture with their lambs (this is around the end of April), so we don’t ever have to feed our ewes any grain and we don’t worry about their body condition through the winter. Because our hay is excellent quality, we don’t have to feed corn at flushing time (although they are usually still eating pasture) or in late gestation. This saves a lot of time and the hassle of trying to feed corn to ewes in pasture during the winter or in the lambing shed. Also, the behavior of ewes fed grain is loud and obnoxious. Ewes that are not looking for grain are much quieter and calmer in the lambing barn. These are three major factors that help us have both off farm jobs and the farm itself.

12

WHERE, WHEN, AND AT WHAT WEIGHT SHOULD I SELL MY LAMBS?

David L. Thomas

Professor of Sheep Genetics and Management Department of Animal Sciences

University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, Wisconsin

Non-dairy, commercial sheep operations obtain their income from the sale of meat lambs,

wool, and cull breeding animals. Some operations may also sell some commercial breeding stock. Lambs sold for meat is the major source of income in most Midwest operations amounting to approximately 90% of gross income. Lamb income also is quite important in dairy sheep operations amounting to 20 – 35% of gross income. Therefore, decisions regarding the marketing of lambs are very important to the overall profitability of the commercial sheep flock.

Where to Market My Lambs? – We are very fortunate in Wisconsin to have several

options for marketing of lambs. As a result, Wisconsin producers enjoy some of the highest prices in the U.S. for conventional market weight (125 – 145 pounds) lambs. The conventional market lamb price in Wisconsin is largely set by the prices received through the electronic lamb market of Equity Cooperative Livestock Sales Association (http://livestock.equitycoop.com/online_auctions/). Producers with any number of lambs to market contact Equity with a description of the lambs prior to the electronic auction. Equity compiles these lambs from many producers on paper and conducts a computer auction of the lambs. All major lamb processors in the U.S. as well as many smaller processors have access to this computer auction. After the auction, the lambs are assembled at one of Equity’s sale yards where they are weighed, the producer is paid before leaving the sale yard, and the buyer of the lambs picks them up at the yard. The price obtained from the Equity electronic lamb market is reported weekly in the USDA Weekly National Lamb Market Summary (http://www.ams.usda.gov/mnreports/lswlamb.pdf) published each Friday by the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service. In addition to the electronic lamb auction, several of the Equity sale yards have regular live auction sales of sheep. The Equity yard at Johnson Creek, WI has an active live sheep auction, especially for lighter weight lambs. (http://livestock.equitycoop.com/sales_schedules/schedule.asp?ID=6).

Some other larger commission and auction markets for Wisconsin lambs are the Milwaukee

Stockyards, Reeseville, WI (http://www.milwaukeestockyards.com/index.cfm); Fennimore Livestock Exchange, Inc., Fennimore, WI (http://www.fennimorelivestock.com/); Kalona Sales Barn, Inc., Kalona, IA (http://www.kalonasalesbarn.com/home/); and Central Livestock Association, Rock Creek and Zumbrota, MN (http://cla.crinet.com/).

A few entrepreneurs, primarily in southeastern Wisconsin, have developed markets for a

large number of lambs to small processors or for carcasses and individual cuts directly to grocery stores and restaurants. Most of these entrepreneurs are sheep producers who started by direct marketing their own lambs. However, their markets have grown so they now purchase most of the lambs they sell from other producers. Pinn-Oak Ridge Farms, LLC, Delavan, WI

13

(http://www.wisconsinlamb.com/) is a buyer of Wisconsin lambs and a major direct marketer of lamb carcasses and cuts. They recently built a federally inspected lamb slaughter and processing plant on their farm.

Several producers have elected to market their lambs direct to individual consumers, grocery

stores, and/or restaurants rather than selling them through a livestock marketing organization or one of the marketing entrepreneurs described in the above paragraph. These producers have their lambs slaughtered and processed at a local State or Federally inspected meat processing plant and sell their lambs by the carcass or as individual cuts. Producers can generally obtain a higher price for their lambs through this type of direct marketing, but there are increased costs and time incurred in marketing efforts. Many direct marketers of lamb can be found on the Savor Wisconsin web site (http://www.savorwisconsin.com/); a web site devoted to connecting consumers to Wisconsin food producers.

When Should I Market My Lambs? – It would seem desirable to market lambs when the

prices are the highest. Figure 1 presents monthly prices of conventional weight slaughter lambs for the years 2008 and 2009 and for the average of years 2005 through 2009. The highest prices are during the months of May, June, and July. The reason for this is that there are fewer slaughter weight lambs available during late spring and early summer than during other times of the year. Most of the sheep in the U.S. are found in the western or southwestern states where lambing takes place during the spring months. These lambs graze during the summer and early fall. The fastest growing lambs are available for market in the fall at the end of the grazing season. The slower growing lambs are put in feedlots in the fall and are marketed in the winter or early spring months. This results in a shortage of lambs in May through July and the resulting higher prices.

Figure 1

Source: ASI Sheep Industry News. Market Report. January, 2010. A minority of ewes in the U.S. lamb in January and February because of the need for extra

housing and increased feed costs of housed ewes during late pregnancy and lactation compared to spring lambing ewes. Most of the winter lambing occurs in the Midwestern and Eastern states. Lambs born in the winter in intensive management systems can reach slaughter weight during

14

the May – July period to take advantage of the higher lamb prices, but the increased lamb income may not compensate for the increased production costs.

Figure 2 presents the monthly prices for lamb carcasses for 2009, the average of years 2005

through 2009, and 2010 through June and is a reflection of the live lamb prices shown in Figure 1 through 2009. The year 2010 has been an anomaly with record lamb prices due to a world-wide shortage of lamb meat.

Figure 2

Source: ASI Sheep Industry News. Market Report. August, 2010. The monthly price trends in Figures 1 and 2 are for slaughter weight lambs, generally over

125 pounds live weight, sold at auction yards that report sales to USDA or lambs that are slaughtered in Federally inspected plants. From some recent reports, we now know that there are very large numbers of lambs marketed per year that are not reported to USDA. These are primarily lighter-weight lambs that enter the “ethnic” trade through direct marketing by producers or go through custom slaughter plants. The March 1, 2010 Market Report in the ASI Sheep Industry News states, “In 2009, it is estimated that the non-traditional [ethnic] lamb and mutton (outside of traditional, commercial channels) market jumped 5 percent in volume while the federally inspected slaughter market (traditional market) contracted 3 percent. In the last five years, the traditional/commercial market contracted by an average 3-percent per annum while the non-traditional market gained 0.5 percent per year. In 2009, there existed a discrepancy of 1.2 million head between the traditional commercial volume slaughtered and the lamb crop (given a 5-percent loss rate of lambs). Most of this volume is likely sold direct from the farm to consumer and not channeled through the commercial or traditional sector [or slaughtered in custom plants not inspected by USDA].” There are peaks in this ethnic market just before and during religious holidays when lamb is traditionally consumed such as Roman Easter, Greek Easter, Muslim start of Ramadan, and Muslim Id al Fitr, and prices of lighter weight lambs can be expected to be greatest at these times. The web site of the North East Sheep and Goat Marketing Project (http://sheepgoatmarketing.info/) has a calendar of religious holidays when lamb meat is consumed and the type of lambs preferred for each holiday (reprinted at the end of this article,

15

Appendix 1). Producers may realize significant increases in lamb price by targeting these religious markets.

At What Weight Should I Market My Lambs? – Lambs should be marketed at the weight

that results in the greatest net returns to the sheep operation. Up until the last few years, when feed prices were relatively low, the optimum lamb slaughter weight for maximum net returns to the flock was as heavy as the market would allow before significant discounts were imposed. However, in the last few years, feed costs have significantly increased and the price per pound advantage of lambs in non-traditional markets (generally lighter lambs) compared to lambs in traditional markets (generally heavier lambs) has increased (Table 1). Therefore, the optimum lamb slaughter weight for maximum profit may be lower than in the recent past.

Table 1. An Example of the Effects of Market Weight and Non-Traditional vs. Traditional

Markets on Lamb Prices.

New Holland, PA, Non-Traditional Sales, Aug. 9, 2010, 2,146 head sold

Various locations – Traditional Sales, Aug. 13, 2010, USDA Weekly National Lamb Market Summary

Weight, lb.

$/lb. live weight

Location – Weight, lb.

$/lb. live weight

40-60

1.58-1.77

San Angelo, TX – 100-110

1.10-1.12

60-80 1.56-1.70 Ft. Collins, CO – 140-165 1.18-1.25 80-90 1.53-1.68 Kalona, IA – 100-155 1.27-1.32 90-110 1.51-1.66 South Dakota – 130-150 1.30 – 1.36 110-130 1.50-1.64 Equity electronic, WI - 125 1.29

A simple simulation was conducted on an EXCEL spreadsheet to estimate the returns from

marketing lambs at various ages and weights. An intensive system of lamb feeding was assumed where lambs were creep-fed before weaning and fed a high concentrate diet in drylot from weaning to the various marketing endpoints.

Selling lambs at weaning at 60 days of age when they weighed 55 pounds was the basis for

the comparisons. The increased amounts of feed and labor for marketing lambs beyond weaning at 75, 90, or 125 pounds are presented in Table 2. Some death loss after weaning was assumed for lambs marketed at older ages and heavier weights. A standard labor input of 2 hours per day was assumed for the entire group of lambs; primarily for feeding, watering, and bedding. A grower diet fed from weaning to 90 pounds was assumed to cost $300/ton ($0.15/lb.), and a finishing diet fed from 90 pounds to 125 pounds was assumed to cost $240/ton ($0.12/lb.).

An interpretation of the values in Table 2 using the “Market” endpoint is: 1. The lambs were marketed at 125 pounds live weight at an age of 165 days. If a 10 pound

birth weight is assumed, the average daily gain of these lambs was 0.70 lb./day from birth to marketing.

2. 4.4% of these lambs died between weaning at 60 days of age and marketing at 165 days of age.

16

3. Each lamb consumed about 321 pounds of feed between weaning and market. Dry matter feed intake was approximately 3% of body weight each day.

4. Average cost of the grower and finishing feed consumed by each lamb was $0.13/lb. 5. It was estimated that approximately 210 hours of labor was required to care for the entire

group of lambs for the 105 days between weaning and marketing. This assumed that 100 or fewer lambs were in the group.

Table 2. Performance and Inputs of Lambs Marketed Beyond Weaning.

Relative to weaned lambs Endpoint Age, d Wt., lb. Deaths, % Feed, lb. Feed, $/lb. Labor, 2 hr/d/group

Weaning 60 55 - - - - Light 87 75 2.0 59.40 0.15 54 Medium 110 90 3.5 122.65 0.15 100 Market 165 125 4.4 320.65 0.13 210

The estimated gross income, increased costs, and net returns for marketing lambs at the different weights are presented in Table 3. It was assumed that 100 lambs were present at weaning and the price per pound received for the lambs at weaning (55 pounds), 75 pounds, 90 pounds, and 125 pounds was $1.75, $1.50, $1.50, and $1.30, respectively. The basis of comparison is the $9,625.00 of income received if the lambs had been marketed at weaning. As the lambs were marketed at older ages and heavier weights the returns minus the additional feed costs increased (+$526.82 for 75 pound lambs, +$1,630.64 for 90 pound lambs, and +1,875.49 for 125 pound lambs). Therefore, given the assumptions used in this simulation, a producer can more than cover the increased feed costs of marketing lambs at heavier weights even though feed costs are relatively high and heavier lambs bring less per pound than lighter lambs.

However, when labor to manage these older lambs was considered, selling lambs at weaning

was more profitable than selling at all of the heavier weights except at 90 pounds (Table 3). If the price of the 90 pound lambs was reduced to $1.40/lb. rather than left at the same price as the 75 pound lambs of $1.50/lb., the 90 pound lambs also would have been less profitable than the weaned lambs.

Table 3. Gross Income, Costs, and Net Returns for Marketing of Lambs Beyond Weaning Increased costs, $ Net returns, $

Endpoint No. Wt., lb. $/lb. Gross

income, $ Feed Labor* - Feed -(Feed + Labor)

Weaning 100 55 1.75 9,625.00 - - - - Light 98 75 1.50 11,025.00 873.18 540.00 10,151.82 9,611.82

Medium 96.5 90 1.50 13,031.55 1,775.91 1,000.00 11,255.64 10,255.64 Market 95.6 125 1.30 15,529.26 4,028.77 2,100.00 11,500.49 9,400.49

*Labor is $10.00/hour with 2 hours of labor/day required for the group of lambs.

Family labor is often not charged against the sheep operation, and returns to labor (returns minus non-labor costs) is the most important indicator of profitability of the operation. If the cost of labor is not considered, this simulation suggests that lambs should be taken to traditional

17

market weights. However, if home labor has a value or if labor is hired from off the farm, then selling the lambs at lighter weights is more economical.

There are obviously some other costs associated with the older and heavier lambs that are not

considered here such as bedding, health care products, veterinary services, etc. that would decrease the returns for the heavier lambs relative to the weaned lambs. If death losses after weaning were less than assumed here, the returns for the heavier lambs would increase relative to the weaned lambs and vice versa.

The factor with the greatest influence on the returns in this simulation is the price assumed

for each weight of lamb. Prices were selected that were indicative of recent prices received for these weights of lambs, but there are large variations in prices received for the same weight of lamb in different markets and regions of Wisconsin.

Table 4 is an attempt to provide some guidance to producers on the price they need to receive

for lighter weight lambs in order to have the same returns over feed costs (gross income minus feed costs) from the marketing of 125 pound lambs. For example, if 125 pound lambs (market weight lambs) were bringing $1.20/lb., a producer would need to receive $1.52/lb. for a 75 pound lamb to have the same returns over feed costs as would be received by marketing the lamb at 125 pounds. Any price above $1.52/lb. for the 75 pound lamb would result in greater returns over feed costs than marketing the lamb at 125 pounds at $1.20/lb.

Many producers have been selling lighter weight lambs for approximately $1.50/lb.

However, Table 4 indicates that with market weight lambs currently priced at approximately $1.30/lb., lighter weight lambs need to bring $1.50 - $2.00/lb. if the same returns over feed costs from selling market weight lambs are to be obtained.

Table 4. Price ($/lb.) required for lighter-weight lambs to generate the same income minus additional feed costs as selling 125 pound lambs at various

market lamb prices.

Marketing endpoint 125 Pound market lamb price, $/lb.

.80 .90 1.00 1.10 1.20 1.30 1.40 Weaned lamb, 55 lb. 1.01 1.22 1.44 1.66 1.87 2.09 2.31 Light lamb, 75 lb. .87 1.03 1.20 1.36 1.52 1.68 1.85 Medium lamb, 90 lb. .84 .98 1.12 1.25 1.39 1.53 1.67

18

Appendix 1: Religious Holidays when Lamb is Consumed. From: http://sheepgoatmarketing.info/PageLoad.cfm?page=education/ethnicholidays.htm, North East Sheep & Goat Marketing Project Western or Roman Easter April 4, 2010 Type of lamb wanted - 30-45 lbs live weight, milk fed and fat. Easter or Greek Easter April 4, 2010 Type of lamb wanted - 40-55 lbs live weight, milk fed and fat. Passover March 30-April 6, 2010 Type of lamb wanted - 30-55 lbs, milk fed and fat.

Rosh Hashanah Sept 8-9, 2010 Type of lamb wanted - Forequarters from weaned lambs 60-110 lbs.

Start of Ramadan - can vary by a day depending on the actual sighting of the moon. August 11, 2010 Type of lamb wanted -Weaned market lamb 60-80 lbs. Id al Fitr - The Festival of the Breaking of the Ramadan Fast September 11, 2010 Type of lamb wanted - same as for Ramadan. Id al Adha - The Festival of Sacrifice Nov 17-20, 2010 Type of lamb wanted - 60-80 lbs. However, heavier old crop lambs are also in demand and will frequently command the same price as new crop lambs.

19

ESTABLISHMENT, LONGEVITY AND USE OF KURA CLOVER-ORCHARDGRASS PASTURES

Phil Holman

Superintendent Spooner Agricultural Research Station

University of Wisconsin-Madison Spooner, Wisconsin

Kura Clover Establishment:

Kura Clover mixed with orchard grass was established on Field #9 at the Spooner Ag Research Station in 1997. In 1996, the north half of the field was corn while the south half was bluegrass and quackgrass pasture. The north half of the field established successfully while the south half had some kura clover but it was a minor component of the pasture mix. In 2005, the south half of field was killed. Kura clover and orchardgrass were seeded in the spring of 2006.

Since that time several attempts have been made to add kura clover to existing pastures by

no-till interseeding however there has been limited to no success. Four other fields (#2, 3, 4 & 15) all have varying degrees of kura clover. Most often there is a solid stand of kura clover near each pasture gate entrance. We theorize that when the ewes congregate near the pasture entrance, either excessive grazing/trampling of the grass or additional manure is creating conditions where the kura clover is surviving better than the grasses. The remaining portions of these pastures have some kura clover but it is a relatively low percentage.

Thus, in order to successfully establish a kura clover-orchardgrass pasture, it is recommended

to start with a clean field. 1) Fall killing or full tillage following grain crops will achieve the clean field. 2) Soil test and apply lime or fertilizer as needed. 3) Direct seed in spring without competition of a cover crop. 4) Use appropriate rhizobia inoculant for the kura clover. 5) Control weeds by clipping and removing – Grazing could be used if pastures are dry

and firm however this will cause some damage to the kura clover 6) Remember that kura clover takes three years or more to fill in so be patient!

Kura Clover Longevity:

The kura clover established in the north half of field #9 was established in 1997 and appears to be PERMANENT. In fact, this pasture has become 70-90% kura clover in most places. The grass component is mainly Kentucky bluegrass with some orchardgrass remaining.

In 2003, much of the orchardgrass was winterkilled. Thus, in 2004 an attempt was made to

increase the orchardgrass percentage by using herbicide to weaken the kura clover while interseeding orchardgrass. This appeared to work fine during that year, however, another difficult winter killed much of the newly seeded orchardgrass. No other attempts have been made to change the pasture composition since then.

20

Reasons for Wanting Kura Clover in our Pastures:

1. Kura clover is a long-lived perennial that once established should be a permanent component of the pasture.

2. Clovers reduce nitrogen fertilizer needs and costs for pastures. 3. Kura clover mix pastures have yielded 0.9 ton dry matter per acre more than grass

mix pastures in both 2000 and 2001 (Spooner ARS Field Data). 4. Kura clover mix pastures have higher forage quality than grass pastures (see Table 1).

Table 1. Forage Analysis of Kura Clover Mix Pasture and Grass Mix Pasture from Spooner Ag Research Station in June of 2004. Pasture 9-SW 9-NW 9-NW 4-South Date 6/8/2004 6/15/2004 7/8/2004 7/13/2004 Species Grass Mix Kura Mix Kura Mix Orchardgrass Crude Protein 19.92 23.39 21.72 17.24 ADF 36.27 30.75 28.67 37.78 NDF 52.32 39.87 37.53 55.03 Relative Forage Quality

174

222

223

184

Reasons for Choosing Orchardgrass for the Kura Mix Pastures:

1. Orchardgrass is a good complementary grass with kura clover by not being overly aggressive during establishment, giving time for kura clover to establish.

2. Orchardgrass survives grazing reasonably well and regrows fairly quickly. 3. Vegetative orchardgrass has fairly good forage quality and palatability.

Downsides of Orchardgrass for the Kura Mix Pastures:

1. Orchardgrass sometimes matures quickly too quickly so grazers need to be willing to skip and clip pastures when maturity causes forage quality to decline.

2. Orchardgrass occasionally will winter kill and need re-establishment

21

FENCING OPTIONS FOR PASTURE UTILIZATION

Randy Cutler Cutler Fence, LLC

Auburndale, Wisconsin

Randy Cutler has been running Cutler Fence LLC for over five years, fencing all over Wisconsin. His emphasis has been on the grazing community, but has built a few horse, dog, and manure pit fences as well. Session objective: Fencing options for controlled grazing and protection from predators. During this fast paced interactive workshop Cutler will cover: Perimeter Fencing

1.Woven wire High tensile 9-39-6 with wood posts @ every hill & dip and steel T posts @ 16-20’

spacing single or double H braces. Proper H brace construction stretching using a stretcher bar.

2. Barbed Wire

High tensile 12-14 gage 8 wires spaced @ 0”, 4”,8”, 12”, 16”, 24”, 32”& 42” T post @ 16’ H braces single or double

3. High Tensile Electric

4-5- 6 wire, spaced @ 8-16-24-32-42, floating braces, composite, fiberglass, wood, or plastic posts NO STEEL Spaced @ 30’ with wood post @ every hill, dip, or curve

4. Electrified Woven Wire

7-36-24 high tensile, floating braces, plastic composite fiberglass or wood posts, spaced @ 30 ‘ High Tensile Smooth Wire at Ground Level: Woven wire at 5-7” above ground, stretched with gripples, disk or ratchet style Tightners, insulated corners with porcelain strain insulators and W’s or pin locks on wood post

Cutler Fence, LLC 715-305-5670 rcutler@tznet.com

22

2010 PERFORMANCE OF THE SPOONER AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH STATION FLOCK

Yves M. Berger

Researcher Spooner Agricultural Research Station

University of Wisconsin-Madison Spooner, Wisconsin

Mature ewes >2year old

EF = East Friesian L = Lacaune

EF x L EF x L EF Lacaune Katahdin crosses

Total

Breeds of rams Hamp Dairy Dairy Dairy Lacaune No. of ewes at breeding

64 109 38 6 5 222

No. of ewes at lambing

61 108 38 6 5 218

No. of ewes aborted

0 0 0 0 0 0

No. of ewes lambed

57 104 37 6 5 209

No. of lambs born 101 196 85 12 9 403 No. of lambs weaned at 30 days

90 161 73 12 8 344

Fertility 93% 96% 97% 100% 100% 95.2% Litter size 1.77 1.88 2.29 2.0 1.8 1.93 Survival rate to weaning

89% 82% 86% 100% 89% 85%

Weaning age (days)

27 30 31 30 30 30

Weaning weight 31 28.8 26.8 31.6 26.6 29.1 Birth weight 12.5 12.1 11.8 13.3 10.3 12.15 No. of lambs weaned per ewe at breeding

1.41 1.48 1.92 2.0 1.6 1.55

23

Ewe lambs (< 1 year old)

EFxL EF L LxKa Katahdin Total Breeds of ram

Dairy Dorset EF L Lacaune

No. of ewes at breeding

72 11 4 20 10 117

No. of ewes at lambing

72 11 4 20 10 117

No. of ewes aborted

0 0 0 0 0 0

No. of ewes lambed

62 11 3 18 8 102

No. of lambs born

90 17 4 26 18 155

No. of lambs weaned at 30 days

59 14 4 21 14 112

Fertility 86% 100% 75% 90% 80% 87.2% Litter size 1.25 1.55 1.33 1.44 2.25 1.52 Survival rate to weaning

65.5% 82% 100% 80.7% 77.8% 72.25%

Weaning age (days)

34 34 32 37 32 35

Weaning weight

25.1 25.9 27 26.2 22.7 25.2

Birth weight 11.2 11.7 11.9 9 9.4 10.6 No. of lambs weaned per ewe at breeding

.82 1.27 1.0 1.05 1.4 .96

24

2009 milk production by lactation and genotypes

Number of

ewes1

Weaning systems2

Average production (pounds)

%BF Average days at milking

1st lactation ½ EF ½ Lacaune ¾ EF ½ Katahdin 1/2Lacaune

8 D30 249 5.6 117

7/8 EF and EF 23 DY1 511 5.3 187 7/8 Lacaune and Lacaune

5 DY1 419 5.8 162

Lacaune x EF 51 DY1 542 5.6 188 DY1 Total ewe lambs3 79 DY1 525 5.5 187 2nd, 3rd, 4th lactation

Katahdin 8 D30 30 55 ¾ EF 4 DY1 721 5.9 228 ¾ Lacaune 3 DY1 380 7.2 144 7/8 EF and higher EF

42 DY1 795 5.6 229

7/8 Lacaune and higher Lacaune

12 DY1 843 6.3 237

Lacaune x EF or EF x Lacaune

137 DY1 842 5.97 227

Dorset x E or L or EL

2 DY1 718 6.9 200

Total adults3 200 DY1 821 5.9 227

All ewes 279 DY1 737 5.7 216 1Number of ewes: including all ewes having been milked at least 20 days 2Weaning systems: DY1= Ewes put at milking 24 hours after lambing. DY30= Ewes put at milking 30 days after lambing and after weaning their lambs. 3Katahdin or Katahdin crosses not included in number and averages

25

Total production (pounds) # of ewes % of flock >1000 lbs 49 17.5% 900-1000 35 12.5% 800-900 32 11.4% 700-800 41 14.6% 600-700 46 16.4% 500-600 28 10% 400-500 21 7.5% 300-400 9 3.2% 20-300 18 6.4%

26

PAST RECEIPIENTS OF THE SHEEP INDUSTRY AWARD

Presented at the Spooner Sheep Day

Sponsored annually from 1960 through 1992 by the Great Lakes Wool Growers

Cooperative, sponsored annually by the Spooner Agricultural Research Station from 1993 through 2002, and sponsored biennially by the Spooner Agricultural Research Station

from 2004.

1960 Roy Richards 1961 Ed Warner 1962 Robert Moore 1963 Carl Rydberg 1964 Harlan Seyforth; Hans Horne 1965 Art Strommen 1966 Walter Rowlands 1967 Martin Johnson; Ed Wild 1968 Pat Keleher 1969 Will McKerrow 1970 Art Pope 1971 Fred Langhoff 1972 Melvin Walker 1973 Lyle Baltz 1974 Arno Dittbrenner 1975 Roland Marschall 1976 Rudy Erickson 1977 Vern Felts 1978 Clifford Fellows 1979 Roger Harris 1980 Fred Geisler 1981 Lyle Lamphere 1982 Dick Vatthauer

1983 Tom Larson 1984 Jim Elphick 1985 Dick Vilstrup 1986 Rudy Van Fleet 1987 Elmer Kohlstedt 1988 Dick Boniface 1989 Bob Black 1990 Len Frye 1991 Roger Ekstrand 1992 Vernon & Nellie Stogdill 1993 Dan Brew 1994 Hal Koller 1995 Bob Rand 1996 Lyle Roe 1997 Bill Johnson 1998 Richard & Sylvia Roembke 1999 Dianne Kaufmann 2000 Larry & Emily Meisegeier 2001 Richard Schlapper 2002 David Erb 2004 Jeff Kieffer 2006 Ed & Pam Dittbrenner 2008 Yves Berger

27

INDEX OF ARTICLES FROM SPOONER SHEEP DAY PROCEEDINGS FROM 1995-2009

Copies of articles can be obtained at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Sheep Extension Web Site (http://www.uwex.edu/ces/animalscience/sheep/index.html) or by

contacting Dave Thomas

Department of Animal Sciences University of Wisconsin-Madison

1675 Observatory Dr. Madison, WI 53706 dlthomas@wisc.edu

1995 Welcome - Robert E. Rand Impressions of Dairy Sheep Production in the U.K. and France - David L. Thomas, Yves

M. Berger Growth and Reproduction of 1/4 East Friesian Lambs - Yves M. Berger, David L.

Thomas Successful Breeding of Ewes Out-of-Season - Jonathon E. Wheaton Predator Control with Guard Dogs - Rodney R. Littlefield Annual (Italian) Ryegrass Frost Seeding Trial - Michael Casler, Bob Rand Raising Lambs on Pasture or in Complete Confinement - Yves M. Berger Reproductive Performance of Romanov X Targhee and Finn X Targhee Ewes in an

Accelerated Lambing System - Yves M. Berger, David L. Thomas Introgression of the FECB Allele of the Booroola Merino into a Rambouillet Flock -

Bruce R. Southey, David L. Thomas, Randy G. Gottfredson, Rob Zelinsky and Chris J. Lupton

Influence of the Booroola FECB Allele on Follicular Dynamics - J.R. Gibbons, K. Kot, D.L. Thomas, M. Wiltbank and O.J. Ginther

1994-95 Lambing Performance of the Spooner Agricultural Research Station Flock - Yves M. Berger and Richard A. Schlapper

1996 Welcome - Robert E. Rand Ration Balancing for the Sheep Flock - Randy Gottfredson Lamb and Milk Production of East Friesian Crossbred Ewe Lambs - Yves M. Berger Early Economic Data for the Milking Sheep Flock at the Spooner Agricultural

Research Station - Russell Kiecker Opportunities Raising Feeder Lambs - Lyle Roe Strategies for a Profitable and Competitive Sheep Production System - Thomas K.

Cadwallader Sheep Import Possibilities and Procedures - David L. Thomas Electronic Identification of Sheep - Yves M. Berger Development of a Dairy Sheep Research Facility - Yves M. Berger and David L. Thomas Introgression of the FECB Allele of the Booroola Merino into a Rambouillet Flock -

1996 Progress Report - Bruce R. Southey, David L. Thomas, Randy G. Gottfredson, and

28

Rob Zelinsky 1995-96 Lambing Performance of the Spooner Agricultural Research Station Flock -

Yves M. Berger and Richard A. Schlapper

1997 Welcome - Robert E. Rand Future Direction for the Wisconsin Sheep Breeders Cooperative - Rudy Erickson A Pasture System for Prolific Sheep - Janet McNally Early Experimental Results for Growth of East Friesian Crossbred Lambs and

Reproduction and Milk Production of East Friesian Crossbred Ewes - Yves M. Berger and David L. Thomas

Financial Analysis of the Economic Data for the Milking Sheep Flock at the Spooner Agricultural Research Station - Russ Kiecker

Are Sheep in the Future of Commercial Agriculture in the Midwest? – Clark BreDahl Lamb Mortality and Causes - A Nine Year Summary at the Spooner Agricultural

Research Station - Yves M. Berger Hormonal Control of Ewe Reproduction - Randy Gottfredson The Use of Fecal Egg Counts and a Simple Method for Fecal Egg Count Estimation - Ed

Haugen Is the Sheep Production System at the Spooner Agricultural Research Station

Economically Viable? - Yves M. Berger Introgression of the FecB Allele of the Booroola Merino into a Rambouillet Flock -A

Progress Report - B.R. Southey, D.L. Thomas, R.G. Gottfredson, and R. Zelinsky 1996-97 Lambing Performance of the Spooner Agricultural Research Station Flock -

Yves M. Berger and Richard A. Schlapper 1998 Welcome - Robert E. Rand Mentor Shepherd Program - Rudy Erickson Raising Lambs on Milk Replacer - Yves M. Berger and Richard A. Schlapper Early Experimental Results of the Effects of Three Weaning Systems on Commercial

Milk Yield, Milk composition and Lamb Growth of American East Friesian-Cross and Dorset-Cross Ewes – Brett C. McKusick, Yves M. Berger, and David L. Thomas

Kura Clover – A Promising Pasture Legume for Wisconsin – Ken Albrecht A Comparison of Transcervical and Laparoscopic Intrauterine Insemination

Techniques on Reproductive Performance of Ewes - Brett C. McKusick, David L. Thomas, Randy G. Gottfredson, Robert D. Zelinsky, and Yves M. Berger

Milk and Lamb Production of East Friesian-Cross Ewes - David L. Thomas, Yves M. Berger and Brett C. McKusick

Something's Not Quite Right... - Yves M. Berger Introgression of the FecB Allele of the Booroola Merino into a Rambouillet Flock -A

Progress Report - Arin E. Crooks, David L. Thomas, Robert D. Zelinsky, Randy G. Gottfredson, and Brett C. McKusick

An Economic Comparison Between a Dairy Sheep and a Non-Dairy Sheep Operation - Yves M. Berger

1997-98 Lambing Performance of the Spooner Agricultural Research Station Flock -

29

Yves M. Berger and Richard A. Schlapper 1999 Welcome - Robert E. Rand What Have We Learned About Artificial Insemination in Sheep? - Randy Gottfredson Feeding Ewes Better for Increased Production and Profit - Dan Morrical Rumen-Protected Bypass Fat for Dairy Ewe Commercial Milk Production - Brett C.

McKusick, Yves M. Berger and David L. Thomas Progress Report: A Comparison of Market Lambs Sired by Suffolk Rams of United

Kingdom or U.S. Origin - David L. Thomas, Yves M. Berger, Brett C. McKusick, Randy G. Gottfredson and Rob Zelinsky

Effects of Three Weaning/Rearing Systems on Commercial Milk Production and Lamb Growth Brett C. McKusick, Yves M. Berger and David L. Thomas

Preliminary Results: Effects of Udder Morphology on Commercial Milk Production of East Friesian Crossbred Ewes -Brett C. McKusick, Yves M. Berger, and David L. Thomas

Introgression of the FecB Allele of the Booroola Merino into a Rambouillet Flock -A Progress Report - A.E. Crooks, D.L. Thomas, R.D. Zelinsky, R.G. Gottfredson, B.C. McKusick

1998-99 Reproductive Performance of the Spooner Agricultural Research Station Flock - Yves Berger

2000 Welcome - Yves M. Berger Research Report - Mike Bertram Effect of the FecB Allele of the Booroola Merino on Weight of Lamb Marketed Per Ewe

When Introgressed into a Rambouillet Flock - A. E. Crooks, D. L. Thomas, R. D. Zelinsky, R. G. Gottfredson, and B. C. McKusick

A Comparison of Market Lambs Sired by Suffolk Rams of United Kingdom or U.S. Origin - David L. Thomas, Yves M. Berger, Brett C. McKusick, Randy G. Gottfredson, Rob Zelinsky, and Guilherme Rosa

Physiologic Factors that Modify the Efficiency of Machine Milking in Dairy Ewes - B. C. McKusick

Lamb Meat Adjustment Assistance Program - Andy Bourget, USDA-Farm Service Agency

As a Sheep Producer, Should I Consider Sheep Dairying? – Yves Berger 2000 Reproductive Performance of the Spooner Agricultural Research Station Flock -

Yves Berger 2001 Welcome - Yves M. Berger Agronomy and Horticulture - Mike Bertram Genetics of Scrapie Resistance in Sheep - David L. Thomas Strategies for Out-of-Season Breeding - Lowell Slyter Dairy Sheep Production: A Viable Farming Option? - Tom and Laurel Kieffer Less is More - Bob and Amanda Nusbaum

30

Alternative Sheep Production, Feeding Local Lambs - Dan P. Riley Establishment and Economics of Short Rotation Intensive Culture (SRIC) Poplar

Plantations - Kevin A. Schoessow Performance of a New Pasture Legume, Kura Clover, in Wisconsin - Kenneth A.

Albrecht The Effect of Three Times a Day Milking at the Beginning of Lactation on the Milk

Production of East Friesian Crossbred Ewes - Linda de Bie, Y.M. Berger and D.L. Thomas

Comparison of East Friesian-Crossbred and Lacaune-Crossbred Ewe Lambs for Dairy Sheep Production - David L. Thomas, Yves M. Berger, Brett C. McKusick and Randy G. Gottfredson

Preliminary Observations on Milk Flow and Udder Morphology Traits of East Friesian Crossbred Dairy Ewes - Brett C. McKusick, Pierre-Guy Marnet, Yves M. Berger and David Thomas

Effect of Omission of Machine Stripping on Milk Production and Parlor Throughput in East Friesian Dairy Ewes - B.C. McKusick, D.L. Thomas and Y.M. Berger

Effect of Presence or Absence of Corpora Lutea on Milk Production of Mid-Lactation Dairy Ewes - B.C. McKusick, M.C. Wiltbank, R. Sartori, P.G. Marnet,

D.L. Thomas and Y.M. Berger 2000-2001 Performance of the Spooner Agricultural Research Station Flock - Yves

Berger 2002 Welcome - Yves M. Berger Early History of the Spooner Station and the Roll of the Station in Introduction of the

Targhee Breed in Wisconsin - Rudy Erickson Reprints from Old Issues of the Wisconsin Cooperative Wool Growers News - Rudy and

Martha Erickson Pre -1980 Sheep Research at the Spooner Station - Art Pope Forty Years of Sheep Research at Wisconsin (Reprinted from 1988 Spooner Sheep Day

Proceedings) - Art Pope Sheep Project 1953 -1954 (Reprinted from a 1954 mimeograph) - Carl Rydberg Reducing Labor in Sheep Production - Thomas K. Cadwallader Use of Super-Prolific Breeds and Artificial Rearing of Lambs - Yves Berger Fertility of Targhee and Finn x Targhee Ewe Lambs Mated in November (Reprinted

from 1976 Spooner Sheep Day Proceedings) - Carl Rydberg Raising a 200% Lamb Crop - How to GET it Started (Reprinted from 1985 Spooner

Sheep day Proceedings) - A. L. Pope Raising a 200% Lamb Crop - Breeding Program Considerations (Reprinted from 1985

Spooner Sheep Day Proceedings) - R.A. Kemp Raising a 200% Lamb Crop - Handling the Flock at Lambing Time (Reprinted from

1985 Spooner Sheep Day Proceedings) - Tom Cadwallader Reproductive Performance of Romanov Crossbred Ewes in Comparison to Finn

Crossbred Ewes (Reprinted from the 1992 Spooner Sheep Day Proceedings) - Yves Berger

Reproductive Performance of Romanov x Targhee and Finn x Targhee Ewes in an

31

Accelerated Lambing System (Reprinted from the 1995 Spooner Sheep Day Proceedings) - Yves Berger and David Thomas

Raising Lambs on Milk Replacer (Reprinted from the 1998 Spooner Sheep Day Proceedings) - Yves Berger and Richard Schlapper

Dairy Sheep - The Research Emphasis Starting in 1993 - David L. Thomas Milk and Lamb Production of East Friesian-Cross Ewes in Northwestern Wisconsin

(Reprinted from the 1998 Spooner Sheep Day Proceedings) - David Thomas, Yves Berger and Brett McKusick

Effects of Three Weaning and Rearing Systems on Commercial Milk Production and Lamb Growth (Reprinted from the 1999 Spooner Sheep Day Proceedings) - Brett McKusick, Yves Berger and David Thomas

The Effect of Three Times a Day Milking at the Beginning of Lactation on the Milk Production of East Friesian Crossbred Ewes (Reprinted from the 2001 Spooner Sheep Day Proceedings) - Linda deBie, Yves Berger and David Thomas

Effect of Reducing the Frequency of Milking on Milk Production, Milk composition, and Lactation Length in East Friesian Dairy Ewes (Reprinted from the 2001 Spooner Sheep Day Proceedings) - Brett McKusick, David Thomas and Yves Berger

Is Machine Stripping Necessary for East Friesian Dairy Ewes? (Reprinted from The Proceedings of The 7th Great Lakes Dairy Sheep Symposium, 2001) - Brett McKusick, David Thomas and Yves M. Berger

2001-2002 Performance of the Spooner Agricultural Research Station Flock - Yves Berger

2004 Welcome and Station Update – Yves M. Berger Ultrasound Fat and Muscle Measurements of Live Lambs as a Predictor of Carcass Fat

and Muscle Measurements and Changes in Ultrasound Rib Eye Area and Fat Thickness as Lambs Grow – C.J. Hiemke, Li-yin Lee, D.L. Thomas, T.A. Taylor, R.G. Gottfredson, S. Pinnow

Composting Farm Animal Mortalities - Dan Short Options for Midwest Ewe Flock Expansion – Kelley O’Neill Wisconsin Livestock Identification Consortium – Leanne Ketterhagen Developments with Kura Clover-Orchard Grass Pastures – Phil Holman 2002-2003 Performance of the Spooner Agricultural Research Station Flock – Yves

Berger and Richard Schlapper 2003-2004 Performance of the Spooner Agricultural Research Station Flock – Yves

Berger and Richard Schlapper 2006 Welcome and Station Updates -Yves M. Berger Direct Sale of Lamb to the Ethnic Market and Non-Ethnic Market - Dan Guertin Marketing to Culturally Diverse Families - Judy Moses So You Want to Direct Market Lamb? - Steve and Tammy Schotthofer Family Rules and Regulations Regarding Direct Market Meat Sales - Gary Onan Variable Effectiveness of Radio Frequency Ear Tags and Rumen Boluses for Electronic

Identification of Sheep - D.L. Thomas, M. Hernandez-Jover, M. Rovai, M. Bishop, G.

32

Caja, Y.M. Berger, T.A. Taylor, B. Bishop, L. Taylor, R.G. Gottfredson, M. Frank, R. Schlapper, B. Bolan, and W. Keough

Dealing with Drought in Pasture Systems - Phil Holman Pasture Research and Demonstrations - Phil Holman Estimating Pasture Forage Availability - Claire Mikolayunas and Steve Eckerman Body Condition Scoring of Sheep - James M. Thompson and H. Meyer 2005-2006 Performance of the Spooner Agricultural Research Station flock – Yves

Berger 2008 Welcome and Station and CALS Updates – Philip Holman, Superintendent, Spooner

Agricultural Research Station and Dwight Mueller, Executive Director, Agricultural Research Stations, CALS, UW-Madison

Sheep Production Economics in 2008 - Yves M. Berger and David L. Thomas Using Co-Products from the Corn Milling Industry in Sheep Rations - Dan Morrical Can Your Wool Be Worth More? - Paul and Carol Wagner Evaluation of Emergency Forage Crops - Paul Peterson, Dan Undersander, Marcia Endres,

Doug Holen, Kevin Silveira, Mike Bertram, Phil Holman, Doug Swanson, Rich Leep, Vince Crary, and Craig Sheaffer

Is Grazing the Way to Beat High Feed Costs? – Dan Morrical Getting More Out of Your Pastures: Managing ewes and lambs on pasture 2007-2008 Performance of the Spooner Agricultural Research Station Flock - Yves

Berger 2009 UW-Madison Spooner Agricultural Research Station 100th Anniversary – Philip

Holman Economics of Dairy Sheep Operations - Yves M. Berger Protein Utilization in Lacating Dairy Ewes - Claire M. Sandrock, David L. Thomas, and

Yves M. Berger Experiences Feeding Corn Silage to Dairy Ewes– Paul Haskins The Bright Future for Sheep Dairying – Sid Cook Effects of Prepubertal Growth Rate of Ewe Lambs on their Subsequent Lamb and

Wool Production - David L. Thomas and Yves M. Berger Update on the Crossbreeding Trial between the Katahdin and Lacaune Breeds – Yves

M. Berger 2009 Lamb Production and 2008 Lactation Performance of the Spooner Agricultural

Research Station - Yves M. Berger