Extension
It Starts With Us
Author: Jessica Barnes
Major Program: Small Ruminants (includes sheep, goats) and Exotic animals
We partnered with Harrison County 4-H as well as Tarter USA to offer a course for both youth and adults about small and large animal handling and equipment. We held this 3 hour long course at the livestock barn at our fairgrounds and had 43 in attendance 12 of those were youth participants with 4-H. We designed this program so that the 4-H youth that were present could earn up to 3 livestock credits and the adults could obtain their chute side BQCA training. The program was very well received by
Author: Nathan Rider
Major Program: Small Ruminants (includes sheep, goats) and Exotic animals
Throughout 2022, sheep and goat producers from 37 farms across 13 counties gathered monthly to participate in the Small Ruminant Profit School hosted by the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Office in Bullitt County. The classes utilized a Kentucky Sheep and Goat Development Office curriculum to teach local producers about all aspects of small ruminant husbandry. After the course came to a close, producers were eager to continue meeting for more opportunities to learn from each other.
Author: Deborah Stumbo
Major Program: Small Ruminants (includes sheep, goats) and Exotic animals
Small Farm Development is emphasized with a Workshop for Sheep & Goat Production. A recent interest in growing sheep and increasing the number of goats in Pike County has resulted in a planned workshop, sponsored by Pike County Extension and the Pike County Conservation District. Workshop consisted of a brief training in many aspect of sheep & goat production. Training started with a brief history of sheep & goat production in the US, Kentucky, & eastern Kentuck
Author: Jonathan Oakes
Major Program: Small Ruminants (includes sheep, goats) and Exotic animals
Small Ruminant production has grown by leaps and bounds in the state of Kentucky in the past few years. Leading the way in this grow, has been sheep production. Since the rise in small ruminant production, especially sheep production, Russell, Pulaski, and Casey Counties have also seen a huge rise in sheep production. With this in mind, and the growing number of sheep, and goats, in the Lake Cumberland Area, a workshop was developed with other organizations to bring a workshop
Author: Whitney Carman
Major Program: Small Ruminants (includes sheep, goats) and Exotic animals
Grayson County and surrounding counties are quickly growing diverse in agriculture practices. Increasing age, new farmers, new landownership, input costs, etc. have made people step away from the traditional cattle, hay and crop production we are used to seeing. One of the fastest growing production practices is in the area small ruminants. Based on the 2017 USDA Census of Agriculture, Grayson County ranks 36th in the state in small ruminant production, with around $100,000 in gross sales each y
Author: Kelsey Marcum
Major Program: Small Ruminants (includes sheep, goats) and Exotic animals
Small Ruminant production has seen continuous growth in the state of Kentucky in recent years. Since the rise in small ruminant production, especially sheep production, Russell, Pulaski, and Casey Counties have also seen a huge rise in sheep production. With this in mind, and the growing number of sheep, and goats, in the Lake Cumberland Area, a workshop was developed with other organizations to bring a workshop to Russell County to educate producers on predator control. The fi
Author: David Peery
Major Program: Small Ruminants (includes sheep, goats) and Exotic animals
On March 18, 2023, I attended the Southeast Kentucky Sheep Producers Association annual meeting. This meeting hosted multiple educators and guest speakers who talked on multiple topics regarding sheep production. After speaking, the speakers took questions from attendees and provided a variety of answers and key points. My own purpose in attending was to showcase how to conduct Fecal Egg Float and Egg Count testing to attendees and talk about the ease with which producers can
Author: Timothy Estes
Major Program: Small Ruminants (includes sheep, goats) and Exotic animals
Small ruminant numbers in Hart County has been on a steady increase the past several years. More and more people are seeing the advantages of having small ruminants on their farm especially if they own small acreage. On January 26th, 2023 the Hart County Cooperative Extension service offered a small ruminant production class taught by the director of animal health for the Kentucky Department of Agriculture Dr. Beth Johnson. There were 19 producers in attendance for the class.
Author: Daniel Carpenter
Major Program: Small Ruminants (includes sheep, goats) and Exotic animals
Small ruminant programs in LaRue County have grown in popularity as interest in raising small ruminants has continued to increase. Many small farmers with 50 acres or less are finding that they can make a profit by raising sheep and/or goats. 75% of participants who attend local programs report that they are more profitable from what they learn at meetings. 100% report that they are better educated to provide more comfort and better care for their animals.Many of the classes have involved multip
Author: David Peery
Major Program: Small Ruminants (includes sheep, goats) and Exotic animals
On April 22, 2023, Dr. Jerusha Lay, Morgan Wemmer, and I conducted our clinic on Parasitology for a group of sheep and goat producers at the Harold R. Benson Research and Demonstration farm. The goal of this clinic is to educate producers on the types of parasites that are common to sheep and goats, and demonstrate on how to use a microscope and specified testing materials to run fecal tests for these parasites. &nb
Author: Nicole Rhein
Major Program: Small Ruminants (includes sheep, goats) and Exotic animals
West KY Small Ruminant Field Day ReportChadwick Sheep CompanyMay 2, 2023From forages to feet! The West KY Small Ruminant Field Day, hosted by the Marshall, McCracken, Graves and Calloway County Extension Agriculture Agents and sponsored by the Sheep And Goat Development Check-off, was a jam packed afternoon teeming with opportunities for producers to learn. Participants were enthralled with the on farm speeches and demonstrations relating to profitable small ruminant production. There were three
Author: Matthew Chadwick
Major Program: Small Ruminants (includes sheep, goats) and Exotic animals
From forages to feet! The West KY Small Ruminant Field Day, hosted by the Marshall, McCracken, Gravesand Calloway County Extension Agriculture Agents and sponsored by the Sheep And Goat DevelopmentCheck-off, was a jam packed afternoon teeming with opportunities for producers to learn. Participants wereenthralled with the on farm speeches and demonstrations relating to profitable small ruminant production.There were three sessions which included a speech on feed and reproduction efficiencies, a h
Author: Samantha Anderson
Major Program: Small Ruminants (includes sheep, goats) and Exotic animals
The West KY Small Ruminant Field Day, hosted by the Marshall, McCracken, Graves, and Calloway County Cooperative Extension Service Agriculture and Natural Resources Agents. The program, sponsored by the Sheep and Goat Development Check-off, was a jam-packed afternoon teeming with opportunities for producers to learn. Participants were enthralled with the on-farm speeches and demonstrations relating to profitable small ruminant production.There were three sessions which included a presentation on
Author: Miranda Rudolph
Major Program: Small Ruminants (includes sheep, goats) and Exotic animals
The West KY Small Ruminant Field Day was a multi-county effort put on by the Marshall, McCracken, Graves, and Calloway County Cooperative Extension Agriculture Agents. The Kentucky Sheep and Goat Development Check-off graciously sponsored the event that was a late afternoon full of great learning opportunities to bring their small ruminant operation up to the next level of quality care and profitability. Participants were able to see a live foot trimming demonstration, learn about feed and
Author: Taylor Graves
Major Program: Small Ruminants (includes sheep, goats) and Exotic animals
We have seen an increase in the number of producers who are interested in producing sheep and goats within the state. The Kentucky Sheep and Goat Development Office reached out and wanted to offer a clinic on confirmation for producers. Most producers are looking for lower-priced animals to begin their flock, but this can lead to problems later on. The idea behind teaching confirmation to producers came from a group of experienced producers who were wanting to host a field day. The goal was for
Author: Gary Stockton
Major Program: Small Ruminants (includes sheep, goats) and Exotic animals
There are several people in the county raising a few goats and sheep without much prior knowledge or experience. I had several request to put together a basic program on small ruminant production. The program consisted of basic monthly management necessary to be successful with small ruminants and was marketed to producers with little experience with raising small ruminants. A second presented on predator control was also present to this group. Many of the participants had no knowledge of how to
Author: Chelsea Sapp
Major Program: Small Ruminants (includes sheep, goats) and Exotic animals
The Central Kentucky Goat and Sheep Club has grown exponentially since all meetings and activities were put on hold from 2020 until March 2022 due to Covid and no Ag Agent in Marion County. I first found out about the sheep and goat club through some of its former members wanting to get it started back again. Since then, I have strived to meet on a consistent basis and have guest speakers teach a variety of topics of interest to producers. With the election of officers and changing and upda
Author: Kevin Lyons
Major Program: Small Ruminants (includes sheep, goats) and Exotic animals
With changes in Kentucky agriculture over the past few years, there has been an increase in the number of farmers and rural residents who are raising sheep, goats, or both. Many others are considering entering small ruminant production. Due to the need for sound production and marketing information for our clientele, the ANR Agents of the W7 and W8 Extension areas helped host the KY Sheep and Wool Producers Association Field Day.The KYSWPA invited Extension to collaborate with them on their annu
Author: Gary Bell
Major Program: Small Ruminants (includes sheep, goats) and Exotic animals
With changes in Kentucky agriculture over the past few years, there has been an increase in the number of farmers and rural residents who are raising sheep, goats, or both. Many others are considering entering small ruminant production. Due to the need for sound production and marketing information for our clientele, the ANR Agents of the W8 Extension area helped host the KY Sheep and Wool Producers Association Field Day.The K
Author: Michelle Simon
Major Program: Small Ruminants (includes sheep, goats) and Exotic animals
Campbell County, Kentucky is known for its hilly topography and sometimes rough terrain. Bush honeysuckle has been an ongoing issue for farmers on this rough terrain due to the inability to spray and maintain the land. The combination of this rough terrain and small acreage farms, that have resulted from urban growth, has pushed farmers to raising and producing sheep and goats. These small ruminants do not need as much forage or grazing acreage as cattle or horses which suits them well for the s
Author: Chadwick Conway
Major Program: Small Ruminants (includes sheep, goats) and Exotic animals
Eastern Kentucky has a wealth of reclaimed mine land acreage suitable for grazing livestock. Although many land owners have taken advantage of this for grazing beef cattle, many small landowners are now seeing an opportunity to get involved in sheep production, on a small scale with much lower input cost than beef cattle. Also, with a regained interest in lamb as a choice for meat on the dinner table and in restaurants, we have seen an increase raising lambs across Kentucky. Th
