Author: Steven Musen
Major Program: Small Ruminants
The small ruminant population in Jessamine County continues to increase and the Jessamine County Goat Producers Association continues to work hard to promote the goat production industry among the adult and youth residents. With roughly one third of the farms in the county are made up of less than 40 acres of land (USDA NASS). While this size of farm may not be very suitable for grain crops and cattle, farms of this size can support small livestock such as sheep and goat. Additionally, through i
Author: Jerusha Lay
Small Ruminant WorkshopsState wide the number of haired sheep producers has been steadily increasing with katahdin being the predominant breed. Many of these producers are new to small ruminants/sheep. In the region of Breckinridge County many of these new farms were searching for knowledge and expertise. The Kentucky State University county agent contacted state specialist Jerusha Lay.The first of a series of workshops was scheduled and held at the extension office in Breckinridge County. 12 pr
Author: Donald Ely
Sheep numbers in Kentucky on January 1, 2013 was only 43,000 head. Numbers increased to 70,000 head on January 1, 2019. Much of this increase can be attributed to the development of the Small Ruminant Profit School (SRPS) in 2014 by the University of Kentucky, Kentucky State University, Kentucky Department of Agriculture, and the Kentucky Sheep and Goat Development Office. This school, in concert with the ongoing University of Kentucky Eweprofit Schools, was designed to train
Author: Levi Berg
Due to Henry County’s topography and soil, animal production has always been strong in Henry County. Even though cattle production dominants the livestock field, small ruminant production such as goats and sheep contribute over $180,000 annual in sales, and there are over 2,100 head of small ruminant in Henry County according to the 2017 USDA Agricultural Census. With this knowledge, Henry County Extension’s Summer Intern and Agricultural Agent decided to host a series of small rumin
Author: Daniel Carpenter
After receiving multiple requests for information about sheep production from local farmers and new landowners, we saw a need for educational courses to be offered to cover this topic. LaRue County ANR Agent reached out to the Kentucky Sheep and Goat office for educational materials and was provided with course materials known as Small Ruminant Profit School (SRPS). SRPS was developed to assist the many new producers that are entering into the business of sheep and goat production and are strugg
