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 36^th in the state in small ruminant production, with around $100,000 in gross sales each year. Many of the farms in the county are small farms and have less than 50 head. One of the main challenges with small ruminants in Kentucky is parasite control. This is due to weather, pasture availability and growing anthelmintic resistance. Throughout the year, agents are asked how to manage them in different ways. Because of this, the need for a FAMCACHA certification was discussed with county Agriculture and Natural Resources agents in the Grayson, Breckinridge, and Hancock Counties.

The use of the FAMACHA© system allows small ruminant producers to make selective deworming decisions based on an estimated level of anemia in sheep and goats affected by barber pole worm infections. It aids in selective deworming, minimizing the use of dewormers and slowing the rate of drug resistant parasite population development. ANR agent partnered with the Kentucky State University’s small ruminant veterinarian to conduct the program. Seventeen participants from Grayson, Breckinridge and Hancock Counties attended the three-hour training. The hands-on session allowed participants to use the FAMACAHA card to check eye lid color and determine whether those animals needed to be treated. There was a variation of colors in the animals so participants could see different levels of the FAMACAHA card.

All 17 participants were able to receive their certification and take information back to their farms to use in their decision-making process on their farms as it refers to deworming and parasite management. The goal of this program is to better equip producers with the skills needed to help better their herd health overall, as well as decrease the resistance of anthelmintics by taking a proactive approach.