In Taylor County, approximately 40% of the farms are made up of less than 50 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 improvements made in marketing options and market prices, sheep and goat are a sustainably viable option for many small farms.

In 2018, the Adair, Green, and Taylor County Cooperative Extension Service collaborated to offer the Center of Kentucky Sheep and Goat short course.  The program consisted of three educational workshops focusing on management, nutrition, and marketing of sheep and goat.  The program attracted 30 participants from the three county area.  90% of the participants already had sheep or goat however many of them were just getting started in the enterprise.

Participants gained knowledge through presentations by specialist from the University of Kentucky, Kentucky Department of Agriculture, and Kentucky State University.  As a results, post evaluation surveys revealed that 63% of the participants improved their pastures by seeding improved forages suitable for sheep and goat production.  78% of the participants implemented practices relating to health and marketing which will result in higher priced received on sale day. 

Participants of the program expressed further interest in local Extension programming in Sheep and Goat.  Additional program will be provided by the Cooperative Extension Service in the future to meet the needs of sheep and goat producers in Adair, Green, and Taylor Counties.