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After attending the Small Ruminant workshop in Canton this past weekend it got me thinking a lot. Many people start getting animals and putting them together before they have plans put into place. Dr. Weaver did a great job of breaking down the steps we should be thinking about before we start acting on them.
1. Develop a Marketing Plan- Do this before you put any animals together or before you purchase any. This plan can include things like how you plan to market your product, or what you are going to do if you get too many. Ask yourself questions such as: What am I going to do if I get all boys instead of girls? What am I going to do if I have more than I can handle? How can I market my animals? (whether hair or meat). These are important questions to ask yourself when it comes to marketing your animals.
2. Develop a Timeline- Sit down and figure out when you want to put the ram/buck in and when you want to lamb/kid. Some things to keep in mind is lambing/kidding in the hot summer months is hard on the ewe/doe, lambing/kidding in spring or fall may be more ideal for some operations. Also, putting ram/bucks in during the hot summer months may delay the breeding period due to summer heat. When it gets really hot the fertility in the males go down due to the high temperatures.
3. Develop 3 Goals for Your Operation- These goals may change throughout the year and thats ok. Developing 3 main goals and working towards those are steps in having a succesful operation. Some examples of goals may be: Increasing grass production, Self-Sufficient animals such as breeding to have better hooves, and less parasite problems, or developing a better marketing plan.
It is important to keep your marketing plan and goals in mind throughout the year. While your goals are likely to change throughout the year that is ok, that will happen. Try to match your marketing plan, timeline and goals up if you can to help maximize your production. |
