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Small Ruminant Monthly Newsletter

August 2024

Late Summer Edition Newsletter

In this newsletter you will find an article titled "Drought Management Tips". This article has some information that is helpful in times of a drought, and ways to make your forages go further in situations like that.


The next Small Ruminant Club meeting will be October 29th at 6 pm at the NC Cooperative Extension Center (60 East Court Street, Marion). You MUST RSVP by October 28th.


If you have any questions or comments please feel free to call the office and speak with the Livestock Agent, Skyler Murray or email me at skyler_murray@ncsu.edu.

Drought Management Tips

Written By: Matt Poore, Seth Nagy, Dale Monks, Miguel Castillo, NCSU Cooperative Extension

Pasture Management


Stocking rate. During a drought is a good time to evaluate a farmer’s stocking
rate. If pastures are overgrazed and farmers are feeding hay now it is likely because
they are overstocked. Many farmers would benefit from reducing their stocking rate.
They should consider culling unproductive, old or otherwise defective animals while prices are high.


Grazing management

During drought, continuously grazed fields will quickly
become overgrazed and unproductive. In a rotational grazing system animals are
moved through pastures utilizing available forage until no pasture is ready for grazing.


At that time animals are managed in a sacrifice area where they are fed hay. Once
rains return well rested pastures will recover rapidly while overgrazed pastures will not. In continuous grazing systems animals pastures need to be carefully monitored and if close grazing occurs they need to be removed until grass is above the minimum height to graze. The importance of grazing management during a drought can’t be overemphasized.


Forage growth and regrowth will be slower during drought. Hence, adequate
management of grazing will require extra care to balance the amount of forage available in the pasture and the amount of forage needed by the grazing livestock. In order to prevent overgrazing, remove livestock from pastures once the forage has been grazed off to the recommended heights. Guidelines to heights start and stop grazing different types of pasture are provided in AG-939: https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/pasture-grazing-heights-for-rotational-stocking. Because of the drought, expect much longer rest periods wiil be needed before another grazing event. If pastures are continuously stocked, consider removing livestock (just like when stocked rotationally) once the pastures have reached the minimum height.


   Harvested forage management.  


It is critical that farmers plan for their winter hay supply given many are currently feeding their winter hay. Producers should do a feed inventory of their hay and any standing pasture biomass available to determine the possibility of future feed needs. Hay should be sampled for nutrients and nitrate so it can be fed in a balanced ration. Corn silage should be sampled for nutrients and nitratefor ration balancing as well. Drought damaged corn silage is usually higher in moisture and protein than you might expect. Knowing the nutritive value of all your harvested feeds will allow you to allocate the best hay or silage to the groups that have the highest requirements.

Sheep Breeds 

Dorset Sheep


Both horned and polled Dorsets are an all white sheep of medium size having good body length and muscle conformation to produce a desirable carcass. The fleece is very white, strong, close and free from dark fiber. Dorset fleeces average five to nine pounds (2.25-4 kg) in the ewes with a yield of between 50% and 70%. The staple length ranges from 2.5-4 inches (6-10 cm) with a numeric count of 46's-58's. The fiber diameter will range from 33.0-27.0 microns.


To learn more about Dorset sheep click here.


Photo from: Oklahoma State University

Rambouillet Sheep


Mature Rambouillet rams weigh between 250-300 lbs (113-135 kg), ewes range from 150-200 pounds (68-90 kg). Mature ewes will have a fleece weigh of 8-18 lbs (3.6-8.1 kg) with a yield of 35-55%. The fleece staple length will vary from two to four inches (5-10 cm) and range in fiber diameter from 18.5-24.5 microns or 60-80 for the numerical count.


To learn more about Rambouillet Sheep click here.


Photo From: Oklahoma State University

Goat Breeds

LaMancha


The LaMancha goat originated in Oregon by Mrs. Eula Frey from short-eared goats of a type found not only in LaMancha, but throughout Spain. It has excellent dairy temperament and is an all-around sturdy animal that can withstand a great deal of hardship and still produce. Through official testing this breed has established itself in milk production with high butterfat.


To learn more about LaMancha Goats click here.


Photo From: Oklahoma State University

Spanish Goat


These feral goats became known as "Spanish" or "brush goat". Although not of a specific breed ancestry they have developed through natural selection. The term has also become used to describe any goat of unknown ancestry. Most are wild or at least semi-wild. Size varies greatly due to climate, terrain and available breeding stock. Body shape, ear shape, horns, hair and color are not consistent.

To learn more about Spanish Goats click here.


Photo From: Oklahoma State University

Past Webinars


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Extra Information & Articles

Body Condition Scoring

This article was written by the University of Florida. It talks about the importance of looking at the Body Condition Score. It also has great pictures that represent what thin and obese look like on the scale. Something interesting about it, is that it goes into detail of how it would feel if you was handling the animal as well.


LEARN MORE

FAMACHA Information

The NC Extension website has more information on parasite control, and educational videos on how to check your FAMACHA score. The website has great information on wormers, as well as Factsheets for external parasites.

LEARN MORE

Soil Testing Kits

This article was written by an NC Cooperative Extension Employee. This is a well written article, that covers a variety of helpful topics from how and where do I need to take soil samples to how to interpret the report whenever you get it back.

LEARN MORE

Sheep Care Guide

This PDF has great information covering a variety of topics for sheep care.

LEARN MORE
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NC State University and N.C. A&T State University work in tandem, along with federal, state and local governments, to form a strategic partnership called N.C. Cooperative Extension.

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

N.C. Cooperative Extension - McDowell County Center, 60 E Court St, Marion, NC 28752, United States
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