1009 Twilight Trail
Frankfort, KY  40601
502/352-2434
info@kysheepandgoat.org

Would ewe like to know more about milking sheep and goats?  No kidding, there's a Field Day coming up that ewe can't afford to miss!  Click here for more info.

Mike Feldhouse with Kentucky Farm Bureau's "Across Kentucky" radio show recently visited with Ray Bowman about drought-stressed pasture recovery using sheep and goats to control invasive unwanted plants.

The 2008 American Dairy Goat Association National Show will be held July 12-19 in Louisville, KY at the Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center.  For more info, visit the ADGA website or http://www.ohkynationals.org/

See more on our "Upcoming Events" page

Effective July 1, 2008, all sheep and goats must be identified with a Scrapie animal ID ear tag or other official individual animal ID prior to being unloaded at the point of sale.  Click here to read the official notification from Kentucky State Veterinarian Robert C. Stout, DVM.
For more information about the disease and efforts underway to eradicate Scrapie in the United States, click here.

 This DVD features farmers and expert fur trappers who discuss coyote behavior and management, provide recommendations for fencing to exclude coyotes and teach how to quickly and efficiently trap problem coyotes.  (Kentucky Sheep and Wool Producers Association vice-President Bob Maurer is featured.)  Contact us or call the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources  Information Center at 800-858-1549 for more information.

The hot, dry summer of 2007 that reduced availability of pasture for grazing and diminished hay supplies going into winter did little to quell the enthusiasm of Kentucky goat and sheep raisers.  Kentucky’s goat inventory on Jan. 1, 2008, actually increased compared with the same time in 2007, while the estimated number of sheep remained the same.

 “I’m frankly amazed at these numbers, considering everything sheep and goat producers had to deal with last summer,” notes Ray Bowman, executive director of the Kentucky Sheep and Goat Development Office.  “Drought, rising grain costs and lower than average prices for livestock hit our growers hard.  It’s a true testament to the viability of the industries that we continued to hold our own and even experience some growth during such difficult times.”  Bowman says the new year has brought a welcome resurgence in live animal prices.

According to the National Agriculture Statistics Service (NASS) all meat and other goats in Kentucky on January 1, 2008 were estimated at 81,400 head, an increase of 7,400 or approximately 10% from January 2007.  Milk goats at 5,900 head, was up 600 head from the previous year’s estimate.

 The total number of sheep in Kentucky at that time was estimated at 37,000 head, unchanged from the previous year’s estimate.  All breeding sheep and lambs were estimated at 30,000 head and all market sheep and lambs were estimated at 7,000 head, both unchanged from 2007.  Breeding ewes increased by 1,000 to 23,000, while breeding rams were unchanged at 2,000 head.  Replacement lambs numbered 5,000, a decrease of 1,000 head from 2007.   Lamb crop for 2007 increased by 6,000 from last year to 31,000 head.

 In 2007, there were 83,000 farms in Kentucky, 1,400 of them raising sheep and lambs and 4,100 raising goats.  Again, sheep held steady while goats gained 200 operations.

"I think you can pretty well judge your skill as a stockman by the amount of commotion you make. The better you understand your animals (and yourself), the less commotion you will need to make."

To see the complete New Farm article "Getting Along With Animals" click here

 The 2008 Kentucky Goat Management and Marketing Calendar is now available for $5.00 per copy + $3.00 shipping and handling.  Order on-line or e-mail info@kysheepandgoat.org to find out how to order yours today.

Need some reading material?  Place your Amazon book order through us!

The KySGDO encourage all the Commonwealth's sheep and goat producers to apply for the Kentucky Department of Agriculture's "Kentucky Proud" program.  Find out more about the program by visiting their web site.  Just click the logo on the left.

"For all the modern discoveries, shepherding is an ancient scientific culture and teaches people more than they intended to learn and brings out qualities in them they might not attain directly through moral ambition."
Garrison Keillor

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