Kentucky Sheep and Goat Development Office

Check-off reporting forms are now on-line.

Click here for the Sheep Check-Off Form

Click Here for the Goat Check-Off form 

Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer announced that Kentucky sheep and goat producers voted in favor of check-offs to assess themselves at a rate of one-half of one percent (.50%) of the net market price of their animals.

In separate referenda held Oct. 1 in county Extension offices throughout the Commonwealth, goat producers approved check-offs by a 75-41 vote, and sheep producers approved by a 32-12 count.

A date when check-off funds will begin to be collected has not been determined. Ray Bowman, executive director of the Kentucky Sheep and Goat Development Office, said the start date will be set after consulting with stockyards.

The collection of check-off funds will be mandatory, but reimbursement of funds paid will be an option to the producer. The Kentucky Sheep and Wool Producers Association and the Kentucky Goat Producers Association will administer the funds in the areas of promotion, consumer information, producer communication, industry information and research.

Kentucky sheep and goat producers may vote on check-offs in separate referenda scheduled to be held Oct. 1 in county Extension offices throughout the Commonwealth, Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer has announced.

The referenda ask whether sheep and goat producers wish to assess themselves at a rate of one-half of one percent (.50%) of the net market price of their animals. If the check-off is approved, the Kentucky Sheep and Wool Producers Association and the Kentucky Goat Producers Association would administer the funds in the areas of promotion, consumer information, producer communication, industry information, and research.

Voting will be open Oct. 1 from 8 a.m.-noon and 1-4:30 p.m. local time. Persons directly involved in the production of sheep and goats will be eligible to vote in their respective referenda in their county of residence. Producers will be required to provide identification and complete a certification attesting that they are eligible to vote. Corporate producers and eligible producers who reside outside of Kentucky may vote only in the county where their farm is located. Eligible producers may vote by absentee ballot.

Votes will be tabulated in the agriculture commissioner’s office in Frankfort.

If approved, collection of check-off funds would be mandatory, but reimbursement of funds paid would be an option to the producer.

For additional information, contact Jimmy Henning, assistant director for agriculture and natural resources in the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, at (859) 257-4302 or jimmy.henning@uky.edu, or Craig Maffet, Kentucky Department of Agriculture, at (502) 564-5126 or craig.maffet@ky.gov. 

FRANKFORT, Ky. — Kentucky’s sheep and goat organizations have asked the Kentucky Board of Agriculture to conduct separate referenda on check-offs for Kentucky sheep and goat producers. The Kentucky Sheep and Wool Producers Association asked for a referendum for sheep producers, and the Kentucky Goat Producers Association requested a referendum for goat producers.

If approved, persons directly involved in the production of sheep and goats will be eligible to vote in their respective referenda. Identification will be necessary to vote.

The proposed referenda ask sheep and goat producers to assess themselves at the rate of one half of one percent (.50%) of the net market price. If the check-off is approved, the Kentucky Sheep and Wool Producers Association and the Kentucky Goat Producers Association would administer the funds in the areas of promotion, consumer information, producer communication, industry information, and research.

Although collection of check-off funds would be mandatory, reimbursement of funds paid would be an option to the producer.

For additional information, contact Ray Bowman, Kentucky Sheep and Goat Development Office, at (502) 352-2434 or www.kysheepandgoat.org, or Craig Maffet, Kentucky Department of Agriculture, at (502) 564-5126 or craig.maffet@ky.gov. 

  This will give you an idea of what's happening in other states that have a check-off.

Any producer of goat and/or sheep in the state of Alabama is eligible to cast a vote, but must vote in person at a polling place established in each county.

Any producer of goat and/or sheep in the state of Alabama is eligible to cast a vote, but must vote in person at a polling place established in each county. The office of the Alabama Cooperative Extension System in each county has been established as the official polling location for the referendum. Producers will be able to vote between 8 a.m. and the close of business at their county Extension office.

Program funds are collected by the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries, which remits the funds quarterly to the Alabama Meat Goat & Sheep Producers, a division of the Alabama Farmers Federation. A producer committee representing Alabama Meat Goat & Sheep Producers members from across the state determines how the funds are distributed.

The first Alabama Sheep & Goat Checkoff Program passed in January 2004. Alabama law requires a statewide producer referendum to be held every five years on whether the program should be continued. If approved, funds would be utilized to promote education, market development, research, youth livestock shows and other areas to further the state’s sheep and goat industries.

Wess Hallman, chairman of the Alabama Meat Goat & Sheep Producers, said the checkoff program had been extremely important to goat and sheep farmers in Alabama.

“One hundred percent of the money spent has gone directly to promoting goat and sheep in Alabama,” said Hallman. “Since 2004, we have been able to sponsor countless educational meetings, expose new people to lamb and goat products and ensure the involvement of youth in agricultural activities. We have also allocated a significant amount of resources for other projects like the Small Ruminant Pocket Guide, the purchase of panels to be used at shows and hands-on demonstrations and the distribution of products made from wool.”

The goat industry has experienced rapid growth in Alabama over the past few years, according to the National Agriculture Statistics Service. In 2005, Alabama reported 37,800 head of goats. By 2009, this number has risen to 65,000, almost doubling in less than five years.

Mitt Walker, director of the Alabama Farmers Federation’s Meat Goat & Sheep Division, pointed out that with this type of rapid growth, the checkoff program is more important than ever.

“This program allows farmers to voluntarily contribute to a pool of monies that is then reinvested in promoting the products they produce,” he said. “As the demand for goat and lamb products continues to rise, this program will allow Alabama’s goat and sheep producers to position their products to meet this demand.”

Alabama is currently the only state in the nation with a state sheep and goat checkoff. Although it is voluntary and farmers may request a refund of the assessment, Walker said refunds were at an all-time low in 2008, at about 0.1 percent. “This is a testament to the producer’s support and recognition of the great things the program has accomplished over the last five years.”

For more information regarding the referendum, contact Walker at (334) 613-4757 or (800) 392-5705, ext. 4757 or you can email him at MWalker@AlfaFarmers.org.