Annual Report - 2025 - Kentucky Sheep and Goat Development Office
- Kentucky Sheep and Goat Development Office
- 9 hours ago
- 2 min read
SHEEP
All sheep inventory, 74,000 head, is up 1% from last year, but above the 70,000 head in 2023. Market lambs inventory remained at 18,000. Breeding sheep and lamb inventory increased to 55,000 head with growth in ewe lambs and rams. Kentucky ranks 23rd nationally for sheep inventory.
GOAT
Meat goat inventory decreased almost 5% from last year to 57,000 head. Milk goat inventory remained steady at 5,800 head. Kentucky ranks 6th for meat goat inventory and 23rd for milk goat inventory.
THE MISSON
The Kentucky Sheep and Goat Development Office is a producer-oriented 501 (c)(5) entity under the oversight of the Kentucky Sheep and Wool Producers Association and the Kentucky Goat Producers Association, originally funded inpart by a grant from the Kentucky Agricultural Development Board. The office provides professional support to all aspects of the Commonwealth's sheep and goat industries and its goal is to maintain Kentucky's leadership in the production and marketing of small ruminants.
OUR CONTRACTORS:
Kelley Yates | Executive Director: kyates@kysheepandgoat.org
Sarabeth Parido | Fiber Director: sarabeth@kentuckysheepandfiber.com
THE 2025 BOARD
Harry Frederick, Chair
Beth Johnson, Vice-Chair
Kay DeMoss, Treasurer
Jeff Royalty, KGPA
Angie French Downs, KGPA
Bea Powell, KGPA
Zack Schwartz, KSWPA
Sue Churchill, KSWPA
Richard Popham, KSWPA
Cheryl Kersey, KSWPA
EDUCATION OUTREACH
SRQA - 208
SRPS - 40
Small Ruminant Master Courses - 17
Annual Conference - 125
Calendars - 650
Blog views - 23,000
Webinar views - 220
Facebook followers - 8,100
EDUCATION IMPACTS
Our SRPS program reached 208 people of whom 100% feel more knowledgeable about small ruminant production and gained skills to help produce small ruminants. Sixty-nine percent found ways to make their operations more profitable, with the same percentage completing an annual management plan. Only 26% of participants who took the course already had animals prior to taking the course.
The online Grazing School, resulted in producers who felt 100% more confident about forage management, choosing and establishing forages in their operations, and plan to make changes to enhance their rotational grazing systems.
In our Nutrition Course, all participants gained more knowledge about small ruminant nutrition, felt more confident in meeting the nutritional needs of their small ruminants after taking this course, and made changes in their operations to better enhance the nutrition of their small ruminants, All the participants said the course was very comprehensive and covered all the topics they needed for small ruminant nutrition.
Of those who took our online Genetics Course, 89% plan to make genetic changes to their flocks/herds based on breed traits learned in the course, 89% felt more knowledgeable about breeding systems, 89% chose selection goals to implement in their flocks/herds, and 79% plan to use EBVs in future genetic selections.
And of the reactions to our Parasite course, all became more knowledgeable about parasites in small ruminants., felt more confident with treatment options, and are going to implement genetic tools in their parasite management.
You can download a copy of the report below:
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