Kentucky Sheep and Goat Check-Off 2025 Annual Report
Promotions and Advertising encompassed:
Our AgLand booth at the Kentucky State Fair where we conducted demonstrations on cooking, fleece production, and working dogs. We interact with 5,000 customers and producers to provide educational materials like cooking guides, fact sheets, and coloring books.
Providing coloring books to elementary students attending farm field days and livestock shows
KY Proud Magazine and the Farm Flavor website promoted the production of sheep and goats to over 8000 people within Cooperative Extension, conferences, trade shows, expos, fairs, and other events attended by the Kentucky
Department of Agriculture.
Checkoff also advertises its purpose through the HoofPrint Blog, the Kentucky Sheep and Goat Management Calendars, posters in stockyards, Goat Rancher Magazine, and the American Sheep Industry News.
In January 2025, Checkoff implemented a new program called the Try Something Different Tonight Restaurant Incentive Program. The goal of the program was to get lamb and goat into restaurants that were not already serving the product. The Still in Danville, KY reported having a great experience with the program. "We definitely had some people who came in specifically for the lamb and some who didn’t that ended up loving it." They sold about 41 lamb burgers and 28 rack of lamb orders or about 14 whole racks. Hop's in Clearfield, offered lamb tacos and lamb chops at a Farm to Table dinner soon. The third restaurant, the Farmer and Frenchman hosted a six course chevon-wine pairing dinner on April 24th. The amazing event helped promote KY Goat Month.
In February, Deputy Ag Commissioner Warren Beeler kicked off the celebration of KY Lamb Month by signing a proclamation at the Sullivan University Culinary School where students were provided the American Lamb Board Curriculamb materials designed for food service employees. In April, Warren Beeler signed a proclamation for KY Goat Month as Kentucky Department of Agriculture employees competed for best in show with local market goats.
Checkoff also proudly supports the Kentucky FFA Organization by sponsoring the Sheep and Goat Prepared Speech, and Kentucky 4-H by sponsoring small ruminant awards in the state 4-H Livestock Judging Contest.
Special Projects funded in 2025: Cooperative Extension Agent Small Ruminant Training, Small Ruminant Boot Camps, KY Sheep and Fiber Festival, and the KGPA Field Day. Special project grants provide funding for sheep and goat related projects that either work to increase the supply of sheep and goats in Kentucky or increase the demand for Kentucky
raised sheep and goats and their products.
Checkoff has hosted two successful Small Ruminant Boot Camps in both Cumberland and Harrison Counties. In Cumberland County, participants learned about forages, how to body condition score, how to conduct FAMACHA, and how to control and prevent parasite infestations. All participants said they gained more knowledge about nutrition and health connections, 82% intend to implement new management procedures after the clinic, 82% believe they can improve their parasite problems, and 91% felt more connected to the small ruminant industry. In Harrison County, participants learned about nutrition and health connections, how to body condition score, how to conduct FAMACHA, how to do fecal flotations, and how to control and prevent parasites. All the participants reported gaining more knowledge on nutrition and health connections, more confident in fecal testing, more confident in identifying concerns for the well being of their animals, and how to improve parasite problems in their flocks/herds.
The Kentucky Sheep and Fiber Festival was held on May 17-18, 2025 at Masterson Station Park in Lexington. KSFF is the premier fiber event in Kentucky hosting 70 vendors from all over the country, workshops from popular fiber artists, and multiple demonstrations. Over 5000 people attended the event and 100 people partook in a class. Checkoff sponsors the fleece sale tent where fiber producers from across the state show case and sell their raw fleeces.
The Kentucky Sheep and Goat Check-off is administered by the Kentucky Sheep and Goat Development Office. KSGDO provides all administration of business as outlined by the Checkoff Board. To conduct this business, Checkoff pays KSGDO for the following operating costs: bookkeeping, tax preparation, bonding of treasurer, equipment storage, website/social media management, and to conduct thousands of hours programming as described in this report.
Promoting the increased use and sale of sheep and goats in Kentucky.
(502)682-7780 www.kysheepandgoat.org/check-off
You can download a copy of the report below:
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