This document provides information on various topics related to integrating sheep and goats into farm operations, including: - Historical contexts of diversified family farms versus more specialized modern conventional farms. - Factors to consider when selecting farm enterprises like personal goals, resources, markets. - Relationships between enterprises can be complementary, competitive, or supplementary. - Examples of how sheep and goats can utilize unused resources or provide outputs for other enterprises. - Main products from sheep and goats include meat, fiber, milk, and land management. - Marketing options including commodity sales and direct marketing. - Infrastructure and management considerations for sheep and goat operations.

1. SUSAN SCHOENIAN (Shāy-ne-ŭn)
Sheep & Goat Specialist
Western Maryland Research & Education Center (WMREC)
sschoen@umd.edu - sheepandgoat.com - wormx.info

2. HISTORICAL, 1940’s
 Diversified family farms
Mix of farm enterprises
 Integrated
Crops + livestock
 Mostly subsistence
with some supplemental income MODERN, CONVENTIONAL
 Larger farms
 More specialization
Fewer enterprises
 More purchased inputs
Feed, fertilizer, and pesticides
 Greater use of technology

3.  Goals and objectives
 Personal preference
 Location and climate
 Resource inventory
 Land – feed
 Buildings, equipment
 Labor - management
 Capital - own vs. borrowed
 Markets - demand
 Relationships among
enterprises

4. COMPLEMENTARY
COMPETITIVE
 Enterprises
which require
the same
resources at the
same time.
 One enterprise
contributes
directly to another.
SUPPLEMENTARY
 Enterprises
which utilize
resources that
might otherwise
go to waste.

5.  Utilize unused labor.
 Example: It is common to lamb/kid in
winter when labor is more available
vs. spring when field work
commences.
 Utilize unused land,
building(s) or equipment.
 Example: old poultry houses or
tobacco barns can be used for
lambing/kidding and/or feeding.
Dairies, hog farms can be repurposed
for small ruminants.
 Provide an outlet for
products or by-products
from other enterprises.
 Examples: a dairy farm could feed
waste milk to orphan lambs/kid.

6.  Pasture-crop rotations
 Nutrient recycling
 Manure for fertilizer
Organic fertilizer
 Mixed species grazing
 Complementary grazing behaviors
 Improved parasite control
 Weed and pest control
 Biological control (grazing)
 Wool mulch
 Milk for feeding other livestock
 Market diversification
Farmer’s market, CSA

7.  When sheep/goats compete
with other enterprises for the
same labor.
 When sheep/goats compete
with other enterprises for the
same land or feed resources.
 When (additional) specialized
equipment must be purchased
to raise sheep/goats.
 You need to determine which
enterprise(s) will make better
use of competing resources.

8.  Meat sheep and dairy goats
probably have the most
profit potential.
 You need a lot of sheep
and/or goats to make a
significant amount of
income (to make a living).
 Example: 500 ewes x $30
profit/head = $15000/year.
 Production most likely
needs to be intensive or
semi-intensive, unless a
significant amount of land
is owned and/or rented.

9.  Meat
 Fiber and skins (pelts)
 Milk (dairy)
 Land management
Vegetation control
 Agritourism

10.  Primary reason sheep and goats are raised.
 Meat production is a by-product of dairy and
fiber production.
 Half of lambs and almost all goats produced
in U.S. are consumed by non-traditional (non-
commodity) markets (e.g. ethnic and direct
markets).
 Prices, especially for lambs, tend to peak
prior to or at various religious holidays, e.g.
Orthodox Easter, Muslim Festival of the
Sacrifice.
 Prices can fluctuate widely due to differences
in supply and demand and poor and/or lack
of infrastructure.
 US imports more than 50% of sheep and goat
meat, mostly from New Zealand and
Australia.

11. COMMODITY (LIVE ANIMAL)
 Public auction
Primary method sheep/goats are sold.
1. Local (e.g. Westminster)
2. Terminal (regional, e.g. New Holland)
3. Special sale(s) (e.g. Easter)
 Feeder, grazer
 Middleman
1. Broker, dealer, order buyer
2. Co-op or pool
3. Direct marketer
4. Abattoir (meat processor)
5. Live market

12. DIRECT
 Meat (carcass, cuts, processed)
Requires USDA-inspection and labeling
 Farmer’s Market
 Farm store
 Restaurant
 Retail store
 CSA
 Internet
 Live animals
 Ethnic customers
 May include on-farm slaughter by
customer (you may not assist)
 Freezer trade
 Facilitate slaughter at local abattoir.
 Customer buys live animal and pays
processing costs.
 Breeding stock and youth projects.

13. SHEEP
 Fine wool
Rambouillet, Merino
 Medium wool
Dorset, Polypay, Columbia, Finn
 Coarse (long) wool
Romney, Lincoln, Border Leicester
 Specialty wools
Breed, type, color, heritage breed
 Hair or hair x wool crosses
Fiber/fleeces generally not marketable
and will lower value of wool clips, if
mixed in. Pelts are marketable.
GOATS
 Mohair
Angora goats
 Cashmere
Cashgora
Cashmere x Angora crosses
 Pygora
Pygmy x Angora crosses

14. COMMODITY MARKET
 There are no commercial
(commodity) markets for
fibers other than white wool.
 Annual MarylandWool Pool
Maryland State Fairgrounds
Mid-June
DIRECT MARKETING
 Fleeces (raw)
 Direct to hand spinners
 Fleece shows and sales
▪ Maryland Sheep &Wool Festival
May 7-8, 2016
www.sheepandwool.org
 Value-added
 On-farm processing
 Custom processing
▪ Yarn
▪ Batting
▪ Roving
▪ Bedding
 New products
insulation, fertilizer, packing boxes

15. MILL AT MEADOWLANDS
 Randallstown
www.themillmeadowlands.com
SINGLETON FIBER
PROCESSING LLC
 Frederick
 www.singletonfiber.com

16.  Sheep and goats were domesticated
and milked long before cows.
 Sheep and goats vary in their ability to
produce milk (quantity + quality)
 There are specific breeds of sheep and
goats that have been bred and
selected for dairy production.
 Goats produce more milk whereas
sheep produce higher quality milk
(better cheese yield).
 Some people that are unable to
tolerate cow’s milk may be able to
drink goat or sheep milk and/or
consume products made from their
milk.

17. ALLOWED
1. Grade A dairy
Fluid milk, cheese, and other
products manufactured from milk.
2. Grade B dairy
Cheese and other products
manufactured from milk.
3. No certification required
To sell soap or lotion
Dairy products for personal
consumption
WHAT ABOUT RAW MILK?
 Illegal for human consumption in
Maryland; legal in 37 states via
sales or shares
 Can sell raw milk cheese, with
certain restrictions.
 Must register with state to sell raw
milk for pet food

18.  Goats are natural browsers
and prefer to eat brush, briars
browse, tree seedlings, and
twigs, whereas sheep are
grazers and prefer to eat
grass and forbs.
 Getting popular!
sheep + solar panels
Fee-based grazing
 Lease sheep and/or goats
for grazing jobs.
 Operate a turn-key operation:
provide transportation, fencing,
water, shelter, and expertise.
I should
be paid to
eat this.

19.  Petting farm
 Farm tours
 Farm store
 Farm Education
 School field trips
 Spring shearing
 Spring lambing, kidding
 Sheep and goat races

20.  Land and feed
 Shelter
 Machinery and
Equipment
 Predator control
 Labor
 Capital
 Market(s)

21.  Feed is the major cost associated
with raising any livestock (usually
more than 70% of production
costs) and the female (ewe or
doe) consumes most of the feed.
 Forage (pasture and hay) can
provide the majority of nutrients
required by sheep and goats.
 However, forage does not usually
meet the nutritional needs of all
small ruminants, especially high-
producing ones (e.g. young
and lactating) or during periods
of poor forage production (e.g.
summer, winter).

22.  How many animals one
acre of pasture can support
varies and depends upon many
factors including…
▪ Season
▪ Plant species
▪ Rainfall
▪ Grazing management
▪ Length of grazing season
▪ Amount of supplemental feeding
 A common rule of thumb is 2 acres per cow (1000 lbs.) or 500 lbs. of
grazing animal per acre (e.g. 500 lbs. ÷ 160 lbs. = ~3 ewes per acre).

23.  With cool season grasses, there
is usually too much forage in the
spring, not enough in the
summer, and practically none in
the winter.
 These inequalities can be
managed by…
 Mowing pasture(s) in spring
or removing a hay crop.
 Adjusting animal numbers
according to forage availability.
 Providing supplemental
feed as necessary.
 Planting legumes and warm season
plants to improve summer grazing.
 Extending the grazing season by grazing
stockpiled forage (e.g. fescue) or
annuals (brassicas, small grains).
annuals.

24.  Unless you have enough land to
provide year-round grazing, you will
have a winter feeding period;
sometimes a summer feeding
period.
 How much harvested feed you need
depends upon species, size
(weight), productivity, and duration
of feeding period.
Winter: usually ¼ to ½ ton per female
e.g. 120 days x 4 lbs/head = 480 lbs.
 Good quality grass hay can usually
meet the nutritional needs of dry
females – but not growing lambs
and kids or (late) pregnant/lactating
females.
 Grain is usually given to females during late
pregnancy and/or early lactation to meet
their increased nutrient requirements and
improve productivity.
½ -1 lb. per head during late gestation
1 to 3 lbs. per head during lactation
 Supplemental feed is usually given to
young stock if higher levels of
performance are needed and/or
desired.

25.  A building that can house
animals (or provide cover) to
protect them from cold, heat, or
other inclement weather.
 ~15 ft2 per female housed
 16-202 for females + offspring
 Standing room for shelter
on pasture.
 A place to store feed
and equipment.
 ¼ to ⅓ ton of hay per female
 A place to work the animals.
 A place to isolate new or sick
animals.
 Comfort for humans!

26.  Fencing – major expense
 Perimeter
1. Woven wire with extra wires
2. Multi-strand, high-tensile, electric
3. Adapt existing fences
 Interior
▪ Permanent or temporary
 Temporary
▪ Electric netting
▪ Polywire, tape, or rope
 Own equipment vs.
custom hire.
 Small equipment for docking,
castrating, shearing, etc.

27.  Sheep and goats, especially lambs
and kids, are very vulnerable to an
array of predators including
domestic and wild dogs, coyotes,
bears, foxes, bobcats, cougars,
wolves, and various birds of prey.
 Predator control starts with a good
fence. Also helps with neighbor
relations.
 Livestock guardians can be effective
deterrents to predators: livestock
guardian dogs, donkeys, and llamas.
 Other options include night penning,
shed (indoor) lambing/kidding, and
fall or winter lambing/kidding, scare
tactics, and lethal methods, such as
shooting, trapping, and denning.

28.  Breeding
Natural < artificial
Pen or pasture < hand mating
 Lambing and kidding
pasture lambing < shed (indoor) lambing
spring < winter
 Health care
Especially parasite control
 Hoof care
 Shearing
Hair sheep
 Marketing
commodity < direct
live animal < carcass or meat

29.  Who?
 What?
 Where?
 When?

30. SCRAPIE ERADICATION
 All sheep and goats must be
identified with official USDA
scrapie tags when they leave
their place of birth and enter
commerce (with few
exceptions).
NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT
 A nutrient management plan
is required for all livestock
farms than have more than 8
animal units (8000 lbs) or
more than $2,500 in gross
income.

31. 1) Federal (USDA) inspection
• Includes pre and post-mortem inspection
• Can sell meat, if properly labeled
• For all sales of meat, including interstate
2) **Personal exemption**
• Owner processes animal (on farm) for own use; can
share meat with family, friends, unpaid employees.
• Is permissible for buyer to slaughter animal on
farm, if no assistance is provided by seller; meat
can be shared with family, friends, unpaid
employees.
3) Custom-Exempt
• Animal is processed for owner
• Inspection of facility; no animal inspection
• Meat labeled NOT FOR RESALE
• Suitable for freezer trade (whole/half carcasses)

32.  All sheep and lambs are
subject to check-off
assessment, regardless of
what kind of sheep they
are or how they are sold.
 Established in 2002.
 Established 13-member
American Lamb Board
whose purpose is to increase
demand forAmerican lamb
and increase the value of
American Lamb for all
segments contributing to the
check-off.
 Approved by majority of
producers who represent a
majority of the volume of
lambs sold.
$ 0.007 per lb. of live animal
+ $0.42 per carcass
= $1.12 for a 100-lb. lamb

33.  Veterinary prescriptions will be
required for antibiotics which are
put in feed or water for livestock.
 Aureomycin (oxytetracyline) only
antibiotic FDA-approved to put in
sheep feed (to control abortions
caused by vibrio and chlamydia).
 Current labeled dose is ineffective.
 No extra-label drug will be allowed.
 Also FDA-approved to feed to lambs to
improve growth and feed efficiency.
 Won’t be allowed anymore.
 Label claim will need to change from
growth promotion to disease prevention.
 No antibiotics approved to feed to
goats or add to drinking water.
 No extra label drug will be allowed
 NewVFD will affect how some
antibiotics are marketed.
 Transition fromOTC to prescription (Rx)
 Example: sulfa drugs for coccidiosis

34.  Easy to handle
 Minimal capital investment
 Can adapt existing facilities/fencing
 Quick return on investment
 Greater reproductive potential
 Adaptable to different production
systems and philosophies
 Multi-purpose, different profit centers
 Growing demand for products
 Demand is often inelastic
 Access to best markets in US for sheep
and goats.

35.  Marketing
 Low per capita consumption
 Competition from imports
 Lack of infrastructure
 Status as minor species
 Animal health products
 Veterinary services and expertise
 Shearers
 Slaughter capacity
 Access to credit
 Production risks
 Predators (high fencing costs)
 Parasites (dewormer resistance)
 High labor requirements

36.  Choose the right species
Grass pastures – sheep
Browse, woodland - goats
 Choose the right breeds
or crosses.
 Start with sound, healthy animals.
“You get what you pay for.”
 Good biosecurity; most diseases walk
onto the farm in an infected animal.
 Proper nutrition usually includes
pasture, hay, grain, and minerals.
 Don’t get sheep and/or goats if you
don’t genuinely like them.

37.  Web portal: www.sheepandgoat.com
 Social media
 Wild &Woolly Quarterly Newsletter
 Webinar short courses
 All-day conferences
 Integrated Parasite Management Workshops
 Western Maryland Pasture-based Meat Goat
PerformanceTest and carcass contest
 4-H animal science program
 E-mail: sschoen@umd.edu

38. Thank you for your attention.
Do you have any questions?