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HELLO
TO ALL OF YOU NEBRASKA LAMB AND WOOL PRODUCERS! -
Dwight Tisdale, NSIA President It is lambing time for most of you, which makes us
hopeful for a good lambing percentage and good lambing price. The 201 assistance program appears to offer
us the opportunity to achieve better lamb price through less important lamb
competition. The USDA has not published
the final 201 assistant rules yet, so the exact rules are not available. There is speculation of direct payments to
reward producers for the production of
feeder lambs with superior frame size and muscling as well as for working to
ensure a more even lamb production cycle year round. By working to even the production cycle year round, the US sheep
industry should be better able to fend off export displacement of their
products due to the current seasonality of the US lamb industry. There has been 10 million dollars allotted
for this part of the program. There
will also be another projected 10 million dollars for producers’ loans through
FSA loan programs for commodities.
Another project part of this program is a nation wide Scrapie control
and eradication program. There is a lot
of frustration with the time delay with getting answers to the 201 assistant
rules. I can say with confidence, that
this program will be available in the future, but we must be patient while
waiting on USDA to announce the final rules. When we look forward at producing a consistent lamb
supply, I believe that the Nebraska sheep producers are in excellent position
to improve the US sheep industry and meet the project goals of the 201
assistance program. We have a large
variety of sheep breeds capable of producing high quality lamb carcasses as
well as lambs out of season. With the
availability of cheaper crop residues and excellent production feeds we can
spread out the supply of lamb and still be price competitive. I feel that there are excellent
opportunities today in the sheep industry for profitability and Nebraska sheep
producers can be a part of that.
Total
sheep and lambs 1-1-2000 in Nebraska 102,000 ASI
TO USDA: SIZE DOESN'T MATTER DENVER,
Colo. - ASI's Board of Directors wants the USDA to know that size doesn't
matter when it comes to helping the entire American sheep industry increase its
competitiveness. The USDA last week announced details of a $100 million
industry assistance package that was part of President Clinton's decision last
summer to help the U.S. lamb industry recover from a devastating surge of cheap
lamb meat imports from Australia and New Zealand. The
USDA's press release of Jan. 13, 2000, indicated that part of the package, $30
million in direct producer assistance payments for productivity improvements,
was targeted at "small and medium-sized producers." "This
industry needs every single producer - small, medium and large -
that it can get. This much needed industry assistance package is designed -
by presidential order - to help the entire American lamb industry regain
its competitiveness in the face of foreign competition. No producer should be
discriminated against in this assistance program because of size," said
David Greene, a Maryland sheep producer with about 100 commercial ewes who
represents the eastern United States on the ASI Executive Board. The
payments as announced by Secretary Glickman are to encourage productivity and
are not income support payments. With this in mind, ASI's Board of Directors
was unanimous in the view that the size restriction is a discrimination against
the larger operations in the industry. The directors unanimously passed a
resolution urging the size restrictions be dropped from the package. The
resolution regarding the 201 package read as follows: "Whereas the emphasis of the federal 201 adjustment should be on how individual projects will improve the competitiveness of the American sheep industry as a whole, and Whereas
individual farm and ranch competitiveness is obviously important, and Whereas
the 201 funds must contribute to overall sustainable industry competitiveness
and involve all operations, Be it
resolved that ASI should encourage the elimination of any reference to size of
farming and ranching operation in the dispensing of grants, loans, and/or
payments as part of the 201 assistance package." Dr.
Enrique Figueroa, USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Agriculture's Marketing &
Regulatory Programs, discussed the highly anticipated trade adjustment package
at ASI's recent annual convention. Dr. Figueroa said the direct payment portion
of the program would require a public rule making effort. USDA
has not provided most of the details about the package, but will be following
up with ASI. It is unknown when the proposed rule on the payments will be
released for industry comment. A final rule is issued after the comments are
reviewed. It is unknown what producers must doto become eligible for the direct
payments for productivity. Also unknown is what the application requirements,
guidelines, rate or time frame of the payments will be. The
three-year assistance package included four main areas: $30 million for
direct producer assistance payments, $15 million for animal health, $15 million
for government purchases of lamb meat and $5 million for marketing and
promotion. Also, included were $25 million in loans for processors and $10
million in additional loan opportunities for producers. For
more information: contact: Peter Orwick, Executive Director, 303-771-3500
x 35 Cathy Cummins, Communications, 303-771-3500
x 35, ccummins@sheepusa.org Laura
Gerhard, Communications, 303-771-3500 x 30 USDA
SEEKING COMMENTS ON LIVESTOCK IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is seeking input on a
multiple-purpose universal livestock numbering system through which
livestock would be identified by "official" eartags. "An American Identification
Numbering System could be of great assistance in many areas including
interstate and international movement, food safety, animal health and genetic
evaluation," said Paul Rodgers, director of animal health and product
safety for the American Sheep Industry Association. "It also would reduce
the need for multiple identification systems and devices, thereby increasing
tracking accuracy and lowering long-term tracking costs." ASI has worked with several groups,
including the Livestock Conservation Institute, on a good ID model, and
recently passed a resolution endorsing the concept and development of voluntary
individual, permanent animal identification with consideration of international
standards based on practicality and feasibility. The action was published in
the March 3rd Federal Register. APHIS documents published in the Federal
Register, and related information, such as the names of organizations and
individuals who have commented on APHIS rules, are available on the Internet at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ppd/rad/webrepor.html Consideration will be given to
comments received on or before May 2. Persons wishing to comment should send an
original and three copies to Docket No. 99-090-1; Regulatory
Analysis and Development; PPD, APHIS, Suite 3C03; 4700 River Road, Unit 118;
Riverdale, MD 20737-1238. Staff
contact: Paul Rodgers ext. 65 INTERSTATE
MOVEMENT REGULATIONS There
have been many questions regarding the
newly proposed interstate
movement regulations. The Animal
and Plant Health Inspection Service
of the USDA has proposed a rule
restricting the interstate movement of
sheep and goats from states that do not
follow effective flock management
for scrapie. The proposed rule is a 21
page document that is published in the Federal Register. There have been three
major proposal changes and they are as follows: **Further
restrictions on the interstate movement
of sheep and goats from states that do
not consider scrapie a reportable
disease or do not quarantine infected
flocks or source flocks. They are
proposing standards describing how a
state must conduct a quarantine in
order to avoid further
restrictions on interstate movement of
animals. **Additional
official identification requirements of
the interstate movement of sheep and
goats to allow for a more effective
national program for
surveillance for scrapie positive animals. The proposed identification requirements are similar to those of swine and cattle. **Reinstatement
of scrapie indemnification program for
sheep and goats that owners agree to
destroy. The owners of high risk
animals and those animals diagnosed as
scrapie positive by an approved live
animal test would be eligible
for indemnity payments. The ASI has come out in favor of this proposed rule change, and they have also issued a press release that "The proposed APHIS regulation
ONLY applies to flock owners who wish
to move sheep or goats from state
to state." For more information you can go to
http://www.aphis.usda.gov and type, the word scrapie in the search engine. CREEP FEEDING LAMBS By Tom Drudik, Extension Sheep Coordinator In the
future, profitability will be determined more by managerial decision-making
than by the amount of land, labor, and capital that the farm controls. One management decision that sheep producers
will need to make is whether to creep feed lambs. Creep feeding is a management practice of making supplemental
feed available only to nursing lambs.
Creep feeding is desirable because lambs gain as much as one-third to
one-half a pound per day more when their milk diet is supplemented with
grain. This practice is most beneficial
to early born spring lambs that are reared in dry lots and pushed for early
markets. Before
discussing creep feed rations, we need to have a basic understanding of the
digestive tract. The gastrointestinal
tract is a complex system in the ruminant animal that begins with the mouth,
teeth, and tongue and ends with the rectum.
In between the two ends of the sheep is a long digestive tract through
which all ingested feeds must pass while being exposed to ruminal fermentation
and digestive enzymes. The main
components of the gastrointestinal tract include the esophagus, reticulum,
rumen, omasum, abomasum, small intestine, cecum, large intestine, and rectum. The
abomasum is the largest stomach compartment in the newborn lamb. At birth, the reticulum and rumen are
nonfunctional, so the lamb, digestively, is like the monogastric (pig or human)
newborn. The suckling process directs
the milk around the rumen-reticulum directly into the abomasum. For the rumen to develop, dry feed must be
consumed. As lambs begin to nibble on
dry feedstuffs, the rumen-reticulum compartments are inoculated with
microorganisms. The microbes multiply
and digest the consumed feedstuffs with the primary end product being volatile
fatty acids. The microbial digestion
stimulates growth and development of the rumen and reticulum. It enlarges greatly during the first four
months after birth. When the lamb
becomes a fully functional ruminant is not exactly clear. Although two-week-old lambs can digest some
roughage, they cannot be weaned at this time.
Weaning at 50 to 60 days of age can be much more successful because the
microbial population in the rumen has developed adequately to digest the
amounts of dry feed necessary to support rapid growth.
Creep feeds need not be complex.
Palatability, as well as the protein level, are keys to success of
intake. The intake level is the key to
rapid growth. In general, higher
protein feeds tend to be more palatable, thus creep feeds are higher in
protein. The lambs may only require
12-14% protein, but the more successful creep feeds will be in the range of
18-20% protein. Medication to prevent
coccidiosis is recommended. Many times
because of convenience, medication and lack of proper mixing equipment,
purchasing a commercial creep feed may be a wise decision. Lambs tend to start quicker on feeds in a
meal form and when feed is kept fresh.
Usually
all creep rations will include an energy feedstuff, a protein source, a
roughage source, and dust inhibitors or palatability enhancers. Corn is most often used as an energy feed
while soybean meal is a good protein source.
Molasses is most often used to keep dustiness down and also to enhance
acceptance. I prefer to use extruded
soybean meal because of the high oil content that keeps the dust to a
minimum. The following is an example
ration that can be used after the lambs have been weaned, until market.
1062
pounds corn
338
pounds extruded soybeans 600
pounds alfalfa ------ 2000
pounds
plus any
feed additives you wish to add
Location
and construction of the creep area is also important for success. The area needs to be accessible by the lambs
and yet keep ewes out. Sometimes a
light over the creep area will attract lambs to the site earlier. Tom Drudik can be contacted at 308-385-5088 or MANAGEMENT OF RINGWOMB IN EWES By
Steve Gramlich, Extension Sheep Coordinator Recent research conducted at West Virginia University
by Nancy Kerr and Robert Dailey sheds some light onto the incidence of ringwomb
that we may see occur in some Nebraska flocks. Ringwomb is defined as a failure of the cervix to
dilate at parturition. Ringwomb causes
sporadic lambing problems and the most recognizable characteristic is the
protrusion of placental membrane from the vulva without noticeable signs of
labor. If uterine contractions continue
to be ineffective in dilation of the cervix the placenta will separate and
result in the death of the lambs. A related problem known as early dilation syndrome
(EDS) can also be a problem and must be differentiated from ringwomb. In EDS there is an incomplete dilation of
the cervix 7-14 days prior to the normal term of gestation. The cervix will open slightly and placental
membranes may be presented. If
assistance is not provided the result will be death of the lambs and
septicemia, toxemia and/or death of the ewe.
Ewes that deliver on their own are often found dead from a uterine
prolapse or uterine tears with evisceration. The remainder of this article will deal with ringwomb but it is important to know which you may be dealing with. Ringwomb is defined as failure of the ewe’s cervix to
dilate at parturition. Failure may be
caused by lack of secretion of hormones that control labor or the tissue’s
response to those hormones. The
condition is not due to fetal malpresentation, premature birth, diseases that
cause abortion, or mineral deficiencies.
Ringwomb has no predisposed association with breed, age, or body
condition score, but is associated with higher lambing percentages. The condition has been estimated to be
responsible for 15 to 32% of the cases of lambing dystocia. It is proposed that the occurrence of ringwomb is
determined by the genotype of the fetus.
Fetuses that are homozygous recessive for the gene mutation responsible
for ringwomb appear to cause the condition in the heterozygous ewe. Although ringwomb occurs more often in ewes
bearing multiple fetuses, ewes with singles have also been affected. There is some thought that this gene may
reside on the same chromosome as Spider lamb syndrome. Recommendations for eliminating ringwomb from a flock
include: culling affected ewes, culling female offspring from affected ewes,
culling ewes with vaginal prolapse or a family history of vaginal prolapse,
culling ewes that are carriers of the autosomal recessive disorder as indicated
by its occurrence in their daughters, and culling ewes that don’t lactate
well. All previous female offspring and
the service sire when the condition occurred should be culled as well. Treatment - Early signs indicating a ewe with ringwomb
are characteristic labored breathing while lying and abnormally large amounts
of thick, clear, vaginal mucus discharge during the last three weeks of
gestation. Prolonged manuel dilation of the incompletely dilated cervix will
result in uterine prolapse, vaginal tears, and/or uterine tears. If ringwomb is detected very early, a Caesarean
section is the most effective treatment in yielding viable lambs. Caesarean section may not be an economical
treatment in most flock situations. SHEPHERD’S CALENDAR •
Vaccinate lambs born 30
days ago with CD/T and at weaning give
booster shot. •
Place lambs on creep
feed if not already done -add
vitamin E to the creep. •
Worm ewes before going
out to pasture and give first shot of
vibrio. •
Flush breeding ewes for
fall lambs. •
Watch for pneumonia in
lambs-it sets in fast as the
weather temps are changing drastically. •
Sell cull ewes-many
people are looking for weed eaters. •
Do routine flock maintenance. •
Select replacement stock
for coming year •
Evaluate forage
resources looking at pasture/range availability and harvested forage needs for
the coming year. •
Develop a drought plan
if dry conditions persist in your area. WESTERN NEBRASKA SHEEP DAY The new sheep alliance being formed in the Kimball,
Nebraska area is holding an educational meeting for everyone interested in the
sheep industry on Thursday, May 11th at the 4-H Building on the
fairgrounds. The alliance was put
together to produce top lambs for the ewe market, and for year-round lamb
production. The alliance recently received
a $20,000 grant through the Partners Project from Kellogg grant funds to help
new producers get started in the sheep business. The keynote speaker for the educational seminar is Dr.
Daniel Morrical of the Iowa State University Department of Animal Science. Dr. Morrical has been Extension Sheep Specialist
at Iowa State since 1984. He has been
responsible for educational programs in all areas of sheep production, ranging
from reproduction, genetics, nutrition and marketing. In addition, Dr. Morrical serves as the Iowa State University
representative to NCR 190 Project on Increasing the Efficiency of Sheep
Production. Dr. Morrical was heavily
involved as co-developer of the National Sheep Improvement Program. Dr. Morrical will talk about several topics including:
factors that impact ewe flock profits, basics on feeding the ewe flock and the
lamb crop, basic sheep health programs, demonstrations of the ration
spreadsheet and “What If’s?” with the ewe flock budget spreadsheets, and
finally reproductive management and out-of-season breeding. There will also be a hands-on opportunity
for participants in the sheep pens for condition scoring, aging, handling and
other basics. The event is co-sponsored by the sheep alliance and
University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension.
UNL Sheep Extension Educator Steve Gramlich will also be present to
address questions pertaining to regional production issues. The registration cost for the meeting is
$7.00 and includes the noon lunch. Registration
will be at 8:30 a.m. and the wrap-up discussion will be at about 3:30 p.m. Everyone in the community is welcome to
attend any or all of the presentations.
Please contact one of the numbers below to assist in planning for lunch. For further information contact the UNL Cooperative
office in Kimball at (308)235-3122 or contact Dwight Tisdale at (308)235-2246. To contact the Nebraska Sheep World Kent Sayer, Editor Steve Gramlich, Assistant Editor Mail to: P.O.
Box 573, North Platte, NE 69103 e-mail Kent
at: ksayer@nque.com Steve at: sgramlich1@unl.edu Phone: Kent
308-532-3629 Steve 308-532-2670 Fax: 308-532-2692 |
