KHSI Hairald Spring 2011

The Katahdin HairaldQuarterly Newsletter of Katahdin Hair Sheep InternationalVolume 23, No. 1www.katahdins.orgSpring 2011

Welcome New MembersNovember 2010 — February 2011New Youth MembersPearl M Daskam...................................................................................................................... Holly, COIsabelle Jackson................................................................................................................ Lake City, FLJames Rance Miller of Bungalow Farm.............................................................................Sweeden, KYLuke Troyer of Riverside Katahdin ...............................................................................Harrodsburg, KYNatalie T Hodgman of Waldoview Farm..........................................................................Winterport, MEMatthew Beatty of Thousand Oaks Ranch.................................................................Carl Junction, MOTyler Kirkweg of Shauck Livestock Farm ...............................................................................Eldon, MOMary Evelyn Peckenpaugh of Bowen Angus Farms ....................................................... Dyersburg, TNNew Voting MembershipsJames Golden of Wolf Creek Farms ................................................................................... Pell City, ALRandall Kidd of Bryan Farm ..............................................................................................Huntsville, ALAlan Stewart 4S Farm Inc ............................................................................................... Centreville, ALMark & Terri Burton ................................................................................................................. Rudy, ARElaine & Doug Mills of Katahdin Mills Farm ....................................................................... Harrison, ARUSDA-ARS Dale Bumpers Small Farm Research Ctr., Attn: Joan Burke ......................Booneville, ARChristopher Pryor of P Cross 4 ......................................................................................... La Junta, COJim & Amelia Tompkins..........................................................................................................Jasper, FLDonna Sikking of Four S Farms, LLC................................................................................ Pineview, GASteven Brady of Band B Katahdins ................................................................................. New Hope, KYDaniel & Barbara Byler of Clearview Farm................................................................... Munfordville, KYRoy D Jordan of RDJ Farms ................................................................................................Dodson, LAClay Winder of UP Hill Ranch ............................................................................................... Butler, MOElizabeth Brown of Finch Farm .................................................................................. Trumansburg, NYConnie Dickson ......................................................................................................................Avoca, NYJames Leach of Leach Farms ............................................................................................ Martville, NYAmy Wilcox of Clyde River Farms.......................................................................................... Clyde, NYRichard Nettell & Ginger Bruton of Wolf Pond Farm ......................................................Wilmington, NCJeff & Barb Salter of Jefara ...............................................................................................Cameron, NCStephen & Lydell Steiner of Lydell Steiner, LLC ...................................................................Dalton, OHKara Kenagy of Wandering Pine Ranch................................................................................Canby, ORCatherine Martin of Poverty Acres Farm ...............................................................................Liberty, SCGarry Freier ......................................................................................................................... Mitchell, SDSam Kennedy of Glendale Farm .......................................................................................Columbia, TNJim Sewell of Sewell Sheep Farm................................................................................. Sweetwater, TNTed & Angie Fletcher of Rocky Cove Katahdins ..................................................................Duffield, VABryan & Lindsay Helvey ............................................................................................. Maple Valley, WASusan & Richard Gauger of Cedarglen Farm ................................................................. Glen Flora, WIDonald J King of King’s Katahdin Farm................................................................................. Bowler, WI

Spring 2011VOLUME 23 ISSUE 1Jim Morgan & Teresa Maurer, Editorsinfo@katahdins.orgGail Hardy, Graphic Designergail@xpressionsonline.usKHSI OperationsJim Morgan and Teresa Maurer479-444-8441 (ph/fx) • PO Box 778Fayetteville, AR 72702-0778info@katahdins.org • www.katahdins.orgKHSI RegistryKarey Claghorn, KHSI Registrar15603 173rd Ave., Milo, IA 50166641-942-6402 • 641-942-6502-fxregistry@katahdins.orgKHSI Board of DirectorsPresident - Ron YoungVice President - Wes LimesandSecretary/Treasurer - Carl GinappDirector - Howard BrownDirector - John StromquistDirector - Roxanne NewtonDirector - Lee WrightAdvertisingDisplay Ad Rates¬: Contact Operations forcurrent rates and spec sheet. 479-444-8441,info@katahdins.orgClassifieds - Classified sale ads for Katahdinor Katahdin-cross sheep are free to all KHSImembers in the Katahdin Hairald and at theKHSI website. For the Hairald, limit lengthto 40 words.Ad commitment for Summer 2011 Hairalddue March 31, 2011.¬rates for display advertising are subject to changeupon approval of the Board of Directors.Ad design available from:Gail Hardy, Xpressions479-439-0726 • gail@xpressionsonline.uswww.xpressionsonline.usInside This IssueArticlesThe Katahdin Story: 1976-1998.....................................................................................2From Silver to Gold: Continuing the Katahdin Dream, Part 2........................................3Keeping Up The Katahdin Reputation ..........................................................................4Ewes That Don’t Milk, Part 2 .........................................................................................5From the Feed Trough . . . Grain on Grass - Let's Do the Numbers .............................6From the Field: Bob & Amanda Nusbaum.....................................................................8Don’t Forget! Send in Your Sheep Producer Ram Survey to Virginia Tech................10Past KHSI Board Member, Dr Leroy Boyd, Remembered........................................... 14Using Sheep Behavior for Easier Management & Better Production .......................... 15Sheep Buying Station Opens in SW Arkansas............................................................ 17What Can a Marking Harness Tell You?......................................................................18First Certified U.S. Lamb Ultrasound Scanners Complete Course in 2010.................24Regular FeaturesWelcome New Members ..................................................................... inside front coverFocus on EWE-TH — Isabelle Jackson.........................................................................7KHSI Member’s Guide.................................................................................................20Classified Ads..............................................................................................................21Katahdins & Katahdin Breeders In the News ..............................................................22The Resource Shelf.....................................................................................................25Advertisers Index (listed alphabetically) ......................................................................25KHSI Business & Information2011 Katahdin Hairald Deadlines ................................................................................ 12KHSI Board of Director’s Meeting Minutes 12-8-10.....................................................16Transfer Fee Increased on January 1, 2011 ................................................................16Registry & Membership Numbers – Good Trends ......................................................24Coming Events2011 KHSI Expo Sale Requirements...........................................................................10Don’t Wait! Reserve Expo Hotel Rooms Now! ............................................................102011 KHSI Expo Program Features Commercial Production and Sheep Health........ 11SCKA Farm Tour, Annual Meeting & Private Treaty Sale ........................................... 12Dr. Leroy H. Boyd Memorial Katahdin Junior Show .................................................... 14Hairald Calendar.......................................................................................................... 17Katahdin Sale Round Up .............................................................................................19National Meat Goat and Hair Sheep Symposium May 27-29 in San Angelo Texas ...24KHSI 2011 Expo Schedule ............................................................................ back coverCover: "Spring Pasture", 2010 KHSI Photo Contest, photographed by Randy Grover (IL)Pictured Above: "Feeding Hay to Sheep and Cattle", Taken at Bonus Angus Farm. See page 8 for Interview of Bob & AmandaNusbaum (WI)

The Katahdin Story: 1976-1998From Notes byLaura Callan Fortmeyer, KansasEditor’s Note: As part of KHSI’s 25 thanniversary (2010) we asked CharlesParker and Laura Callan Fortmeyer toshare some thoughts about the history ofthe breed and our association. Part 1 ofDr Parker's remarks was published in theWinter 2010 Hairald and Part 2 is in thisissue (page 3). Following is a summary ofLaura’s speech from the 2010 KHSI Expoin Jefferson City Missouri. Laura's talkdealt with the early history of the Katahdinsand highlighted the roles of specificinnovative and visionary people.In 1976, Michael Piel had passedaway suddenly, but his wife BarbaraPiel decided to carry on with hisdream and pursue the goals he haddefined for their newly established“Katahdin” sheep. Their flock wasproducing market lambs conventionallyand Michael had wanted to meetthat market but use a shedding sheepwith improved muscle and growth.The only other shedding sheepthe Piels knew of was the WiltshireHorn, which the Piel Farm acquiredfrom the United Kingdom througha Canadian quarantine process justbefore Michael’s death. During thelate 1970’s, Barbara Piel and herfarm manager, Hubert, incorporatedthe Wiltshire genetics into the flock.However, in the 80’s, this influencewas selected out because of the unsatisfactorycoat, horns, disposition anddecreased prolificacy that it broughtto the crossbreds.Barbara Piel – Sept., 1993Piel Farm continued to experimentwith crosses to increase size andgrowth, but was always disappointedwith wooliness and maternal performance.By the early 80’s, a few flocksof Katahdins were derived from thePiel Farm. Of special note was PaulJepson of Vermont who also workedon outcrossing, especially with the St.Croix.The next player in developingKatahdins was the nonprofit organization,Heifer Project International(HPI), based in Arkansas. MichaelPiel had wanted hair sheep to be includedin HPI’s work, and Katahdinsheep were exported to communitiesin Latin America and West Africa inthe 1970's and 1980’s. The HPI LivestockCenter in Perryville, Arkansas,ended up with extra sheep that werenot needed for these shipments. Thesesheep included Piel Farm Katahdins,Barbados, and Suffolks from California.In 1980, Ed Martsolf at the HPICenter stepped up as a new visionaryfor the breed. Ed had raised sheepin Pennsylvania and was intrigued byhair sheep. He recognized that theywere adapted to Arkansas and coulddo well in a wide variety of humidand subtropical environments, aswell as their native Northern region.He saw opportunities for Katahdins,such as adding sheep to graze withcattle, which would diversify farmenterprises. A hair sheep enterpriseat the Center offered a breeding stocksupply for HPI to export as well as asheep that could work in the SouthernUS.Through the 1980’s the flock expandedat HPI, primarily by meansof upgrading with several sheepsources: Katahdin ewes purchasedfrom Mr. Jepson, mixed-breed percentagehair ewes from the OhioResearch and Development Center,and Barbados, St. Croix and Suffolksfrom the existing HPI flock. Katahdinsproved to be adaptable, unique sheepthat were well-suited for small farms.The potential for the breed appearedunlimited as it began to get exposureand attention through HPI’s efforts.Demand began exploding, especiallyas attempts to end the U.S. wool subsidyamplified.It was also during the 1980's thatHPI and Piel Farm staff got acquaintedand exchanged a few animals. EdMartsolf wanted a breed associationto organize and educate breeders,verify genetics and promote the breed.However, Barbara Piel was against it,because her husband Michael felt that“breed associations ruin breeds”, andPaul Jepson also opposed it. Eventually,Mrs. Piel was convinced becauseshe realized that as numbers of Katahdinsheep expanded, breeders wouldneed services, pedigree authenticationand authoritative representatives. Dr.Charles Parker also influenced Barbara’sreconsideration of the issue.In 1985, an organizing meetingfor the association was arranged atthe U.S Sheep Experiment Station(Dubois, Idaho) through Dr. Parker’sinvitation. Charles Brown, farmmanager, represented Piel Farm, EdMartsolf and Laura Callan representedHPI, Don Williams attended as attorneyand Charles Parker served asconsultant to the group. Incorporationdocuments were agreed to and signed,and Katahdin Hair Sheep International(KHSI), Inc. was established.Later that year, a few breeders metat the North American InternationalLivestock Exposition (NAILE) inLouisville and determined inspectionprotocols for the breed. In 1986and 1987, all known Katahdins wereinspected by Stan Musgrave of Maine,except for Jepson’s flock in Vermontand a couple small California flocks.In 1987, the original flock book for thebreed was established with CharlesBrown and Piel Farm as Registrar.Heifer Project International served asSecretary.In 1991, the HPI organization decidedto disperse its flock. KHSI thenbecame a completely independentorganization and continued to growits membership. Laura (Callan) Fortmeyercontinued to serve as the KHSIOperations officer which includedcommunications with breeders, writinginstructional materials, trackingmembers, organizing inspections,assisting the KHSI Board and annualmeeting hosts. In late 1998, Laurastepped out of her KHSI Operationsrole to have more time for her ownfamily and farm.PAGE 2 THE KATAHDIN HAIRALD • WWW.KATAHDINS.ORGSPRING 2011

From Silver to Gold:Continuing the Katahdin DreamPart 2Presented by Charles Parker,Honorary Member of KHSIAt the 2010 KHSI Expo on Sept. 17,2010 in Jefferson City, MissouriEditor’s note: Part 1 was published inthe Winter Issue of the Katahdin Hairaldwhich you can access at the KHSI Website.Click on KHSI Forms at top of page andchoose Winter 2010 Katahdin Hairald.WHAT HISTORY AND STATISTICSCAN TELL USLet’s look at some other patternsof interest. If you look at sheep-raisingnumbers in past times, there aresome positives during economicallydifficult times. KHSI needs to belooking at these trends. Right now,we are looking at the lowest US lambsupply in more than 70 years, but weare also seeing historic high lambprices. In the US, more than 100 millionethnic customers consume 58% ofavailable lamb, averaging about 5.6 lbsper person per year. In San Angelo,Texas 94% of sales are non-traditionalfeeder lambs, a significant niche market.Katahdins can expand into moreof the operations which are marketingto ethnic consumers.In the 2007 agriculture census,2.2 million farms were tallied, with82,000 of these categorized as sheepoperations. 94% of sheep operationshave less than 100 head. Thereforean estimated 77,000 flocks have 36%of the US sheep inventory. In a 2009American Sheep Industry survey, 28%of those responding said they had nowool sales. The hair sheep populationis not separated out, but estimates arethat there are 400,000-500,000 in theUS, making up 8-10% of the US sheepinventory.Looking at beef, there are 680,000beef cow herds with less than 100head, and 598,000 with less than 49.Opportunities abound for Katahdinbreeders to market to cattle producerswho might be interested in addingsheep for weed management orfor farm diversification.Regionally, the south has 930,000farms (42% of all farms) on 30% of theUS land area. As I mentioned earlier,the sheep industry is growing in thisregion-so why couldn’t this region beKatahdin Country?It’s also worth noting that smallfarms are growing exponentially.Retirement farms and those choosinga rural home/farm lifestyle make up57% of small farms. Wouldn’t thesefarms be a source of growth for customerslooking for easy care/troublefree sheep?Women are a rapidly growing presencein agriculture: of 3.3 million farmoperators, 30% are women, which isa 19% increase since 2002. In agricultureand vet schools, there are morewomen enrolled and the proportion isgrowing. Sheep and goat farms havetwice as many women operators whencompared to other livestock farms andthey often bring a new vision to theirfarming operations. Their uniqueskills and the qualities that womenseek in livestock selection may offergreat Katahdin customer potential.Internationally, seedstock demandfor hair sheep continues to grow.There are Katahdins in the UK, SouthAmerica and the Caribbean, includingCuba. To understand this market, networkingis needed among KHSI, USland grant institutions, state departmentsof agriculture, the USDA foreignagriculture service and others.OTHER "BIG CARDS" STILL IN THEDECKHair sheep meat characteristics, especiallyflavor, seem to offer specialappeal to ethnic and new lamb customers.There is anecdotal evidencefrom customers but no scientific evidencefor flavor. Scientific research onflavor is still on the horizon. For example,the effect of hydrogen sulfideon flavor in wool versus hair sheepneeds further research.Opportunities for brand distinctionindicate that we could learnsomething from the certified Angusbeef success story. For example, JimMansfield in Kentucky is working onhis “New American Lamb” approach.As we learn more about flavor andits change with hair sheep age in ourmeat products, new doors may openfor Katahdin yearlings and meat fromadult sheep.Hair sheep skins may be one ofthe most undervalued products inthe livestock industry. There may belegislation already in place that couldhelp producers realize more value.Though these cards may still behidden in the deck, they indicate thatgreat opportunities exist for Katahdinsheep expansion during the next decade!!!CONTINUING THE KATAHDIN DREAMMichael Piel took Katahdins froma dream to a vision to an ideal. Hewrote about meat sheep withoutwool, one that was prolific, hardyand with acceptable meat conformation.He used breed diversity to createthe genetic balance for his ideal thatbecame known as Katahdin. Passionmakes dreams possible!But change abounds—so where dowe go from here? Dr. J. L. Lush, thefather of modern animal breeding,states that the first step in any animalbreeding program is to decide “whatis ideal”. At this time an adaptable“non-shearing” sheep is what “gotyou to the big dance” but meat productionperformance is what will“keep you dancing”.The purpose of raising sheep variesaccording to our interests. For many,you have already defined/establishedyour ideal. Some will continue to emphasizeselection based on appearanceand enjoy the social aspects of shows,sales and competition. Most of themore than 40 US Breeds follow this“traditional” pattern of breeding.Others will find the challenge ofgenetic improvement for “makingthe best better” through the adoptionof new technology, both a rewardingand fascinating biological endeavor.Regardless of your personal ideal,the future of the Katahdin breed willdepend upon breeders selecting for aportion and/or all of the followingattributes:a) adaptability--ability to handleclimatic diversity and show gastrointestinalparasite resistanceunder diverse conditionsb) reproductive efficiency--isinfluenced by number of lambsraised/ewe per year. Reproductiveefficiency includes selectingCONTINUED ON PAGE 4SPRING 2011THE KATAHDIN HAIRALD • WWW.KATAHDINS.ORG PAGE 3

Keeping Up The Katahdin ReputationIn a Year that We Can Probably Sell Any Ewe That WalksJim Morgan, KHSI Operations OfficeThis year is shaping up to be a goodyear to be in the sheep business. Lambprices are at an all time high. The KHSIOperations Office is receiving calls andemails for ewes. Since December therehave been a record number of calls forgroups of 100 ewes (they are posted atthe KHSI Website, Classified Ads). Itis definitely a good time for most of usto be in the sheep business.In fact, it has been said that “youcan probably sell any female sheepthat can walk to the barn and backfor a premium”. But with that comesa responsibility as a Katahdin breeder.We all have ewes that need to go toslaughter and not be sold as breedingstock. And there are buyers ready toget into the sheep business who donot yet have the basic knowledge tobe successful in the sheep business.Looking at orders for 100 or moreewes as well as other recent orders,FROM SILVER TO GOLD, CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3we have some general observations.These requests indicate that theseare probably novice sheep buyers,because they are using cattle criteriato write their orders. For example,listing the buying time as December-February may show that they do notknow that the best selection of ewesis between May and October. Afteryears with decent markets, ewes left inJanuary are often poorer in quality. Asanother example, recent orders specifytwo-to-three-year old ewes. It is muchmore common in the beef business tosteer clear of heifers (first time calvingcows)—but in the sheep business,shepherds often buy first time lambingewes. These buyers may not realizethat ordering two-to-three-year oldewes may also mean that they misssome excellent ewelambs, and mayend up purchasing culled animals.If we conclude that many of these“sheep wanted” ads are from thosenew to sheep, we as Katahdin breedersneed to act responsibly. If we sellto buyers knowing that they are goingto fail, or if we sell any ewe that walks,we will have lots of new Katahdinraisers who will tell the ranching andfarming communities that Katahdinsdon’t work.We recommend that you checkwith your buyers to make sure theyunderstand how to manage sheep.While Katahdins are easy-care, theydo need to be managed somewhatdifferently than cattle. Check ontheir fencing: 4 strand barb wire isnot enough. Do they have predatorprotection?Short term easy profits can lead toa long-term black eye for the Katahdinbreed. Good customer service, goodquality stock will keep the Katahdinbreed healthy for many years.It is a great year to be in the Katahdinbusiness. We can all work togetherso that it is always a great year to bein the Katahdin business.for prolificacy, maternal behavior,lamb survival--at lambing, milkproduction, number of lambsweaned. All of these traits need tobe packaged in a trouble free/easycare sheep.c) aseasonal breeding—for “yeararound” lamb supplyd) early lamb growth and maturityfor the selected lamb market(s).Beware of emphasis on excessiveframe.Note: 1 divided by age at marketx 150= growth efficiency, where“150” represents the age at whichtraditional market lambs reachthe ideal weight and condition(degree of fatness)/maturity; thisvalue should vary with productionsystem and ideal marketse) carcass value. Some emphasis onconformation and muscle development.Take note of the USDA-MARC research on the myostatingene in the Texel breed.If you have trouble finding the“ideal selection road”, turn onto“Holy Grail Drive”. I assure you, itwill take you to the bank!! Holy GrailDrive, otherwise known as “poundslamb weaned/ewe exposed” is theprofit road.Yogi Berra once said, “If you don’tknow where you are going, you mightwind up some place else.” So, youneed to define your ideal!OTHER THINGS TO WATCH ALONGTHE WAYThe need for genetic diversity isparamount for making genetic changethrough selection. That diversity alsohelps with heterosis retention withouthaving to implement cross-breeding.The dairy cattle industry is beingforced to cross out to breeds with50% of the milk production to gainheterosis to improve disease resistanceand longevity and to find the geneticdiversity needed to continue identifyingsuperior performance.My advice to Katahdin breeders isthat several of you need to keep the“back 40” well fenced and grazed.What breeds need to be consideredfor that back 40? My suggestionsinclude the Red Heads. There area few adapted flocks of Tunis withcommercial production emphasesthat need consideration. Earlier, wementioned the myostatin gene inTexels. Also watch the developmentof the composite maternal breed atUSDA-MARC for performance traitseasily captured.KHSI—keep your flock book open!!My caution to you is that any formof inbreeding eventually decreasesgenetic diversity, negatively impactslowly heritable traits, establishes geneticstatus quo and eventually causesbreed stagnation. Also, avoid selectionfor extremes. Balanced genetics willstand the test of time.Bio-security is important. Foot rotis a “no-no” disease that can put youout of business!! If you do buy it, planto trim, treat, isolate and cull.IN CLOSINGIn the U.S. commercial sheepindustry, there is a critical need forprofitable meat sheep genetics, to rebuildand survive!The U.S. hair sheep populationcould easily reach 25-30 % of the totalsheep inventory, or one million plus,during the coming decade.With continued performance selection,Katahdins can be a transcendent,inter-generational, breed of significantimportance to the sheep industry. asyou go “from silver to gold” duringthe next 25 years.My personal vision for “the breedwhose time has come” is: “the best isyet to come!!”PAGE 4 THE KATAHDIN HAIRALD • WWW.KATAHDINS.ORGSPRING 2011

Ewes That Don’t Milk Part 2By Dr. Bill Shulaw, OSU ExtensionVeterinarianEditor’s Note: Dr Shulaw is a wellknown Extension Veterinarian fromOhio State University who does a lot ofwork for US sheep producers. Dr Shulawedited the chapter on sheep health for theSID Sheep Production Handbook thatmany of us own. Part 1 was publishedin the Winter 2010 Katahdin Hairald,which you can see at the KHSI website,www.katahdins.org by clicking onKHSI Forms at the top of the page.In the previous article we describedthe basic signs and causes of mastitisin ewes. Mastitis caused by bacteriacan be acute or chronic. Acute mastitisoften results in obvious signs in theewe such as being off feed, feverish,and depressed along with changes inthe milk. Chronic bacterial mastitismay not result in obvious signs orchanges in the milk but may lead toloss of secretory tissue and scarring inthe udder with reduced milk production.We also discussed the so-called“hard bag” syndrome caused by thevirus that is considered the cause ofovine progressive pneumonia (OPP).In this syndrome, the ewe is often notvisibly ill and the producer may notrealize that she doesn’t have muchmilk until the lamb(s) is starving orgrow(s) poorly. A common characteristicof flocks that are infected with theOPP virus is the presence of excessivenumbers of orphan lambs.It is not always easy to determinewhether ewes that don’t seem to haveenough milk have nutritional problems,chronic bacterial mastitis, OPP,or some other condition. Generallyspeaking, when several ewes in theflock that appear to be healthy, wellfed, and in good body condition havefirm or swollen udders and unthriftylambs, mastitis should be suspected.Bacterial mastitis often affects onlyone half of the udder, although bothhalves can be affected. The milk maybe off-colored and have flakes, but itmay appear normal. The udder mayor may not be swollen or hot.If the OPP virus is the primarycause of a firm, swollen udder, bothhalves are usually affected. The udderis not hot to the touch, and it may notbe really hard. Often it may actuallyappear normal, but there is very littlemilk in the udder. The ewe often hasno signs of illness.When more than the occasionalewe seems to be milking poorly,udder problems are suspected, ortoo many lambs are starving or unthrifty,it is time for some diagnosticwork and help from your veterinarian.This situation is a flock problem, andexamining several ewes is most helpfulin determining what the problemmight be. Laboratory culture of milksamples from typical ewes is useful indetermining whether bacterial mastitisis present. Staphylococcus infectionsin sheep seem to be the mostcommon bacterial cause of chronicmastitis and udder damage leadingto reduced milk production.Infections during the dry periodcan cause damage to the udder, andfrequently the bacteria are gone bylambing. If typical bacteria are isolatedfrom milk samples from severalewes, it may indicate that the primaryproblem is bacterial. Often these resultfrom unsanitary environmental conditionswhere the ewes are housed ordamage to teat ends from trauma orsoremouth (orf) virus. Damage to theteat end makes it easier for bacteria toget into the udder to cause mastitis.Improving the sanitation in the ewes’environment and careful managementof their nutrition at weaning time canreduce this problem. Treatment ofthe udder at dry off with dairy cowmastitis preparations has been usedon some farms. However, thereare no FDA-approved products forsheep, and this practice can result indrug residues. It should only be donein consultation with a veterinarian.Lastly, it is questionable whether thispractice can be economically justifiedas a routine practice.While sampling the ewes for bacterialmastitis, it is usually a good ideato collect blood samples for testing forOPP virus infection. As this blood testdetects antibodies to the virus in theblood, it can tell us whether the eweis infected. Because infected ewes areinfected for life, the presence of testpositiveewes indicates the virus ispresent in that ewe and on the farm.However, a positive blood test doesnot tell us that the firm udder we areseeing has been caused by the OPPvirus. It only indicates the infectionis present, but infected ewes in aninfected flock often have no visiblesigns. If most ewes with hard uddersare test-positive for the OPP virus andfew of them have bacteria in the milk,it is very likely that OPP virus is theculprit. In many flocks, a close inspectionof the flock will reveal other signsof the presence of OPP virus. Theseinclude thin ewes that tire easily andewes with swollen, painful joints.We have used another technique tohelp determine whether these udderproblems are caused by the OPP virus.Your veterinarian can use a biopsytool (we use the TruCut biopsy needle)to get a sample of udder tissue. Thissample can be placed in formaldehydeand sent to a laboratory where it can bemicroscopically examined for changesthat are characteristic of the OPP virusinfection. The ewe’s teat should bethoroughly cleaned and disinfected,and the biopsy needle can be insertedthrough the teat canal and on into theudder tissue for taking the sample. Asample from a single ewe may not bediagnostic of the flock problem, butsamples from several ewes will usuallyprovide evidence for OPP infectionas the cause of “hard bag” if thevirus is present. Often a problem flockwill have several cull ewes that havehad these udder problems and whichcan be sampled.It is possible to find both bacterialmastitis and OPP virus infections inthe same flock; perhaps even in thesame udder. However, if enoughsamples are taken it is usually possibleto sort out the real troublemaker. In assistingseveral veterinarians workingwith flocks with hard udder problems,we have frequently observed the followingwhen OPP virus is the mainproblem: high rates of test-positiveewes on random sampling – usually60% of ewes or higher; microscopicchanges in udder tissue that are compatiblewith OPP virus infection; andthe presence of other signs of OPP virusinfection such as some thin ewesand some cases of swollen, arthriticjoints. Post mortem examination ofsome of these cull ewes may provideadditional evidence for OPP virusinfection.SPRING 2011THE KATAHDIN HAIRALD • WWW.KATAHDINS.ORG PAGE 5

From the Feed Trough . . . Grain on Grass -Let's Do the NumbersBy Woody Lane, PhDOkay, raise your hand — howmany of you have supplemented grainto animals while they were grazing onpasture and were disappointed withthe response? Don’t be shy; keep yourhands up. Well, you’re not alone.Twice during the past year I’ve readscientific papers that reported thesame thing, and those researcherswere not only disappointed with theresults but were also puzzled. Afterall, why wouldn’t extra grain provideenough surplus energy to overcomeintake problems and increase dailygain or milk production?Because you wouldn’t expect it.First, the standard answer. In everyuniversity course called “LivestockNutrition 101,” there is a session whenthe instructor lectures students aboutthe practical issues of supplementinggrain to grazing animals. Essentially,his message boils down to the preceptthat grain will “replace” some of theforage and therefore will not provideas much extra nutrition as you’d expect.The instructor continues with anexample: if a ewe was consuming 6lb of forage, adding 2 pounds of cornwill not simply boost her intake to 8lb. Most of the corn will replace someof the forage, and total feed intake willrise only 0.5 lb or so. Since the TDNvalue of corn is 88% (all nutritionalvalues in this article are on a dry matterbasis), and the TDN value of theforage is, say, 65%, the net effect ofall this supplement is only a modestincrease in nutrient intake — and certainlynot as much as the 1.6 lb of TDNthat you’d expect from 2 lb of corn(90% DM at 88% TDN). The studentsdutifully write this down and perhapsask a question or two, and the instructorthen moves on to the next topic,maybe something about the effectsof chewing gum on hippopotamusgrowth or whatever.Elementary, my dear Watson, elementary.Now, let’s move beyond this simplisticexplanation and look at grainsupplementation in more depth. Graindoesn’t just “replace” forage. Grainalso profoundly changes the rumenenvironment, and these changes cansometimes offset much of the extraenergy supplied by the grain. Nutritiontextbooks typically list this phenomenonas the Associative Effects,but let’s see what these effects reallymean. Oh yes, you can put your handsdown now.We need to start with four assumptions:(1) the supplement consists ofcorn or barley or a multi-grain mixtureand does not contain any added buffersuch as sodium bicarbonate, (2) asignificant amount of grain is offered,(3) the pasture is reasonable qualitywith a TDN value of 65%, and (4) thegrain is offered only once each day,which is the typical procedure onmost farms. These assumptions, ofcourse, imply the following: that thegrain supplement is primarily starch,that the supplement does not containlots of salt to limit intake, and thatthe supplement is consumed rapidly.The last assumption is fairly obviousto anyone who has ever fed corn onpasture. Aside from protecting yourselfagainst being run over, you’llobserve that the animals will nearlyalways inhale the supplement — theygobble it up as fast as their mouthscan move. No dainty manners here. Inall the years of feeding supplements,I’ve never seen animals step back tosave some grain for a future late-nightsnack.So here’s what happens when thisgrain is supplemented to grazingruminants: The starch in the grainenters the rumen and ferments at avery fast rate, much faster than fiber.The rumen bacteria that ferment thisstarch produce end-product acids(VFAs – volatile fatty acids) so quicklythat these acids overcome some ofthe buffering capacity of the rumen,driving down the rumen pH from itsnormal level of 6.2–6.5 to less than 5.8,at least for a few hours each day.The lower rumen pH causes problemsfor the species of bacteria thatferment fiber. The lower rumen pHreduces their populations and activities,thus slowing down the rate of fiberdigestion. Because the undigestedfiber remains longer in the rumen,sensors in the rumen wall alert theanimal’s neural feedback system thatthe rumen is still full. Which tells theanimal to reduce its feed intake. Sincewe assume that the animal eats all itssupplemental grain, any reductionof feed intake must come from theamount of grazed forage.Therefore, grain supplementationon pasture results in a lower intakeof forage and also a lower digestibilityof that forage. And for those who arestill following me, this effect wouldbe more pronounced with grass thanwith a legume such as clover or alfalfa.Why? Because grass contains higherlevels of potentially-digestible fiberthan legumes, and it’s the fermentationof this potentially-digestible fiberthat is most depressed by the feedingof starch.Now, let’s do the numbers. Our examplewill be a 154-lb ewe sucklingtwins in early lactation (using the1985 NRC Nutrient Requirementsfor a 70-kg ewe). This ewe requires4.0 lb of TDN to support her milkproduction and minimize her earlylactationweight loss. If she grazespasture containing 65% TDN with adaily dry matter intake of 4.0% of herbody weight, she would eat 6.16 lb ofdry matter (= 4% of 154) containing4.0 lb of TDN, which nicely meets herrequirements.But ... let’s say that we want toincrease milk production or preventloss of body weight, so we’ll offer thisewe a daily supplement of 2 lb of corn(= 1.8 lb of dry matter). Since corn is88% TDN, this supplement will provide1.58 lb TDN. And of course, ourewe will gladly eat all the corn quiterapidly.If we assume that the ewe’s drymatter intake will rise slightly — to6.8 lb — then her forage intake willbe 5.0 lb (= 6.8 minus 1.8 of corn). Ifwe ignore the associative effects of thestarch and assume that the originalnutritional value of the forage remainsunchanged at 65% TDN, we can calculatethat 5.0 lb of forage will provide3.25 lb TDN (= 65% of 5.0), making atotal TDN intake of 4.83 lb — whichis a 21% increase of digestible energyintake due to grain supplementation.Hmm, so far, 21% looks pretty good.But we can’t ignore the associative effectsof starch on fiber digestion, can we?CONTINUED ON PAGE 7PAGE 6 THE KATAHDIN HAIRALD • WWW.KATAHDINS.ORGSPRING 2011

Editor’s Note: Isabelle Jackson, age9, is a new youth member of KHSI. Hergrandmother, KHSI Board Member RoxanneNewton (aka “GiGi”) conducted thefollowing interview. Isabelle lives in LakeCity, Florida.Isabelle, tell us a little aboutyourself.I live in Lake City Florida withmy parents, Joe and Danielle, my 2year old sister, Allieand my dog Hunter. Iam in the 4th grade atSummers ElementarySchool. I like to playsoftball and ride myscooter. I enjoy goingto my GiGi’s farm(Hound River Farm)because I can play withall her dogs and helpher with the sheep.Why are you interestedin sheep?I am interested insheep because I wantto become a Veterinarian.My favoritetime of year is whenthe ewes have lambs.It’s really fun to watchthe lambs play. Theyare so fast.Focus on EWE-TH —Isabelle JacksonTell us about your 4th gradescience project involving Katahdinewes.My science fair project was aboutfinding out if GiGi’s “Ewe Up-Scale”will predict which lambs will growbetter. My grandmother rates theewes’ mothering behavior when theylamb and she calls it her “Ewe Upscale”.Each ewe is scored on howquickly and how well they lick’umup, feed’um up and warm’um up.She sent me data on 20 ewes andtheir lambs. I averaged the weightof the lambs at 60 and 120 days. Thelambs’ average weight from ewes thatscored a 1 or 2 was compared to thosewhose dam scored a perfect 3 on theEwe Up-Scale.What were the results of yourresearch project?The scale predicted that lambsgrow much better iftheir dam scored higheron the Ewe Up-scale.The Ewe Up-Scale is agreat tool for use byshepherds in orderto make their flocksbetter and their workeasier.Do you own anysheep? If so, whatare your futureplans?GiGi gave me a Katahdinyearling ewe forChristmas. I was sosurprised. Her nameis Silky, and she’s solidblack. I can’t wait untilshe lambs! I plan tobuild my ewe flock soI can make money tosave for college.FYI — Youth Membership in KHSI is FREEFROM THE FEED TROUGH...GRAIN ON GRASS, CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6Of course not. Therefore, if we acceptthat associative effects apply to oursituation, then we must reduce theTDN value of the forage from 65% to,say, 55%. Now let’s redo the numberswith this new TDN value.Our ewe consuming 5.0 lb of thisforage will now only receive 2.75 lb ofTDN from it (= 55% of 5.0). Adding the1.58 lb TDN from the corn gives her atotal daily intake of 4.33 lb TDN, whichis only 8% above her original energy requirements.Not exactly something towrite home about. In the highly variableworld of real-time grazing, a TDNboost of only 8% would be lost in thenormal background variation.Let’s put this in perspective: inour example, the supplementarygrain provided +0.83 lb TDN whenwe didn’t include associative effectsin our calculations but only +0.33 lbTDN when we did include them. Thedifference between these two numbersrepresents a 60% drop in supplementalTDN from the corn (= 0.5 as a % of0.83). Which number is correct? Well,how many times have you been disappointedby the performance of grainsupplementedanimals on pasture?There is, of course, an alternativeway of looking at this situation: evenif the animals didn’t perform as wellas expected, at least we can be assuredthat they were happier with all thatcorn.Woody Lane is a nutritionist in Roseburg,Oregon. He operates an independentconsulting business “Lane Livestock Services”and teaches nutrition, sheep, beefcattle, and forage workshops across theUnited States and Canada. His email addressis woody@woodylane.com. Thisarticle was first published in 2004 in TheShepherd.SPRING 2011THE KATAHDIN HAIRALD • WWW.KATAHDINS.ORG PAGE 7

From the Field: Bob & Amanda NusbaumPotosi, Wisconsin of Bonus Angus FarmIntegrating Sheep into an Extensive Registered Beef Cattle FarmEditor’s Note: This is the first articlein a series to be published in theHairald, profiling different models forbeef and dairy operations that haveadded sheep. The items in bold arequestions and topics that we askedBob and Amanda about, followedby their responses. Their system isforage-based with minimal wintersupplementation and their meat lambmarket is under100 pounds, allowinguse of a smaller, more efficient ewe.Brief profile:Bob is retired from nearly 30years of Animal Science teaching andextension work at Virginia Tech andthe University of Wisconsin-Platteville.He still does part-time teachingand consulting when not farmingfulltime. Amanda has been a stay-athomefulltime mom and farmer.Since 1984 we have run a registeredAngus operation with a commercialsheep operation. Historically wehave run about 60-85 brood cowsand 85-120 Katahdins. The goal onour grass-based farm has been to optimizeforage utilization and minimizeexpenses. Our April calving and Maylambing is done on pasture. We fencelinewean the calves about September1. We don’t castrate the ram lambs sothey must get weaned about August 1while the ewe lambs stay on the ewesand self wean. Our market for theAngus has been exclusively seedstock.Our sheep sales have been a combinationof seedstock and commercial meatproduction. We are currently in theprocess of recording/registering ourflock so we can utilize EPD’s in ourselection program.How long have you raisedsheep?The sheep were added to the cattleoperation in 1984 when I had to teacha sheep production course at the Universityof Wisconsin-Platteville. Theoriginal ewes I purchased for “indoctrination”were crossbred woolies thatwere upgraded using Polypay rams.In 1992 that flock totaled about 70Polypays and was sold and replacedwith 10 Katahdin ewes from SteveRadakovich of Earlham, Iowa.Why Katahdins?Steve had no experience with sheepand after hearing about his completelack of problems after his first lambingseason, I began to investigatethe breed. We’ve never looked back.They lamb without difficulty, are greatmothers, have resistance to parasites,shed rather than shear and are toughsheep that adapt to a wide range ofenvironments. We range from 100 ºFwith high humidity to 30 below zero.They withstand both extremes equallywell.What is the market and whendo you market?Market lambs are sold through twolocal sale barns or local buyers. We tryto compare commission, sale costs andcurrent market prices with each. Commissionrecently soared to 10% at onesale barn. After weaning, all of the ramlambs are fed a high roughage hay rationwith some supplemental grain.Normally, we sell 20 to 25 commercialrams annually in the fall for breeding.We prefer to sell the remaining ramlambs for the Christmas holidays ifthey average at least 85 pounds andthe market is very strong. We may selljust the heaviest ones then to test themarket. Otherwise, we’ll continue tofeed them until the market improveswhich it usually does closer to Easter.We’ve seen some buyer resistance toram lambs weighing over 100 pounds,so we like to market them just beforethey hit that weight. Our ram lambscan easily make that weight by Easterwithout being pushed. On the eweside, we always seem to have femalebuyers for mature ewes or ewe lambs.We try to maintain a nucleus of around85 superior ewes so our flock sizefluctuates every year based onbuyer interest. We usually havestock dog trainers looking forsheep every spring, so our openyearling ewe lambs are candidatesfor this market.Management and geneticgoals of the cattleOur management goals aresimple. Profit = selling price – expenses.We can’t control the marketbut we certainly can controlthe expenses. We want cattle thatwill not incur expenses. Feed, laborand adaptability problems all cancreate expense. Our genetic goal is toselect cattle traits that will fulfill ourmanagement goal of producing lowcost,tough cattle that can survive inan extensive (vs. intensive) managementsystem. The phrase “never buyan animal from an environment thatis better than yours” is sound advice.We want the cattle and sheep that wesell as breeding stock to survive andthrive for their buyers.Most beef operations measuresuccess with higher production levelssuch as heavier weaning weights.The thinking here is that a heavierweaning weight is equated with ahigher profit. Unfortunately, mosteconomic analyses correlating levelsof production (weaning weight average)to net profit is zero. That meansan operation with a weaning weightaverage of 700 pounds may not be anymore profitable than one with a 400pound average. The difference makeris expense. Cutting expenses by 10%results in more net profit than increasingproduction by 10%. We have concentratedon this in the cattle and thesheep are no different.Katahdin selection goalsOur sheep and cattle goals aresimilar. Our philosophy is “one touchmanagement”. The only time we wantto handle a sheep is when they aretagged as lambs. We don’t want toshear, drench, trim feet, pull a lamb,strip teats, raise orphans, vaccinate orgive antibiotics. All of these “expenses”can be significantly reduced oreliminated through intensive geneticCONTINUED ON PAGE 9PAGE 8 THE KATAHDIN HAIRALD • WWW.KATAHDINS.ORGSPRING 2011

FROM THE FIELD: BOB AND AMANDA NUSBAUM, CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8selection. Mothering ability is heritablebut many shepherds select for prolificacyfirst (increasing a productionlevel). Keeping only replacement ewelambs from dams that were “perfectmothers” will eventually eliminatelots of lambing headaches (reducesexpenses). All of our pasture raised,self-weaned ewe lambs are exposed torams on December 10 th . The ones thatlamb in the spring are considered aspotential replacements. After that theyare selected on other expense reducingtraits: shedding, good feet, parasite resistanceand mothering ability.In ram selection we first want excellentfeet with nice even toes andblack pigment. We want very largetesticles and a great coat. We havenever trimmed a foot on any Katahdinand we don’t want to start. After these,we want proven parasite resistance.We are in the process of upgradingour flock to 100% registered so that wecan select for and document parasiteresistance. If all of these are satisfied,we look at other production traits suchas growth.What grazing managementmodels do you use for your cattle& sheep?Our pastures are in an active floodplain that makes fencing more difficult.A large river bisects our propertyso interior fences are mostly polywireand step-in posts. The sheep will notcross the river but we do rotationallygraze them with the cattle on one side.We graze the cattle alone on the otherside and periodically send them to adjacent,rented woodland pastures fortwo to three weeks of set stock grazing.This works well for vacations andrests our home paddocks.What changes have you madeto your farm to handle sheep?Cattlemen have lots of questionswhen contemplating the addition ofsheep to their operation. The majorones are fencing, facilities, predationand mineral supplementation. Ourperimeter fence is either 6-strandbarbed wire or 5-strand electric. Bothwork equally well for either species.We have a commercially purchasedsheep chute system incorporatedinto our cattle handling facility, sowe can handle either species withoutextra setup time. For many years wehad fed the same mineral containingselenium and copper to the sheep andcattle with no apparent problems. Inthe last few years we have gone to akelp/salt mixture mostly to add pinkeyeprotection to our cattle, and it iscurrently fed to both species, again,with no apparent problems. [Editor’snote: mineral systems should be designedto fit each operation’s soil, forage and purchasedsupplements. In many other areas,copper in the cattle mineral may be toxicto sheep and sheep are also sensitive tolow selenium levels.]For predator control we have useddogs, donkeys and llamas and we’vefound that any of these options canbe excellent, average or poor. Oncecattlemen understand these issues,they are then worried about lambing,feeding, castrating, etc., etc. Thesetypes of buyers with no sheep experiencehave appreciated our selectionpressure to produce and sell “easycare” sheep.Lessons from raising cattlethat affect sheep philosophy andvice versaMature size in beef cattle increasedsteadily from the 70’s to the 90’s. Thisbrought problems with calving difficulty,late puberty, low pregnancyrates, decreased longevity and lowercarcass quality. We see the same trendhappening in the Katahdin (and other)breed. Many breeders want largerewes and rams with more size andgrowth. First of all, why is largermature size necessary? What is givenup to achieve more growth or size?There is no “free lunch”. One can’t increaseproduction without incurringa cost (heterosis probably excluded).Where is optimum mature size and dowe recognize it when we get there?In our operation, we have chosen toconcentrate on traits that reduce costs,and one of these is to maintain moderateewe size. Our ewes average about130 pounds and our cow weight hasdecreased from 1400 pounds to about1250. We feel big ewes and big cowsare unnecessary, and, in fact, unsustainable.Bigger females generallyrequire supplemental grain feedingto maintain uninterrupted annual production.The future of ruminant meatproduction will become more foragebased because the cost of fossil fuelswill make feeding grain prohibitive.Grazing objectives for sheepand cattleOur objectives are similar for bothbecause we run them together all thetime. We try to increase our grazingdays every year and reduce hayfeeding. Comparing the cost of a dayof grazing to a day of feeding hay issignificant.Co-management of cattle andsheepThey share ground level mineralfeeders (kelp is our choice), waterersand handling facilities. Most cattlefences will contain sheep althoughwe do make some temporary, 2-strandpolywire fence for the sheep whereasthe cattle need only one wire. Neithergroup has access to buildings in thewinter. They eat hay together that isfrom unrolled round bales.Calving and lambing timesWe used to calve and lamb in Februaryand March and it became increasinglydifficult to justify. The highnutritional demands for the last thirdof pregnancy and early lactation happenduring some of the coldest monthsthat also require increased feed intakeby the ewe/cow. This coupled withthe fact that we are feeding our mostexpensive feed makes cold weatherbirthing very questionable from acost standpoint. We sell our yearlingbulls in May, so April 15 th calving isabout as late as we can go and still sellwell-developed bulls. We lamb in Mayas the weather is more consistentlywarm and it gives the ewes a chanceto increase body condition with a fewweeks of grazing before lambing.Target DensitiesMost research advises running oneewe per cow to improve profitability.We try to maintain (and sometimes exceed)this ratio. The addition of ewesto a cowherd or stocker operation increasespounds of gain produced peracre without reducing cattle numbers.In fact, pasture quality and plant diversityimproves. Many of our ewesales have been to cattle operationsfor this very reason. Most cattlemenhave no, or little, sheep experiencethus our quest to produce problemfree sheep.Many cattle and sheep operationsthat feed hay for too many months areeither not managing their grazing adequatelyor are probably overstockedor both. We continually address bothof these problems in trying to achieveCONTINUED ON PAGE 10SPRING 2011THE KATAHDIN HAIRALD • WWW.KATAHDINS.ORG PAGE 9

2011 KHSI Expo Sale RequirementsRequirements for both Commercial& Registered Sheep Sales:• Consigned sheep must be at PipestoneFairgrounds by 5 PM, ThuSept 15, 2011.• Sheep must be genotyped QR or RRat codon 171. Papers from genotypingcompany must be turned in bythe time that consigned sheep arechecked in.• Interstate Health Certificates arerequired. Certificates must includea statement from the Veterinarianthat flock is free of contagious footrot. Rams must have a B. ovis negativetest within 30 days of sale.• All animals are required to haveeither Mandatory or Scrapie FlockCertification Program tags.• Consigned animals must be bredand raised by consignor.• One pen of Commercial Ewes or aRegistered Ewe must be consignedfor each Registered Ram.Requirements for CommercialKatahdin Ewe Sale:• Minimum weight of 70 pounds forSpring Ewe Lambs• At least three-fourths Katahdin• Age Classes; Yearling (9/1/09-8/31/10), Fall ewe lambs (9/1/10-12/31/10), Spring Ewe Lambs (Jan 1-May 31)• Consigned as pens of 3 or pens of5 ewes (not as individual ewes)• Shed over 2/3 of body (ewes mustnot be shorn or clipped; commercialewes may be tail-docked)• Consignment Fee of $20/pen• Expo Sale committee has the rightto reject commercial ewe sale entries.Requirements for Registered KatahdinSale:• Sale animals must not be docked orclipped• Accurate recording of date of birth,type of birth (1-2-3-4), and type ofDon’t Wait! Reserve Expo Hotel Rooms Now!The 2011 KHSI Expo in Pipestone promises to be an outstanding event! The locationis in a beautiful and popular part of Minnesota. There are plenty of good hotel rooms available,but we believe the hotels are filling fast and early for a high school reunion and otherevents happening the same weekend. For this reason, KHSI strongly encourages you tocall and reserve your rooms now. We know we say this every year, but this year it is criticalfor you to plan ahead, so we say it again: please reserve now to avoid disappointment. “Ifyou snooze, you may lose” your chance to snooze in your first choice location!Hotels include:Crossings Inn (new) 507-562-1100 $79.90 per night plus taxCalumet Inn 507-825-5871 $61.00 per night plus taxSuper 8 507-825-4217 $80.88 per night plus taxRoyal River Casino 605-997-3746 $55.00-65.00 per night plus taxThe first three hotels are in Pipestone, while the Royal River Casino hotel is located inFlandreau, South Dakota, about 15 miles west of Pipestone.NOTE: It does not cost you anything to reserve a room and hold it with a credit card.Hotels have cancellation policies that allow you to call and cancel within the period theyspecify and there is no charge to your card. This allows you to be sure of a room, butalso allows you an option to cancel if your plans change. Be sure to ask about the hotelcancellation policy when you call to reserve your room.Questions? Please contact KHSI Operations at 479-444-8441 orinfo@katahdins.orgFROM THE FIELD: BOB AND AMANDA NUSBAUM, CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9our long-term goal of reducing hayfeeding to less than two months peryear.Ten years down the roadOur goal is to produce registered(cattle and sheep) breeding stockthat are self-sufficient and parasiteresistant that reach puberty early,raise their offspring with no help,maintain annual production withoutsupplemental feed, adapt to a widerange of environments and providebeneficial genetics to other herds orflocks.rearing (0-1-2-3-4 measured at 30days of age), must be provided foreach animal• Dam production records are required(number lambs born/rearedfor each year of production)• 60-day weight must be provided(taken on or around 60 days of age;45-90 days of age is allowable, butmust be done prior to weaning).The date at which this weight istaken must be recorded.• Birth weights and 120 day weightsare optional, but are highly recommended.• Consignment Fee of $20 per animal.Classes include Rams & Ewes forthe following ages: Yearlings (9/1/09-8/31/10), Fall (9/1/10 - 12/31/10), Jan 1-Feb 15 born, Feb 15-Mar31 born, April 1 and after(Contact Wes Limesand,chair of Expo Sale committeeWesley.Limesand@ndsu.edu or701-235-2114. Jim Morgan, KHSIOperations at 479-444-8441 orinfo@katahdins.org. NOTE: FinalExpo Sale Regulations & ConsignmentForms will be posted at the KHSI WebsiteCalendar Page by June 1 st .)Don’t Forget! Send inYour Sheep Producer RamSurvey to Virginia TechThis is an excellent survey and agreat opportunity for Katahdin breedersto find out more about how thesheep community buys rams.In the 2011 KHSI Renewal Packetmailed at the end of January 2011, wasa Sheep Producer Ram Survey. VirginiaTech is developing a pasture basedRam Test station. Part of the processis to survey the sheep communityabout number of rams used, numberpurchased and how the rams are selected.The survey is anonymous. Datacollected will not be associated withthe name of the farm/ranch submittingsurvey.Virginia Tech will provide KHSIwith a summary of the results. Theseuseful results can help KHSI betterserve Katahdin ram buyers.You can fill out the survey onlineat www.vtsheep.apsc.vt.edu or youcan call or email KHSI Operations toget another copy at 479-444-8441 orinfo@katahdins.org.PAGE 10 THE KATAHDIN HAIRALD • WWW.KATAHDINS.ORGSPRING 2011

2011 KHSI Expo Program FeaturesCommercial Production and Sheep HealthDoc Kennedy of Pipestone VeterinaryClinic and Wes Limesand, KHSIBoard member, who are serving on the2011 Expo organizing team, have providedus with a sneak preview of whatwe can look forward to in Minnesotain September. Doc, Wes and others aredesigning the 2011 Expo program toemphasize excellent practical informationabout raising and marketinglamb. Though still preliminary, wehope the following snippets will giveKHSI members and other shepherdsa glimpse of the strengths and experiencesthat are coming together tomake the KHSI event at Pipestonetruly unique.Intensive Production Systems.– One stop on the Thursday touris at a sheep operation that has put$500,000 into new state of the artsheep production facilities. A secondstop on the Thursday tour will be at asheep operation that modified existingdairy farm structures into sheep facili-ties. This region of the U.S. has readyaccess to grains, byproducts from theethanol industry and soy byproducts.This is an excellent chance to see intensiveproduction.On Friday, we will hear from DionVan Well, who feeds 50,000 head offeeder lambs each year in South Dakotaand handles 140,000 market-readylambs per year. It will be an interestingand informative perspective on thesheep industry.Pipestone Lamb and Wool Programis based in Pipestone and ourtour will take us to some of theirfeatured operations. This is a successfullamb marketing group withover 35,000 ewes producing lambyear around. The cooperative has aforward contract that rewards qualitycarcasses. For many years, producershave continued to add ewes, quit theirday jobs, and lease out their row cropfarm land, even during years whenlamb prices for the rest of the countrywere low.Sheep Health. - Bring your sheephealth questions. Doc Kennedy saysthat there will be three Pipestone VeterinaryClinic staff present during anopen forum on sheep health. The audiencewill be divided into three roomsand each vet will take questions fromthe audience for at least one hour. Allwill return to one group and the vetswill highlight the most interestingquestions and answers for the wholegroup.Practical Sheep Education. – Alsoon the program are Philip Berg andMike Caskey who teach at MinnesotaWest Community & TechnicalCollege. This school hosts the mostextensive online sheep managementcourses in the USA. They also organizethree sheep tours every year.We thank Doc Kennedy for hisinvitation to come to Pipestone andhis willingness to host the 2011 KHSIExpo.Stop in when you are in town for the 2011 ExpoLocated 1 mile south of theFairgrounds on Hwy 751300 So. Hwy 75 • Pipestone, MN1-800-658-2523 • www.pipevet.comSPRING 2011THE KATAHDIN HAIRALD • WWW.KATAHDINS.ORG PAGE 11

SCKA Farm Tour, Annual Meeting & Private Treaty SaleDarrell Adams, ADO Sheep, LouisianaMark your calendars! Start makingplans to attend the 2011 SCKA FarmTour, Annual Meeting and PrivateTreaty Sale! Our 2011 event will beheld June 10-11 at the BeauregardParish Fair Grounds in Deridder,Louisiana.Friday, June 10th: Sheep can beunloaded at the fairgrounds beginningat 10 AM for the Private TreatySale which will run throughout thetwo day event. Pens are availableand Interstate Health Papers willbe required on all livestock enteringthe fairgrounds. NOTE: To unloadsheep: Turn at the corner of Hwy 171and Ryan’s. Turn left directly behindRyan’s to the sheep barn.Later Friday afternoon (4:00 PM):Farm Tour will be held at ADO Sheep,Singer Louisiana (Hwy 27 south, approximately30 minutes from Deridder).Following the tour, the groupwill meet back in Deridder for supper(Dutch Treat) and socializing.Saturday, June 11th: (9:00 AM).Welcome! The day starts with severalinteresting speakers on different topicsto promote the sheep industry. Lunchwill be provided by ADO Sheep atnoon, followed by the Annual Meetingand Private Treaty Sales.There are three motels available inDeridder. I found the best rate & nicerooms at the Country Inns of Deridderwhich is about 4 blocks north ofthe fairgrounds and next to Wal-Mart.Group rate is $55.00 per night withample parking for trailers if needed.Reservations can be made by calling877-462-3450. To get this group rate, besure to tell them that you are with theSCKA organization. NOTE: Other areamotels are the Deridder Best WesternInn and Suites at (337) 460-2066 or theStagecoach Inn at (866)-462-0022.Directions to fairgrounds: If comingfrom the east on I-10, exit at US171 North. If coming from the west onI-10, exit at US Hwy 27 north to 171.Fairgrounds will be on the left. If youare coming from the west on US 190,go to junction of Hwy 190/27&171 andturn north on 171. And if coming fromthe north, just go south on Hwy 171out of Shreveport, LA.Please come and enjoy yourself! Ifyou have questions, you can reach meat: (337) 515-4342 or email me (Darrell)at ado.1@centurytel.net2011 KatahdinHairaldDeadlinesNeed to submit articles or display ads in the Katahdin Hairald? Below is the working schedule for the rest of 2011. Arrival of the KatahdinHairald in member mail boxes typically ranges from 1-3 weeks depending on bulk mailing deliveries by the US Postal Service.Summer Fall Winter1) Article Deadline/Display Ad commitment deadline (includes size of ad) Mar 31 Jun 23 Oct 122) Display Ad content due to Xpressions Apr 12 Jul 5 Oct 253) Classified Ads due to Operations Apr 12 Jul 5 Oct 254) Mailing date (Bulk Mail) May 6 Jul 29 Nov 18PAGE 12 THE KATAHDIN HAIRALD • WWW.KATAHDINS.ORGSPRING 2011

HLBGeneticsHLBGeneticsWe found LHB Doc in 2009 on the way to the SCKA meeting in Georgia.We had a few lambs last year and will probably take a yearling ram toSedalia this year from this sire.FORSALELHB DocMature EwesLazy B Livestock, LLCHoward & Lavonne Brown • 8362NS 3550 Rd. • Prague, OK 74864 • 405-567-2559mapabrown2@yahoo.com • www.lazybkatahdins.comCERTIFIED SCRAPIE FREE FLOCKWe will offer 100 mature Katahdin ewes starting in June. We willsell in groups of 10 or more. Some ewes will be registered, somecommercial.2011 Lamb CropIf you need bone and muscle with good growth, THEY'RE HERE.SPRING 2011THE KATAHDIN HAIRALD • WWW.KATAHDINS.ORG PAGE 13

Past KHSI Board Member, Dr Leroy Boyd, RememberedDr. Leroy H. Boyd, 75, died early inJanuary, 2011. He was born and raisedin Ellis County in western Oklahoma.He received a bachelor of science degreein animal science from OklahomaState University and master of scienceand doctoral degrees in animal sciencefrom the University of Kentucky. Dr.Boyd was on the faculty of the AnimalHusbandry Department (later Animaland Dairy Science) at Mississippi StateUniversity and during his 38 years ofservice, he taught courses related tosheep, horses, livestock judging andWestern Equitation. He maintaineda lifelong interest in sheep, judgedsheep competitions at livestock showsin 32 states, kept a small flock of sheepand trained Border Collies. Dr. Boydserved on the KHSI Board of Directorsfrom 2007 through 2010. He issurvived by his wife of 52 years, CatherineRobertson Boyd; two daughters:Susanne (David) Purvis of Houston,Texas and Diane (Jeffrey) Schultz ofTuscaloosa, Alabama; grandchildren:Rebecca and Timothy Purvis and NathanielSchultz.In lieu of flowers, memorialsmay be made to the Leroy BoydMemorial Scholarship Fund, MSUFoundation, P.O. Box 6149, MississippiState, MS 39762 (or athttp://msufoundation.com/) or tothe Capital Campaign, First BaptistChurch,106 E. Lampkin Street,Starkville, MS 39759.The KHSI Board of Directors donated$100 to the Leroy Boyd MemorialScholarship Fund at Mississippi StateUniversity.Dr. Leroy H. Boyd Memorial Katahdin Junior ShowThe Dr. Leroy H. Boyd Memorial Katahdin Junior Show will be held at Sedalia, Missouri on June 22, 2011 at 3:30 pm. This follows theKatahdin Sale at the Midwest Stud Ram Sale. Catherine Boyd and family will sponsor a traveling trophy for top exhibitor. The Chairpersonof the show is Dr Helen Swartz and she will be assisted by Howard Brown, chair of the KHSI Youth Committee. This show is for RegisteredKatahdins only. Animals sold in the 2011 Midwest Stud Ram Katahdin Sale are eligible for the Junior Show. The ownership of the sheepmay be either the Junior or Junior’s family at time of show. Early entry fee is $2 and late entry fee is $5. One entry per class and per exhibitor.Health regulations and class breaks will be the same as Midwest Stud Sale. The Judge will be Wes Limesand of Fargo, North Dakota.Youth requirements are that they be active 4-H or FFA members, 21 years old and under. The Showmanship contest is free and there willbe two classes. The KHSI Board of Directors approved the sponsoring of the Dr Leroy H Boyd Memorial Katahdin Junior Show. Deadlinesfor early entry will be posted at the KHSI website. NOTE: Champion-Ram & Ewe plaques have been donated by Helen Swartz. ReserveChampion-Ram & Ewe plaques & ribbons have been donated by Larry Mead.Enrolled in NSIPCertified Scrapie FreeTheFuture isLookingBright!2011 should be agreat year for us.Ewes are ready to lambNOW TAKING ORDERSfor ram and ewe lambsGrandsons Gunnar and Cole Jesseefeeding top bred Katahdin ewesKenneth & Connie JesseeSt. Paul, VA • 276-794-9214kenneth.jessee@gmail.comPAGE 14 THE KATAHDIN HAIRALD • WWW.KATAHDINS.ORGSPRING 2011

Using Sheep Behavior for Easier Management & Better ProductionJim Morgan, Arkansas KatahdinProducerPaying attention to either instinctiveor learned behavior can makemanagement of animals easier. Shepherdsneed to be on the lookout andrealize when they observe a sheepbehavior that they can utilize. Withsheep, most of my revelations aboutusing behavior to help managementcome from managing hunger. It is aneasy one to observe. It is not easy toset up the experimental situation toactually test the following observations,but they have been working forme for several years.Managing hunger to decreasechoking when feeding supplements.Sheep will ingest grain and supplementsso fast that they will snort itdown their trachea (windpipe). Mostof the time they recover (after muchslime or foam around the mouth) butthey do risk asphyxiation. Avoid orminimize feeding cracked or groundgrains to help this situation. Chokingon soy hull pellets is very common.Soy hull pellets are a moderatelypriced by-product and consist offermentable fiber which keeps therumen at a healthier pH comparedto corn or barley. Too much corn (i.e.starch) can drive the pH down (moreacidic) and inhibit rumen function, sosoy hull pellets are a great resource forgetting the pH back to a better level.For several months, every time I fedsoy hulls, I had at least one sheepthat inhaled soy hulls and choked fora while before recovering.We observed that if the edge of thehunger was taken off first with someother feed, we had many fewer casesof choking and slime. For most of theyear, in our rotational grazing system,we allow access to new forage everyday. I learned that if the sheep wereallowed to go graze new forage for anhour or two to take the edge off theirhunger, and then called back to thetroughs to be fed soy hulls, there wasmuch less choking and sliming. Thesame can be done with hay. If yourmanagement system is to limit feedhay, the shepherd can feed the hay andthen come back in an hour or two andfeed the supplements.There are alternatives, such as addingmolasses or soybean oil to minimizedust and prevent “inhaling” ofsupplements. These alternatives arenot always available.Moving sheep through areas ofhigh quality forage to a target penor pasture. We regularly move oursheep outside permanent paddockspastures to new paddocks year roundwithout a dog. Most of the time, oneperson can handle 80 sheep with just acan of corn or soy hulls. In our system,during late gestation and through 180days of age ewes and lambs are givenaccess to new grass every day. Thesheep are moved past apple orchardsand tempted by apples but they usuallyfollow with no problem. However(most of you can relate to this) movingsheep past really good forage often resultsin the sheep scattering. What doyou do if you don’t have a dog? Youspend 20 or 30 minutes trying to getthem where you want to go or call forhelp and hope the sheep don’t get intotrouble during the process. A goodherding dog would help, but that isnot an option for all of us. Experiencehas shown us that if the sheep are reallyhungry, they are much less likelyto follow my shaking can of corn tothe next pasture. If we do our rotationsbefore they are really hungry, they aremuch more likely to follow. If I havewaited too long and the ewes havebeen a little short of forage overnight,they will stop and graze and my easy30-90 second move becomes 20-30minutes. So, I try to make sure thesheep are not too hungry before I domoves past the orchard. The otherthing I have learned over time is thatif the moving mob breaks down andscatters to eat, I let them graze for10-15 minutes. They take the edge offtheir hunger and when I shake my canof soy hulls after 15 minutes, they startright up and follow. Or I can spendthat same 15-30 minutes chasing themall over the place trying to get them tomove to the next paddock.Many would say that helping witha move is what herding dogs are for,but most of the time, our system doesnot give a herding dog enough regularwork. We have seen some advantagesto not having herding dogs. Leadingsheep to a new location is documentedas less stressful than usingdogs. Aggressive herding dogs thataggressively attack the flight zone ofthe sheep are especially stressful (seeBurt Smith’s Moving ‘Em: A Guide toLow Stress Animal Handling). But Iwill admit that having humans chasesheep that are not going where youwant them is more stressful on thesheep and the herding human thanhaving a good herding dog.Training lambs to eat new foods.This can be applied to any unfamiliarseasonally available food source thatthe adult ewes eat and weaned lambsare unfamiliar with. For years wekept the ewes out of the landlord’slarge apple orchard (500 trees) andgrazed the weaned lambs under thetrees. The ewes loved the apples andthe landlord liked the apple drops tobe removed, but we had not figuredout how to graze the ewes under thetrees without tree damage (we havefigured it out in the last 3 years, butthat is another management story).Lambs to 210 days of age rarely chewon the bark of the apple trees but theewes will chew on younger trees or onyounger branches of older trees. Oneyear, we moved the ewes with lambsbefore weaning along the edge of theorchard and used electrified nettingto protect the trees while allowing accessto apple drops. It is not a goodidea to be between a ewe and an appledrop if they have learned how goodapples are. The ewes had access toapple drops and several of the lambsstarted eating the apples. This wasthe first time in 10 years that lambs inthe sheep flock had eaten apples. Inthe next few weeks, we reinforced thebehavior and more lambs ate apples.After weaning, we were able to grazethe lambs in the apple orchard and removea good share of the drops. Thereis a lot of energy in the apples thatneeds to be balanced with fermentablefiber and protein.Increasing forage intake in 120-180 day old ram lambs. The limbicsystem is a key part of a sheep’s nervoussystem that regulates activitiesthat we as shepherds are interestedin. It helps regulate on an instant byinstant basis whether a sheep eatsnow or later, drinks water, rests andovulates. The limbic system does this(using various parts of the brain) byintegrating sensory input from theenvironment (e.g. quality of forage,temperature, humidity) with internalphysiology (fat storage, blood sugar,CONTINUED ON PAGE 16SPRING 2011THE KATAHDIN HAIRALD • WWW.KATAHDINS.ORG PAGE 15

KHSI Board of Director’s Meeting Minutes 12-8-107:09 President Ron Young calledmeeting to order.Members present: RoxanneNewton, Carl Ginapp, Ron Young,Wes Limesand, Howard Brown, JohnStromquist, Lee Wright. OperationsTeresa Maurer, James Morgan.1) James Morgan presented FinancialReport.Motion by Roxanne Newton to approveFinancial Report. Second byHoward Brown. Motion carries byvoice vote.2) James Morgan presented letterfrom IRS.Motion by Howard Brown. Secondby Lee Wright to have Operation sendabatement letter to IRS certified mail.ASAP. Motion Carries by voice vote.3) Motion by Carl Ginapp. Secondby Wes Limesand:a) That KHSI Operations forwardsend of year Financial reports to KHSI’sCPA by January 21 of each year.b) That KHSI BOD approves the yearly990s in an April Board Meeting (dueMay 15, can extend to August 15 withrequest).Motion carries by voice vote.4) Motion by Lee Wright. Secondby Howard Brown. KHSI CanadianRegistrations, Recordations andTransfers will be $7.00 with late onesbeing $14.00. All money is Canadiancurrency.Motion Carries by voice vote.5) James Morgan asked to researchinsurance options for regionalgroups and bring any results to nextmeeting.6) President Ron Young appointedWes Limesand, John Stromquist andHoward Brown to look at optionsdifferentiate between recorded andregistered animals at shows.Motion by John Stromquist. Secondby Howard Brown to adjourn.Motion carries.Make sure that you use the most recent Work Order form to calculatethe amount you pay when sending in fees for registrations andtransfers. KHSI included a new form with your renewal/update that wesent out at the end of January. If for some reason you don’t have thenew Work Order forms, please download them from the KHSI websitewww.katahdins.org or email info@katahdins.org or call 479-444-8441 to request them.If you are transferring animals, always check twice to make surethat you mail all work to the KHSI Registry in Milo Iowa. Sendingan incorrect fee amount or sending to the wrong location can result indelays.KHSI Registry Service PricesService US Dollars Canadian DollarsOLDRATECURRENTas of Jan1, 2011Reserve YourHotel Roomfor the2010 Expo(see article on page 10)Transfer Fee Increased on January 1, 2011OLDRATECURRENTas of Jan 1,2011Transfer $3 $5 $4.50 $5Late Transfer $5 $8 $7. $8Registration and$5 – no$5Recordationchange$7 $5Late Registration &$10 – no$10Recordationchange$14 $10Nonmembers are charged double rates for Registry Services.USING SHEEP BEHAVIOR, CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15how full the rumen is, internal temperature,water levels). Following isan easy way to think about how thisworks: a) if nutrient levels and fatlevels in the body are already high, ittakes much higher quality and quantityof food for the limbic system toactivate the sheep to leave the shade,get on its feet and go forage b) if nutrientlevels in the sheep are lower, it ismuch more likely that the sheep willget active and eat. Shaking a bucketof corn will overcome snoozing in theshade almost every time, but forage isdifferent.The following example applies bestto a “forage only” system. High inputsupplement systems drive the limbicsystem toward eating. Let’s use theexample of young ram lambs (120-180 days of age) as a class of sheep inwhich there are competing drives thatoften outweigh food and weight gain.Just watch your ram lambs this year:their adolescent behavior may remindus of a Junior High locker room (thisis normal behavior for ram lambs). Ifthe quality of forage is moderate, it ismore likely the output of the limbicsystem will be for the ram lambs to dolocker room type behavior rather thangraze. There are competing drives. Ifyou need more gain in your adolescentrams, provide better quality nutritionto outcompete the drive to chase buddiesaround. Then the ram lambs willspend a much greater proportion oftheir time eating and gaining weightand go to market sooner.You can observe this in all classesof sheep. Their limbic system integratesinternal nutritional assetsand requirements with forage availability,environmental temperatureand conditions--the output behavioris determined by that integration.Nutritional requirements differ forgrowing lambs, lactating ewes, dryewes and so for the same forage andenvironment, the integration is differentand the output behavior will alsobe different. With good observationsand creative management we can usebehavior to our advantage.Author’s Note: I am collecting moreexamples of using sheep behavior to managebetter. Please send your observationsto Jim Morgan at jlmm@earthlink.netor 18235 Wildlife Rd, Fayetteville, AR72701PAGE 16 THE KATAHDIN HAIRALD • WWW.KATAHDINS.ORGSPRING 2011

Sheep Buying StationOpens in SW ArkansasJessee Duckett, ArkansasMany states are underserved in terms ofhaving good auction sales for sheep. The localauction may have one or two buyers who buylambs until they have enough lambs to makeit economical to take a trailer to a better salebarn. In Arkansas, the standard is for lambsto move through two or three sale barns andeventually to larger auctions in Texas.The Goat and Sheep Producers of Arkansashave opened up a buying station in Hope,Arkansas. Prices for lambs, ewes and goatsare posted on the website on the Friday beforethe Saturday sale. All sheep are bought.Sheep are graded on quality and seller is paidimmediately for the sheep. The buying stationprovides a sale venue for sheep from SW Arkansas,North Louisiana, SE Oklahoma andNE Texas. Order buyers from 6-8 states bidprior to each sale. Sales are the 2 nd Saturday ofMarch, April, September, October, Novemberand December.For more information, contact JesseeDuckett, PO Box 146, Hope, AR 71802, 870-777-4041 or 870-703-7321, or visit the website:www.goatproducersofarkansas.comHairald CalendarKHSI periodically posts informationon sheep sales and sheep events as a publicservice. Posting sale and event informationdoes not imply endorsement or verificationof the claims of any sale or event.Sales and events posted are not sanctionedby KHSI unless otherwise noted. Contactthe KHSI Operations Office to ask for yourevent or sale to be posted. 479-444-8441or info@katahdins.org**May 27-29, 2011. National MeatGoat and Hair Sheep Symposium. SanAngelo, Texas. Sponsored by AngeloState University & Texas AgriLifeExtension. Registration deadline isApril 15 th .**June 11, 2011. South Central KatahdinAssociation Annual Meeting& Field Day. Includes Private TreatySale. Beauregard Parish Fairgrounds,Deridder, Louisiana.June 21, 2011. Midwest KatahdinHair Sheep Association AnnualMeeting. Sedalia, Missouri duringthe Midwest Stud Ram Sale. Meet atGolden Corral at 5:30 PM for a mealto be followed by Annual Meeting at6:30 PM. For more information, JoyceGeiler at jgeiler@hotmail.com or 618-669-2440.**June 22, 2011. Dr. Leroy H. BoydMemorial Katahdin Junior Show. 3:30PM. Missouri State Fairgrounds, Sedalia,Missouri.August 12-13, 2011. MidwestKatahdin Hair Sheep AssociationEducational Event & Private TreatySale. Mason City, Iowa. Social timearound a campfire on Friday nightAugust 12. Educational speakers onSaturday August 13. Contact SteveBull, Manly, Iowa at 641-420-7535or angus50usa@yahoo.com (moreinformation in the next issue of theKatahdin Hairald).**September 15-17, 2011. KHSI 7 thAnnual KHSI Expo & Sale. Pipestone,Minnesota Fairgrounds and PipestoneVocational Technical School. Pleasebook hotel asap.**- Indicates there is an article with moreinformation in this issue of the Hairald.NOTE: Sales are listed in the SaleRoundup Feature elsewhere in thisissue.SPRING 2011THE KATAHDIN HAIRALD • WWW.KATAHDINS.ORG PAGE 17

What Can a Marking Harness Tell You?Jim Morgan, Arkansas KatahdinBreederMany flocks use marking harnesseson their breeding rams to help managetheir lambing ewes. While the mostcommon use is to predict within a fewdays when a ewe will lamb, there isother information that can be discernedfrom using a harness. They arenot a hundred percent in catching allmatings, but in our flock about 90% ofthe time, the marks do catch the matingthat leads to settling of the ewe.Typically, a shepherd will do the firstcycle using a light color and then nearthe start of the second cycle change toa different color. In our flock, the colorof the crayon is changed on day 14 today 15. In our system, about one outof 20-30 ewes doesn’t mark, but shegoes ahead and lambs.Prior to the start of lambing, basedon the markings, it is possible to makea chart of the predicted order of ewelambing. In our system the vast majorityof ewes lamb at 147 days +/- 2days. When walking through the eweflocks, it saves us some time to onlyclosely look at the ewes that are predictedto be close. We find it useful.But what else can a marking harnesstell you?Ram fertility. One year every ewein one breeding group marked in thefirst 15 days. Then at day ten in thesecond cycle every ewe was markedagain after changing the color of themarking crayon. It told us that theram wasn’t very fertile. If only one ortwo ewes had marked with a differentcolor, and if the vast majority did notremark in the second cycle, you blamethe ewe. A marking harness can alertyou to an infertile or sub-fertile ramthat only settles half or so the ewesper cycle. It is better to know that information3-4 weeks into the breedingseason, rather than much later!Managing a prolapsing ewe. Ewesoccasionally prolapse in our system,about 1 out of 80 lambings. Knowingwhen the ewe is predicted to lambhelps determine how to manage thatprolapsing ewe. If there is only a weekbefore the expected lambing date, wewould use a harness. If 3-4 weeks, wewould probably resort to suturing.Late gestation nutrition - Earlier inour shepherding careers, we noticedthat the average gestation length increasedfrom our 147 day average to150 days. Our lambs were born about1.5 lbs light on average (several 6.5to 7.5 lb lambs). Both of these werequantifiable. Our perception was thatit took 2 days after birth before any ofthe lambs were hopping and jumpingaround. The vast majority of lambswere pretty lethargic (an unquantifiableobservation unless you have astop watch and live out there with thelambs). But the behavioral observationfit with the other data. Conclusion:Our flock had some nutritional eventduring late gestation.Ewe switching breeding groupsand thus exposed to a ram not in themating book. That year, we were usinga green crayon in the first cycle forone ram and yellow for another ramin his first cycle of the breeding group.After the third cycle, I noticed a yellowmarked butt in the green group. Afterchecking eartags, sure enough, we hada ewe that went over or through two32 inch electrified cross-fences andaround some electro-net. Never wouldI have considered that a ewe would dothat, since we rarely have ewes thatget out. I now use different coloredcrayons for the rams in their separatebreeding pastures. This is importantfor maintaining accurate sire recordsfor registering lambs.Switching between rams or puttingin the clean-up ram. For registeredlambs: when switching betweenrams, it is important to know the sire.Safe waiting periods are ten days ormaybe even two weeks. When usingharnesses you can shorten the breakbetween taking one ram out and puttingin another to 4 days. Rarely haveI seen a ewe breed for longer than 36hours. You can be certain that a ewethat didn’t mark with the previouslyharnessed ram and then marked 4days later with the new ram wasbred by the 2 nd ram. But only if theshepherd goes out every day and carefullylooks at each ewe for marks. It isimportant to watch lambing dates. Ifthe gestation length for a ewe doesn’tmake sense so that you can be certainwho the sire is, then it is best not toregister the lambs.Open Ewes - Rarely, we have ewesthat don’t lamb. Marking records canhelp decide whether the ewe shouldbe culled. If the rest of the ewes inthe same breeding group lamb, thenwe look back at the marking harnessrecords. We have had open ewesthat marked each of three successivecycles. This indicates she was cyclingbut not settling and is good candidatefor culling. The one in 20-30 ewes thatdoes not mark, usually goes ahead andlambs. But if they do not mark and donot lamb, it is good evidence that theywere not cycling and are candidatesfor culling.Making Culling Decisions. Occasionally,a flock will run short onwinter feed. In the midst of winter,trying to decide which ewes to cullcan be difficult. Marking harness recordscould tell you which ewes didnot mark or which ewes marked multipletimes. These ewes have a lowerprobability of lambing and may bebetter candidates to cull. A ewe thatalways takes 3 cycles to settle makesmanagement harder.Selecting aseasonal lambing ewes.This task is a little tougher, since thereare more variables including ewes thatcycle (and are marked) and do not settle,rams that mark several ewes buthave low semen counts or are sterile.But that said, marking records providethe shepherd with more informationabout his/her ewes and their cyclingin the spring. If some ewes mark, thenyou know that the ram is detecting estrous.The marking harness providesinformation about what percentageof the ewes are cycling. Also, if a rammarked most of the ewes but no eweslambed, it would indicate that many ofthe ewes were aseasonal but that theram had fertility issues.Catching the ram. We often removerams from the breeding pen withouttaking all the ewes back to the sortingCONTINUED ON PAGE 19PAGE 18 THE KATAHDIN HAIRALD • WWW.KATAHDINS.ORGSPRING 2011

Katahdin Sale Round UpKHSI periodically posts information on sheep sales and sheep events as a public service. Posting sale and event informationdoes not imply endorsement or verification of the claims of any sale or event. KHSI encourages the use of performance recordsand production data as the primary means of selecting sheep instead of emphasizing visual appraisal typical of most shows, sales,and auctions. Sales and events posted are not sanctioned by KHSI unless otherwise noted. Contact the KHSI Operations Office toask for your sale to be posted. 479-444-8441 or info@katahdins.org**June 11, 2011. South Central Katahdin Association Annual Private Treaty Sale. Beauregard Parish Fairgrounds,Deridder, Louisiana.June 22, 2011. Midwest Stud Ram Sale. Missouri State Fairgrounds, Sedalia Missouri. Katahdins sell on Wednesday(show on Monday). Contact at PO Box 796, Columbia, MO 65205. Fax: 573-874-8843. Phone: 573-442-8257July 29-30, 2011. 6 th Annual Center of the Nation Sale. Clay County Fairgrounds in Spencer, Iowa. Open to allNSIP members with current EBVs. Sale order will be established by sector. Maternal: Polypay and Katahdin, by theirrespective indexes. Terminals: PWWT within breed. Wool breeds: Targhee and Columbias, by the Western RangeIndex. Contact Mike Park for info, parkwoodhillfarm@gmail.comAugust 12-13, 2011. Midwest Katahdin Hair Sheep Association Private Treaty Sale and Educational Meeting.Mason City, Iowa. Contact Steve Bull for more information. 641-420-7535 or angus50usa@yahoo.com. (More informationto follow in the next issue of the Katahdin Hairald)**September 17, 2011. 7 th Annual Katahdin Hair Sheep International Expo Sale. Pipestone Fairgrounds, PipestoneMinnesota. Expo Sale to include registered stock as well as pens of commercial Katahdin Ewes. Contact Wes Limesand,Expo Sale Committee Chair, 701-235- 2114 or Jim Morgan at KHSI Operations, 479-444-8441 or info@katahdins.org**October 8, 2011. 5 th Annual Midwest Hair Sheep Sale. Washington County Fairgrounds, Salem, Indiana. ContactWashington County Sheep Association, Dave Embree, 812-755-4414 or Purdue Extension Washington County812-883-4601. More information about this year’s sale and consignment will be available at http://www.wcsheep.org(see Katahdins and Katahdin Breeders in the News article in this issue of the Katahdin Hairald for information aboutlast year’s sale.)**- Indicates there is an article with more information in this issue of the Hairald.WHAT CAN A MARKING HARNESS TELL YOU, CONTINUED FROM PAGE 18 pens. The sheep could be in a distantpart of the rotation or across the highwayfrom the sorting pens. By droppinga little grain or alfalfa hay on theground, the harnessstraps makeit handy for us tocatch and control the ram as we getit out of the pen orinto a cage on thetrailer or back ofthe truck.Problems withharnesses. Harnessesare notalways the cat’smeow and theydo not work foreveryone. If thepastures or penshave brush or junkthat can catch aharness, a ramcould get caught orbecome entangled,and maybe even beseverely injured. Ittakes more managementto checkthe pasture andreduce the chancesof rams beingentangled in thewoods or metalscraps. Crayons can be purchased forthree sets of temperatures (hot, warm,cold). The wax of the crayon needs tomelt at daytime temperatures in orderto mark the ewe. A hot crayon will notmelt if the temperature is 30 degreesF. A cold crayon will melt all overthe ram if the ambient temperaturesare in the 70s or 80s, thus requiringreplacement. If temperatures changedramatically, the shepherd needs tocatch the ram immediately and changethe crayons to keep the harnessesworking. Harnesses can also rub theram raw, if not kept adjusted correctly.They can cause bleeding. Some folkssay the harnesses are only 25-50% successfulin helping to identify ewes thatare marked and when they will lamb.Harnesses are less useful for thosewith jobs off the farm that do not allowthem to see the ewes in the daylightevery day to check for marks. Somerams have a light touch or maybe acooler chest and are less likely to leavemarks. When ambient temperature isreally cold, a ewe with a thick coatedbutt is also less likely to mark.In summary, marking harnessesare a useful management tool. Theyprovide much more information formanaging your flock than just tellingyou when a ewe is likely to lamb.SPRING 2011THE KATAHDIN HAIRALD • WWW.KATAHDINS.ORG PAGE 19

KHSI Member’s Guide11/10The Katahdin Hairald is the official publication of Katahdin Hair Sheep International, which provides educationabout:• registering individual Katahdin sheep and recording performance• maintaining the distinct identity of the Katahdin breed• approaches to promotion and marketing• summaries of research and development related to the breed2010-2011 Board of DirectorsPresident: Ron Young, buckeyea@metalink.net, 419-495-2993, OhioVice President: Wes Limesand, Wesley.Limesand@ndsu.edu, 701-235-2114, North DakotaSecretary/Treasurer: Carl Ginapp, carl@cmgkatahdins.net, 641-425-0592, IowaDirector: Howard Brown, mapabrown2@yahoo.com, 405-567-2559, OklahomaDirector: John Stromquist, Stromquist@stateline-isp.com, 815-629-2159, IllinoisDirector: Roxanne Newton, mcnjr53@yahoo.com, 229-794-3456, GeorgiaDirector: Lee Wright, lrite@vt.edu, 276-646-3010, VirginiaHonorary: Charles Brown, Piel Farm, MaineHonorary: Charles Parker, cfparker@aglaia.net, OhioCanada Representative: Darlene Jordan, ran.dar@sasktel.net, 306-746-4361Mexico Representative: Dr. Alejandro Ferrer, ferreralejandro@yahoo.com, 011-522-712-3109KHSI Operations:• Jim Morgan and Teresa Maurer; PO Box 778; Fayetteville, AR 72702-0778Phone and FAX: 479-444-8441; info@katahdins.org• Send the following to Operations - Completed membership applications, renewal forms and dues• Contact Operations for the following:- Request inspections before May 15- Information packets sent to public- Forms for: breed history, breed standards, membership,renewal, BLANK animal registration forms and instructions,other KHSI information. Note: printable formsavailable at the website, www.katahdins.org.- Address changes or other corrections on printed list orWebKHSI Registry: KHSI Registrar: Karey Claghorn• KHSI Registry, 15603 173rd Ave., Milo, IA 50166Phone – 641-942-6402, Fax – 641-942-6502; Email – registry@katahdins.org• Contact the Registry with questions about registration, recording, transferring, upgrading procedures.• Send the following to the Registry:- Completed forms for registering, recording, transferring and naming Katahdins• Office Hours (Central time): Monday to Friday 9 am- 4pm.KHSI Committees: (Call 479-444-8441 to volunteer; Committee Chairs listed with committee)Promotion: Carl Ginapp - 641-425-0592Nominating/Election: Mark Dennis - 337-364-0422Youth/Education: Howard Brown - 405-567-2559Expo Sale: Wes Limesand - 701-235-2114Website: John Stromquist - 815-629-2159 orHoward Brown - 405-567-2559- Brochures (20 free per member per year; additional atcost) & promotional items- Information on members with sheep for sale, anyonewanting to buy sheep- Articles, ads, and comments to be published in theKatahdin Hairald- Volunteer for KHSI Committees- Annual meeting information• Office Hours (Central time): Monday, Wednesday, Friday (10 am - 3 pm). Calls at other times including evenings andweekends will be answered personally whenever possible.• Answering machine, FAX and email: available for messages 24 hours per day.Breed Improvement Guidelines:Laura Fortmeyer – 785- 467-8041Hairald Publishing: Wes Limesand - 701-235-2114Registry Liaison: Wes Limesand - 701-235-2114PAGE 20 THE KATAHDIN HAIRALD • WWW.KATAHDINS.ORGSPRING 2011

Classified AdsClassified sale ads for Katahdin or Katahdin-cross sheep are free to all KHSI members in the Katahdin Hairald and at the KHSIwebsite. For the Hairald, please limit length to 40 words. Sheep Wanted Ads can be placed for free for non-KHSI members.Classified Ad Content due April 12 th , 2011 to KHSI Operations Office for Summer 2011 Hairald. Contact KHSI Operations,479-444-8441 or info@katahdins.org.SHEEP WANTEDFLORIDANW FL. Registered Ewes. Looking topurchase 4 or more registered ewes.Contact Captain Wayne Rowlett at850-547-1333 in Bonifay, FL.GEORGIANW GA. Market Lambs. I am lookingfor 4-6 lambs to grow out for harvestin late 2011. Need by mid to latespring. Greg Hutchins of Bowdon,GA. 770-377-5380 or theheritagefarm@yahoo.comKENTUCKYSW KY. Commercial/RegisteredEwes. Wanted 100+ commercial orregistered ewes & rams (2 yr olds) .Bob Rush of Greenville KY. 404-403-9146 or special1@centurytelNEW YORKCentral NY. Bred Ewes. Looking for2-3 bred ewes for my son’s sheepproject. Do not have to be registeredbut do have to be healthy. We are incentral NY state & would prefer tobuy locally. Will consider a bred eweand an unrelated ewe lamb. ShereCrossman of Crossman Family Farm.West Winfield, NY. 315-822-6654 orcrossmanfarms@live.comNY & Surrounding States. BredCommercial/Registered or UnbredEwes. Looking for groups of at leastSHEEP WANTED10 ewes or 100 plus ewes (yearling-3yrs old). Will travel to NE PA, NJ orWestern CT & MA or VT. ContactMaurice Dalton at 516-333-2000, ext105 or mdalton@rosenmgmt.comLakeside Farms in Jericho NY.NORTH DAKOTARegistered RR Ram Lamb. Want tobuy RR Ram lamb. Must be ableto breed by fall of 2011 and mustbe of good genetics. Contact Dennisin Brocket, ND. 701-655-3589 ordmaixner@polarcomm.com100 Commercial Katahdin Lambs.We need to buy up to 100 commercialKatahdin lambs. Call Kent of PfennigFarms for details 701-220-6410 orkpfennig@bektel.comOHIOCENTRAL OH. Commercial Ewes.100 commercial ewes, bred if possible.Johnny Schrock. Hillsboro, OH937-466-2289.CENTRAL/SOUTHERN OH. 100commercial 2-yr old ewes, bred if possible.Dave Ditmer. Hillsboro, OH 937-466-9532, daveditmer@ymail.comPENNSYLVANIANW PA. Ewes & Ram. Looking tobuy 2-5 Katahdin ewes 2-3 years old.Also looking for a ram. We are locatedin NW PA, Titusville area. BrendaSHEEP WANTEDMalone at jbmccool@usachoice.netor 814-671-4747SE STATESWeaned Lambs. I am interested incontracting for any feeder lambsfrom weaning up to 75 pounds forgrowing out to market. Prefer lambsfrom pasture-raised operations. Willtake lambs not making your gradefor breeding stock. Specifically interestedin Southeastern states up to VAand west to La. Contact Scott Justiceat info@mosshillfarms.com or 803-247-2471VIRGINIANORTHERN VA. Yearling ewes.Want 4 hair sheep for 11⁄2 acres.Mark Gonzales, Fredericksburg, VA.gonzo@instepdj.comSHEEP FOR SALEALABAMASE Al. Registered Yearling Ram &Ram Lamb. Jan ‘10 born QR ramsired by “Trendsetter” & May ‘10born RR ram sired by WSK 4198. Bothrams have great genetics. $350 each.SFCP certified Scrapie Free. Frankie& Michelle Stiefel, Sand MountainKatahdins, Section AL. 256-599-4506,frankiestiefel@centurytel.netRound MountainKatahdinsPerformance-Based Selection on PastureSelecting for stock with balanced EPDsand superior Lbs Lamb WeanedJim Morgan & Teresa MaurerNW AR • 479-444-6075jlmm@earthlink.netcheck out our Breeder Pageat www.katahdins.orgNSIP, SFCPcertified scrapie freeSPRING 2011THE KATAHDIN HAIRALD • WWW.KATAHDINS.ORG PAGE 21

Classified Ads, continuedSHEEP FOR SALEARKANSASNW AR. Mature Registered Ram.Excellent structure & muscling. Vigorousbreeder for several years. Anexcellent addition to any flock. Haveseveral excellent daughters & neednew ram. $250. Contact Terri Burton479.806.4148. Rudy, ARNORTHERN AR. Mature CommercialRam. Excellent structure& muscling. Has been a vigorousbreeder for two years. An excellentaddition to any flock. Have severalexcellent daughters and need newram. Elaine Mills of Katahdin MillsFarm, Harrison, AR. 870-365-0169,demills07@windstream.netKENTUCKYSOUTHERN KY. Registered QR & RRRam Lambs. Ready to breed now. 2010born. Pasture raised only. Top 10% ofcrop advertised for sale. No foot problemsor required deworming. Jeff Emmerling,Magnolia KY. 270-528-4288or j.emmerling@scrtc.com Photos &more info at www.jandmsheep.comLOUISIANA2011 Registered Lambs. Takingorders now. Russell Adams of RFAdams Farms in Franklinton, LA,Washington Parish. 985-515-9406 orrfadamsfarms@rfadams.comMARYLANDRegistered, Recorded & CommercialLambs; Recorded RR Ram. Lambsavailable in spring. Yearling ram,Twitter, Katahdin/Dorper, recorded81% Katahdin, proven breeder, RRgenotype. University of Maryland,Campus Farm, Crystal Caldwell, 301-405-1298, crystalc@umd.eduMISSISSIPPISOUTHERN MS. Registered RR MatureRam. 3 Yr twin born, white A coat.Barbara Slater, BV Farms, New Hebron,MS. bvfarms@windstream.net,601-792-9214MONTANAEastern MT. Commercial & RegisteredRams. Spring Lambs. Commercialpurebred Katahdin yearlingSHEEP FOR SALErams & one 4 yr old registered ram.Will have 50 commercial ewe & ramlambs & registered ram lambs forsale this spring. Taking orders now.Christy Kemp, River Breaks Katahdins,Glendive, MT. 406-366-0366,crwkemp@yahoo.comNORTH CAROLINASE NC. Registered/Commercial Ewe &Ram Lambs. Taking Orders for springlambs. Available late spring-earlysummer. Prices $125-$200. Qualityreplacement stock. Josh Postell, HiddenHollow Farm, Andrews, NC, 828-361-0812, josh.postell@yahoo.comOHIOWest Central OH. RegisteredEwes & Ewe Lambs. 18 healthyewes (10 months-2 years), raisedon pasture & forage. Variety ofcolors. SFCP. Beth Sear, RamblingAcres Farm, Covington, OH.bksears@gmail.com or call 937-448-0101. www.ramblesacres.comSouthern OH. Registered RamLambs. 100 ram lambs. Choose fromall colors, very nice lambs. Codon171 tested. Teresa Elliott , Gold StrikeFarm in Scottown, OH. 740-256-9247,goldstrikeboergoats@yahoo.com,www.goldstrikeboergoats.comPENNSYLVANIACentral PA. Registered QR Ram Lamb.Nov born twin. Nice looking muscularlamb. Black & white. Pics available.Carolyn McMillen of Olde McMillenHomestead, Loysville, PA. 717-789-4851, cmcmillen@embarqmail.comTENNESSEESE TN. Mature & Yearling Rams. TwoFeb 09 QR rams, one white singlet, onebrown & white twin. Four Feb/Mar2010 QR rams. Michael Stumpff, CedarCreek Farms, Georgetown, TN.423-505-4274, mstumpff@yahoo.comEastern TN. Registered Yearling QRRam. Brown/White coloring. Twinborn. Great Blood lines. Good forbreeding. $300. Darran & Lola Pearson,Rogersville TN. for more info.423-272-7330,katherine.erica.pearson@gmail.comKatahdins &Katahdin BreedersIn the News1. Pipestone Veterinary ClinicCatalog – 2011. For the second yearin a row, Doc Kennedy has providedgood information about Katahdinsto the sheep industry. Page 1 of thecatalog gives a brief biography of hiswork in agriculture. There are briefdescriptions of his work in large animalveterinary medicine and his sheepenterprises over the years. Doc mentionsthat the Finn breed had a largeimpact on sheep production becausetheir incorporation into some newcomposites and cross-bred ewes createda ewe with 200% lamb crops. Goingon, it is worth quoting one paragraphfrom Doc’s brief biography andthe cover photo of the catalog. “I amnow fascinated by Katahdins. Theirdurability, low maintenance andproficiency makes them a sure bet forflocks in the Midwest and elsewhere. Ithink they have the opportunity to bemajor contributors in stabilizing thesheep industry. I witnessed how theFinns contributed in their time. Thepotential for Katahdins is many timesthat. There is a new paradigm in themaking.”2. News Release – 4 th AnnualMidwest Hair Sheep Sale HeldThe Washington County Sheep Associationheld its 4 th Annual “MidwestHair Sheep Sale” on October 9, 2010, atthe Washington County Fairgroundsin Salem, Indiana. 17 farms consignedsheep from Indiana, Illinois,Kentucky, Ohio and Virginia. Breedssold included Katahdin, Dorper,White Dorper, Painted Desert, RoyalWhite, St Croix and crossbreds. Astarter flock of 1 ram and 4 registeredKatahdin ewes sold for $1550 andwas consigned by Big H Livestock ofVirginia. Consigned sheep were registeredand commercial. The 2011 saledate is October 8, 2011. For more information,contact Washington CountySheep Association, Dave Embree,812-755-4414 or Purdue ExtensionWashington County 812-883-4601.More information about this year’ssale and consignment will be availableat http://www.wcsheep.orgPAGE 22 THE KATAHDIN HAIRALD • WWW.KATAHDINS.ORGSPRING 2011

Henry Shultz & Family6219 Audrain Rd125Centralia,Missouriwww.prairielanefarm.net573-682-5481beckyshultz@msn.comJUBILEE FARMLaura & Doug FortmeyerFairview, Kansas25 years experience with KatahdinsNSIP since 1994 • SFCP Certified flock785-467-8041 • jubilee@jbntelco.comRegistered & commercial breeding stockBorn on pasture, Raised on pastureWarm Springs KatahdinsCertifiedVSFCPOne hundred ewe flockBreeding Katahdins since 1999Utilizing Lamb Plan EBVsEnrolledNSIPDavid and Nancy Maddox • Warm Springs, GA706-655-3407 • dbmaddox@windstream.netSee our website and Breeders Page for more detailswww.warmspringskatahdins.comThis ad spacecould be YOURSBusiness Card ads in the Hairald formembers advertising sheep are$15 B/W • $25 ColorSPRING 2011THE KATAHDIN HAIRALD • WWW.KATAHDINS.ORG PAGE 23

National Meat Goat and Hair SheepSymposiumMay 27-29, 2011 in San Angelo TexasThe National Meat Goat and HairSheep Symposium is intended to provideeducational opportunities for theexperienced producer and producersnew to the business. There will betopics covering all areas of meatgoat and hair sheep production. Inaddition to symposia presentations,there will be hands-on techniquesdemonstrated. Speakers will behighly respected and recognized scientistsand producers in the field. Inaddition to educational opportunities,there will be vendors available to discussthe latest products and materialin the sheep and goat industry. Thesymposium will be at the Angelo StateUniversity Management, Instructionand Research Center in San Angelo,Texas. Topics to be covered include:a) Animal Health and Disease Management,b) Predator Management/KHSI OperationsFor the third year in a row, sales of registered Katahdins increased. Transfersare an indicator of sales and they are highest since the peak year of 2006. If thetotal number of Recordations are excluded from the comparisons, numbers areat the second highest level in all categories. Membership numbers reboundedfrom a low year in 2009 to the second highest on record.Keep up the good work of promoting and selling Katahdins!YEARREG-ISTRA-TIONSRECOR-DATIONS2003-2010 KHSI REGISTRY ACTIVITIESTRANS-FERSGuard Animals, c) Nutrition, d) Fencingand Facilities, e) ReproductiveManagement, f) Marketing, g) LiveAnimal and Carcass Evaluation, h)Cooking With Lamb and Goat Meat,i) Parasite Management: Internal andExternal, j) Identification Methods, k)Vaccinating/Drenching Techniques, l)Hoof Trimming. Registration deadlineis April 15 th .Contact Dr Mike Salisbury at(325) 942-2027, ag@angelo.edu orDr. Frank Craddock, (325) 653-457,or b-craddock@tamu.edu for moreinformation. $150 for first familymember and $75 for second. Cost includesthree days of symposiums,educational/publication materialsand three meals. http://www.angelo.edu/dept/agriculture/symposium.htmlRegistry & Membership Numbers –Good TrendsTOTAL REG-ISTRATIONS& RECOR-DATIONSTOTALREG-ISTRYTRANS-ACTIONSVOTINGMEMBER-SHIPYOUTHMEMBER-SHIPA course to train and certify peopleto use ultrasound scanners for sheepwas held in June 2010 in Ames, Iowa.It was hosted by Dr Dan Morricalof Iowa State University. Dr ScottGreiner of Virginia Tech did thetraining. This was the first certificationprogram for lamb ultrasound work tobe held in the U.S. Thirteen scannerswere certified.The training was modeled afterultrasound scanner certification usedin the beef and pork industries. Akey issue with ultrasound work isrepeatability. The images receivedfrom ultrasound work are fuzzy andit takes practice and skill to be accurateand consistent. The images areused to determine the loin eye areaand amount of back fat and are importantmeasures used to help predictthe genetics of carcass merits.The purpose of the certification isto provide sheep producers with a listof scanners that have passed a test. Alist of the certified scanners may befound at the National Sheep ImprovementProgram website, on the NSIPInfo page at www.nsip.orgCurrently there are certified scannersin California, Iowa, Michigan,Ohio, Oregon, Virginia and Wisconsin.A future fact sheet will be publishedabout age and weight ranges toultrasound loin eyes. The U.S. sheepindustry will be doing loineye depth, similar to sheepindustries in the UnitedTOTALMEMBER-SHIP2010 4496 257 2761 4753 7514 547 49 5962009 4081 898 2584 4979 7563 473 21 4942008 4401 669 2232 5070 7302 525 NA 5252007 4343 743 2588 5086 7674 574 NA 5742006 4935 1052 2844 5987 8831 535 NA 5352005 3839 806 2718 4645 7363 529 NA 5292004 3489 720 2232 4209 6441 530 NA 5302003 3161 738 1711 3899 5610 514 NA 514First Certified U.S.Lamb UltrasoundScanners CompleteCourse in 2010Kingdom, Australia andNew Zealand. Currently, itis recommended that ramsbe ultrasounded at marketages and weights. The acceptableage range is 90-180days of age. This certificationclass was supported by theAmerican Sheep IndustryAssociation. Plans are onthe table to do another lambultrasound certification classon the east and west coastsin the next few years thatwill provide certified lambscanners in more states inthe country.PAGE 24 THE KATAHDIN HAIRALD • WWW.KATAHDINS.ORGSPRING 2011

The Resource Shelf1. 2011 ASI Convention PresentationsOnlineThe diverse talks offered duringthe 2011 American Sheep IndustryAssociation (ASI) Convention inReno, Nevada are now available onthe ASI website. To access them, goto www.sheepusa.org , click on ‘Resources’in the upper left corner, andthen choose ‘Presentations’ in the columnon the left. There you will finduseful current information on topicssuch as 2011 Sheep Industry Surveyby USDA NAHMS (National AnimalHealth Monitoring System), ScrapieProgram Update, and Ethnic LambBuying and Preparation Behaviorand Preferences, and more.2. Need a DVM that providesSmall Ruminant Reproductive Services?or Do You Want To Find ASheep Vet?The American Association of SmallRuminant Practitioners (AASRP) isnow asking their members to indicateSEND YOUR 2011 DUES INTODAYto make sure that you receive the nextissue of the Hairald & Stay on theKHSI Website Membership Listwhether they provide reproductiveservices for sheep and/or goats. Reproductiveservices include: embryotransfer, semen collection and evaluation,laparoscopic AI, transcervical AIand ultrasonography for pregnancydiagnosis.This information is available at thewebsite: http://aasrp.org/index.cfmCurrently the link to do the search isabout halfway down on the right partof the home page and is called “Lookingfor reproductive veterinarian?” Ashepherd could select laparoscopic AIand a state (e.g. Ohio) and see if thereare any DVMs (veterinarians) listedfor your part of Ohio who do laparoscopicAI. There are some limitations.AASRP just started asking DVMs tolist their reproductive services forsheep. So it will take a while for allDVMs to list their services but youshould keep checking back. Alsomany of the DVMs who do sheepwork do not yet belong to AASRP.Even if you do not wish to do AI orembryo transfer, the website can helpyou find small ruminant practitionersin your area. On the upper left part ofthe home page is a link called “Find aVet” to search for all DVMs in AASRP.The functions allow you to input zipcode or town. You can also use thestate or school that DVM graduatedfrom as the search term. Again keepchecking the website because newnames are being added regularly.Editor’s note: The American Sheep Industry(ASI) suggested to AASRP thatthey list DVMs who provide reproductiveservice, so we can thank ASI for being thesparkplug for this helpful service. If youdon’t use computers or have internet, mostpublic libraries offer internet services.Take this article into the library and askthe reference librarian for help or ask aneighbor or young relative whose schoolmay have internet.DO NOT FORGET!DO NOT FORGET!a) Send all Registration Applications and Transfers toKHSI Registry in Milo Iowa (even if the “old style”Certificate has Morrilton AR)b) Transfer Fees are $5 - not $3c) Throw away the old blank Registration ApplicationForms that say to send to Morrilton, ARAdvertisers Index (listed alphabetically)Brokaw Farm Katahdins, Patrick, Brenda, & Lee Brokaw, Illinois....................................17CMG Katahdins, Carl & Marcia Ginapp, Iowa ..............................................................23Dosch Katahdins, Tom & Maria Dosch, South Dakota ...................................................23Hound River Farm, Milledge & Roxanne Newton, Georgia............................................12Jessee Farm, Kenneth & Connie Jessee, Virginia ..........................................................14JM Katahdins, John Cannon, Florida............................................................................23Jubilee Farm, Doug & Laura Fortmeyer, Kansas ...........................................................23Lazy B Livestock, Howard & Lavonne Brown, Oklahoma ...............................................13Pipestone Veterinary Clinic, Doc Kennedy, Minnesota...................................................11Prairie Lane Farms, Henry & Becky Shultz, Missouri ......................................................23Round Mountain Farm, Jim Morgan & Teresa Maurer, Arkansas....................................21Shepherd Magazine, Ken & Kathy Kark, Ohio ..............................................................19Warm Springs Katahdins, David Maddox, Georgia .......................................................23White Post Farm, John & Marian Stromquist, Illinois .....................................................23Xpressions, Gail Hardy, Arkansas.................................................................................21SPRING 2011THE KATAHDIN HAIRALD • WWW.KATAHDINS.ORG PAGE 25

KHSIc/o Jim Morgan & Teresa MaurerP. O. Box 778Fayetteville, AR 72702-0778479-444-8441KHSI 2011 Expo SchedulePRELIMINARY SCHEDULE - PIPESTONE, MINNESOTASeptember 15 ThursdayOptional Tour: Meet at Hotel at 7:30 AM to Board the BusAM – Tour Iowa Lamb – A major lamb processing plant in Hawarden IowaPM – Tour two sheep production farms in the Pipestone Sheep Project5:00 p.m. ........ Expo Sale Sheep check-in at Pipestone FairgroundsSeptember 16 FridayEvents at Pipestone Vocational Technical School & Pipestone FairgroundsAM ................... Vocational Technical SchoolEducational Sessions. Topics include health, nutrition, marketing, etc.Speakers include:Mike Caskey & Philip Berg of Minnesota West Technical College.Doc G.F. Kennedy, J.D. Bobb, DVM, J.L. Goelz, DVM of Pipestone Veterinary ClinicDion Van Well – Waterton South Dakota Lamb Feeder and MarketerLunch............... Catered by "Two Fat Sisters"PM .................. Vocational Technical SchoolEducational Sessions: ContinuedKHSI Annual Membership MeetingAt Pipestone Fairgrounds6:00 Dinner...... Catered by "Two Fat Sisters"September 17 SaturdayEvents at Pipestone Fairgrounds8:30 a.m. ......... View Sale Animals9:30 a.m. ......... Session on Conformation & Soundness12:00 noon ...... Sale – Registered Katahdin Rams & Ewes Sale, followed by CommercialKatahdin Ewe Sale