What is Your Time Worth?

Most long-time sheep and goat ranching families have a deep rooted passion for livestock and the land that supports them. Rarely, does anyone stop and think, “How much money am I gonna make by driving around the ranch to check livestock, water, and fencelines?” But, we all know that if we don’t keep a close eye on our ranching operations it can be disasterous.

Lets be honest and acknowledge that sheep and goat ranching isn’t a highly profitable enterprise compared to other professions that require skilled labor, hard work, and large capital investment. Most people who ranch, aren’t in it for the money. They love what they do and it provides a quality of life that rivals any other profession. But this doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t try and improve efficiencies in how we manage our sheep and goat operations.

One management changes to decrease effort and increase return on land, labor, and capital isn’t likely to revolutionize the ranch overnight. But a few small changes that occur overtime could change the outlook of the operation in the long-term. By that I mean, it may allow some to ranch when they no longer have the time or physical ability to keep doing it the way we have always done it. Or we may also see a desire by the next generation to carry on the tradition, if they see new technology and strategies being implemented that excites them or provides options that allow for ranching to coexist with another profession or extracurricular activities off the ranch.

I’m not claiming to have the answers for each and every operation. Ranchers know their own operations better than anyone else. Rather, this article is trying inspire the ranching community to brainstorm options that are right for them. Some of the technolgy may be available or it may need to be developed.

Remote monitoring: I’d be willing to bet that pature-based sheep and goat ranchers and hired staff spend the majority of their time checking pastures. Rightfully so, livestock need to be assessed for health, pasture conditions need to be evaluated, and water systems need to be constantly monitored. But, can we reduce the number of times that we do this activity or shorten time spent checking pastures?

GPS trackers on a small percentage of livestock and/or most all guardian dogs is a good way to always know where they are, where they have been, and if they leave their pasture. Cellular game cameras are a good way to constantly check water troughs and tanks, learn about when livestock are watering, and monitor what wildlife are present in these pastures. And I’m very curious to learn if virtual fencing will ever become an economical option for sheep and goat ranchers. If so, this would be a real game changer for sheep and goat producers. Nonetheless, segments of this technology are already commercially available and I’d encourage you to look into it.

Precision Nutrition: Feeding and supplementing livestock is most often the largest direct expense to sheep and goat ranching operations, which also takes a lot time and effort. Ranchers know better than anyone that you can’t starve a profit from livestock. But feed costs continue to rise faster than the livestock market and we must learn to be more efficient to sustain a profitable margin.

Many ranchers have chosen to go with self-feeders or cooked tubs to cut down on labor. This can be a good option for some but it is an expensive option and doesn’t always direct the right feed to the right animals. Nutritional demands are greatest in late gestation and lactation, especially for females giving birth to multiple offspring. Mid gestation pregnancy ultrasound and body condition scoring is a good way to sort ewes and nannies into groups based on nutritional needs and allows for better use of feed resources. Ranchers can then prioritize time and resources to under conditioned or twin-baring animals that are most likely benefit from additional feed and spend less time and resources on well conditioned or single-baring animals that don’t need it.

Remote animal weighing systems that capture daily or weekly body weight gains/losses are being developed. Electronic tags, automated scales, and remote data reporting systems have existed for some time but pairing all these together within ranching systems hasn’t been developed and commercialized. This is new system that I think could have tremendous value to sheep and goat ranchers. Not only would this provide data on animal productivity to adjust nutritional strategy but it could also help with monitoring death/predation loss and pairing up dam to offspring.

Much of the aforementioned technology could be operated from our cell phones. Yes, sometimes we wish that we could go back to the good old days and disconnect. But the reality is other sources of protein and fiber both domestically and internationally are going to adopt technology and we must be able to compete with this. I can speak from personal experience that I thoroughly enjoy monitoring my animals on my cell phone. It saves me time and money, plus provide a peace of mind that the water trough is full and livestock are looking good. When I am able to check on things in-person, it is a more enjoyable experience.

In summary, hard work has been and will continue to be a cornerstone of livestock production, especially for sheep and goat ranchers. But I hope this article inspires people to stop and think about working smarter and not just harder. Our time is a valued commodity and we must all try to use it wisely. We are fortunate to live in a time when technology can make our lives easier, if we choose to allow it.

To provide feedback on this article or request topics for future articles, contact me at reid.redden@ag.tamu.edu or 325-657-7324. For general questions about sheep and goats, contact your local Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service county office. If they can’t answer your question, they have access to someone who can.

The ball and chain of indecisiveness

A rancher that I deeply respect once told me that the worst decision is no decision at all. This statement stopped me in my tracks. At first I wanted to reject it and rebut that we should always proceed with caution rather than making an impulsive choice, just for the sake of it. But before I put my foot in my mouth, I did some self reflection and realized that he was really telling me that being fearful of making a bad choice and not taking action because of this insecurity is maybe the greatest failure of all. It’s better to pick a path and move on and avoid the temptation to put a choice off until “the time is right”… which I fear is the forbidden fruit our sheep industry has taken a bite from.

We are all creatures of habit and making a decision that is new or different can be a hard thing to do. For me, being slow to commit to a new path forward is a result of my own tendency to overthink and and maybe too much education. High school and much of a BS degree tends to teach us about a “black and white” world. However, graduate school tends to be much more of a “shades of grey” understanding of science. In the context of agriculture, living things are complex and certain actions or decisions about their management can lead to many different outcomes. I have a tendency to try and work through every detail and hem haw around until the ghost of that old rancher appears on my shoulder and yells at me to “just make a choice already!”

It is much easier to stick to what we have done, as we have a better idea of what the outcome will be. However, it is much harder to contemplate what the long-term impact of failing to make a decision to try something new. It’s also easy to fall into the trap of focusing on the negative side once we have made a new decision and proclaiming “I’ll never do that again!” as soon as the slightest drawback is observed. Even I am guilty of getting lost in the nuances and forgetting the bigger picture, which may in fact be a net positive.

Let’s focus this on a genetic selection in small ruminants. In Texas, most sheep and goat raisers are using the same principles of selecting replacement breeding stock as our grandparents, which is relying on our visual appraisal of a well fed animal. Yet, we have known for decades that visual selection will not allow us to make improvements in reproduction, parasite resistance, and envirnomental fitness. And for decades, technology has been available to aid us to select animals that are more productive within commercial conditions.

Failing to make a decision to try a different approach to genetic selection has not only kept our industry from reaching its full potential but it has also allowed other animal proteins and foreign imports to gain a competitive advantage. For instance, New Zealand had a similar 80% lamb crop 30 years ago. And through genetic selection and improved management their national lamb crop has increased roughly 50%. Australia has adopted similar technology and cross-breeding schemes that allow them to capture ~50% of the American lamb market. Chicken, Pork, and to a lesser degree Beef have all improved their production efficiency over the last 3 decades. Not all of this is from genetic selection but genetics are the foundation of animal performance.

We in the research community can be victim to this tendency as well. For instance, the centralized ram test was hosted at Sonora and San Angelo for nearly 70 years. In the early days, it was the best technology available for genetic selection. The test was very effective at improving growth rate and fleece weights, while maintaining low micron, high quality wool. However, the last couple decades of the test, it became apparent that the sheep were getting too big to sustain healthy productive ewes on native rangelands. As a result, it required extra feed to maintain optimal body condition, likely reduced reproductive potential, and increased susceptibility to parasites. This test was cancelled to encourage breeders to use a better genetic testing program that generated estimated breeding values from sheep raised on the ranch. But this decision was about 20 years late. And during those 20 years, much of the finewool sheep industry in Texas was been replaced by smaller, more environmentally fit hair sheep.

My point is not that genetic selection is the primary reason for all of the issues we have in the small ruminant industry. It is much more complicated than that. But it is a good example of how the failure to make a decision to try something new because we are skeptical it will work or assume the effort required will not provide a good return on investment can cripple an industry’s ability to remain competitive.

The brighter side of this is those other industries whom have been quick to adopt technology have made a lot of mistakes which we can learn from and avoid making them ourselves. While, the best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago, the second best time it today. Let’s not continue to be indecisive if we want to grow our industry for ourselves and the next generation. And history has continually shown us that making the easy decision is not always the best one.

To provide feedback on this article or request topics for future articles, contact me at reid.redden@ag.tamu.edu or 325-657-7324. For general questions about sheep and goats, contact your local Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service county office. If they can’t answer your question, they have access to someone who can.

Are Small Farms the Future of Ag?

You would have to be living under a rock to not be aware that land fragmentation has and continues to occur in rural America. Many of us want to lament about the good ole days, when farms and ranches were large, families were fully supported by livestock operations, and close neighbors were rare. To be honest, I do too. But we must face reality and learn to adapt to a new environment.

If you are a long time reader, you’ll know that I tend to look at things “half glass full,” so lets look at the potential positive attributes of this trend. Land fragmentation typically will result in more people involved in agriculture. Naturally, small ruminants tend to fit well into these small scale farms and ranches. The recent USDA census indicates that there are more people raising sheep today than there were in the 1950s, when sheep numbers were at their highest. Strength comes in numbers, so this can definitely be a good thing, if we work together.

Before we get too much further in this article, I want to be clear that land fragmentation comes in many shapes and sizes. We can’t really say that small scale farms are less than a set number of acres. In Far West Texas, 1,000 acres may be a small ranch; whereas, East Texas that might be 10 acres. But if I had to put a box on this; I’d say that small scale operations are those that can’t run enough animals to justify the labor involved in management.

I don’t know land fragmentation is necessarily a problem or in some ways a good thing. Sometimes we bemoan about how more nonagriculturalists should better understand ranching and livestock production and what it takes to put food on the table. While I love the tradition of big ranches and having livestock at scale, I also worry that trying really hard to preserve that actually makes more people feel excluded from the agricutlural way of life.

Funny how times change but many of the issues that we face are not too different from our grandparents and great grandparents. An issue that is likely new for American animal agriculture is how do we feed so many people with smaller farms that aren’t highly efficient due to scale? Will we continue to see a trend towards chicken and pork, as these confinement operations can affordably buy feed and scale to meet the demand? And will we continue to rely on imported products to meet domestic demand? Or can we educate small scale sheep and goat operations to become more efficient and make up the difference in production from downsized large scale operations of the past?

Personally, I would like to see the latter of the three questions above. But that would go against historical trends. If one takes a look at the beef industry, it might suggest that it’s pragmatic. Nearly 80% of beef in the US comes from operations with less than 50 head of cattle. Obviously, Americans eat a lot more beef than lamb or goat meat.

So why can the beef industry do this and the sheep and goat industry hasn’t? Cattle are a first choice for many people who have a ranch. It is almost an American tradition to raise cattle if you have land. Second, cattle tend to be less labor intensive to manage. They stay behind fences easier, predation isn’t a major concern, and they don’t succumb to parasites in higher rainfall areas. The reality is, sheep and goats take often take more mangement than cows, and naturally if that mangement and labor is spread across a larger flock it is easier to pencil out. But I think as an industry we really need to lean into the idea that many of the new producers are not rasing small ruminants to make a full living or if they are, it is in an out of the box concept. I am continually excited about the way that grazing sheep and goats for wildfire abatement or weed control has become a booming business. Grazing under solar panels is also a really big opportunity for sheep and goats. Oprations that are direct marketing lamb meat and high quality wool are experiencing success. In all honesty, everywhere I look I see sheep and goat folks redefining what it means to be a “traditional” rancher.

In extension, we are going to continue to help support the needs and problems faced by traditonal and nontraditional small ruminant production. Sure, predation, parasites, range mangement are all major issues for large ranches and will continue to be for the newer, smaller operations, but through different educational approaches and research concepts, I am hopeful we can continue to improve in these areas.

I tend to believe that most of our problems are actually either self-induced or have been an issue for much longer than our lifetime. Creating solutions will take forward thinking individuals, whom have a good understanding of history, and work as a community of animal agriculturalists. I also believe that for some time the sheep industry has tried to make changes to revert back to “how things used to be”. That isn’t a sustainable concept for any industry. Land fragmentation is something that is a reality of modern times and we should all be looking ahead as to how to best include and support large and small scale sheep and goat producers.

To provide feedback on this article or request topics for future articles, contact me at reid.redden@ag.tamu.edu or 325-657-7324. For general questions about sheep and goats, contact your local Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service county office. If they can’t answer your question, they have access to someone who can.

Lamb Marking

This edition of Reid’s Ram-blings was composed by Jake Thorne, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Program Specialist.

My very earliest memory growing up included a few distinct details that I will never forget. The gritty feel of dust in my teeth, the softness of a lambs head against my cheek as I held it on the marking table, the piles of lambs tails (exactly 100 in each) scattered about, and the general joy that everyone older than me seemed to experience. I’ll admit, I was tired, hot, and had just lifted my body weight in lambs a hundred times over. But growing up on a sheep ranch has ways of imprinting on you for the rest of your life. Days spent marking lambs just always seem to surface when I get the nostalgic feeling of the good-old days. While this article is meant less to be a trip down memory lane, I can’t help but lead into it pointing out that the comraderie and sheep work that occurs during annual lamb marking days is something I look forward to every year.

With that said, lamb marking days are indeed “work.” Admittedly, it feels a lot more like work when you are the holder, but nevertheless everyone has a job and each is just as important as the next. With spring lambs hitting the ground, I thought it might be helpful if I go through a bit about what we do at the research station when its time to mark and the reasons behind it. Fully recognizing that there are lots of different ways to go about marking or circumvent marking altogether.

We try and stay to a pretty narrow breeding season, our goal is to have every ewe conceive within the first two cycles after exposure to the ram during breeding season. The primary advantage is that most lambs will be similar in age and can thus be treated as a “contemporary group” and receive their first vaccines all at the same time. We typically try and gather ewes and lambs when the majority are about 30 days old. There are typically a few older and a few younger but we believe that going through the docking and castrating procedures are much easier on younger lambs than those that get to be 45+ days. Not to mention, we really try to have marking done before the end of April when fly season starts, which is a serious threat to a freshly marked lamb. However, there are cons to marking too early too; first, gatherign ewes and lambs can be reckless when you have newborns being mixed together in the pens with the flock. Caution always needs to be exercised when lambs younger than a couple weeks. Regardless of lamb age, penning and working the flock this time of year always needs to be done with as little excitement as possible. Leave the flags and rattle paddles at home and don’t invite your neighbor with the half-broke yearling border collie. Lamb marking is for the A-team only (but always make sure there are plenty of youngsters around too!).

Our vaccination program includes a 2 cc show of clostridium perfringens type C & D plus tetanus. “Overeating” or etertoxemia is the disease we are trying to prepare the lambs immune systems for with this vaccine. Type C often affects lambs ounger than 3 weeks of age, type D affects older lambs and adult stock. It is always a good idea to booster pregannt ewes to allow for some passive antibody tranfer to young lambs so they are protected in early life. Research has shown that vaccinating newborns with C&D has limited effect until about 30 days of life. This vaccine commonly is paired with tetanus toxoid, which is a good idea when you are creating a wound, however small, through the docking/castrating procedure. We deliver this vaccine with a pnuematic CO2-powered gun. Historically we have had trouble with CL in our flocks and so we try and avoid re-using needles. I fully realize this is a practice that occurs though in the “real-world”, despite the associated risks. If nothing else, never stick a dirty needle back in a vaccine bottle to refll a syringe, this is surefire way to spoil your vaccine.

We also “scratch” lambs for soremouth when we mark too. Soremouth vaccine is a live-virus, and is also zoonotic, so caution should be taken if this is your job for the day. In humans, the disease is referred to as “Orf” and can result in painful scabs at an entry wound- typically small cuts on your hands. In sheep, sore mouth literally causes sores on the mouths and can cause reduced milk intake and the subsequent performance problems that come with lowered nutrition. Often the disease clears in a couple weeks, but infected lambs can really be set back by contracting soremouth. Therefore, we actually use a small tool about the size of a pencil with a wire bristle end to “scratch” the inner thigh of the lamb. The soremouth vaccine is a vial of solution that can then be lightly applied to the irritated area. A scab will develop on the inside of the flank of the lamb, but this will not cause the same problems that it would on the mouth. Lambs will develop antibodies for this virus that will keep them protected in most cases for life.

At marking, we always dock tails on our Rambouillet lambs to reduce the incidence of fly strike later on. Following some research that was conducted years ago here at the experiment station, we dock where the caudal folds of skin attach to the tail, which is usually leave about a 1 to 2 inch dock on a young lamb. Much shorter and the lambs is at an increased risk for prolapse, but much longer may also still lead to manure build up in some cases. For our hair lambs, it is more complicated. We actually are in the midst of conducting a trial to compare long tail and docked Dorper sheep. Therefore, we dock the tails on half the lambs and not on the other half. We plan to stick with this protocol for several years and measure lifetime performance. Stay tuned for some reports in the future. Outside of a research setting there is much debate on whether to dock hair sheep. The reality is the tail most likely does not inhibit performance on the lamb or increase its risk of flystrike (no wool, obviously). However, when lambs evenuatlly get their 30 seconds of ring time at the sale barn, does a docked group look more uniform and present the conotation they have been better managed? Matter of perspective, probably. With either our Rambouillets or Dorpers, we use an electric hotdocker that cauterizes blood vessels and limits the amount of blood loss from the wound. Especially in younger lambs, they are not at risk of “bleeding out” from a tail wound, but excessive blood attracts flies, something that shuld be avoided. We also spray every docked tail with wound-kote as a local antispetic and promote healing.

Finally, we prefer to castrate lambs with elastrator bands or with a “all-in-one” tool. When using elastrator bands it is especially important to include the vaccine for tetanus because these cause an increased risk of that diseases due to open wound. Castrating lambs is stressful on the lambs- we always try and make sure this is done on a cool day and once lambs are castrated they are mixed back in with their dams immediately.

Finally, all lambs receive an electronic ear tag for identification. We currently use the the small tags from Shearwell, as they are lightweight and easy on the lambs’ ears. At weaning, we’ll put a second tag in as secondary identification. At marking, we also collect a tissue sample from the ear with a an Allflex Tissue Sampling Unit- which ultimately will be used for parentage determination via DNA. All our lambs are born in the pasture, thus the DNA results allow us to confirm the sire and dam.

In the instance of certain research projects, our lamb makring protocol might change, but for the most part what I have described is the basis of it. A good team of helpers is invaluable, because each of the things I described need to be performed properly for it to be effective. Lamb marking should be an enjoyable experience for all though, akin to branding day for cattle producers. It usually requires lots of hands, but its fun work. Maybe the most important part of hosting a successful lamb marking is to also feed your crew, I will forever associate lamb enchiladas as the perfect meal for this event!

To provide feedback on this article or request topics for future articles, contact me at jake.thorne@ag.tamu.edu or 325-657-7220. For general questions about sheep and goats, contact your local Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service county office. If they can’t answer your question, they have access to someone who can.

Effective Drenching Practices

Spring has sprung-ish. For the first time in many moons, the pastures have a bright green lustor, a situation the livestock are busy trying make the best of. It is amazing how the range responds with the seasons changing, even without much rain. Hopefully, the long term forecasts hold true, the heavens open up and we have to dig our pickup out of the mud at least 3 times this year.

However, sheep and goat ranchers also know that moisture in the spring and summer also brings on the dreaded internal parasite Haemonchus contortus, aka the Barbers Poll Worm. This parasite can be deadly, especially to spring-born lambs and kids. Lactating females are also extra susceptible to this parasite as their immune system is weakened by the stress of lambing/kidding and they often lack enough protein in their diet to feed their offspring and fuel a proper immune response to parasites.

Historically, dewormers were quite effective at killing Barbers Pole Worm. Ranchers could deworm the entire flock whenever they were in the pen (shearing, marking, weaning, etc) and manage to keep parasites under control. This strategy is imperfect but it is practical and manageable, and ultimately effective enough to prevent noticeable problems for many years. However, a lack of new products being developed and the buildup of resistance to the same anthelmintics that have been on feedstore shelves for 30 years has created a diminishing level of efficacy. Long story short, the parasites have started to gain the upperhand.

For the purpose of this article, I’ll focus on deworming practices that science has proven to control parasites and slow the rate of resistance development by the worms. Good parasite management is much more than using the right dewormer(s). Understanding the parasite lifecycle, when sheep are most susceptible, genetic selection, and pasture management are all part of the solution. That is more than what I can cover in this article, but I strongly urge all sheep and goat owners to take the time to learn as much as they can on this topic from various online resources. www.wormx.info is one of the best places to get this information, as this website is hosted and managed by a team of leading sheep and goat parasitologists.

The goal of deworming is to kill as many parasites as possible inside the animal. However, every time a dewormer is given, some worms survive, which are the potential foundation of a resistant population. At first, maybe the anthelmintic kills 99% of the worms and there are so few that live that they don’t repopulate very quickly at all. This very small number of resistant worms shed eggs out on a pasture and mix with non-resistant worms that are already out there – essentially we still have a susceptible worm population. But after repeated use with the same anthelmintics, over time 99% turns to 90%, then from 90% to 75% and so on. This may take years, but unfortunately it is a slippery slope. Sheep or goats will still show physical signs of improvement until dewormers are ~50% effective. If 50% of the worms survive drenching, they can pretty easily reinfect pastures and the animals that graze them and the problem will reoccur within just a few short weeks. At that point, the level of resistance in worm populations is very high, which renders a single product ineffective for years if not decades in the future.

In an attempt to keep the efficacy at 99% or better, it is advised that sheep and goats that have moderate to high worm burdens be treated with at least two dewormer products at the same time. Worms that one product doesn’t kill, hopefully get taken out by the other product. Each product should be given at the full dosage rate based on product label. Products should not be blended together but rather given using two separate drench guns. They typically don’t mix into a solution very well and inevitably you’ll give more of one product and too little of the other. The dewormers should also be from separate classes that don’t utilize the same active ingredient. Contact your veterarian for guidance on dewormer products and their chemical class.

Copper oxide wire particle (COWP) boluses are another tool to help increase the effectiveness of dewormers. Research indicates that a 2 gram COWP given at the same time as a dewormer will improve the effectiveness of the dewormer by actually making the worms more susceptible to the anthelmintic. Caution should be taken to limit the number of COWP treatments given to sheep as they can be more sensitive to too much copper. We typically only give COWP to sheep once per year and target the most at risk animals, spring lambing ewes/nannies and freshly weaned lambs/kids. There are several factsheets and educational videos online regarding this topic, but again it is always advised to seek veterinary advice.

In summary, proper animal health is paramount to a sustainable sheep and goat operation. Invest the time to educate yourself on this topic and employ practices such as fecal egg count monitoring or FAMACHA scoring to have the most effective deworming strategy. Internal parasites are the leading health issue for most grass based operations, specifically during wet years. An intergrated parasite management plan that includes a smart deworming strategy is the only way forward to limit resistance and to keep your sheep and goats healthy when confronted with parasites. Don’t let Barbers Pole worm suck the blood from your stock and the profits from your operation every time we get wet weather.

To provide feedback on this article or request topics for future articles, contact me at reid.redden@ag.tamu.edu or 325-657-7324. For general questions about sheep and goats, contact your local Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service county office. If they can’t answer your question, they have access to someone who can.

Black Sheep

We have all heard the saying “black sheep of the family”, a tongue-in-cheek statement often made about us outsiders or social outcasts who just seem to go against the grain.   Some would say that we are the folks who can’t seem to get it together, but my fellow black sheep would probably agree that we aren’t too concerned with “getting together” whatever “it” is. Regardless, the origin of this term comes from the odd lamb that is solid black at birth; when all others are solid white.

While it is not as common in Texas, many of the western sheep operations would keep 1 of these black sheep for every 99 white sheep.  Shepherds could then view sheep from a distance.  If there were 500 sheep in that flock, then there should be 5 black sheep within eyesight.  In contrast, if there where less than 5 black sheep, then action needed to be taken to locate the rest of the flock!

I recently listened to a podcast that was shared to me by a friend in the industry.  If you read this column, you know that I’m a fan of podcasts, as they easily fit into driving time.  This particular episode is from a widely subscribed podcast hosted by Joe Rogan, who is a bit of a controversial character in his own right.  His guest was Will Harris who, over the course of 20 years, has built a successful business harvesting and marketing beef, lamb, pork and poultry products direct to consumers and retailers.  This business, White Oak Pastures, employees over 100 people and is the primary employer in a rural Georgia community.

Normally, most people in the agricultural community would think favorably upon any of their peers who are making a living growing food and sustenance for society, especially since we understand all the challenges that come with the territory.  Yet, I’d be willing to bet that a large percent of the agricultural community would be offended and disgruntled with Mr. Harris’s approach and philosophy to farm management.  It doesn’t necessarily fit the mold of “you need to do one or two things very well to be successful” mainstream agriculture.

They market all grass-fed red meat, pasture-raised pork and poultry fed non-GMO diets, among various other products from these animals.  His views on regenerative agriculture farming would probably be scoffed at by most large-scale farmers and ranchers. Even for me, a self proclaimed black sheep (maybe smut-faced would be a better description, actually) and someone who tries to see things through an objective and scientific lens was a little taken aback by his statements. But with that said, if you leave pre-conceived notions at the door and appreciate the level of thought that he has put into honing this abstract business model, its impressive.  I’d classify Mr. Harris as a tried and true black sheep.

If you take time to listen to this podcast or visit their website, which I suggest you do, please don’t assume that I am advocating or contradicting this approach.  American agriculture is a complex system with varying natural resources and challenges.  There is not a single prescription for farming practices that are ideal for each and every farmer within a single county, much less across a state or nation.  But there is definitely a need for constant improvements in farming systems regardless of location.  Note that improvements is a relative word which will mean different things to different people.

What I like most from this podcast is the vision and dedication that Mr. Harris has taken to accomplish his goals and improve his rural community.  Yes, he says some controversial things and some of the things that are real and evident on his farm aren’t relatable to most sheep and goat farms in Texas.  And yes, his success of marketing his product is built on selling a product to customers that don’t want to purchase their proteins from conventional systems.

The reality is, we in agriculture are working for the consumer, and sometimes it can be a challenge to produce for the consumer when you don’t share similar views or their demands are impractical for your operation. I have some doubts if the farming model that White Oak Pastures has built would work in the “mesquite and rock patches” of West Texas, but I fully commend their ability to think outside of the box to make their livelihoods, and the livelihoods of many in their town, a success.

Change is hard for most people!  In my opinion, that is why we have Black Sheep to keep large parts of the herd from getting lost.

 

To provide feedback on this article or request topics for future articles, contact me at reid.redden@ag.tamu.edu or 325-657-7324.  For general questions about sheep and goats, contact your local Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service county office.  If they can’t answer your question, they have access to someone who can.

 

Where do research projects come from?

This edition of Reid’s Ram-blings was composed by Jake Thorne, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Program Specialist.

I love what I do for a career. My job provides a living for my family, it feeds a personal passion, and it allows me to be surrounded by the best type of people in the world. But I am betting exactly what we do in research/extension is probably a little hazy to most, even sheep and goat industry folks who we work with regularly. I’ll admit, it‘s not always clear cut.

For me and my family, the holiday season usually involves airplane travel to visit relatives. I don’t know why it catches me off guard, but inevitably my seat-neighbor on a flight will ask the question that everyone goes to when you are forced to rub shoulders with a complete stranger while trapped in a metal tube hurdling across the atmosphere at if-we-crash-this-is-certain-death speed…
“So… what do you do?”

I swear I never answer this question the same way twice. Consider it a lifelong ambition to find the perfect one sentence response that explains my job clearly and floods the likely non-ag employed questionee with complete understanding. It’s a work in progress. My current go-to is, “I study/analyze/read about/talk about/ write about/stare at sheep and goats, and then do my best to help the folks who are kind of into that too.” Like I said, I think it needs some tweaking…

But in reality, what we do is a little complicated and so now that my attempt at witty writing has sucked you into this article this far- here goes.

Our research projects at the center are born from ideas of how to benefit the sheep and goat industries. But there is a caveat- research costs money, money that we usually need to seek out in the form of a grant. Grants can be offered from many entities- private or government, but they usually are tied to advancing a cause or purpose.

In small ruminants, we are fortunate to have a couple of granting bodies that are dedicated to helping our specific industries improve, and for this we are very grateful! However, some of our larger research programs also require us to seek funding from sources such as the USDA, because of the larger dollar amounts they can offer.

To receive these grants, we need to write applications that align with the initiatives of the USDA and clearly explain how the proposed project will be beneficial to a broad section of the industry, is novel science (and is a foundation for future projects), and show there is a clear plan is in place of how to execute it. Sometimes these projects address an immediate concern for the sheep and goat industries and sometimes they satisfy a more long-term vision of what is to come.

A review panel then compares our grant application against a pool of others and decides which ones to fund. For perspective, getting funded one-third of the time in some fields is a success. Think baseball here – a career batting average of .333 means you’re a sure-fire hall of famer. But that also means in many cases we don’t receive funding and the project needs to be redesigned or else it pretty much ends before it ever gets started. Once the funding is secured though, the work can begin.

Why is research expensive, and how much are we talking? Research academics are evaluated by their employers (universities) in many ways, but a major criteria is the number and impact of articles they publish in peer-reviewed journals. Consider this a universal grading system across all fields of science. To publish an impactful article, the science often needs to not just be a repeat of what someone else has done previously and it needs to be done on a scale to definitively answer a question. All the resources, including equipment, animals, lab supplies, testing materials, worker salaries, and overhead, to accomplish this can add up pretty fast.

For a project to be large enough to find significant results, it is not uncommon for these costs to be in the tens, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars. While this seems like a lot, science can be a bit of “you get what you pay for.” Good information comes with a price tag. From these projects, researchers will compile the results into an article and submit it for peer review (which can be stringent, and for good reason). Multiple published articles a year, per researcher, is typically the university’s expectation. There is a saying in academia “publish or perish,” and it can be pretty accurate.

For those in extension specialist roles, the job is a little different. Whereas research conducts science and compiles information from a project, it is the role of extension to disseminate these results to industry stakeholders. As a specialist it is necessary to understand how the industry works and it’s needs for progress, but at the same time, have knowledge of the capabilities of science and what can be accomplished. When something is learned in the lab, how it can be applied on the farm is not always a given, thus extension plays a very important role in the translation of that information. Often this includes conducting “applied research” which are projects that test a tool or strategy developed through “traditional research” to solve an immediate industry concern.

Conducting collaborative projects that involve producers and successfully applies new science/information can also be very successful and gratifying. At the same time, working directly with producers in a hands-on way allows us to better understand their challenges and how not-yet-developed technology could possibly benefit their operation. How do these applied and collaborative projects get paid for? You guessed it- grants. How do we show if these projects were successful? In many cases, publications.

I can’t say for sure what compelled me to write on this topic, but I wanted to give a bit of perspective on how the wheels turn in research and extension. There are also A LOT of perks to the job- namely that we get to work with livestock and for those that raise them for a living. We get to travel, we get to network, and every day is different – though livestock workdays are the best!

With this said, my next flight leaves in a couple days… any suggestions on how to condense this into one sentence?

To provide feedback on this article or request topics for future articles, contact me at jake.thorne@ag.tamu.edu or 325-657-7220. For general questions about sheep and goats, contact your local Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service county office. If they can’t answer your question, they have access to someone who can.

Varying View of Hunting

As I sit down to write this column, temperatures have dropped and deer season is in full swing.  Buck fever definitely has a hold on the youngest members of our household and it reminds me that while I am thrilled my kids love the outdoors and harvesting their own food, I’ll admit my own relationship with the sport is complex.

Deer season was the time of the year that I looked forward to the most in my adolescence.  The love of outdoors and unrealistic expectation of killing a record breaking buck had me hooked.

My father was exceptionally supportive of my hunting passion.  Looking back, I suspect that his encouragement for my hunting efforts were to try to run as many deer out of the oat field as possible.  Nonetheless, it was a win-win situation for the both of us.

As time passed, my passion for deer hunting in Texas transitioned to a passion for livestock production and public land hunting. I have been fortunate my career has taken me to such places as western Montana, and I was suddenly enthralled with chasing bull elk through landscapes so dramatic they almost can’t be described. The concept of what I had loved as a child lost its shine. Maybe I hadn’t been “hunting” so much as just “shooting” deer all along? Suddenly, I found myself scoffing at those who lived and breathed the traditional Texas hunting style.

Twenty years later, I have to eat crow.  My son is an avid hunter, just as I was at his age.  While I am not excited to hunt deer from a blind looking over a corn feeder myself, it brings me tremendous joy to share this experience with him.  Life has a way of teaching us valuable lessons.

Here are a couple that I have come to realize.

• There isn’t a right or wrong way to hunt deer and it is ok to realize that it can be both good and bad for the ranching industry. As I talk with sheep and goat raisers, there are varying views of hunting. Similar to politics, those with the strongest views tend to be on the extremes.  Some folks hunt themselves and embrace hunting that takes place on their properties.  Others despise hunters as it disrupts their ranching enterprise, but put up with it because of the significant revenue is brings them or the landowner.

 

• I need to be more careful about developing strong opinions on how people should view the world. Deer hunters are major drivers of rural economies and represent a critical path to preserving the rural lifestyle.  While, there may be differences of opinion, I’d argue we have a lot more in common than the average American. We all deeply care about where our food comes from, realize that its important to have a connection to the land and nature, and want nothing more than to pass along these traditions to our kids.

 

My philosophies on deer hunting are similar to those of my views on raising livestock.  The diversity in our industry and varied motivations for being in this business is a strength of agriculture! We raise different breeds, focus on different breeding objectives, manage predators in a different way, etc.  Almost, no two sheep and goat ranchers are alike.  We should embrace our differences, learn from each other, and most importantly stick together.  We share more in common than we might first think.

 

To provide feedback on this article or request topics for future articles, contact me at reid.redden@ag.tamu.edu or 325-657-7324.  For general questions about sheep and goats, contact your local Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service county office.  If they can’t answer your question, they have access to someone who can.

 

What Does Sustainability Mean to You?

It seems like certain words get coined these days in the media or politics in an attempt to sound some type of deep-seeded alarm in your conscious. Before long these terms trickle down to your everyday conversations at the feedstore or local coffee shop.  A clear example of this is oft-used expression “sustainability”, something we can all agree is likely a good thing, but are likely a little vague on the definition of.  I suppose it depends on the context of the word and the ideals of the person using it.

To be honest with you, the term sustainability has a different meaning to me depending on my mood.  Some days, I would argue that modern agriculture needs to make some major adjustments to sustain itself and the natural resources it depends upon.  Others days, I would argue that agriculture is one the most sustainable of all industries.  Maybe, both statements are true.

What I don’t waiver on is that agriculture seems to be disproportionally accused of being unsustainable when it comes to climate change or green house gas emissions.  I suspect that it is because farmers only represent 2% of the population and can’t fund a wide-reaching “sustainability marketing campaign” to inform people of their environmentally friendly efforts.  Too use another buzzword – we take a more “grass roots” approach. I have been pleasantly surprised by the number of outspoken farmers/ranchers on social media sharing their daily life and how their enterprises are built to last for generations. I‘ll give extra kudos to the sheep and goat producers leading this effort. Often I see something on social media that alludes to the fact that small ruminants, who’ve existed as we know them for thousands of years, should hardly be public enemy #1 for a present day climate issue. I just hope the right people are seeing these messages. Keep up the good work!

I am fortunate to have been asked to serve on the Sustainability Task Force for the American Lamb Board.  This taskforce is working to create a sustainability strategy for the US sheep industry, including but certainly not limited climate related points.  For me it has been helpful to hear others views on the positive and negative sustainability aspects of the US sheep industry.  This task force will outline this strategy at the ASI annual convention, which will be Jan. 19-21, 2023 in Forth Worth, TX.  I encourage you all to make plans to be there.

In the meantime, I hope you begin thinking about the sustainability of your sheep and/or goat operations.  Maybe the best definition that I’ve heard of sustainable agriculture is production practices that satisfy human food and fiber needs, enhance environmental quality, efficiently use natural resources, are profitable, and enhance farmer quality of life.  While this definition can be a wordful, it is important that we don’t just focus on one aspect, such as climate change. Maybe just ask yourself an honest question– if I keep what I’m doing now, will my operation still exist in 50 years?

From my perspective, sheep and goat operations greatest strength is our history.  So many of the ranches that support sheep and goat production have been operated by the same families for decades.  Things that stand the test of time are “sustainable”.  In contrast, our greatest weakness is the relatively low return on investment.  I’m not saying that sheep and goats aren’t profitable.  Rather, the investments required such as land, fencing, facilities, and equipment are extremely high compared to even a few decades ago. These costs are largely beyond the control of most ranchers, but the trend is a serious concern, nonetheless.

However, this can be used as a positive message to consumers and environmentalists.  “Ranchers produce food and fiber for the world because they have a calling to care for the land, livestock, and environment. Most ranchers would see a higher rate of return, if they sold their land and invested elsewhere.  Therefore, profit is not the focus, rather a means to sustain themselves and continue their ranching legacy for generations to come.”

 

To provide feedback on this article or request topics for future articles, contact me at reid.redden@ag.tamu.edu or 325-657-7324.  For general questions about sheep and goats, contact your local Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service county office.  If they can’t answer your question, they have access to someone who can.

Brutal Honesty

I’m an easy going person and like to keep things light-hearted (refer to every previous edition of this column). However, I’ll draw the line and be brutally honest when it comes to the sustainability of our industry and way of life. Sheep and goat producers have indeed experienced some nice successes in recent history, thanks to the work of a lot of hard working industry members.

But let me be clear, small ruminant production in Texas as a whole needs take action against some serious threats that continue to chip away at our industry. Our future prosperity requires a mindset shift on some major points.  If not, we can expect the same issues to cause the same results!

Dealing with predation is one of these topics.  Predation in all likelihood is going to continue to get worse. I get it, predation is hard on the psyche of the rancher and a kid crop alike, and exchanging all the sheep and goats on the place for a few varmint-resilient cows has crossed all of our minds at some point. Reality is that those who can see the grander benefits and opportunities with sheep and goats have continued to adapt to predators and implemented new strategies. Consider this a challenge to be this type of producer.

I’m exceptionally proud of the AgriLife Livestock Guardian Dog program.  It has heightened awareness of the importance of LGDs to the sustainability of the sheep and goat industry.  This program has remained successful even despite resistance from some people within our own industry that disliked LGDs as they can make it harder to apply lethal control tools.

We have also raised the bar on how important it is to actively manage these dogs for them to be successful.  Most often, poorly managed dogs don’t work and give those that do a bad reputation.  Silver bullets don’t exist, but LGD and good fences are the best predator management tool for a lot of sheep and goat ranchers.  They are a tool that allows us to combat predation vs allowing predators to dictate our success or failure.

Improving genetic selection strategies is another major topic, specifically not utilizing the available tools for genetic improvement of sheep and goats.  Without these tools, we are limiting our potential, losing ground to foreign competition (who widely uses this technology), and may very well be selecting for animals that are less productive or less fit for our environmental conditions.

If we are real honest with ourselves, the way we have been ingrained to select small ruminants exclusively by how they look has created a barrier to other methods. Yes, genetics is a part of outward appearance, but our magnetism to visual appraisal above all else has lead to the breeding of animals that don’t perform at a high level or require unsustainable inputs to do so.

While there are a few exceptions, most breeding programs are entrenched in this longstanding approach. Same actions equals same results.  For Texas, this is an 80% lamb crop confined to semi-arid low parasite risk regions of the state.  When there is genetic potential for 150% lamb crop that can withstand much higher parasite loads, as demonstrated by foreign competitors.

Estimated breeding values (EBVs) through the National Sheep Improvement Program (NSIP) are grossly underutilized by the Texas sheep and goat industry.  These are not meant to replace current breeding strategies.  In contrast, it expands the tools that breeders can use to find better genetics and/or eliminate genetics that are inferior.  Especially for selection of traits that are hard to visually identify, such as reproductive potential and parasite resistance.

I strongly urge seedstock breeders to utilize the most state of art breeding programs for the betterment of their operations and the sustainability of commercial producers that source genetics from them.  Similarly, I urge commercial breeders to buy breeding stock from breeders that offer EBVs and/or let their current seedstock breeders know that this is important to them. These technologies were developed using sound science and proven to have significant positive impact in other livestock species domestically and sheep industries outside of Texas.

Admittedly, this technology can be complex and will take time to learn. To add confusion, genomically enhanced breeding technologies are rapidly becoming available to small ruminants thanks to the progressive actions of other livestock industries. In essence, genetic technology can take multiple forms and is best utilized in concert with each other.  We are always here to help with the adoption and implementation of these technologies.  Never hesitate to ask questions or share concerns that you may have.

In summary, change can be hard and it rarely comes without complications. But without leaders that take on this challenge, the majority of people will sit on the fence and wait for someone else to do it. I think it is a fair generalization to say that raising sheep and goats in a drought-prone area is hard. And I know that with the lack of rain, growing predator pressure, and fluctuating markets it can be difficult to invest time and money into a long-term management change. I would like to point out that history has always favored those that think ahead, act before it was too late, and see opportunity where others see toil. I’m confident that the leaders in Texas are capable of embracing new technology and redefining our destiny.  Consider this article a strong urge to do so!

 

To provide feedback on this article or request topics for future articles, contact me at reid.redden@ag.tamu.edu or 325-657-7324.  For general questions about sheep and goats, contact your local Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service county office.  If they can’t answer your question, they have access to someone who can.