Overseas and At Home
In today’s society, very few people make a living from farming and ranching. Yet with a growing population, there are more people to feed and clothe. So, how is this possible?
Most our food comes from large operations. Chicken, swine, and dairy cattle farming have evolved into large, highly efficient operations managed on small tracts of land. Most of the feed they use comes from row crop farmers managing large tracts of land. So, few people are involved in the actual production of large amounts of food
In contrast, red meat production has taken a different track. Range and pasture land are the primary source of food for breeding sheep, goats and cattle. These land resources continue to be sub-divided as more people buy smaller tracts of land. For many landowners, livestock production is not a substantial source of income. As such, production efficiency of the livestock is not a priority.
Over the last couple decades, domestic production of lamb, mutton, and goat meat have not kept up with domestic demand. To meet this demand, other countries have imported lamb and goat meat into the US, primarily from Australia and New Zealand. Sheep farmers in Australia and New Zealand make production efficiency a priority. As such, they are able to produce it cheaper than we can.
The good news is American consumers want to support American farmers and ranchers. We just need to provide a consistent, reliable, and affordable product.
In my opinion, there are three areas we need to make a priority to increase production efficiency. First, sheep and goats are much more efficient if they raise twins or triplets rather than a single offspring. Second, internal parasites must be managed for sheep and goats to be healthy and productive. Third, predation must be controlled so varmints don’t steal all the profits.
Fortunately, Texas A&M AgriLife has two upcoming events in San Angelo that will help most all sheep and goat ranchers improve the production efficiency of their operation. The 45th annual Texas A&M Sheep and Goat Field Day will be August 17th from 8 to 11:30 am at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center. The Texas Sheep and Goat Expo will begin at noon on August 17th and conclude at 3:00 pm on August 18th at the San Angelo Fairgrounds.
There will be dozens of speakers presenting on dozens of different topic areas, two of them are renowned scientists speaking on internal parasite control. Dr. Jim Miller will discuss how to preserve the efficacy of dewormers. Dewormers are rapidly losing their effectiveness and it is paramount to preserve this parasite control tool. He will also talk about Duddingtonia Flagrans, a new method to control parasites by reducing the amount of larva that hatch in the feces and infect the pasture. Dr. Joan Burke will share her insights into new and advanced methods of genetic selection for sheep and goats that are able to resist a parasitic infection. She will also speak on non-drug based treatments for internal parasite control, such as copper oxide wire particles and sericea lespedeza.
At the conclusion of the Expo, there will be a sheep and goat sale. This sale is limited to breeders that use central performance tests or the National Sheep Improvement Program to breed better livestock. There will be rams, bucks, and ewes for sale that are performance tested and have production information that will give buyers confidence the animals will increase the productivity of their flocks/herds.
This will be the 4th year we have hosted the Expo. It is our flagship event for sheep and goat education in the state. It has information pertinent to all aspects of the sheep and goat industry. To register for the Texas Sheep and Goat Expo go to: https://agrilife.org/westresults/event/. Call 325-653-4576 for more information.
Don’t forget to bring your kids or grandkids along so they can participate in the sheep and goat Skill-A-Thon workshop.
To provide feedback on this article or request topics for future articles, contact me at reid.redden@ag.tamu.edu or 325-653-4576. 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.