alafarmnews

Sheep and Goat Producers Have a New Tool
Small Ruminant Guide

Current and future small ruminant producers have a new tool to aid them in basic management practices of today’s sheep and goat business thanks to a recent guide written and published by the Alabama Cooperative Extension System. The Small Ruminant Pocket Guide includes contributions by several of the nation’s top sheep and goat experts. Topics covered in the guide include a management calendar, forages, genetics, health, reproduction, carcasses and cuts of lambs and goats, livestock markets and contacts of experts available to help Alabama producers.

The Alabama Sheep and Goat Checkoff Program provided funding for the printing of the book, and according to Alabama Farmers Federation Meat Goat and Sheep Director Mitt Walker, the guide provides valuable information for producers.

“This booklet answers many of the questions producers may have and serves as a guide to help them manage their sheep or goats to their fullest potential,” Walker said. “If there happens to be questions that aren’t answered by the guide, it includes a list of experts to contact for additional information.”

Robert Spencer, Urban Regional Extension Specialist with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System and regular contributor to this publication, said of the new publication, “After reviewing the

Small Ruminant Pocket Guide, I was amazed at the quality and quantity of information found within this publication. Based on my experience in the goat industry, this Pocket Guide is the most comprehensive manual I have seen. In the early 1990s, the United States Department of Agriculture developed a goat producer’s manual, but the information became outdated with time. There are a multitude of websites addressing various aspects of goat and sheep production, but someone searching the Internet would spend days trying to find a comparable amount of information. This one stop resource holds most of the information any small ruminant producer might need.

“The Alabama Farmers Federation Meat Goat and Sheep Producers Division have done an outstanding job of utilizing the money from the Goat Checkoff Program to fund the publication of this manual. Goat and sheep producers within Alabama can now possess the results of their Goat Checkoff Program.

“Alabama Cooperative Extension System has done their part by providing personnel to put together the information found within the manual, and is now doing their part to make the manual available through each Cooperative Extension County office and through the ACES web site. To access a printable version of the Small Ruminant Pocket Guide (in PDF format) you can visit: http://www.aces.edu/pubs/docs/A/ANR-1296/ANR-1296.pdf or enter http://www.aces.edu/pubs/docs/indexes/anranisci.tmpl#sheep and on that page select Small Ruminant Pocket Guide.

“Not all existing and potential small ruminant producers have access to the Internet and they might not have the time to attend small ruminant workshops being held throughout the state. However, access to the Small Ruminant Pocket Guide offers an abundance of technical and educational information that most producers dream of having access to. It also serves as an educational medium for youth interested in small ruminant. Those who do not own a copy of the publication need to make the effort to obtain one. I honestly anticipate as producers in surrounding states learn of this publication they too will want a copy.”

Printed copies of the free publication are available through county Extension offices or by contacting Walker at MWalker@AlfaFarmers.org or (334) 613-4757.