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Sheep and Goat Newsletter
From the Extension Learning Farm in Canton, NY
By Betsy Hodge

January 2013

The sheep all came back to the main farm in early December. We managed to catch them on one of those weirdly warm days when we had lots of interns on hand to help. We built a corral out of the big panels from our cattle handling system. Of course, we had two steers to catch, too, so we needed a strong corral. We put the corral up for a few days and put a round bale in it to teach the sheep and cattle that it was a good place to hang out. Read more...

December 2012

The sheep are still out there! It is November 27th and the sheep are still grazing in the hay fields down the road at the other farm. The hay was too short to cut for second cut so we took the sheep and the electro-net to the grass. They have two large steers guarding them and two smaller Holstein heifers hanging out with them. Read more...

November 2012

It's the very end of October and the sheep are still out on the pasture. In past years we have been in the transition to stored feeds during October and it has been hard on our fall lambing ewes. They would rather pick at the tiny blades of grass than eat the hay and their lambs suffered for it. Read more...

October 2012

What a difference a little rain can make! I forgot what muddy guard dogs are like…and wet mineral feeders…and walking in tall rubber boots. Ahhh, but that green grass is great! It has come back strong at the Extension Farm and at home. The oat study has started to grow again and the Sudan Sorghum finally outgrew its nitrate problems. Read more...

September 2012

Last summer I said I hoped I never had to wear those tall rubber boots and rain coat again! Now I wish it would rain and I would be happy to wear my boots. There has been rain but it has been spotty. Can't complain about the mud for a change. Hopefully we will get some relief soon! Read more...

August 2012

This is the driest summer of grazing that I can remember! So far we are doing OK at the Extension Farm with green pastures to move the animals to as we rotate around the farm. The volume of green edible plants is down but there is enough there…so far. Read more...

July 2012

The mild winter made feeding and watering over the winter easier than usual… but now we may be paying for it. There is an abundance of snails (that are a vector for flukes), raccoons (rabies), army worms (to eat up our pastures and hay), and possibly more internal parasites that survived to infect our sheep and goats. Read more...