182 North Carolina Small Ruminant Improvement Program Workshops Build Producer Knowledge of Important Management Techniques

Abstract

Abstract Growing interest in small ruminant production, strong market demand, and producers’ minimal use of data-driven management practices led to the development of the North Carolina Small Ruminant Improvement Program (NCSRIP) in 2021. This program seeks to improve the number and quality of small ruminants produced in North Carolina as well as improve producer profitability. Three workshops were held to increase producer awareness of new small ruminant production practices and opportunities. All workshops included classroom and breakout sessions featuring hands-on activities. In February 2022, the Lambing and Kidding Workshop was held in cooperation with NC Sheep Producers Association at the North Carolina State Small Ruminant Educational Unit (Raleigh, NC). Topics included pre-lambing/kidding management, lambing and kidding diseases, the birthing process, dystocia management and lamb/kid processing. The Flock Management Workshop was held in May on a working sheep farm near Dobson, NC. Attendees learned about hay sampling and analysis, ration balancing, flock health management and cost share resources for small ruminant operations. In June, the NCSRIP joined with the Eastern Alliance for Production Katahdins to host a grazing school in Roxboro, NC. The agenda featured predator regulatory considerations, herding dog use, parasite management, genetic selection, soil health and pasture management. Workshop pre-registrations were 162 with 65 attending the events with 63 evaluations completed. Fifty-six percent of participants owned 1-50 breeding females. Twenty-seven percent of participants had no livestock but were gathering information for future endeavors. Fifty-seven percent of operations owned sheep, 13.0% raised goats, 7.4% produced cattle and 22.4% grazed combinations of all species. Fifty-seven percent of producers lived in the North Carolina Piedmont region while 14.3% resided in the Coastal region, 2.9% from the Mountain region and 25.7% from out of state. Post-workshop evaluations asked attendees to rank their increased understanding of each major agenda topic. On a scale of 1 to 5 (1 = no improvement to 5 = significant improvement), participants indicated they had improvement in all topics (mean = 4.18). When asked about participating in future NCSRIP events, producers suggested they would attend (mean = 4.62; 1 = will not participate to 5 = will attend if possible). When asked about what they like most about these workshops, attendees mentioned the hands-on approach and practical knowledge gained. Producer feedback indicates a growing interest in small ruminant production and a need for continued practical education programs.