Lamb Rearing Webinar Set for Tuesday
Artificial Lamb Rearing: Transitioning from Nuisance to Potential Profit Center will be the first webinar of 2020 sponsored by the American Sheep Industry Association’s Let’s Grow Program. The free webinar is scheduled for Tuesday, March 3, at 8 p.m. eastern time.
Rusty Burgett of the National Sheep Improvement Program will be the presenter, while Dr. Jay Parsons will serve in his traditional role as host.
With the industry wide effort to improve production efficiency of the American sheep flock, increasing lambing rate is integral to making improvements. As the industry identifies which ewes are capable of having and rearing multiple births, efficiently raising orphan lambs artificially can have a positive impact on the overall enterprise finances.
This webinar will discuss methods to rear lambs artificially in an efficient manner through labor efficiencies, milk replacer selection, weaning strategies and equipment needs. With a well-planned system going into lambing, the bonus lambs can go from a nuisance to a secondary profit center for the sheep operation.
Click Here to register for the webinar.
ASI Supports NEPA Modernization
On Tuesday, the American Sheep Industry Association presented oral comments to the Council for Environmental Quality on the administration’s proposed National Environmental Policy Act modifications. In the second public hearing – this one held at the Department of the Interior in Washington, D.C. before an audience largely opposed to the changes – ASI supported the revisions.
“NEPA has a tremendous impact on our industry,” said ASI’s Chase Adams. “Nationally, it is the basis of litigation that for over a decade has sought to close our primary Agricultural Research Station in Dubois, Idaho, and has been abused in an effort to curtail predator control activities undertaken by USDA Wildlife Services.
“And regionally, our Western producers are intimately familiar with the NEPA reviews undertaken on their federal grazing permits. This well-intentioned regulation has become a costly endeavor for our members, creating endless opportunity for more litigation, intimidation and de-facto judicial management of our natural resources.”
Specific provisions of the modernization supported by ASI include; setting a time and page limit for a completed Environmental Impact Statement, expanding the use of Categorical Exclusions and Findings of No Significant Impact where appropriate, and greater notice and input from stakeholders, states, local government and tribes.
As ASI emphasized, “NEPA decision making should be driven by actual impact, not the fear of litigation.”
NEPA comments are due on March 10, and can be submitted online at the Public Lands Council website at http://publiclandscouncil.org/advocacy/.
BLM Grazing Regulation Updates
Western ranchers are fed up with outdated grazing regulations. Research confirms managed livestock grazing provides immense benefits to public lands. However, today’s grazing regulations are inflexible and fail to allow sheep producers to maximize beneficial management, proving a disservice to the health of rangeland and wildlife that depend on these resources.
The Bureau of Land Management currently is revisiting regulations from the mid-1990s, and is looking for producer input to make common-sense changes. Join the American Sheep Industry Association and the Public Lands Council in giving BLM strong input by submitting comments through March 6.
Click Here to comment.
Source: PLC
Woolmark Offers Free Wool Courses
The Woolmark Learning Center is offering a series of free, online courses that cover a variety of wool topics. From a fundamentals program suitable for learners of all levels to advanced programs for technical specialists, the center has courses for everyone.
Courses offered include: Wool Appreciation Course, Insight Series, Wool Fiber Science, Introduction to Wool Processing, Raw Wool Scouring, Worsted Top-Making, and Worsted & Woolen Spinning. Learning center features include: certification, progress tracking, interactive courses, shareable content, free access and teacher resources.
Woolmark worked in conjunction with several universities and fashion colleges – including the State University of New York – to create the courses.
Click Here to learn more.
Australian Wool Auctions Canceled
Week 35 wool auctions in Australia were canceled due to an ongoing system outage of an industry software systems supplier. Sales are expected to resume next week.
Source: AWEX
Video of the Week
Lambing time can be among the most rewarding, challenging, exhausting times a sheep producer faces all year. If you’re on the verge of a nervous breakdown, take a few minutes to enjoy a good Lambing Time laugh, courtesy of Paul Kelly.
Click Here to watch the video.