1. Wisconsin’s Franklin Wins National Wool Contest
2. Littledale to Host WSBC Field Day June 17
3. Nationally Known Wifords To Head Up Skillathon At Festival
4. President’s Notes
5. First 2006 Ram Test Delivery Date is April 8
6. April 1 Deadline for Membership, Advertising
7. Say It With Pictures
8. WSBC Offers Scholarships
9. Advertising offered On Festival Website
10. Wool Works! Set For State Fair
11. Plan Ahead for Fleece Contest
12. Iowa Slates Sheep Festival
13. Connecting to Lamb Consumers
14. WLBA kicks off 2006 With Show Camps
15. WLBA Names Bob Johnson As 2006 Sheep Honoree
16. Wisconsin 4-H Teams Compete Nationally
17. WLMC Annual Meeting Set for May 4
18. “Down Under” Touts Flock Increases
19. Southern Consortium Looks At Resistant Parasites
20. Sheep ARE Smart!
21. State Scrapie Project Continues for 2005
22. Greece Wins Sole Right To 'Feta Cheese'
23. Indianhead Sheep Breeders Sets April 2 Spring Sale

   In the worlds of both sewing and sheep, it’s a big deal. 

   Fourteen-year-old Jessica Franklin of Neenah has won the National Make It Yourself With Wool (MIYWW) Contest and the contest’s Exemplary Construction Award.  As the national junior winner, Franklin will serve as the nation’s youth ambassador for wool throughout 2006.

   The National MIYWW Contest was held January 27 and 28 in Phoenix in conjunction with the American Sheep Industry Convention. 

   Franklin, the daughter of Kent and Christine Franklin, 1241 Nature Trail Drive, Neenah, topped Wisconsin’s MIYWW Contest in September to advance to the national contest.  She has competed in the state contest for five years, first in the pre-teen division and more recently in the junior division. 

   She is not new to sewing honors.  In addition to sewing through 4-H, Franklin earned first-runner-up honors in the 2004 Wisconsin MIYWW Contest.

   As the winner of the Exemplary Construction Award, Franklin received a $500 cash award from Sew News magazine.  As the contest’s junior winner, she received a $1000 scholarship from Pendleton Woolen Mills, a $500 scholarship from ASI Women, wool fabric from Britex of San Francisco, mohair fabric, a sheep pelt, Wild Ginger software and an Islander Sewing System book/DVD.

   Franklin constructed a three-piece ensemble that included a red wool double-breasted coat with slightly flared princess seams and side-front pockets.  The coat was accented with a belt in the back.  It was lined with black sun-back fabric to coordinate with her dark gray pants and black turtleneck.  The entire coat lining was sewn in by hand.  Her fully lined straight-legged gray wool pants were semi-fitted through the hips and had a front yoke.  Her black turtleneck top was made of single-knit wool.  She accessorized her outfit with black leather boots and black leather gloves.

   Katie Veltkamp of Janesville, Wisconsin’s senior division winner, made the cut of the top 13 senior contestants at the national contest.  Veltkamp’s three-piece outfit included a semi-fitted blue wool jacket with princess seams and loop and button closures.  Her close-fitting top had a scoop neckline, back zipper and topstitching.  The lined, slightly flared green- and blue-checked wool skirt fell at mid-knee.

   This year’s National MIYWW Contest included 31 junior contestants and 30 senior contestants.

   “When you think about the fact that the contestants were the first-place winners from across the country, the competition was very tough,” said Carol Battenberg, Johnson Creek, Wisconsin’s MIYWW state director and WSBC director.  “To win there is quite an accomplishment.”

   As a junior-division competitor, Franklin competed against other youth between the ages of 13 and 16 who had created and modeled wool garments they had sewn, knitted, crocheted or woven.

   “I thought it was a remarkable feat last year that Jessica did so well as a 13 year old,” Battenberg said.  “Even this year, she’s competing against 16-year-olds, and that difference in age can be night and day.”

   Battenberg said one judge commented that the tailoring and construction of Franklin’s ensemble tipped the scales in her favor.

   “She was a hands-down winner,” Battenberg said.

   Wisconsin’s MIYWW winners have done well in the national contest in recent years.  In each of the last four years, Wisconsin has had a first-runner-up in either the national contest’s junior or senior division.

   Participation in the state contest has grown in the past few years.  With about a dozen contestants five years ago, the 2005 contest attracted 43 entries.  Wisconsin now ranks seventh or eighth in the number of contest entries.

   “One of the things I have tried to talk to our contestants about is the importance of putting together a garment that is age appropriate, that is marketable and that is something another person that age would look at and say ‘I’d like to wear that’,” Battenberg explained.

   The 2006 Wisconsin MIYWW Contest will be held on September 9 in Jefferson in conjunction with the Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival.  The entry deadline is August 30.  State winners will advance to the National MIYWW Contest, which will be held in San Antonio in January 2007.

   More information about the contest and an entry form will be available in the Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival catalog and on the websites of the Festival and Wisconsin Sheep Breeders Cooperative—www.wisconsinsheepandwoolfestival.com and www.wisbc.com.  For more information, contact State Director Carol Battenberg at 920/699-2233.

They built on their system in 1985 with the purchase of Scottish Blackface sheep from a breeder in Cashton

 Since then, they've bought few additional Scottish Blackface ewes, although they have purchased rams.    The Phillipsons pay a great deal of attention to genetic diversity within their flock.  They've purchased Scottish Blackface rams from New York breeders to get a different line of genetics.  When the import of genetics from England to the U.S. was allowed in the late 1990s, they imported semen from Scottish-Caithness

style North Country Cheviots.  The Scottish North Country Cheviots' genetics came from the Queen Mother’s Longoe flock.    Last fall, they laparoscopically inseminated 39 ewes to provide a new infusion of genetics.  They bred Scottish Blackface ewes to two lines of Scottish Blackface from Scotland.  They used three lines of English Suffolk semen from England to breed their half-English Suffolk ewes, and their goal is to develop a line of English Suffolk terminal sires.

Their North County Cheviot granddaughters of their first artificial breeding in the late 1990s were bred with semen remaining from that original breeding, a linebreeding practice commonly used in England to strengthen genetic lines.    The influx of "new" genetics in their flock has enabled the Phillipsons to improve their flock's bloodlines and help them achieve the heavier framed, stockier and meatier animals they desire.  Their goal is to continue to improve their flock's genetics and performance.    "We're looking for strength of lambs," Margaret explains.    The Phillipsons are helping form the North American Mule Sheep Society and have been pleased with the apparent interest of sheep breeders in mule sheep, which are crosses of Blueface Leicester sheep.  Interested producers can join the group's on-line discussion group by using Yahoo and the key words "Mule sheep".    With lambing set to start this month, Littledale Farm currently has a total 125 ewes and 20 rams.    While they sell their wethers as feeders, the Phillipsons have developed markets for both 85-pound freezer lambs and Scottish Blackface and North County Cheviot breeding stock.    "We always have more orders for breeding stock than we can fill," Graham admits.    Just as important, the Phillipsons are achieving what they set out to do.    "We have the three-tiered system," Graham says.    And, adds Margaret, their system is producing exactly the type of sheep they wanted.    "They look more like England's sheep," she says.

Field Day Details    WSBC's 7th Annual Sheep Production Field Day will be held on Saturday, June 17 at Graham and Margaret Phillipson's Littledale Farm, 21925 County Highway ZZ, Richland Center.  Registration will begin at 8 a.m., followed by presentations at 9 a.m.    Topics for the Field Day will include laparoscopic insemination, drought management, crossbreeding (including the Phillipson's three-tier system), the agri-business of operating a bed-and-breakfast operation, a sheep-dog demonstration and a pasture/grass walk.    Additional program information will be published in Wisconsin's weekly agricultural newspapers.  For more information about the Field Day, contact Chairman Bob Leder, D.V.M., 715/752-3459 or leder@dotnet.com.
Graham and Margaret Phillipson, holding Scottish Blackface lambs, will host WSBC's Sheep Production Field Day on June 17.

Nationally Known Wifords To Head Up Skillathon At Festival

   The Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival will re-introduce the Skillathon to its schedule of youth activities in 2006, and heading up the Skillathon program will be Sam and Pat Wiford, long-time Suffolk breeders from Wapakoneta, Ohio.

   The Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival will be held September 8 through 10 at Jefferson County Fair Park, Jefferson.  The fifth annual Festival will feature sheep shows, producer education sessions, vendors, Wonders of Wool classes, the state Make It Yourself With Wool Contest, working stock-dog demonstrations and trials, a used-equipment auction, the Wisconsin Classic sheep sale and more.

   The Wifords are familiar names to scores of young sheep exhibitors from across the country, since they have provided the Skillathon program for the All-American Junior Show for the past eight years.

   “They are firm believers that the future of the sheep industry centers on educating its youth, and their goal is to make that education both fun and yet a solid learning experience,” says Festival Chairman Bob Black.  “They also believe that education can be best absorbed if there is a hands-on, user-friendly approach, which is how they build their Skillathons. Each year, the Wifords bring new ideas into their clinics, ideas gleaned from traveling to sheep events around the country.”

   The Wifords have been raising registered Suffolks for over thirty years and their show travels take them to several state fairs and to the North American International Livestock Exposition in Louisville each year. They fit sheep for other breeders and appreciate any breed as long as the individuals they work with are good representatives of their breed. Sam also judges shows in several states each year and is the past president of the Ohio Sheep Improvement Association, a director on the Ohio Lamb and Wool Board, chairman of the Ohio Suffolk Sale and a director of the Ohio Suffolk Sheep Association.  Pat is secretary of the Ohio Suffolk Sheep Association.

   The Wifords are closely involved with lead-in competitions, and they judge lead events at several regional and state fair competitions each summer.

   The Wifords issue this invitation to kids planning to attend the Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival: "We want the kids to learn something they can take back to the farm and put into use!  So come visit us at Jefferson. We guarantee it will be a fun experience!"

   For more Festival information, contact Bob Black at 608/623-3536 or rbblack@powercom.net or visit the Festival website, www.wisconsinsheepandwoolfestival.com. 

   MILESTONE:  A SIGNIFICANT POINT IN DEVELOPMENT

   I recently experienced a milestone in my life, or I thought I had!  I had what everyone (if living) has once a year--a birthday anniversary!  It provided some fodder for angst in my thought process--introspection of sorts. I came through it all right.  I really don't know if I came to any earth-shattering conclusions about my life or not.  I realized I was not suffering from delusions of self-uniqueness; people measure and compare all the time where they think they are in their life plan.  I know about the adage of 'compare and despair'--I share the thought with people on many occasions.  So, I have come to the conclusion that this was not a significant point of personal development.  I am laughing now. . . I am still a work in progress!  So, as time marches on, I will too!

   One of the recent milestones in WSBC's history is marching closer.  The evolution of the Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival continues. Why this is important in WSBC history is that the Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival really changed the focus of our cooperative.  I have shared before that we used to be producer focused.  Now we are consumer driven.  Please note that one can't exist without the other--producers need consumers and vice versa.  WSBC is providing a new venue for marketing and education for both consumers and producers.  Take advantage of the opportunity!  The Festival is looking for volunteers.  It’s a great way to interact with fellow producers and consumers! 

   If volunteering is not an option, WSBC is again putting together its 2006 Membership Directory in conjunction with the Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival catalog.  There is lots of space for listings and advertising.  Take advantage of this opportunity!  I always have said you can't sell it in the back room!  Let fellow WSBC members and Festival attendees know what you produce or what you have to offer.

   Spring is on the horizon!

Gary T. Klug

President, WSBC

   Understanding that seemingly small differences in numbers can make a big difference in their production system, virtually all producers would opt for the ram with the best rate of gain and the best meat production.  If they lacked the above numbers, though, the choice might be difficult to make based on looks alone.

   That’s where the Wisconsin Ram Test comes in.  The Wisconsin Ram Test provides a common environment through which large- and small-scale producers can compare the growth rate and carcass merit genetics between several of their own rams and with rams of other flocks.

   In addition to providing rate-of-gain information, the Test gathers loin-eye and back-fat ultrasound measurements and scrotal circumference measurements.  It also tests for genetic resistance to scrapie at Codons 136 and 171.

   The Wisconsin Ram Test is a cooperative effort of the Wisconsin Sheep Breeders Cooperative and the University of Wisconsin – Madison Meat and Animal Sciences Department.  The Test takes place at Nelson Crest Farm, owned by Nils and Nancy Nelson, west of Janesville.

   January-born lambs should be delivered to the Wisconsin Ram Test station on April 8.  February-born lambs should be delivered on May 6, and March-born lambs should be delivered on June 3.  Organizers suggest calling ahead to make arrangements for delivery times.

   Lambs should be shorn within a week of delivery to the Test station; commercial shearing costs will be passed on to producers who deliver unshorn rams.  Cost of testing is $110 per ram.  Ram Test and WSBC membership fees must be paid at the time rams are delivered.

   The Wisconsin Ram Test enables breeders to use the data obtained in the Test to evaluate the genetics of their flock and provides a tool with which to market rams.  Producers who buy a tested ram can use the Test numbers as a reasonable assurance they are purchasing the genetics necessary for flock improvement.

   For more information, contact Test Station Manager Nils Nelson at 608/876-6928 or Dave Thomas, University of Wisconsin – Madison sheep Extension specialist, at 608/263-4306 or dlthomas@facstaff.wisc.edu.

   Fools may claim to April 1 as April Fool’s Day, but smart sheep producers also should circle that date on their calendars.  April 1 is WSBC’s 2006 membership deadline, plus it is the deadline to place advertising in the catalog for the Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival. 

   The 2006 WSBC Membership Directory again will be bound in the Festival catalog, which is mailed to thousands of current and prospective sheep producers and fiber enthusiasts from across the country.  WSBC membership supports educational programs for adults and youth, scholarships and promotional activities throughout the year, and the membership of every sheep producer is key to the programs’ success.

   To join WSBC, use the membership form found on page two of this issue of The Wisconsin Shepherd.  To learn about advertising opportunities in the Festival catalog, contact Jan Micke at 800/440-7258.

   Remember. . . who will “they” call when they’re looking for market lambs, seedstock, fiber, advice or a familiar voice?  If your name isn’t in the WSBC Membership Directory or Festival catalog, it probably won’t be you!

   Get the camera out and capture your best sheep shots!  The Wisconsin Sheep Breeders Cooperative is seeking sheep and wool photos for its annual photo contest.  The contest is open to everyone, including non-WSBC members, regardless of whether they raise sheep.

   The initial screening of photos will be based on clarity, content, composition and appeal.  Visitors to the 2006 Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival will vote for the winning photos.

   Entries for WSBC’s photo contest must be postmarked by August 9.

   Enter photos in the following categories:  Action, Scenic, Kids & Sheep, and Open (for photographs that do not fall into any of the other categories).  For the second year, there is a Youth category for photographers up to age 18, and there will be a $25 prize for the top photo in the Youth category.  Photographers may enter more than one category, and they may enter more than one photograph in each category.

   Entries should be 5x7” or 8x10” color or black-and-white prints.  High-quality digital photos are acceptable.  Entries should be submitted in the name of the photographer, and they should not be mounted.

   Write the following information on a 3x5” card and attach it to the back of the photograph:  Title of photo, contest category and the photographer’s name, address, phone number and e-mail address.  Entries in the Youth category also should include the age of the entrant.

   All entries become the property of WSBC to be used or reproduced at the discretion of WSBC.  A selection of finalist entries will be published in The Wisconsin Shepherd as space allows.  Entries will not be returned.

   All entries should be mailed to Jane Metcalf, 717 South Kemp Road, Avalon, WI  53505-9515.  For more information, contact Metcalf at 608/754-9571 or jmetcalf@ticon.net.

   The Wisconsin Sheep Breeders Cooperative will award up to four $500 scholarships in 2006.  June 15 is the application deadline, and the scholarships will be presented at the WSBC Annual Meeting in the fall.

   To apply, the student or a parent must be WSBC members, and applicants must be carrying or have carried sheep as an FFA or 4-H project.  The student must be a high-school senior graduating in 2006 or a college student who is 21 years old or younger.

   Scholarships will be awarded based on the above criteria, plus on career goals, high-school activities in agriculture, community service and participation in breed or other sheep-organization activities.  One letter of recommendation is required.

   Scholarship application forms are available on the WSBC website—www.wisbc.com—or from Scholarship Chairman Dawn Kundert, 10141 Sharp Road, Mount Horeb, WI  53572; 608/437-4713 or dktuckaway@aol.com.

   Life’s crowded.  Get out in front.

   That’s the message for people and businesses with sheep, wool and other products to market.  The Wisconsin Sheep Breeders Cooperative offers the opportunity to link to or place advertising on the website of the Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival, www.wisconsinsheepandwoolfestival.com.

   WSBC offers four affordable options, including a free link for vendors who are WSBC members.  For more information, contact Jenny Meudt of JRM Web Design, at webmaster@wisbc.com.

   Eight years, and we’re still wowing the public!  Wisconsin Wool Works! is ready to put Wisconsin’s fiber artists and their products on center stage for the eighth year and has developed a loyal following.  Customers are coming back to the Wisconsin Wool Works! booth at Wisconsin State Fair year after year.

   “That’s exciting, because we know that our story--the story of wool and its creative applications--is appreciated,” says Carol Black, Wisconsin Wool Works! manager.

   Wisconsin Wool Works! is both an educational and retail effort of the Wisconsin Sheep Breeders Cooperative.  It provides a venue for Wisconsin fiber artists to market their handcrafted items, plus it serves as a fundraiser for WSBC.

   Wisconsin Wool Works! will be open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on August 3 through 13 in the Sheep Barn at the Wisconsin State Fair.  Wisconsin Wool Works! also will have a booth at the Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival in Jefferson on September 8 through 10.

   Consignments are welcome, and volunteers are vital to the success of Wisconsin Wool Works!

   “Artists and producers talking to customers is still one of the strengths of the Wisconsin Wool Works!” says Black.  “Customers can see how an item is made and also order articles if necessary. Our volunteers make this cooperative effort work, so we need your help as a volunteer to staff the booth for a day.”

   For more information, contact Carol Black at 920-623-3536 or rbblack@powercom.net.

   When it comes to fleece contests, planning ahead can yield big benefits. 

   “As your sheep are sheared this spring and summer, consider entering a fleece at the Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival’s Wool Show,” says Wool Show Chairman Mary Wallace, Cambridge.  “The Wool show is a great way to learn more about the fleeces your sheep are producing.  The entry fee is minimal, premiums are awarded, and there is an opportunity to sell your fleeces during the Wool Sale.”

   The Festival’s Wool Show takes place on Saturday, September 9, and the Wool Sale will be on Sunday, September 10.  The Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival takes place September 8 through 10 at Jefferson County Fair Park, Jefferson.

   The show is set up to allow participation by producers of all sheep breeds, including commercial wool (those that have not been covered), fine, medium, coarse, longwools, double-coated and natural colored, Wallace noted.

   “Why should someone enter a fleece contest?  Not only is it fun to compete to see how fleeces rank with others, but it also acts as an incentive to produce the best fleece one can,” she maintains.  “It provides an expert evaluation of the fleeces shown both in terms of the actual type of wool but also in how the shepherd has managed the wool, both on and off the animal.”

   For more information about the Festival’s Wool Show or Wool Sale, contact Mary Wallace, 608/884-4301 or whitedove@jvlnet.com, or visit the Festival’s website, www.wisconsinsheepandwoolfestival.com.

   The Iowa Sheep Industry Association is sponsoring its Second Annual Iowa Sheep & Wool Festival at Adel, Iowa, on June 10 and 11.  Activities will include the Iowa Junior Sheep Extravaganza, which will include the Regional Dorset Show, as well as fiber classes, fiber demonstrations, a fleece show, fiber vendors, Sheep to Shawl Competition, sheep-dog demonstrations and trial, Lamb Cook-Off, sheep and goat educational seminars, shearing demonstrations, equipment and industry vendors, lamb banquet and the ISIA Annual Meeting.  

   The gate fee is $5, and youth eight years old and under are admitted without charge.  For more information, call 712/736-2109 or visit www.iowasheep.com.

   To connect consumers with American lamb suppliers, the American Lamb Board has launched an American Lamb Locator database that will be available on its website, www.americanlamb.com.  Lamb producers who would like to register for the American Lamb Locator database should call 866/327-5262 or email rae@americanlambboard.org.

   All livestock youth are encouraged to get involved in the Wisconsin Livestock Breeders Association’s show camps and livestock shows this spring and summer.

   WLBA starts the season with the Northwest Show Camp for sheep, beef and swine exhibitors.  The Northwest Show Camp is a day camp to be held at the Clark County Fairgrounds in Neillsville on Saturday, May 20.  The second camp sponsored by WLBA, the Ninth Annual Livestock Show Camp, will be held at Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis on June 16 through 18.  This weekend camp includes great learning sessions and recreational events.

   WLBA will help exhibitors get a jump on the show season with its Spring Preview Show on June 10-11 at Jefferson County Fair Park, Jefferson.  Sheep will be exhibited on June 10.  The entry deadline is June 1.  Organizers expect to include the market-lamb show at the Spring Preview Show as a point show for the Wisconsin Club Lamb Association, notes Marv Espenscheid, WLBA executive director.

   WLBA’s late-summer regional shows include:

• Northwest Junior Livestock Show, August 15-16, Eau Claire,
• Central Junior Livestock Show, August 21-23, Adams-Friendship,
• Northeast Junior Livestock Show, September 9-11, DePere, and
• Southern Junior Livestock Show, September 16-17, Mineral Point.

   Entries are due approximately three to four weeks prior to each show.

   For more information, call Marv or Ruth Espenscheid, 608/543-3778 or wlbaosf@mhtc.net, or visit www.uwex.edu/ces/animalscience/youth/index.htm and click on the WLBA logo.

   The livestock industry will come together on Saturday, March 25 as the Wisconsin Livestock Breeders Association holds its 95^th Annual Meeting at the Wintergreen Conference Center in Wisconsin Dells.  The program will begin at 11:45 a.m. and will feature Farm Broadcaster Pam Jahnke as mistress of ceremonies.

   Bob Johnson, Milton High School agriculture teacher, FFA advisor and dean of students, will be honored as the 2006 Sheep Honoree.  Johnson, who also owns and operates Badger Auction Service, has served two terms on the WLBA board of directors and has done much to promote and expand WLBA youth programs, notes Marv Espenscheid, WLBA’s executive director.  He was instrumental in establishing the state’s show-camp program.

   WLBA’s Master Stockman awards will be presented at the Annual Meeting.  Finalists for the Sheep Master Stockman are Dakota Bockenhauer of Mindoro, Steve Eckerman of Antigo, Kate Lassa of Wisconsin Rapids and Jayme Thomas of Pulaski.

   The day’s events also will include the state Skillathon and Livestock Quiz Contests for 4-H and FFA teams.  The top 4-H Skillathon team will represent Wisconsin at the national contest in Louisville in November. 

   Wisconsin has had the runner-up team four out of the last five years at the North American International Livestock Exposition.  For Skillathon and Quiz registration information, contact Bernie O’Rourke, 608/263-4303 or borourke2@ansci.wisc.edu.

   For more information about WLBA’s Annual Meeting, contact Marv Espenscheid at 608/543-3778 or wlbaosf@mhtc.net.

   Wisconsin 4-H teams competed at a number of national events in recent months.  Wisconsin’s top meats team, from Grant County, competed at the American Royal in Kansas City, Missouri.  The team--made up of Aaron Bruer, Sara Cliff, Katrina Schwer and Bethany Napp and coached by Dennis Patterson—placed seventh out of 18 teams and placed fifth in pork judging.  Individually, Napp was fifth in retail identification and seventh overall.

   Wisconsin’s second-place meats team advanced to the National Western Stock Show contest held at Fort Collins, Colo.  The team, from Crawford County, was made up of Grant Stluka, Trent Martin, Nick Crary and Amanda Dubenbostel and coached by Amy Mitchell, placed 14^th overall.

   Both teams were selected at the State 4-H Meats Contest held in February 2005.

   The state’s top livestock team—selected at the State 4-H Livestock Judging Contest in July 2005—completed at the North American International Livestock Exposition in Louisville, Ky.  The team, from Pierce County, was made up of Brady Coulson, Jessica Westfield, Brianna Dressen and Spencer Anderson.  Coached by Jim Dressen, the team placed 22^nd in the contest.

   The state’s second-place livestock team—from Sheboygan County—competed at the American Royal in Kansas City.  Team members were Theresa Jeske, Jolene Kohlwey, Tyler Kohlman and Claire Ohman, and Scott Kohlman and Jennifer Kohlwey served as coaches.

   The Wisconvin Livestock and Meat Council will hold its 38^th Annual Meeting on Thursday, May 4 at 10:30 a.m. at the Sheraton Madison Hotel, 706 John Nolan Drive, Madison.  The meeting will include reports from all segments of the state’s meat and livestock industry.  A noon luncheon will include the announcements of scholarship winners and Wisconsin Meat Industry Hall of Fame Induction.

   The Wisconsin Association of Meat Processors, the University of Wisconsin – Madison Meat and Animal Science Department and the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection are hosting a retirement party for Dennis Buege, who retired from his position as UW-Extension meat specialist in November.  The social hour begins at 6 p.m. on May 4 at the Sheraton, followed by a dinner and program at 7 p.m.

   Reservations for the WLMC luncheon are due April 21, and reservations for Buege’s retirement dinner are due April 26.  For information on the WLMC annual meeting and luncheon, contact Dan Vogel, DATCP, 608/224-5113 or dan.vogel@datcp.state.wi.us.

For information on the retirement event, contact Ken Bisarek, 608/994-3173 or kbisarek@hotmail.com.

   Both Australia and New Zealand have seen an increase in the size of their sheep flocks, the December 22, 2005 ASI Weekly reports.  ASI Weekly is an on-line publication of the American Sheep Industry Association.
   Data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) reveals that, as of June 2005, the Australian flock was estimated to be 103 million head, a 1-percent increase over June 2004 numbers.  The ABS estimated that the number of lambs (under one year) on June 30, 2005, stood at 29 million head - up 1 percent on last year. The number of sheep (including rams, ewes and wethers) was also estimated to have risen 1 percent, to 73 million head.
    According to government figures released by New Zealand, there were 39.9 million sheep in that country on June 30, 2005, a 1.7-percent gain from one year earlier. The number of young ewes for breeding increased 21 percent to 3.2 million.
    This is the first time in 17 years that New Zealand has increased the numbers in its national flock. Higher prices and mild weather were cited as reasons why farmers are keeping more breeding animals.
    These projected flock inventory increases are very similar to increases posted in the United States' national flock in 2005, ASI Weekly says.

   The Southern Consortium for Small Ruminant Parasite Control was formed in response to the critical state of the small-ruminant industry associated with the emergence of anthelmintic-resistant worms.  SCSRPC is a group of scientists, veterinarians, and extension agents devoted to (1) developing novel methods for sustainable control of gastrointestinal nematodes in small ruminants and (2) educating stakeholders in the small-ruminant industry on the most up-to-date methods and recommendations for control of gastrointestinal nematodes.

   Members of SCSRPC meet regularly and are in close communication, continuously updating recommendations for parasite control.  Members are from Fort Valley State University, Georgia; University of Georgia; Louisiana State University; USDA, Agricultural Research Service in Booneville, Arkansas and Brooksville, Florida; University of Puerto Rico; the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University in Denmark; the Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute in South Africa; Auburn University, Alabama; Virginia Tech; University of Virgin Islands; and Langston University, Oklahoma.

   To learn more about this group, visit www.scsrpc.org.

   Sheep are not renowned for their intellect, but an Australian researcher has proven they are smarter than most of us think.  And some are smarter than others, leading scientists to believe they carry a specific "smart gene" that, once identified, will allow farmers to better select their livestock, reports ASI Weekly, an on-line publication of the American Sheep Industry.

   Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) Research Scientist Dr. Caroline Lee tested a group of 60 Merino sheep by putting them through a complex maze. Lee found the sheep not only worked out how to navigate the maze, but also got better each time they did it.  The test was done over three days and repeated after six weeks with the time taken to complete it and the number of errors made recorded for each animal.

    "We showed that sheep on average took two minutes on the first day and then they really significantly improved their time and were down to around 30 seconds on the third day," Lee said. "In addition, we actually measured them six weeks later ... and we found that they had retained their memory and were at a similar level to the previous test."

   The CSIRO currently is screening 600 sheep of different breeds to determine whether they have a smart gene or genes. This could take up to five years.

   Only Greece has the right to call its white, salty cheese “Feta,” the European Union's top court said in late October.  According to ASI Weekly, a publication of the American Sheep Industry Association, the EU’s court dismissed an appeal by Denmark and Germany for their cheesemakers also to be allowed to use the Feta name.
    The European Court of Justice ruled the Feta definition was reserved exclusively for cheese from Greece as it had been registered as a protected designation of origin in 2002.
    The ruling was a victory for Greece, where Feta cheese is believed to have been produced for around 6000 years. The Greek government has campaigned since 1994 for geographical protection for local Feta, which is made from a blend of sheep and goats' milk.
    The same kind of protection is enjoyed by Italy's parma ham and French champagne.

   The Indianhead Sheep Breeders Association has set 1 p.m. Sunday, April 2 for its Spring Sale.  Held at the University of Wisconsin – River Falls’ Mann Valley Farm, the sale will feature market lambs, registered ewes and registered rams.  A youth clinic will take place at noon. 

   Over 60 head of high-quality lambs, including several county-fair champions, were sold at last year’s sale.

   For information on the sale or consignments, contact Linda Mullendore at 715/268-9190 or mully@amerytel.net.

© WISBC