Wisconsin Sheep Breeders Co-op

Nine years ago, Wisconsin Wool Works! was launched as a way to educate consumers about wool and wool products and to provide an opportunity for fiber artists and producers to market their handcrafted items. That mission hasn’t changed, but the following for Wisconsin Wool Works! has grown tremendously. Over the course of the 10-day Wisconsin State Fair, thousands of new customers visit and hundreds of regular customers return to the Wisconsin Wool Works! booth.

Wisconsin Wool Works! is both an educational and retail effort of the Wisconsin Sheep Breeders Cooperative. The retail mini-shop will be open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on August 2 through 12 in the Sheep Barn at the Wisconsin State Fair in West Allis. Wisconsin Wool Works! also will have a booth at the Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival in Jefferson on September 7 through 9.

Consignments are welcome, and volunteers are vital to the success of Wisconsin Wool Works! Consignments typically include roving, spun yarn, knitted hats and mittens, shawls, pelts, wool quilts, felted accessories, ornaments and gift items. Volunteers are particularly needed to help staff the shop during Wisconsin State Fair.

“People do make the connection between wool and sheep,” says Mary Wallace, a Cambridge sheep producer who has consigned items to Wisconsin Wool Works! since its inception. “If you don’t have a storefront, it’s a particularly good way to market your products in a high-traffic arena, plus it’s nice to just showcase what you do.”

For more information about consigning or volunteering, contact Wisconsin Wool Works! Coordinator Carol Black at 920/623-3536 or rbblack@powercom.net.

The Wisconsin Sheep Breeders Cooperative is looking for a host for its 8^th Annual Sheep Production Field Day. The one-day summertime educational event typically draws people from around the state interested in a variety of production topics.

If interested in hosting the field day, contact Chairman Bob Leder at rpleder@frontiernet.net or 715/752-3459

Fort Atkinson agriculture students do more than learn about sheep production from a book and classroom lectures. They learn by rolling up their sleeves and, in the process, they manage and do the work of maintaining a flock owned by the Fort Atkinson FFA Chapter.

The school’s unique method of teaching students about animal agriculture began in 2001, when the chapter’s FFA Alumni agreed to provide loans to students to purchase market pigs and inputs, and two Alumni members allowed students to raise their pigs on their farms. From there, students began raising breeding stock. Since 2001, the number of students raising pigs went from one to between 40 and 50.

The sheep project evolved in a similar way. In 2005, an FFA member received a loan to raise a ewe market lamb, but after it was sold at the county fair, the buyer donated the ewe to the FFA chapter. Keith Schultz, a Fort Atkinson FFA Alumni member and WSBC board member, advised Agriculture Instructor Gary Olson to either sell it or buy more. The chapter currently has 11 mature ewes and three yearling ewes.

The flock provides meaningful animal-agriculture experience for students, plus it serves as a teaching aid in the classroom. Students collected semen from a ram and examined the semen for quality. Working with Randy Gottfredson, University of Wisconsin sheep researcher, they synchronized two ewes, bred them artificially and later ultrasounded the ewes.

And when the ewes that had been bred artificially were close to lambing, a student set up a webcam so the agriculture students could share the experience with the district’s entire student population. Word in the school district spread, and from elementary classes to advanced biology students, individual students and entire classrooms began to log on to the FFA chapter’s website to watch the ewes. So many people logged on that the computer system crashed at one point.

The first ewe that had been artificially inseminated gave birth to triplets at 2 a.m. in early March. When the second ewe had a set of twins during the day, it was standing room only at the school.

“The students were just crowded around (the chapter’s website),” says Olson, who is one of three agriculture instructors in the Fort Atkinson School District.

The sheep project has not been without its challenges. Olson has had to learn about sheep production along with his students. One ewe developed ketosis prior to lambing. They’ve had to deal with triplets and poor mothering. And they’ve lost some lambs, although all those born on the webcast are thriving.

The Wisconsin Sheep Breeders Cooperative, which has long provided funding for youth educational efforts, provided seed money to help the FFA chapter buy breeding stock. Just as important, though, Olson says, WSBC members and board members have generously provided advice and guidance.

Although still in its infancy, Fort Atkinson’s program is boosting participation in youth sheep production. In two years, the number of students raising market lambs and breeding sheep has doubled to 17 youth. Beyond that, though, is what students are learning. Agriculture students are learning about production agriculture in a hands-on way, and students in biology classes, for example, are turning to the sheep-production experience to better understand lessons in reproduction and biotechnology.

Olson attributes an increased interest in post-secondary education among agriculture students to their hands-on experience in raising pigs and sheep. Perhaps just as importantly, students—many without prior production-agriculture experience—are viewing their worlds differently.

The Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival will take on a new dimension as it adds to its docket a school for beginning shepherds. Called “Sheep 101”, the full-day school slated for Friday, September 7 will appeal to people considering getting sheep, those who have recently gotten sheep and people who still view themselves as beginners and want to expand their knowledge base.

The fee-based program will focus on different types of sheep enterprises, breed selection, purchasing decisions, health management, production systems, facilities, feeding, health concern, lambing and essential flock management. Pre-registration will be required for Sheep 101.

“We’ll be providing useful information, particularly for people who are inexperienced and those who don’t have an extensive background in sheep,” says Ray Antoniewicz, the Festival’s education coordinator. “Even for those with more experience, the school will have something for them.”

The Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival will take place Friday through Sunday, September 7 through 9 at Jefferson County Fair Park, Jefferson. The Festival is a program of the Wisconsin Sheep Breeders Cooperative.

Entering its sixth year, the Festival promises to offer something for virtually everyone. Educational Roundtable sessions on Saturday and Sunday will offer education beyond the basics to sheep and wool producers. The State Make It With Wool Contest, concluding with the Contest’s style show, will be held on Saturday, as will the Shepherd’s Benefit Auction. Open and Junior sheep shows for wool and meat breeding sheep, as well as for market lambs, will keep the show ring in constant use, and a Sheep Lead-In competition brings the sheep and wool connection full circle.

Three days of Wonders of Wool fiber arts classes will draw fiber enthusiasts from a multi-state area, and The Country Store will feature about 110 vendors offering everything from wool yarn and spinning wheels to sheep fencing and feeds. Visitors can watch a “Sheep to Shawl” demonstration, participate in a silent auction, and vote for their favorite photographs in a “shepherds’ choice” photo contest. They can watch the judging of the Wool Contest or purchase a fleece from that Contest, and admire the winning entries in the handspun skein competition.

The ever-popular stock-dog shows will delight visitors. The bleachers will be packed for shearing demonstrations, and the Used Equipment Auction will offer a wide array of equipment and supplies.

Festival Chairman Bob Black notes that, for the second year, Sam and Pat Wiford will organize the Skillathon program. The long-time Suffolk breeders from Wapakoneta, Ohio, are nationally known for the quality of the Skillathons they present at such events as the All-American Junior Show each year.

“The Skillathon is back,” says Black. “It was extremely popular last year, with about 120 youth going through it. It’s a top-notch youth program that has really gelled, and we’re excited the Wifords are working with this program again.”

For more information about the Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival, contact Chairman Bob Black, 920/623-3536 or rbblack@powercom.net.

Two young rams stand side by side, looking identical, but one has a loin eye of 3.5 square inches and one has a loin eye of 4.1 square inches. Which one would you want to put to work in your flock?

Seemingly small differences in numbers can make a significant difference in a flock’s genetic progress, yet if producers lack the numbers on which to base management decisions, they are left to make decisions on appearance 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 rates and carcass merit genetics between their own rams or 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 7. February-born lambs should be delivered on May 5, and March-born lambs should be delivered on June 2. Call 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. The cost of testing is $110 per ram. Ram Test and WSBC membership fees must be paid at the time rams are delivered, and the Test is available to all sheep producers, regardless of their state of residence.

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 Test results 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@wisc.edu.

Give us your best 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 2007 Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival will vote for the winning photos.

Enter photos in the following categories: Scenic, Kids and Sheep, Any Other Sheep or Wool Photo, and Photo Taken by Youth (for youth aged 18 and younger). Photographers may enter more than one category, and they may enter more than one photograph in each category.

Entries should be 8x10” color or black-and-white prints, and they should not be mounted. A $5 per photo entry fee must accompany each entry, and premiums will be awarded to the top three photographs in each category based on the number of entries.

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 Photo Taken by Youth category also must include the age of the photographer.

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, 2679 N. County Road M, Milton, WI 53563. For more information, contact Metcalf at 608/868-3268 or tjmetcalf@centurytel.net.

By Dave Thomas, UW-Extension Sheep Specialist

Wisconsin probably will never be a major sheep state as measured by number of ewes or number of lambs fed. However, the state can still have a major impact on the U.S. sheep industry through the production of breeding stock of high genetic merit.

Wisconsin ranks eighth among all states in the number of farms with sheep, and many of these farms have flocks of purebred sheep that produce rams and ewes used in other purebred flocks or in commercial flocks. Therefore, many of our flocks contribute to the genetic potential of the national flock for the commercial production of lamb, wool and milk. While several of our flocks have national reputations for the production of high quality breeding stock gained through the show ring, relatively few flocks are using performance records and new genetic tools to improve their flocks for commercially important traits.

At the annual meeting of the Wisconsin Sheep Breeders Cooperative in October 2006, Dr. Art Pope, University of Wisconsin – Madison sheep professor emeritus, challenged WSBC to develop a five-year plan for genetic improvement of the Wisconsin flock for traits related to production efficiency. The goal of such a plan would be to develop genetically superior flocks of sheep in Wisconsin that would serve as sources of breeding stock for not only Wisconsin flocks but also for flocks throughout the U.S. The WSBC Board of Directors endorsed this activity at their last board meeting, and I agreed to initiate the discussion.

This activity is open to any sheep producer in Wisconsin--purebred, commercial, feeders, etc.--and all ideas are welcome. Some ideas that already have been put forth are: 1) increase enrollment of Wisconsin flocks in the National Sheep Improvement Program and the Badger Sheep Improvement Program, 2) increase participation in the Wisconsin Ram Test Station, 3) develop a pasture ram test for late spring and summer, and 4) develop specialized flocks for the production of commercial replacement ewes.

If you are interested in participating in this discussion, send me an e-mail at dlthomas@wisc.edu. We will create an e-mail discussion group of interested persons through which the group can exchange ideas on actions that should be taken. Ideas gleaned from this internet discussion could be presented and discussed further at a face-to-face meeting, but the discussion group will need to decide on further actions to take.

Looking for a way to stand out from the crowd? Sponsorship opportunities are available for the Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival, says Festival Chairman Bob Black. Sponsorships are a great way for individuals and businesses to gain extra recognition for their support of the sheep industry.

There are lots of good reasons for entering fleeces in the Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival’s Wool Show, and they all have to do with learning about and producing quality wool. Entering the wool show is an excellent way to learn about the fleeces your sheep are producing and about the characteristics of top-quality fleeces. It also serves as an incentive to produce the best possible fleece.

As sheep are sheared this spring and summer, Wool Show Chairman Mary Wallace urges producers to save fleeces for the competition.

The Festival’s Wool Show takes place on Saturday, September 8, and the Wool Sale will be on Sunday, September 9. Fleeces entered in the Wool Show can be sold in the Wool Sale, although it is not required. The Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival takes place September 7 through 9 at Jefferson County Fair Park, Jefferson.

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

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.

Scrapie is a fatal, degenerative disease impacting the central nervous system of sheep and goats. Infected flocks containing a high percentage of susceptible animals can experience significant production losses, and animals sold from infected flocks spread scrapie to other flocks. The presence of scrapie in the U.S. prevents the export of breeding stock, semen and embryos to many other countries.

To learn more about scrapie and what you can do to help eradicate it on your farm, visit the WSBC website, www.wisbc.com.

“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.”

In 2007, the Wisconsin Sheep Breeders Cooperative will award up to four $500 post-secondary education scholarships. 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 a WSBC member, 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 2007 or a college student who is 21 years old or younger.

Scholarships will be awarded 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 and a school photo are required with the scholarship application.

Scholarship application forms are available on the WSBC website—www.wisbc.com—or from Scholarship Chairman Eric Meudt, N6041 State Road 89, Delavan, WI 53115; 608/883-9936 or ericandjenny@meudtshowlambs.com.

Haley Horbinski (left) of Necedah and Andrea Rygh of South Wayne, junior and senior winners of the state Make It Yourself With Wool Contest, represented Wisconsin in the national contest in San Antonio on January 25-27. Rygh, modeling a red wool dress and full-length black wool coat, was named to the “top 13” of the senior contest, and both she and Horbinski received lengths of wool from the Pendleton Woolen Company. Jessica Franklin of Neenah concluded her year as national wool ambassador, a role she earned when she won the junior National Make It Yourself With Wool Contest in January 2006.

State MIYWW Director Carol Battenberg of Johnson Creek accompanied Wisconsin’s contestants to the national contest, where 29 state junior winners and 28 senior winners competed. WSBC is the major sponsor of the state program, and American Sheep Industry Association and American Sheep Industry Women are major national sponsors.

As the Make It With Wool Contest celebrates its 60^th anniversary in 2007, organizers of the state program are working to ensure the state contest remains attractive to participants. The 2007 contest, which will be held on September 8 in conjunction with the Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival, will feature a new competition category and changes to another. The Wisconsin Sheep Breeders Cooperative serves as the major sponsor of the state Make It With Wool program.

New to the state competition is a Novelty category. The category will cover a broad range of items made by contestants, including wearable accessories—shawls, scarves, hats, mittens, slippers, purses or bags—and non-wearable woolen items, like wool rugs or wool chair seat covers. As with other categories in the Make It With Wool contest, items must be constructed by the exhibitor and must be made with fabric or fiber that is 100 percent wool or a wool blend of at least 60 percent wool.

In the quilt category, rules have been refined. At least 50 percent of the quilt top surface must be of 100 percent wool or wool-blend fabric of at least 60 percent wool, and the remainder of quilt top must be constructed of natural fibers, including wool, cotton, silk or linen. The quilt back must be of 100 percent natural fibers. Quilts and wallhangings entered in the quilt category may include batting, but batting is not required.

As in other years, the state Make It With Wool contest has garment categories for pre-teens to adults, plus the contest has a Made For Others category in which contestants construct a garment for another person. Garments may be sewn, knitted, crocheted or woven, and they must be made of fabric or fiber that is 100 percent wool or a wool blend of at least 60 percent wool.

The state junior and senior winners in the garment category will advance to the National Make It With Wool Contest, which will be held in Las Vegas in January 2008. The adult winner can submit a video entry to the national contest, and the national winner earns a trip to the national contest.

The Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival is slated for September 7 through 9 at Jefferson County Fair Park in Jefferson.

The Make It Yourself With Wool program celebrates its 60^th anniversary with both a new name and new logo. Organizers have dropped “Yourself” from the name, feeling the new Make It With Wool name is easier to verbalize yet retains its core identity. The bold new logo, they say, will result in a fresh visual recognition for the long-standing program.

The Make It With Wool program is the longest, continuous promotional entity of the American lamb and wool industry. In 2005 alone, 1038 contestants used 2935 yards of wool fabric and about 285 skeins of wool yarn.

The original contest grew out of a cooperative effort between members of women’s auxiliary of the sheep growers’ organization in the West and the 4-H program. To promote wool and generate interest in sewing with wool among young women, the women’s auxiliary of the National Wool Growers Association started the contest. It was founded in Utah and adopted by the National Wool Growers Association in 1947, with the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and Wyoming participating.

In 1960, the American Wool Council, the name adopted by the wool division of the American Sheep Producers Council, joined the auxiliary as an active sponsor. A year later, the contest expanded from 20 states to a nationwide contest based on the 20 state and area sheep councils of the American Sheep Producers Council.

By 1971, when the contest was opened to males in response to a threatened lawsuit, the contest had grown to include 33 states. Until 2000, the contest included the remaining states in a “state without a contest” photographic category, but this portion of the contest proved to be expensive and was eliminated. In its place, a “made for others” class was implemented, and in 2001, the contest was broadened with the addition of a fashion/apparel design category for college-enrolled fashion/apparel design students. This special part of the contest, supported by the American Wool Council, makes it possible for fashion/apparel design students from every state to compete, plus, long-term, it provides the opportunity to impact the retail market.

In its first 60 years, the Make It With Wool program, now sponsored by the American Sheep Industry Association and American Sheep Industry Women, is recognized as reaching beyond being a contest in which individuals sew strictly for themselves. It has expanded its horizons with the addition of the “made for others” and “fashion or apparel design” categories, plus it includes other construction methods, including knitting, crocheting and weaving. All garments must be made of 100 percent wool fabric or fiber or wool blends containing at least 60 percent wool.

Notes from the President’s Pen

“Life, on Life's Terms”

These few words can stir me up emotionally and, at the same time, give me the tools to come to surrender and acceptance and peace. They essentially remind me I am not in charge. At times, I dislike that a lot and, in other instances, it gives me peace and direction. These few words can keep an attitude in check and help to cope with what life's hand can deal us. The adage “attitude gratitude” certainly works for me. Yes, accepting life on its terms is certainly a lot easier than thinking I am in charge.

These few words have surfaced a lot recently in my life. People I know are in the midst of medical issues. Others are handling situations one could never have dreamed of. They are the kinds of things I cannot fix and or understand. I can only offer support and just be there for them.

There are a couple of new programs and opportunities in which sheep producers can participate. One--in the developmental stages--Dr. Dave Thomas has offered to head up a sheep genetic improvement program. Hopefully, it will involve all types of sheep breeders throughout the state.

Another program is called the Grow Wisconsin Livestock Initiative Panel. This panel is part of the Wisconsin ag department’s Ag Diversification and Development program. It will address all the livestock needs and wants in the state. Jeff Swenson of the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection is heading this initiative.

Watch for further information on both of these new programs and involve yourself!

WSBC's annual activities for 2007 are well under way. The Sheep and Wool Festival's committee has been busy planning and expanding, and it certainly represents a wonderful opportunity for volunteerism and participation. Youth scholarship applications are due in June; see the WSBC website for detailed information. Wisconsin Wool Works! is looking for volunteers to work at the State Fair booth, and WSBC is in the process of creating a Wisconsin Wool Works! website. We are looking for a person to head up and manage the website, so contact me or Carol Black if you’re interested.

You’ve heard me say this before. . . WSBC volunteers are always needed and welcomed, and volunteering is certainly an easy way to connect with like-minded people in the industry.

After the recent winter-weather events, it is certainly hard to believe that spring is slated for later this month. As we all know, it will show up when it wants to! Another example of “life, on life’s terms”!

Indianhead Sheep Breeders Schedule Spring Sale

The Indianhead Sheep Breeders Association will hold its annual Spring Lamb Sale on April 1 at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls’ Mann Valley Farm. The sale, conducted by Auctioneer Jon Mork, will feature over 60 head of high-quality club lambs from some of the top breeders in Wisconsin and Minnesota. A youth clinic will take place prior to the sale, and a silent auction of donated products will be held. This sale is a primary source for county and state fair market class lambs in northwest Wisconsin and eastern Minnesota, with several county fair champions sold every year.

The UW-River Falls Mann Valley Farm is 2.5 miles west of Main Street in River Falls on County Hwy. MM and north on South Glover Road. Viewing and weighing will begin at 11 a.m., the youth clinic will be held at 12 p.m. and the sale will begin at 1 p.m. Cash or good checks with picture identification will be accepted.

Livestock teams from throughout the state are invited to take part in the State Livestock Quiz and Skillaton Contests. The contests will be held during the Wisconsin Livestock Breeders Association’s Annual Meeting on March 31 at the Wintergreen Resort and Convention Center in the Wisconsin Dells.

There are two divisions: 4-H senior-team members must be at least 14 years of age on January 1, 2007 and not have had their 19^th birthday before that date. 4-H junior-team members must be between eight and 13 years of age as of January 1. Teams may consist of three or four members.

The top senior 4-H team will represent Wisconsin at the National 4-H Skillathon Contest, which is held each fall in Louisville. FFA teams also are invited to participate in the state contests, but it is the top senior 4-H team that will advance to the national 4-H contest.

Registration starts at 8:30 a.m., with the contest beginning promptly at 9 a.m. Awards will be presented at the noon luncheon; there will be awards for top-placing teams and individuals. The fee is $15 per person, which includes the noon luncheon.

For more information and registration information, contact Bernie O’Rourke, University of Wisconsin - Extension youth livestock specialist, at 608/263-4304, borourke2@ansci.wisc.edu or www.uwex.edu/ces/animalscience/youthlivestock/index.cfm.

ID Cost-Sharing Program Offered to Producers

The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) is offered a Voluntary Animal ID Cost-Sharing Program to producers on a first-come, first-served basis. With a premises registration system already in place, the state offers to the program to producers who are ready to begin recording individual animal ID and animal movement information as the next steps of the National Animal Identification System (NAIS).

The cost-sharing program consists of sign-up, approval and confirmation of participation, followed by tag purchase and application. Reimbursement is made once these steps have been completed. A producer must have a premises registration number to qualify for the program.

The USDA has released official Animal Identification Numbers as part of the NAIS. DATCP and the Wisconsin Livestock Identification Consortium (WLIC) are initiating the voluntary animal ID program using DATCP-selected AIN tags. All USDA-approved devices will be accepted as official identification in Wisconsin. Cost sharing, however, will be for DATCP-selected AIN Radio Frequency ID (RFID) tags only and does not cover application of tags. Cost sharing will apply to half of a producer’s total on-site flock or herd and is capped at 25 percent of the cost of DATCP-approved RFID tags, up to a maximum of $.50 per tag.

The purpose of voluntary animal identification is to provide a starting point when trying to determine where an animal has been in its life, notes the WLIC. Knowing this information will assist animal-health officials to quickly respond in the event of an animal-disease outbreak and help prevent the spread of disease. In addition, it adds, an effective animal identification program can be beneficial for on-farm flock and herd management.

At the end of 2006, Wisconsin livestock owners had registered over 54,000 premises.

“Now, we are taking the next step with animal ID,” says Deb Reinhart, a dairy producer and WLIC board chairperson. “The reality is that, for most of us, identifying our animals and tracking them through production to market is just good business. For those of us already using RFID tags for production-management purposes, taking part in this voluntary program is a matter of a few keystrokes on a computer. For those planning to start using them, the cost-share program is a real plus. For all of us, it just makes sense when you consider the potential damage to our industry should we have a disease outbreak.”

WLIC serves as the agent of DATCP for premises registration and this cost-sharing program. For more information about the program, call 888/808-1901, visit www.wiid.org or e-mail info@wiid.org.

WLBA Announces Program Changes

The Wisconsin Livestock Breeders Association recently announced changes it is making to its scholarship programs and youth shows:

In other board action, WLBA is considering the implementation of a membership program to more completely involve all families in the decision-making process. Information on this program will be available at WLBA’s annual meeting on March 31 at the Wintergreen Conference Center in Wisconsin Dells.

The Wisconsin Livestock Breeders Association will hold its annual meeting on Saturday, March 31 at the Wintergreen Conference Center in Wisconsin Dells. The day will include the livestock quiz and skillathon competition for 4-H and FFA teams, scholarship interviews and an afternoon program that will include recognition of outstanding adults and youth in the livestock industry. Youth activities are scheduled for the morning, followed by the banquet and afternoon annual meeting.

Four outstanding junior sheep exhibitors are vying for the coveted title of Sheep Master Stockman. This year’s candidates include John Alf of Edgerton, Dane Christenson of Amery, Matthew Colle of Luxemburg and Kate Lassa of Wisconsin Rapids

Wayne and Dee Ace will be named as the 2007 Sheep Honorees in recognition of their outstanding service to junior sheep exhibitors. The Aces raise wether-type ewes, dairy cows and steers on their farm near Oregon, plus they operate a limousine/bus service. They have generously supported WLBA shows and show camps, and they served as sheep chairman for WLBA’s Southern Show for about 10 years.

For more information, contact Marv or Ruth Espenscheid at 608/543-3778 or wlbaosf@mhtc.net.

Adults interested in sheep production or lamb-related businesses are invited to apply for the 2007 Howard Wyman Sheep Industry Leadership School, sponsored by the National Lamb Feeders Association. The application deadline is May 1.

The leadership school, open to men and women aged 20 and over, takes place in Sioux Falls, S.D. on July 22 through 25 for tours and discussions designed to increase their knowledge of the American sheep industry. The program also will look at sheep production in the Midwest and give participants opportunities to meet one-on-one with ewe flock producers, lamb feeders, processors and retailers.

“The Leadership School has a long history of turning out a high percentage of individuals who have become outstanding regional or national leaders in the sheep industry,” said Mike Caskey of Minnesota West Community & Technical College in Pipestone, Minn., the 2007 school coordinator.

Applicants must complete a brief application and submit a short essay explaining their experience in the sheep industry and what they would like to learn. People with all levels of experience in the sheep industry are eligible to apply. A class of 25 participants will be selected.

NLFA covers the cost of food, lodging and tour expenses. Travel to Sioux Falls and a $100 registration fee are the responsibility of selected participants. For more information, call NLFA at 503/364-5462 or visit www.nlfa-sheep.org.

Discover the UK sheep industry by journeying through Scotland and England with Stan Potratz of Premier. The tour begins June 3 in Edinburgh and ends in London on June 10, and it will include a visit to North Sheep 2007, Britain’s largest sheep event that draws 800 visitors and 200 trade-show vendors. The tour group will visit the UK’s largest sheep auction market and the Scottish Agricultural College, the leading British sheep research facility, as well as a leading UK Suffolk producer and the founder and flock of MeatLinc sheep. The group also will explore the cultural richness and history of Edinburgh, York and London.

The trip is sponsored by Premier of Washington, Iowa, and Potratz, Premier’s founder, will provide insights into British agriculture, countryside and culture. He farmed in the UK for 11 years and has traveled there for 40 years.

The group is limited to 36 people. For more information, contact Stephanie Sexton at Premier, 800/282-6631 or ssexton@premier1supplies.com.

Yves Berger, superintendent and sheep researcher at the University of Wisconsin Spooner Ag Research Station, will be conducting two workshops at the 8^th World Sheep and Wool Congress, which takes place June 24 through 26 in Queretaro, Mexico. Berger will talk about the economics of sheep dairying and the nutrition effect in sheep milk production. Another keynote presenter will be James Morgan of the National Sheep Improvement Program, who will lead a workshop on selecting quality breeding stock.

Bill Keough, superintendent of the breeding sheep show at Wisconsin State Fair, reminds exhibitors about the rules for showing managerial sheep. The rules state: “At the Wisconsin State Fair, ownership of an animal by a junior exhibitor is established when the animal is registered in the name of the exhibitor. Co-ownership is allowed between immediate junior family members (i.e., brother, sister). Animals owned by parents, the family farm or others are considered managerial. Managerial forms are not required when the managerial animal is owned by the junior member’s immediate family (brother, sister, parent or family farm). These family-owned animals should be entered as managerial at the Fair, but they do not require the filing of a form. For all other leased animals, a form must be completed.

“Exhibitors who meet the criteria and rules applying to a managerial project will be allowed to exhibit and show only three breeding animals,” the rule continues. “Managerial animals are not allowed in the market show.

“Check with your county Extension agent for (the) managerial project deadline.”

All livestock youth are encouraged to attend the Wisconsin Livestock Breeders Association’s show camps and livestock shows in the months ahead. The Northwest Show Camp will be held in Neillsville on Saturday, May 19, and the State Livestock Show Camp is slated for June 15 through 17 at Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis.

Kolby Burch of Hays, Kansas, will be a new face presenting the State Livestock Show Camp. This weekend camp is packed full with hands-on sessions where youth can learn first-hand about their sheep project. The weekend’s activities also include a rodeo on Friday and a recreational event on Saturday night. The State Livestock Show Camp costs $75 per camper or parent, which includes room, board and expenses.

Teams from Dodge and St. Croix Counties earned top spots at the second statewide Youth Animal Welfare Judging Contest on February 3 at the University of Wisconsin – Madison campus. The Dodge County team, made up of Dakota Neff, Eva Arndt and Kelly Vierck, won the junior division, while the St. Croix team, made up of Ashley Branham, Teresa Branham and Koty Beth Allen, won the senior division. Teams from Jefferson County placed second in both the junior and senior divisions.

Ben Gimler of Jefferson County ranked as the top junior individual, followed in order by Kelly Vierck of Dodge County, Dalton Kelman of Jefferson County, Dakota Neff of Dodge County and Kyle Branham of St. Croix County.

Kelly Lee of Jefferson County ranked as the top senior individual, followed in order by Sam Arndt of Dodge County, Kota Beth Allen of St. Croix County, Cameron Pauli of Jefferson County and Ashley Branham of St. Croix County.

A team from Grant County swept top honors in the senior division of the State 4-H Meats Contest, held February 17 on the University of Wisconsin – Madison campus. Team members are Dan Frank, John Mark Napp, Julie Orth and Samantha Jackson, and Dennis Patterson is their coach. The team will represent Wisconsin at the National 4-H Meats Judging Contest in Kansas City in the fall.

The second-place senior team, which will represent the state at a contest in Denver, was from Marathon County. Team members include Ty Bayer, Theresa Bergs, Cody Hallas and Tyler Nelson. Mia Bayer and Renee Radcliffe served as coaches.

Napp was the top-ranking individual judge, followed in order by Bergs, Bayer, Sarah Miller of Portage County, Jackson, Rebecca Keel of Dodge County, Orth, Cassandra Meyer of Dodge County, Frank, and Bailey Quam of Columbia County.

The top junior team was from Marathon County, and team members were Jessica and Jared Radcliffe, Calli Bayer and David Bergs. The second-place junor team, from Grant County, was made up of Brian and Amanda Patterson, Jacob Napp and Shea Esser.

Jessica Radcliffe was the top-ranked individual junior judge, followed in order by Bergs, Bayer, Brian Patterson, Amanda Patterson, Kelly Vierck of Dodge County, Napp, Esser, Alexus Butler of Dodge County and Andrea Patterson of Grant County.

The State 4-H Meats Contest is sponsored by The Wisconsin 4-H Foundation and UW-Extension.

Teams from Sheboygan, Dodge and Green Counties topped the fourth state Livestock Quiz Bowl contest on March 3 in Portage. Twenty teams from across the state participated. The Livestock Bowl is a quiz competition where all the questions are about sheep, beef, swine and meat goat topics, and students use a buzzer in order to answer the questions. A group discussion round was added to the senior division to simulate the national competition.

The Sheboygan County team, coached by Liz Gartman, topped the senior division. Team members were Brad Laack, Chelsea Bartz, Katie Jeske and Becky Schleicher. The St. Croix County #1 placed second, followed by the Dodge County team.

The Dodge County team won the junior division. Team members included Kelly Vierck, Dakota Neff, Collin Keel and Grace Ganske; the team is coached by Dawn Vierck. The Sheboygan County team placed second, followed by the team from Marathon County.

The Green County team won the mixed-aged division, which contains at least one youth from the junior and senior age divisions. Team members were Devan Brugger, Mike Richardson, Ellen Kiser, and Katie Burke, and Rusty Kiser and Alissa Grenawalt served as coaches. The Marathon County #1 earned second placed, and the Marathon County #2 team placed third.

The Livestock Quiz Bowl Contest is sponsored by the UW-Extension youth livestock program and partially funded by the Wisconsin 4-H Foundation.