Sheep and Goat Workshop Day

Small ruminant production workshops to be held on April 16, from 9am to 4pm at SUNY Cobleskill, in the area surrounding the livestock barns.

The SUNY Cobleskill Animal Science department's Sheep and Goat Production class (ANSC318) will host their bi-annual sheep and goat day with a slightly different format this spring.  We will be offering an expanded interest area of short seminars with two lines of programming that are sure to offer learning opportunities for many beginning and seasoned small ruminant farmers.  This year the Empire State Meat Goat Producers will have their April meeting with us, and we will have Steve Olson and Eric Shelley leading a meat goat carcass standards, evaluation and processing demonstration to accompany their interests.

Additionally, we have local llama producer John Conboy who will bring a few of his animals to demonstrate and discuss the many reasons why you could consider adding one to your enterprise.  If you are a sheep or meat goat producer who is interested in switching from the way you currently manage birth through weaning of your stock,  Dr. Tatiana
Stanton will be here to share the meat goat and lamb study results.   A
relatively new processor, Battenkill Wool Mill from Greenwich, will be here to let you know how you can take your raw wool/fiber products through to marketable items.  We have Cornell Quality Milk Production Services also on board to share and seek more information from goat and sheep dairy producers regarding future grant opportunities.  Gwen Cassell will share strategies in selection of animal types and feeding strategies geared at profit making.  We'll also share a bit about the small ruminants at the college and portable fencing.   The students at Cobleskill will also have an informative poster session area, ranging from many topics of production; the livestock club, AAPC, will be highlighting goat kabobs and lamb sausage for lunch; and we are offeringa vendor/raffle area.  

We have other exciting things in the works, there will be plenty to see and do throughout the day!  Charge for the entire day's events is $10/adult, $5/youth 8 to 21 or $25 maximum per family; SUNY Cobleskill students are free.  If you would like to set up a table at our event, please contact Dr. Cindi Shelley at shelleca@cobleskill.edu for further information.  Hope to see you there!

For directions, please see http://www.cobleskill.edu/map/