Proceedings of 2018 Dairy Sheep Symposium
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Proceedings of the 24th Annual Dairy Sheep Association of North America Dairy Sheep Symposium November 8-11, 2018 Kansas City, Missouri Proceedings of the 24th Annual Dairy Sheep Association of North America Dairy Sheep Symposium November 8-11, 2018 Kansas City, Missouri Table of Contents Program of Events .................................................................................................................................. i The Economics of Dairy Sheep Operations ..................................................................................... - 1 - How Does the Use of Sheep Milk Change Economic Feasibility and Breakeven Prices for the Artisan Cheesemaker? ....................................................................................................... - 13 - On-farm Processing: Ice cream and yogurt for visitors to the New Jersey Shore ..................... - 23 - The Economics of “On-ranch/farm” Processing; .......................................................................... - 25 - Building a Farmstead Cheese Business with Cash ........................................................................ - 32 - Garden Variety Cheese .................................................................................................................. - 34 - Veldhuizen Cheese ......................................................................................................................... - 39 - Putting Your Best Foot Forward: reaching consumers through meaningful labels .................... - 43 - Agri-Tourism at Whispering Pines Farm ....................................................................................... - 59 - Agritourism at Dayspring Dairy ..................................................................................................... - 66 - Agritourism at Harmony Fields ...................................................................................................... - 69 - Using the Numbers: how performance recording contributes to genetic gain and economic opportunities in sheep dairying ........................................................................................ - 72 - Dairy Sheep Genetics Improvement Project ................................................................................ - 79 - Current Trends of the Spanish Assaf Sheep .................................................................................. - 83 - Genetic Improvement Program .................................................................................................... - 83 - Nutritional Management of Reproduction in Dairy Sheep .......................................................... - 89 - Relating Dairy Sheep Nutrition to Dairy Cattle Nutrition: are we feeding small cows, or are we feeding sheep?................................................................................................................... - 94 - Management of AI Reproduction in Dairy Ewes .......................................................................... - 95 - The William J Boylan Distinguished Service Award .................................................................... - 100 - The DSANA Mentorship Award & Scholarship Fund .................................................................. - 101 - DSANA: History, Current Board of Directors ............................................................................. - 102 - Locations of Past Dairy Sheep Symposia ..................................................................................... - 103 - Program of Events Wednesday, November 7, 2018. 3:00- 7:00pm -- DSANA Board Strategic Planning Session Thursday, November 8, 2018. Topics: Economics of sheep dairying and on-farm processing; Agritourism, Direct Sales, Social-media Marketing, and other strategies to generate revenue for small sheep dairies. Morning session sponsored by Ms. J and Co. 8:30 - 9:30 – Creating an economically viable sheep dairy in 2018. Yves Berger, former Superintendent of the University of Wisconsin Spooner Sheep Dairy Research Station, and co- author of Principles of Sheep Dairying in North America. 9:30 - 10:30 – The economics of farmstead artisan sheep’s milk cheese production. Catherine Durham, Professor of Applied Economics, Oregon State University. 10:30 - 11:00 – Networking break 11:00 - 12:00 – Starting a sheep dairy and on-farm processing business: What went wrong, what went right. Producer Panel discussion with Jim Ashmore, Sheep Mountain Creamery, MT; Kendall Russell, Lark’s Meadow Farms, ID; Bill Simmerman, Misty Meadow Farm, NJ. Moderator, Catherine Durham, Oregon State University. 12:00 - 1:00 – Lunch 1:00 - 2:00 – Social-media direct marketing for small farms: How to use social media to reach our customers. Kim Beer, Marketing Services Entrepreneur, President of Midnight Productions. 2:00 - 3:00 – Marketing the farm and the cheese: how sheep producers use advertising, packaging, and social media to draw attention to their farm and product. Producer Panel discussion with Rebecca King, Garden Variety Cheese, Royal Oaks, CA; Sarah Hoffmann, Green Dirt Farm, Weston, MO; Rachael Gwassa, Veldhuizen Cheese, Dublin,TX. Moderator: Kim Beer, Midnight Productions. 3:00 - 3:30 – Networking break 3:30 - 4:15 – Putting your best foot forward: Reaching consumers through meaningful labels. Emily Moose, Director of Communications and Outreach, A Greener World. 4:15 - 5:15 – Agritourism: a revenue stream to improve the bottom line. Producer Panel discussion with Debbie Webster, Whispering Pines Farm, Mauldin, SC; Ana Kelly, Dayspring Dairy, Gallant, AL; Jessica Gigot, Harmony Fields, Bow, WA. Moderator: Sarah Hoffman, Green Dirt Farm, Weston, MO. 6:30 – Cheese and Wine Reception i Friday, November 9, 2018. Topics: The role of genetic improvement and nutrition in fostering economic sustainability for the industry; nutrition and management of the ewe flock at breeding; nutrition for the high-producing ewe; producing fall milk Morning session sponsored by Meadowood Farms 8:30 - 9:30 – Using the numbers: how performance recording contributes to genetic gain and economic opportunities in sheep dairying. Dr Ron Lewis, Professor of Animal Science at University of Nebraska, specializing in small ruminant genetic evaluation and improvement. 9:30 - 10:15 – DSANA’s Genetic Improvement Program and partnership with Genovis: how it works, and how you can participate. Laurel Kieffer, Project Coordinator, Dream Valley Farm, WI. 10:15 - 10:45 – Networking break 10:45 - 11:45 – Current trends of the Spanish Assaf Sheep Genetic Improvement Program. Mariana Marques de Almeida, Ms J. & Co., Monroe, WI. 11:45 - 1:30 – Lunch and DSANA Annual Meeting with brainstorming session on the future of our sheep dairy enterprises. Afternoon session sponsored by Premier 1 Sheep Supplies 1:30 - 2:30 – Nutritional management of reproduction in dairy sheep. Dr Andrea Mongini, DVM MS, M&M Veterinary Practice, Ewetopia Dairy, Inc, Denair, CA. 2:30 - 3:30 – Relating Dairy Sheep Nutrition to Dairy Cattle Nutrition: are we feeding small cows, or are we feeding sheep? Barbie Casey, M.S., Ruminant Specialist, Hubbard Feeds, Hamilton, OH 3:30 - 4:00 – Networking break 4:00 - 5:00 – Management of AI reproduction in dairy ewes. Dr Andrea Mongini, DVM MS, M&M Veterinary Practice, Ewetopia Dairy, Inc, Denair, CA. 5:00 - 6:00 – Reproduction techniques and out-of-season breeding: a review. Mariana Marques de Almeida, Ms J. & Co. Monroe, WI. 7:00pm – Banquet Saturday, November 10, 2018. 8:00 - 6:00. – Tour and lunch at Green Dirt Farm in Weston, Tour the dairy and cheese making facility, events barn, and off-farm retail store. CMT testing demo at Green Dirt Farm. Bus leaves hotel at 8:00 sharp. Bagged lunch provided. Sunday, November 11, 2018. – Cheese-making workshop: Focus on Soft Ripened sheep’s milk cheeses at Green Dirt Farm Cheese Kitchen. Workshop sponsored by Page & Pedersen. ii Symposium Organizing Committee Chair: Sarah Hoffmann, Green Dirt Farm, MO Bee Tolman, Meadowood Farms, NY Debbie Webster, Whispering Pines Farm, SC Terry Felda, Tin Willows Farm, OR Eliza Spertus, Green Dirt Farm, MO Proceedings Editing and Compilation Bee Tolman, Meadowood Farms, NY Carrie Abels, Willow Pond Sheep Farm, NY Photographs on the Cover Provided by Green Dirt Farm, Weston, MO iii The Sponsors who have helped make the 2018 Symposium possible: Platinum Ms J & Co Premier1 Sheep Supplies Meadowood Farms Gold Page & Pedersen Silver Hubbard Feeds Bronze Dairy Connections A Greener World Dairy Fab Genovis Hamby Dairy Supply Our 2018 sponsors have been generous in their support of our 2018 Dairy Sheep Symposium, and the Dairy Sheep Association of North America. The Symposium would not be possible without their financial support. Please thank these sponsors as you enquire about their products, equipment, supplies, and services for your dairy sheep farm or sheep-milk processing facility. iv The Economics of Dairy Sheep Operations Revised 2018 Yves Berger University of Wisconsin-Madison Researcher emeritus Spreadsheet available to all at: http://www.ansci.wisc.edu/Extension-New%20copy/sheep/index.html Words of caution Although all efforts have been made to be as accurate as possible, numbers given in this article have to be taken with caution. They reflect one type of operation only while there are about as many types of operation as there are producers. Receipts and expenses can vary greatly according to conditions, resources, management skills and philosophy of the operator. Introduction As in any enterprise, milking