Proceedings of the 11th Annual GREAT LAKES DAIRY SHEEP SYMPOSIUM November 3 – 5, 2005 Sheraton Hotel & Conference Center Burlington, Vermont, USA Organized by: Small Ruminant Dairy Project, University of Vermont Center for Sustainable Agriculture, Burlington, Vermont, USA (http://www.uvm.edu/sustainableagriculture/smallrumi.html) Presented by: Dairy Sheep Association of North America, Rock Hill, South Carolina, USA (http://www.dsana.org/index.php) i Symposium Organizing Committee Carol Delaney, Burlington, Vermont, USA - Chair Candice Huber, Burlington, Vermont, USA Jennifer Linck, Craftsbury, Vermont, USA Special Thanks To: Dan Hewitt, Granville, Vermont, USA Beth Holtzman, Berlin, Vermont, USA Harvey and Barbara Levin, East Charleston, Vermont, USA Neil Urie, Craftsbury Common, Vermont, USA Karen Weinberg, Shushun, New York, USA Proceedings Edited and Compiled by: David L. Thomas, Madison, Wisconsin, USA Carol Delaney, Burlington, Vermont, USA Mike Thonney, Ithaca, New York, USA Photographs on the Cover Provided by: Carol Delaney, Burlington, Vermont, USA Clockwise from top left: Dairy ewes on pasture at Major Farm, Putney, Vermont Milking ewes at Bonnieview Farm, Craftsbury Common, Vermont Artisan cheesemaking workshop, Burlington, Vermont Milk cans and freshly made sheep and goat milk cheeses, Burlington, Vermont ii Table of Contents Program of Events ………………………………………………………………………........... v Speakers………………………………………………………………………………………… vii Sponsors ……………………………………………………………………………………….. ix “YOU WANT TO MILK WHAT?” IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS TO PONDER BEFORE STARTING A SHEEP DAIRY Michael Ghia …………………………………………………………………………………... 1 EVOLUTION OF THE MILK PRODUCTION AT THE SPOONER AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH STATION BETWEEN 1996 AND 2004 Yves M. Berger ………………………………………………………………………………… 6 STARTING A NEW MILK PROCESSING FACILITY: CONSIDERATIONS AND COSTS Peter Dixon …………………………………………………………………………………….. 14 LAMB REARING STRATEGIES: FARMER PANEL EXPERIENCED FARMERS DISCUSS PROS AND CONS OF DIFFERENT WEANING SYSTEMS Beth Slotter …………………………………………………………………………………….. 23 BONNIEVIEW FARM’S LAMB REARING STRATEGIES Neil Urie ……………………………………………………………………………………….. 25 REARING LAMBS AT 3-CORNER FIELD FARM Karen Weinberg……………………………………………………………………………….. 27 PROFITABILITY OF SMALL RUMINANT FARMSTEAD DAIRY PROCESSING OPERATIONS Robert Parsons, Mark Stephenson, and Chuck Nicholson ………………………….................. 29 NON-NUTRITIONAL STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE LACTATION PERSISTENCY IN DAIRY EWES Giuseppe Pulina, Anna Nudda, Nicolò Pietro Paolo Macciotta, Gianni Battacone, Stefania Fancellu, and Cristiana Patta ........................................................................................................ 38 MILK FAT SYNTHESIS AND ITS REGULATION IN DAIRY SHEEP Adam L. Lock, Liam A. Sinclair, and Dale E. Bauman ……………………………………….. 69 MANAGING YOUR OWN RETAIL SHOP: MARKETING AND SELF-DISTRIBUTION OF FARMSTEAD CHEESE Alastair MacKenzie ……………………………………………………………………………. 83 iii Table of Contents (cont.) HOW TO GRAZE DAIRY SHEEP AND SUPPLEMENT THEIR DIETS IN ORDER TO IMPROVE PRODUCTION Giuseppe Pulina, Antonello Cannas, and Marcella Avondo ....................................................... 91 MAXIMIZING PRODUCTION ON PASTURE David Major …………………………………………………………………………………….122 AN INTEGRATED APPROACH TO THE SAFETY OF RAW MILK CHEESE Paul S. Kindstedt ……………………………………………………………………………….126 FARMER PANEL ON LABOR Mark Fischer…………………………………………………………………………………….132 FARMER PANEL ON LABOR - HOW TO ATTRACT AND TRAIN YOUR LABOR FORCE, YEAR AFTER YEAR: SUCCESSFUL METHODS AND CHALLENGES Bob Works………………………………………………………………………………………133 Information from the Symposium Sponsors ……………………………………………………134 iv Program of Events Thursday, November 3, 2005 7:45 – 9:00 a.m. Registration, Sheraton Hotel, Burlington, Vermont 9:00 a.m. – noon Sensory Evaluation of Cheese Workshop (optional - separate fee) Dr. Montserrat Almena-Aliste, Vermont Institute of Artisan Cheese, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, USA 9:00 a.m. “You Want to Milk What?” Important Figures and Considerations to Ponder Before Starting a Sheep Dairy Mike Ghia, Ewetopia Farm, Saxton’s River, Vermont, USA 10:00 a.m. Factors Contributing to Milk Production – The Spooner Example Yves Berger, Spooner Agricultural Research Station, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Spooner, Wisconsin, USA 10:45 a.m. Starting a Milk Processing Facility: Costs and Considerations Peter Dixon, Dairy Foods Consultant, Putney, Vermont, USA 11:30 a.m. Lunch 1:15 p.m. Lamb Rearing Strategies: Farmer Panel Beth Slotter, Old Chatham Sheepherding Company, Old Chatham, New York, USA Neil Urie, Bonnieview Farm, Craftsbury, Vermont, USA Karen Weinberg, 3-Corner Field Farm, Shushan, New York, USA 2:15 p.m. Profitability of Small Ruminant Farmstead Cheese Operations Bob Parsons, University of Vermont Extension, Burlington, Vermont, USA 3:00 p.m. Vendor Fair 4:00 p.m. Tour, Vermont Institute of Artisan Cheese Friday, November 4, 2005 7:30 – 8:30 a.m. Registration, Sheraton Hotel, Burlington, Vermont 8:30 a.m. Non-Nutritional Strategies to Improve Lactation Persistency in Dairy Ewes Giuseppe Pulina, University of Sassari, Sassari, Sardinia, Italy 9:15 a.m. Milk Fat Synthesis and Its Regulation in Sheep Adam Lock, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA v Program of Events (cont.) Friday, November 4, 2005 10:00 a.m. Break 10:15 a.m. Managing Your Own Retail Shop: Marketing and Self-Distribution of Farmstead Cheese Alastair MacKenzie, La Moutonnière, Sainte-Hélène-de-Chester, Québec, Canada 11:15 a.m. Lunch 1:30 p.m. How to Graze and Supplement Dairy Sheep for High Production Giuseppe Pulina, University of Sassari, Sassari, Sardinia, Italy 2:30 p.m. Grazing Techniques to Maximize Pasture and Production David Major, Major Farm, Putney, Vermont, USA 3:00 p.m. An Integrated Approach to Raw Milk Cheese Safety Paul Kindstedt, Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, USA 3:45 p.m. Farmer Panel on Labor – How to Attract and Train Your Labor Force, Year After Year: Successful Methods and Challenges Mark Fischer, Woodcock Farm, Weston, Vermont, USA David Major, Major Farm, Putney, Vermont, USA Bob Works, Peaked Mountain Farm, Townshend, Vermont, USA 4:30 p.m. Annual Meeting of the Dairy Sheep Association of North America 7:00 p.m. Symposium Banquet (separate ticket) Saturday, November 5, 2005 7:30 a.m. – Farm Tours 6:00 p.m. Three Owls Farm, Granville, Vermont, USA – Dan Hewitt Bonnieview Farm, Craftsbury Common, Vermont, USA – Neil Urie Up A Creek Cheese Company, Irasburg, Vermont, USA – Frankie and Marybeth Whitten Sunday, November 6, 2005 Times to be Optional Open Farms announced 3-Corner Field Farm, Shushan, New York, USA – Karen Weinberg Old Chatham Sheepherding Company, Old Chatham, New York, USA – Tom and Nancy Clark vi Speakers at the symposium site in Burlington, Vermont and at the farm tours and open farms in Vermont and New York Almena-Aliste, Montserrat – Research Associate, Vermont Institute of Artisan Cheese, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, USA Berger, Yves – Superintendent and Sheep Researcher, Spooner Agricultural Research Station, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Spooner, Wisconsin, USA Clark, Tom and Nancy – Dairy Sheep Producers and Sheep Milk Processors, Old Chatham Sheepherding Company, Old Chatham, New York, USA Dixon, Peter – Dairy Foods Consultant, Putney, Vermont, USA Fischer, Mark – Dairy Sheep Producer and Cheesemaker, Woodcock Farm, Weston, Vermont, USA Ghia, Mike – Producer, Ewetopia Farm, Saxton’s River, Vermont, USA Hewitt, Dan – Dairy Sheep Producer and Cheesemaker, Three Owls Farm, Granville, Vermont, USA Lock, Adam – Research Associate, Cornell University, Cornell, New York, USA Kindstedt, Paul – Professor, Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, USA MacKenzie, Alastair – Dairy Sheep Producer and Cheesemaker, La Moutonnière, Sainte-Hélène- de-Chester, Québec, Canada Major, David – Dairy Sheep Producer and Cheesemaker, Major Farm and Vermont Shepherd, Putney, Vermont, USA Parsons, Robert – Farm Management Specialist, University of Vermont Extension, Burlington, Vermont, USA Pulina, Giuseppe – Professor, Dipartimento di Scienze Zootecniche, Università di Sassari, Sassari, Sardinia, Italy Slotter, Beth - Flock Manager, Old Chatham Sheepherding Company, Old Chatham, New York, USA Urie, Neil – Dairy Sheep Producer and Cheesemaker, Bonnieview Farm, Craftsbury Common, Vermont, USA Weinburg, Karen – Dairy Sheep Producer and Cheesemaker, 3-Corner Field Farm, Shushan, New York, USA vii Speakers (cont.) Whitten, Frankie and Marybeth – Cheesemakers, Up A Creek Cheese Company, Irasburg, Vermont, USA Works, Bob – Dairy Sheep Producer and Cheesemaker, Peaked Mountain Farm, Townshend, Vermont, USA viii Sponsors Gold: Babcock Institute for International Dairy Research and Development, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA; http://babcock.cals.wisc.edu/ Sav-a-Caf Products, Chilton, Wisconsin, USA; http://savacaf.com/ Small Ruminant Dairy Project, University of Vermont Center for Sustainable Agriculture, Burlington, Vermont, USA; http://www.uvm.edu/sustainableagriculture/smallrumi.html Silver: University of Vermont Extension, Burlington, Vermont, USA; http://www.uvm.edu/extension/ Wisconsin Sheep Dairy Cooperative, Strum, Wisconsin, USA; http://www.sheepmilk.biz/ Bronze: Eriel Sales Associates, Inc. (BOVIDR Laboratories, Inc.; H. W. Naylor Co.), Ballston Lake, New York, USA; http://www.erielsales.com/ Fromagex, Rimouski, Québec, Canada; http://www.fromagex.com/