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A Publication of the Wisconsin Sheep Breeders Cooperative
Winter 2014 Volume 26, Number 1
Wisconsin Sheep Breeders Cooperative Annual Meeting Arlington Sheep Day • Saturday, March 15, 2014
Arlington Sheep Day: Arlington Beginning Focus on Sustainability, Management and Youth
SDSU Extension Sheep Specialist, Jeff Held (left) was recognized by the South Dakota Sheep Growers Association for his devotion and contributions to the South Dakota sheep industry with the Shepherd’s Award. Held will be a presenter at the Arlington Sheep Day March 15 at the UW-Madison Arlington Agricultural Research Station. Management strategies for beginner and experienced shepherds, sustainability for the industry, and the nation’s scrapie program are just some of the topics that will be covered at the 6th Annual Arlington Sheep Day, scheduled for March 15 at the Public Events Facility and Sheep Unit, UWMadison Arlington Agricultural Research Station, Arlington, WI. Featured speakers include Dr. Doris Olander, Veterinary Epidemiologist, USDA/APHIS/ Veterinary Services, who will provide an update on the national scrapie eradication programs. Dr. Dave Thomas, Professor of Sheep Management and Genetics, Department of Animal Sciences, UW-Madison, will focus on important management areas crucial for economic sustainability in sheep operations. In addition, Todd Taylor, Shepherd at the Arlington Sheep Unit and Tom Murphy, Ph.D. Graduate Student, Department of Animal Sciences, UW-Madison, will talk about lambing time management
Sheep Shearing School The Annual Beginning Sheep Shearing School was held at the Arlington Agricultural Research Station Sheep Unit of the University of Wisconsin-Madison on December 7-8, 2013. A total of 21 students from Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska and Michigan participated in the school, and over 200 sheep were sheared. Demand for the school was greater than the number of students that could be accommodated and almost 20 potential students had to be turned away. The lead instructor was Joe Huber, a professional sheep shearer from Wisconsin Dells, who has taught the school for several years. He was assisted in instruction by his son, Josh; Todd See school on Page 5
The Beginning Sheep Shearing School held at the Arlington Agricultural Research Station Sheep Unit turned away almost as many students as it enrolled. The students sheared over 200 head under lead instructor Joe Huber, a professional shearer from Wisconsin Dells. The school was held December 7-8.
and judging of breeding sheep in a morning program to be held at the Sheep Unit and designed for the beginner shepherd and youth. Dr. Jeff Held, a well known Wisconsin native and now Extension Sheep Specialist at South Dakota State University at Brookings, SD, will also be featured during the morning program at the Public Events Facility. Held is a Wisconsin native and received his B.S. in Meat & Animal Science at the UW-Madison, then went on to a M.S. degree in Ruminant Nutrition at the University of Illinois-Champaign. He returned to Madison to receive his Ph.D. in Ruminant Nutrition under Dr. Art Pope in 1990 before moving to South Dakota and becoming actively involved in that state’s sheep industry. South Dakota ranks fifth in the nation in sheep production which Held attributes to the commitment of the state’s sheep producers to make genetic improvements in their flocks
New Sheep Researcher, Spooner Ag Research Station
See sheep day on Page 4
See Burgett on Page 4
The Agricultural Research Stations Division of the UWMadison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences is very pleased to announce that Russell L. “Rusty” Burgett is the new Sheep Researcher at the Spooner Agricultural Research Station. Rusty assumed his duties on December 1, 2013. Rusty came to UW-Madison from Iowa State University where he served as Shepherd of the 200-ewe flock and Operations Manager for the beef, sheep, swine, and equine teaching farms of the Department of Animal Science. Rusty brings valuable sheep management, meat science, farm management, and livestock research experience to the position. He is from a commercial sheep and beef cattle operation in southeastern Ohio. He completed the B.S. degree in Animal Science at Ohio State University (OSU). Rusty was a member of the OSU
Russell “Rusty” Burgett is the new Sheep Researcher at the Spooner Agricultural Research Station. Burgett came to the UW-Madison from Iowa State University where he had been Operations Manager for the beef, sheep, swine and equine teaching farms and shepherd for the 200-ewe flock.
Meat Animal Evaluation Team and the Intercollegiate Meats Judging Team and judged several meat animal live and carcass shows in Ohio. While an undergraduate student, he also worked at the university beef and sheep farms and served as the manager of the OSU Meat Science Laboratory. He completed the M.S. degree in Animal Sciences at UWMadison in 2010. His research project evaluated the effects of dried distillers grains in ewe diets. While a graduate student at UW-Madison, he assisted in the management of the sheep flock at the Arlington Ag Research Station and served as an instructor in several youth and adult sheep Extension activities. Rusty is also a professional sheep shearer, and has sheared approximately 8,000 head annually in the Midwest and Eastern U.S.