Wool vs. Lamb Production

Most sheep produce a merchandisable, usable fiber. However, the amount and quality varies from extremely high levels in sheep such as the Australian Merino to the meat-type breeds that usually produce minimal amounts of fiber. Most of the variation in fiber producing ability of sheep is a result of selection. Emphasis placed on fiber production in the U.S. varies greatly. The part that fiber production should play in a production system in the present and future of the sheep industry is subject to a great deal of debate among both producers and academicians

Assisting Wool Producers in Accessing an Emerging Global Market

A centralized marketing scheme was initiated to assist small sheep producers in adapting to an emerging global market. The goal of the effort was to create an educational environment that facilitated improved wool quality and preparation, which will ultimately lead to increased prices. The ultimate goal was to develop a product that could directly enter the global marketplace. Approximately 150,000 pounds of wool from 140 producers are marketed. Premiums obtained range between 10 and 50 cents per pound depending on quality and can be attributed to both improvements in marketing efficiency and improved quality of wool

Forage Intake and Wastage by Ewes in Pea/Hay Barley Swath Grazing and Bale Feeding Systems

Harvested feed costs, particularly during the winter, are traditionally the highest input associated with a ruminant livestock operation. Although swath grazing has been practiced for over 100 years and literature exists for cattle use of swath grazing, no published results are available on use of swath grazing by sheep. Sixty mature, white-faced ewes were used in a completely randomized design repeated 2 years to evaluate whether feeding method (swath grazed or fed as baled hay in confinement) of intercropped field pea (Pisum sativum L.) and spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) forage affected ewe ADG (average daily gain), forage DMI (dry matter intake), and wastage. The study was conducted at Ft. Ellis Research Station in Bozeman, MT during the summers of 2010 and 2011. Each year, 30 ewes were allocated to 3 confinement pens (10 ewes/pen) and 30 ewes were allocated to 3 grazing plots (10 ewes/plot). Ewes had ad libitum access to forage and water. Individual ewe forage DMI was estimated using chromic oxide (Cr2O3) as a marker for estimating fecal output. Measures of fecal output were combined with measures of forage indigestibility to determine DMI for each ewe. Forage wastage was calculated by sampling and weighing initial available forage, and subtracting final available forage and DMI. Forage DMI (P ≥ 0.13), ewe ADG (P≥ 0.40), and forage percent wastage (P \u3e 0.28) did not differ for swathed versus baled pea/hay barley forage during either year. These results suggest that a swathed feeding system can function as a viable alternative to a traditional baled feeding system for pea/hay barley forage in commercial sheep operations

Relationships between wool follicle, fleece and body characteristics of Rambouillet rams

Due to the character of the original source materials and the nature of batch digitization, quality control issues may be present in this document. Please report any quality issues you encounter to [email protected], referencing the URI of the item.Bibliography: leaves 31-32.Not availabl

Spotted Knapweed Utilization by Sequential Cattle and Sheep Grazing

Prescribed (or targeted) sheep grazing can effectively suppress the invasive perennial forb spotted knapweed (Centaurea stoebe L. ssp. micranthos [Gugler] Hayek). Some ranchers and other natural resource managers, however, resist using this weed management tool over concerns that sheep may consume too much of the graminoid standing crop, thereby decreasing its availability to cattle and wildlife and possibly harming graminoids with excessive defoliation. One potential approach to address these concerns is to graze spotted knapweed infestations first with cattle, immediately followed by sheep. We evaluated this sequential grazing strategy on foothill rangeland in western Montana, comparing sequential grazing at a moderate stocking rate in mid June (spotted knapweed in bolting stage) vs. mid July (spotted knapweed in late-bud/early flowering stage). Pastures (0.81 ha) were grazed with three yearling cattle for 7 d, immediately followed with 7 d of grazing by seven yearling sheep. Combined relative (i.e., utilization) of graminoids by cattle and sheep averaged 40% in June and July, safely within sustainable grazing use levels recommended for the site. Combined relative use of spotted knapweed by cattle and sheep also did not differ between June and July, averaging 62%. Previous research indicates that this degree of use is sufficient to suppress spotted knapweed. Our results indicate that prescribed sheep grazing can be applied immediately following cattle grazing in either June or July to suppress spotted knapweed without overusing desirable graminoids. Cattle and sheep will eat less graminoids and more spotted knapweed if cattle and sheep graze sequentially when spotted knapweed is in its late-bud/early flowering stage (mid July) rather than its bolting stage (mid June)./El pastoreo prescrito con ovejas puede suprimir de manera efectiva la herbácea perene invasiva spotted knapweed (Centaurea stoebe L. ssp. Micranthos [Gugler] Hayek). Sin embargo, algunos ganaderos y manejadores de recursos naturales, se resisten a utilizar esta herramienta de manejo por la preocupación de que las ovejas puedan consumir grandes cantidades de gramíneas, resultando en disminución y disponibilidad para el ganado y fauna silvestre. Asimismo, se teme que el consumo ocasione un daño a las gramíneas por una utilización intensiva. Un posible enfoque para hacer frente a estas preocupaciones es pastorear las áreas infestadas de spotted knapweed primero con ganado vacuno e inmediatamente después con ovejas. Evaluamos esta estrategia de pastoreo secuencial en los pastizales al pie de los lomeríos en el oeste de Montana, comparando el pastoreo secuencial con una densidad animal moderada a mediados de junio (etapa previa a la floración) en comparación con el pastoreo durante mediados de Julio (finales de la brotación/ principios de la e ́poca de floración). Parcelas de (0.86 has) fueron pastoreadas con tres vacas de un año por 7 días, inmediatamente fueron pastoreadas por 7 días con siete ovejas de un año. Combinando la utilización relativa de gramíneas por ganado y ovejas promediaron 40% in Junio y Julio, con seguridad estos niveles de pastoreo son sostenibles recomendados para este sitio. La relativa combinación de la utilización de spotted knapweed por ganado y ovejas tampoco produjo diferencias entre Junio y Julio, promediando 62%. Investigaciones previas indican que este grado de utilización es suficiente para suprimir spotted knapweed. Nuestros resultados indican que el pastoreo prescrito con ovejas puede ser implementado inmediatamente después del pastoreo con ganado vacuno ya sea en Junio o Julio para suprimir spotted knapweed sin la sobrevso de las gramíneas deseables. El ganado vacuno y las ovejas van a consumir menos gramíneas y mas spotted knapweed si ambos pastorean secuencialmente cuando spotted knapweed está en finales de la brotación/ principios de la e ́poca de floración (mediados de julio) en lugar de la etapa de floración (mediados de Junio).The Rangeland Ecology & Management archives are made available by the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact [email protected] for further information.Migrated from OJS platform August 202

Prescribed Sheep Grazing to Suppress Spotted Knapweed on Foothill Rangeland

Spotted knapweed (Centaurea biebersteinii DC.) is a perennial, invasive forb that infests millions of hectares of private and public rangelands in western North America. Previous research indicates that domestic sheep (Ovis aries) readily graze spotted knapweed, but landscape-scale prescriptive grazing of spotted knapweed has not been studied. We quantified the diets and forage utilization of a ewe-lamb band (about 800 ewes and 1 120 lambs) that prescriptively grazed spotted knapweed-infested foothill rangeland in western Montana in the summers of 2003 and 2004. In mid-June or mid-July, sheep grazed light and moderate infestations of spotted knapweed (13% and 36% of vegetative composition, respectively). Nutritive quality of sheep diets was similar to sheep grazing uninfested rangeland, and sheep exhibited few forage preferences or avoidances. Sheep diets averaged 64% spotted knapweed in the moderate infestation and 26% in the light infestation. Sheep in the light infestation ate fewer graminoids in June than July (17% vs. 55% of their diet, respectively; P=0.04), whereas sheep in the moderate infestation ate fewer graminoids in July (45% in June vs. 20% in July; P = 0.09). In the moderate infestation, relative utilization of spotted knapweed was greater in July than June (50% vs. 35%, respectively; P50.04), but averaged 46% in the light infestation. Previous research suggests that these levels of relative utilization may make herbicide application uneconomical. Relative utilization of graminoids was light in both infestations (15% in June or 31% in July). Our results indicate that sheep can prescriptively graze light or moderate spotted knapweed infestations in either June or July. Sheep consumption and relative utilization of graminoids will be less if light infestations are grazed in June rather than July. In moderate infestations, sheep will eat fewer graminoids and utilize spotted knapweed more heavily when grazed in July rather than June. The Rangeland Ecology & Management archives are made available by the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact [email protected] for further information.Migrated from OJS platform August 202

Forage Intake and Wastage by Ewes in Pea/Hay Barley Swath Grazing and Bale Feeding Systems

Harvested feed costs, particularly during the winter, are traditionally the highest input associated with a ruminant livestock operation. Although swath grazing has been practiced for over 100 years and literature exists for cattle use of swath grazing, no published results are available on use of swath grazing by sheep. Sixty mature, white-faced ewes were used in a completely randomized design repeated 2 years to evaluate whether feeding method (swath grazed or fed as baled hay in confinement) of intercropped field pea (Pisum sativum L.) and spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) forage affected ewe ADG (average daily gain), forage DMI (dry matter intake), and wastage. The study was conducted at Ft. Ellis Research Station in Bozeman, MT during the summers of 2010 and 2011. Each year, 30 ewes were allocated to 3 confinement pens (10 ewes/pen) and 30 ewes were allocated to 3 grazing plots (10 ewes/plot). Ewes had ad libitum access to forage and water. Individual ewe forage DMI was estimated using chromic oxide (Cr2O3) as a marker for estimating fecal output. Measures of fecal output were combined with measures of forage indigestibility to determine DMI for each ewe. Forage wastage was calculated by sampling and weighing initial available forage, and subtracting final available forage and DMI. Forage DMI (P ≥ 0.13), ewe ADG (P≥ 0.40), and forage percent wastage (P > 0.28) did not differ for swathed versus baled pea/hay barley forage during either year. These results suggest that a swathed feeding system can function as a viable alternative to a traditional baled feeding system for pea/hay barley forage in commercial sheep operations.This article is from American Journal of Experimental Agriculture 12 (2016): 1–6, doi:10.9734/AJEA/2016/25197.</p

CHARACTERIZATION OF THE VAGINAL MICROBIOTA OF EWES AND COWS REVEALS A UNIQUE MICROBIOTA WITH LOW LEVELS OF LACTOBACILLI AND NEAR-NEUTRAL PH

Although a number of common reproductive disorders in livestock involve bacterial infection, very little is known about their normal vaginal microbiota. Therefore, we sought to determine the species composition of sheep and cattle vaginal microbiota. Twenty Rambouillet ewes and twenty crossbred cows varying in age and reproductive status were sampled by ectocervicovaginal lavage. We amplified and sequenced the V3-V4 region of the 16S ribosomal RNA contents yielding a total of 907,667 high-quality reads. Good's Coverage estimates indicated that we obtained data on 98 +/- 0.01 % of the total microbial genera present in each sample. Cow and ewe vaginal microbiota displayed few differences. Cow microbiota exhibited greater (P ≤ 0.05) α-diversity compared to the ewe microbiota. Both livestock species differed (P ≤ 0.05) from all previously reported vaginal communities. While bacteria were numerically dominant, Archaea were detected in 95% of cow and ewe samples, mainly of the order Desulfurococcales. Both ewes and cows were predominately colonized by the bacterial phyla Bacteroidetes, Fusobacteria, and Proteobacteria. The most abundant genera were Aggregatibacter spp., and Streptobacillus spp. Lactobacillus ssp. were detected in 80% of ewe and 90% of cow samples, but only at very low abundances. Bacteria previously described from culture-based studies as common to the cow and ewe vaginal tract, except for Escherichia, were variably present, and only in low abundance. Ewe and cow pH differed (P ≤ 0.05), with means (+/- standard deviation) of 6.7 +/- 0.38 and 7.3 +/- 0.63, respectively. In conclusion, 16S rRNA sequencing of cow and ewe vaginal ectocervicovaginal lavages showed that cow and ewe vaginal microbiota differ from culture-led results, revealing a microbiota distinct from previously described vaginal ecosystems