Sheep Industry News December 2022

Around the States

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MINNESOTA FARIBAULT SPREADS THE WARMTH

MICHIGAN BIRTH MANAGEMENT WEBINAR SERIES

Faribault Mill – maker of handcrafted wool and cotton blankets – was proud to announce a new philanthropic campaign called Spread the Warmth just in time for Youth Homelessness Aware ness Month back in November. The goal is to donate thousands of woolen blankets to organizations serving youth experiencing homelessness in cities across the country. Faribault Mill’s Spread The Warmth campaign donates blankets

The Michigan State University Small Ruminant Extension team is offering a four-part webinar series on birth management that will lead producers through a host of topics aimed to improve birth management of sheep and goats. Each weekly session will last about 90 minutes and sessions will be recorded to allow future viewing. Participants will learn preventative approaches, assessment skills and treatment procedures. Both novice and veteran producers alike

to nonprofits dedicated to youth experiencing homelessness like Youth Link in Minneapolis. For every bed blanket sold, Faribault Mill donates a woolen blanket to one of 13 nonprofits nationwide. For every bed blanket sold – whether twin, full, queen or king size – Faribault Mill will donate a woolen blanket to nonprofits dedicated to serving youth experi encing homelessness in

will find this program valuable. Because of the amount and depth of information presented, students have found attending this program more than once to be valuable. Topics will include: nutritional management, use of ultrasound, facility design, newborn care, hypothermia treatment, grafting, vaccination protocols, mortality diag noses, health and feeding

Anchorage, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, Minne apolis, New York City, Oakland, Portland (Maine), San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, D.C. The company plans to continue this initiative for years to come, expanding the number of cities and nonprofits it serves. "We've been making high quality blankets for Americans right here in the USA since 1865, and for our military since WWI. These are the very blankets we're donating to organizations serving some of the estimated 4.2 million youth and young adults experiencing homelessness in America," says Faribault Mill President and CEO Ross Widmoyer. "Providing a high-quality, long-lasting woolen blanket to children will bring them warmth, security and comfort." Wool is made of natural fibers, is durable, odor and stain resis tant, and stays warm when it gets wet. It's renewable, recyclable and biodegradable. The many benefits of this fabric make it ideal for serving those in need. "Donating these blankets aligns with our mission as a company and as parents to give back to the community in a meaningful way," Widmoyer adds. "Our employees are proud to work for a company committed to community service and to provide a constant pipeline of warm blankets for these nonprofits for years to come." Visit FaribaultMill.com/pages/spread-the-warmth for more information or to apply for your organization to be included in this program.

program assessment. Each session will feature seminars, specialized instructional vid eos and question-and-answer sessions with an expert panel to cover each of these topics (live sessions are from 7 to 9 p.m. eastern time each Tuesday evening): • Jan. 3, 2023: Webinar – Nutritional management to optimize birth outcomes in sheep and goats. • Jan. 10, 2023: Webinar – Optimizing maternal and newborn health: parasite control, vaccination schedules, treating complica tions at birth, providing a healthy environment. • Jan. 17, 2023: Webinar – The normal birth process, birth as sistance and newborn care. Jan. 24, 2023: Webinar – Identifying challenges on the farm and creating an improvement plan addressing health management, nutrition and facility improvements. Jan. 28, 2023: OPTIONAL: Hands on Experience – 1 to 4 p.m. at the MSU Sheep Teaching and Research Center. Registration is $40 per farm or family and includes a 90-plus page manual, a laminated lamb hypothermia/starvation treatment poster and access to all recorded sessions. Additional members of the same farm/family may receive additional manuals and posters for $20 per set. Visit Events.anr.msu.edu/2023smallruminantbirthmanagement to register.

22 • Sheep Industry News • sheepusa.org