Sheep Industry News July 2024

Sheep Industry Briefs

NADPRP GRANT AWARDED TO ASI ASI has been awarded a National Animal Disease Preparedness and Response Program grant for $111,110 to evaluate the traceability of livestock marketed in an auction market setting utilizing electronic identification in a Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak through collabora tion with industry and state partners. The purpose of this agreement is to demonstrate how electronic ID systems when utilized in a livestock auction market setting can enhance animal disease traceability and decrease the response time during a Foreign Animal Disease outbreak. ASI will accomplish this by simulating two FMD outbreak trace exercises of animals (sheep, goats and cattle) sold through Oregon livestock auction markets. The first exercise will be based on the current animal ID system used by the livestock auction markets to provide rapid animal movement traceability information to the state animal health official. The second exercise will follow implementation and/or enhancement of the elec tronic animal ID system at the auction market(s). Three multi-species (sheep, goats and cattle) auction markets ranging from small to large scale will be invited to participate. It is critical that auction markets provide animal movement information in an effective manner to minimize the impacts of a disease outbreak. In collaboration with the Oregon Department of Agriculture, this project will demonstrate how an electronic animal ID system can gener ate the needed information required by state and federal animal health officials for tracing movement of livestock within and across state lines during an FMD outbreak. This will be accomplished by demonstrating how the time required to trace animals is different between the initial FMD exercise trace and the second FMD exercise trace after implemen tation of an electronic animal ID system. SHEEP GEMS VIDEOS AVAILABLE A key aim of Sheep GEMS is to assist American sheep producers to enhance the sustainability of their flocks by improving lamb survival, ewe longevity, udder health and parasite resistance. A terrific way to gain a sense of progress toward that objective is to hear it from producers engaged in the project. A pair of presentations have been posted on the Sheep Genetics USA website at SheepGeneticsUSA.org about the project. One is a brief introduction to the project by Dr. Ron Lewis of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The other is a roundtable discussion moderated by Dr. Jake Thorne of Texas A&M AgriLife with four participating breeders who represent each of the breeds involved: Kathy Bielek (Katahdin), Todd Taylor (Polypay), Russell Kott (Rambouillet) and Jeremy Geske (Suffolk).

pressed concern last month over non-statutory report language in the Fiscal Year 2024 Appropriations package that prohibits the purchase or deployment of M-44 devices. The two penned a letter to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack stressing the importance of the devices for ranchers in their respective states. “Over the last several years, increased predation across the nation has contributed to declining volumes of domestic livestock herds. In fact, in Texas alone, it is estimated that predation of sheep and goats results in approximately $25 million annually in revenue losses,” read the letter to Vilsack. “It is estimated that if Texas and Wyoming ranchers could better con trol predation, it could result in over $100 million in farm gate sales. In Wyoming alone, predator losses amounted to 47.3 percent of all sheep and lamb deaths. "In Montana, coyotes killed over 1,500 livestock in Fiscal Year 2023 with many more going unreported as there is no coyote depredation compensation program. It is imperative that Congress and the Depart ment of Agriculture work in harmony to ensure producers have access to the resources they need to address aggressive predators. “While we work in Congress to ensure prohibitions are not enacted in future legislation, we urge the USDA to continue production and supply of M-44 devices for government trappers and licensed private applicators. The continued production of M-44 devices is well within the law and is important to ensure ranchers have access to this safe and effective predation tool.” ASI President Brad Boner thanks the members that joined the letter to USDA, including Reps. Jake Ellzey, Jodey Arrington and Chip Roy of Texas and Dusty Johnson of South Dakota, as well as Sens. Steve Daines of Montana, Ted Cruz of Texas and Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming. DAIRY SHEEP SYMPOSIUM PLANNED The Dairy Sheep Association of North America is making plans for an in-person Dairy Sheep Symposium this fall. The symposium is scheduled for Nov. 7-9 in Chicago, Ill. This will be the first in-person gathering of the association in five years. The three-day event will include two days of presentations, producer panels and small group sessions focused on dairy sheep nutrition, sheep milk processing, dairy sheep management and the marketing of sheep dairy products. The third day will include a tour of Ms. J & Company – a sheep dairy milking 500 ewes a day in Wisconsin. The tour will include a hands-on demonstration of skills that producers can take back to their own opera tions. The symposium will be conducted at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare, lo cated near Chicago O’Hare International Airport. DSANA has reserved a block of rooms at a symposium rate of $179 per night. Visit DSANA.org to learn more.

PFLUGER, BARRASSO SHOW SUPPORT FOR M-44 Rep. August Pfluger (Texas) and Sen. John Barrasso (Wyo.) ex

26 • Sheep Industry News • sheepusa.org