We have finalized the schedule for the 2019 Dairy Sheep Symposium, just a few weeks away in Idaho Falls. For those who have not registered yet -- or for those who have registered but are curious -- below are descriptions of a few more of the presentations you will see. There is still time to register!
Also, if you missed it in the last newsletter, check out the new Flock Health Forum -- an easy way to post your dairy sheep questions to the larger dairy sheep community. Open only to DSANA members (renew or join today).
Thanks, and see you in Idaho!
The newsletter team (Carrie, Bee) and the DSANA board
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Here are some of the presentations
you'll see at the DSANA Dairy Sheep Symposium
(for a full list of topics, click here)
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Testing for fat and protein in sheep milk
We know that, generally speaking in dairy animals, milk yield and component percentage are inversely proportional: higher-producing ewes (and ewe breeds) tend to produce a lower percentage of milk fat and protein. The same holds true in dairy cattle. But what if you could identify those special ewes that both have higher milk yields and higher component percentages? (And also identify those animals with lower yields and lower components!!) DSANA members who participate in the Production Improvement Program can send their individual ewes’ milk samples into Rocky Mountain DHI to have analyses done on individual ewes. Chris Tucker of RMDHI will be speaking at the 2019 Dairy Sheep Symposium, introducing us to his DHI lab and the processes he uses to do component analyses and somatic cell count analyses on the sheep milk samples he receives. Photo: vials sent by RMDHI to sheep milk producers for taking milk samples on metering day
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The cheesemaker-milk producer relationship
The relationship between cheesemaker and sheep-milk producer is so so so important. When it is positive and constructive, both sides benefit – great cheese with great yields on one side, and a steady source of income on the other side. At the 2019 Dairy Sheep Symposium, two cheesemakers who purchase milk from multiple farms will talk about how they create positive and dependable relationships with their milk suppliers. They will discuss their contracts with their milk suppliers and how their agreements have evolved over the years; their testing/analysis processes and milk quality requirements or limits; how they calculate milk payments; and what challenges they have faced in purchasing milk. Photo: milk test day at Jean-Paul Houde’s farm in Quebec
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Having your milk and drinking it too!
Remember the "MIX" system trialed at the Spooner Station so many years ago? Many of us tried the system back then, and gave it up. Idaho’s Kendall Russell, however, successfully adapted the system, and raises lambs on their dams for the first 30 days, but also milks their mothers at the same time. Lambs are with their dams during the day and separated at night, then weaned at 30 days of age. The result: almost no lambs raised on milk replacer and <3% mortality in lambs under 30 days of age. Kendall's system was picked up by Meadowood Farms in NY, where the 12-hr suckling-system has been successfully used for the last four years. This year Meadowood raised 50 lambs on the system: at between 19-26 DIM, their 25 dams averaged 3.7 lb milk/hd/d in the parlor while simultaneously nursing twins. During our Farm Tours on Saturday at the 2019 Dairy Sheep Symposium, we will have a discussion of a successful 12-hr suckling system for lambs in the 1st 30 days. Photo: 25-day-old lambs settling in for the night without their dams
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Setting cheese prices
Pricing artisan cheese is somewhere between an art and a science. Three producer-processors, representing markets on both the East and the West Coasts of the U.S., will discuss the processes they use to price their cheeses for the wholesale marketplace and the direct-to-consumer marketplace. At the 2019 Dairy Sheep Symposium they will answer questions such as “Do you have a formula that includes costs and margins, or do you base it on the prices of other cheeses in the marketplace?”; “How do you factor in additional costs such as shrinkage, samples, demos, promotions, and shipping costs into your pricing?”; and – this is a really interesting one – “Have you incorporated any business advice from others about how to price your products?” We always learn so much from our friends who are in the same business, with similar niche products, facing similar tight margins! Photo courtesy of Glendale Shepherd, Whidbey Island, Washington
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Call for nominations!
The DSANA Board is seeking nominations for:
- The DSANA Board of Directors
- The DSANA Mentorship Award
- This is the third year that DSANA will be giving this award to a person in the dairy sheep industry who has been an exemplary mentor to someone else. Past recipients of this award have been able to nominate a person to attend the annual Dairy Sheep Symposium for free. Write to dsanasheep@gmail.com if you'd like to nominate someone.
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RENEW YOUR DSANA MEMBERSHIP
Or join for the first time...
For $75 you get:
- Access to members-only technical content on the website: 20 years of Symposia proceedings, plus interviews with successful producers;
- Your own listing in the Member Directory, searchable by the public
- A discount on registration for the 2019 Dairy Sheep Symposium, to be held November 7-10 in Idaho Falls, Idaho;
- Up to 4 additional people at your farm or business can be "bundled" into your membership for no additional charge; they, too, can receive discounts and member-only access on the website, plus they will receive this newsletter
Join or renew today, knowing you will support the work of DSANA, which is run entirely by volunteers and seeks to strengthen and expand the North American dairy sheep industry through gatherings of like-minded members and the sharing of technical information.
The new website makes it easy to join or renew your membership.
Thanks for your attention and support.
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