Cornell Sheep Program

03/27/2021

https://www.facebook.com/BBCCountryfile/posts/850393812475483

03/26/2021

https://www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2021/03/24/after-identifying-gaps-previous-aid-usda-announces-pandemic

WASHINGTON, March 24, 2021 — Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced today that USDA is establishing new programs and efforts to bring financial assistance to farmers, ranchers and producers who felt the impact of COVID-19 market disruptions. The new initiative—USDA Pandemic Assistance for P...

03/26/2021

ALB, ASI Report Assesses Sheep Industry in 2020

02/26/2021

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5lhJUnV5e4

Listen to Niko talk about working with sheep in Germany, research at Cornell, and what she thinks the future of sheep grazing has to offer the Northeast Unit...

02/18/2021

We’re pleased to announce the availability of “Grazing Sheep on Solar Sites in New York State: Opportunities and Challenges. Scope and scaling-up of the NYS sheep industry to graze ground-mounted photovoltaic arrays for vegetation management."

We hope that this document will provide guidance to sheep farmers, solar site operators, and regulatory agencies about the potential for the co-location of sheep grazing and solar-generated electricity on land in New York. The on-line address of the document is:https://blogs.cornell.edu/grazing/files/2021/02/Solar-Site-Sheep-Grazing-in-NY.pdf

Conclusions
The development of DSE (1 to 20 MW) and USSE facilities (>20 MW) will occur simultaneously, not offering the opportunity for a gradual scaling up of flocks for vegetation management.
Entrepreneurs have opportunities to circumvent solar grazing barriers. If the slaughterhouse capacity in NY does not increase to meet increasing demand of locally produced meat, there are opportunities to sell large quantities of live lambs to regional markets in PA and MI. If solar sites are located at distances from sheep farming enterprises, livestock trucking businesses can be engaged to transport sheep among solar sites, helping to limit the travel requirements for sheep farmers, and local flock managers can be hired. Both Cornell Cooperative Extension and veterinary services could be barriers in the short term, but they may expand with and provide the necessary expertise to sustain a scaling up of the sheep industry. New business ventures and cooperatives may be created among sheep farming entrepreneurs to service large USSE facilities.
Changing land-use from agriculture to solar sites could cause increases in GHG emissions and carbon leakage (cascading spill-over effects leading to emission reductions in some counties and states offset by an increase in others). Therefore, developers and communities should be encouraged to site solar installations on pasture, underutilized, and marginal land.
Solar grazing provides an opportunity for growth of the NY sheep industry. Expansion of related services and businesses are needed to support the numerous benefits of this emerging industry.
Kochendoerfer, N. and Thonney, M. L. 2021. Grazing Sheep on Solar Sites in New York State: Opportunities and Challenges. Scope and scaling-up of the NYS sheep industry to graze ground-mounted photovoltaic arrays for vegetation management [White paper]. Cornell University Department of Animal Science, Ithaca, NY.https://blogs.cornell.edu/grazing/files/2021/02/Solar-Site-Sheep-Grazing-in-NY.pdf

02/06/2021

https://www.bitfelt.com/7-uses-for-wool-felt-non-woven-wool-felt-for-industrial-applications/

Wool felt is used in many industrial applications. Wool is a unique fiber with qualities that outshine many of its alternatives.

02/05/2021

Some of our 61 ewes with their 107 lambs born over the past 12 days.

02/04/2021

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-lancashire-55887368

Dot McCarthy says making £50,000 from goats butting in on calls gave her the "shock of my life".

01/23/2021

American Lamb Holidays (courtesy of the American Lamb Board):

01/13/2021

https://www.fb.org/newsroom/farm-bureau-names-2021-farm-dog-of-the-year

Recognizing that work on the family farm takes everyone pitching in and doing their part, including four-legged friends, Farm Bureau launched the Farm Dog of the Year contest three years ago.

01/13/2021

Sunday funny