Arkansas Extension Small Ruminants

Interested in the USDA Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program (MPPEP) grant opportunity?

Join KCARD on June 11 at 6:30 PM ET for a webinar covering program details, eligibility, and application considerations!

Register here ➡️ https://tinyurl.com/MPPEPwebinar

Friday, May 29 is the deadline to enroll in the Grassland Conservation Reserve Program. Conserve your grasslands while continuing most grazing and haying practices. https://www.fsa.usda.gov/news-events/news/04-30-2026/usda-opens-enrollment-grassland-conservation-reserve-program

Join us at the Tennessee Meat Goat Association for Education Day on Saturday, June 13, at the UPI Sale Barn from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. 🐐

This hands-on educational event will cover important topics for goat producers, including:
• Managing parasites
• FAMACHA workshops
• Hands-on meat goat grading
• Nutrition management
• Expert producer panel discussions

Lunch will be provided for attendees.

Register online today: https://forms.gle/NwAsGkGEYUY8ewhr5

If you are new to farming, there are so many terms and phrases you have to get familiar with. These vary widely depending on your enterprise. Drip tape, Salanova, pullet, CSA, no-till, polywire—the terms are endless. In addition to production and marketing terms, the field of agriculture is filled with acronyms. Many of these are associated with government agencies and programs. This blog provides a list of common acronyms and their descriptions. Also, access to ATTRA - Sustainable Agriculture / National Center for Appropriate Technology - NCAT resources.

Did you do your farm-lingo today? 🌱🦉🚜

You can't learn farmer-speak on Duolingo, but you can learn it from us. Getting comfortable with all the acronyms and farm jargon can feel overwhelming — but we’ve got your back. NCAT Agriculture Specialist Margo Hale shares a handy list of common terms and abbreviations to get you started.

Read the blog here: https://buff.ly/kmm8x2I

The OPP virus primarily infects the lungs and udders. The function of the sheep’s lung and udder declines over time. >90% of the sheep that show OPP at necropsy have no obvious clinical signs. https://oppsociety.org/
This upcoming webinar, promoted by the American Australian White Sheep Breeders Association, will discuss the issue with the OPP researcher, Dr. Mike Heaton.

Join us on June 18, 2026 at 7 p.m. CENTRAL as we have Holly Neaton, DVM from the OPP Society. This will be an OPEN meeting for members and non-members. Zoom link below.

When: Jun 18, 2026 07:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Register in advance for this meeting:
https://zoom.us/meeting/register/OhyAnodZR96-ABxhvsmg2g

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Year one results of Shelf Life on Bahiagrass Stockpile.

We’re evaluating bahiagrass varieties to see if newer options can help extend fall grazing and improve stockpile “shelf life” in southwest Arkansas.

📍 SWREC – Hope, Arkansas

Key findings from Year 1:
✅ Bahiagrass stayed greener longer in the fall compared to bermudagrass
✅ Newer varieties did not clearly outperform traditional standards
✅ Stockpiled warm-season forage is best utilized before Thanksgiving

We evaluated:
• Pensacola bahiagrass
• UF Riata
• TifQuik bahiagrass
• Common bermudagrass

These results suggest that stockpiled bahiagrass can be a practical fall forage option, with all bahiagrass varieties showing promise for extending grazing opportunities.

A recent research paper showed that FAMACHA© categories 4–5 or
3–5, or BCS 1–2, can be used as positivity criteria for goats, whereas for sheep, the positivity criteria are FAMACHA© categories 3–5 or BCS 1–2.
By applying these positivity criteria, it is possible to correctly identify
animals with low EPG loads, a key strength of these criteria. In this way,
producers can be certain that most animals that do not cross these
thresholds have a very high probability of displaying low GIN loads, and those few false-negative animals have very good resilience, so they do
not need to be dewormed either.
Good job, MSU Extension Sheep and Goats!
Paper avaiable at https://pdf.sciencedirectassets.com/313528/1-s2.0-S2405939026X20044/1-s2.0-S2405939026000845/main.pdf?X-Amz-Security-Token=IQoJb3JpZ2luX2VjEKD%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2FwEaCXVzLWVhc3QtMSJIMEYCIQDMNl0X%2BzXSYDwlg%2BuXdzn%2ByS0b9YmFH4jFFDSqPnhWyQIhAInykRbsdGs1FGA2Dwv2BFMsbjbXmN8SYQw2%2FdOJEZCxKrMFCGkQBRoMMDU5MDAzNTQ2ODY1Igw4H15NOGzEzuSY3GoqkAVSOsnWxlLHFPKiPLp0x4HWOqbY6o5%2FLVsDFcB34%2Bi7SHGhUX8Y3pkTIunD322hGsKj7z6d5g5Y5jy%2FLRb0PE0%2FMhnW3MPku7yu4x1tTwEuRZb4y2pcSAD98abHm3gTNfu%2BJB3S2V%2Bapv3HQfETBwb7GwaCCFjUAfKPZosaX3%2FWdMI7UAqznMQyNUcQ6HQx7mH2gNhIoHL5AJ1aVzsS5BaEdfJqedph3nnjFT8xshdbn76OZdwbKUyLl0pnFBdRMGi5eCnuxH%2FVQQnHZ3eFBMVVGvUlpy8KxSqxg7jpJ1PC9WveWyOLht4jZZcaugq24y8V3z93P4RzzvC8xms5bTmW6eNHhAaz0lVw8jQH6AB4nwRTBZy9iJTQXkLmYpCyxhcHHGkBfE%2FL81BpLYlKZr65o1OWjPD0W0spGbN24EzmCRmg3E1v1B16gMMesuIUO%2BmNAUT5s0f%2BAG%2ByuYg0Z2zELamRZPzWUZW6IvAdw0K9cHfcnokaaiA7KnZkehbTrLYbvGRd56rXARpOQ7bGDp%2Bqv0hFeESQdvmgjsrKezsoqsd6sZYzHiB1pueHJArtgp2zjvAbT0nMKmpaiznHLIO%2F4W328Bj%2Fa28JS7VeOfakAHmqCQTHenobpLbaLkloQc2JJbhUcTQq0bH1CwbMVP155Yvyu8rxiMVONwivLTimJdnNsD2UH0SCJgDmR595uoLRqApaToO70atofmm%2BCaiD1MNXJ7zk%2Fm%2BRhmgpb2C0%2B6ZEn4Ouz7iV4RF1Vjny%2Bw12dV8gR5RHPQgOnb4jiwtAHJlyaAFTcPVyUQK%2BFqHhi1fYd9aUKI5V8%2BGC2ZH5JRRT8AFOo5IB%2BsK6S2sKYxqGXqz3G0ki%2FpyO4rZyh%2FqxjjDF4tHQBjqwAXwRwfkTudKfvgpDjbvY4fj%2FFgKzfmA1IuQ1mzoko2kPQt2Ux4dW8Ie%2F5Rsm6xq%2BDfWZFlRLwXsyWrm4RzsdZEUfldRcxXtWD%2FF7c5dRZC2e%2BM1R0twBOyuq6YDeJ4TTf7UMEdcVfJGNAc2x9wK%2Fm%2BDK4O90Jpvh94JnncLUSsKo%2BiYQ6UEMZG8Wb5wCgF3uiVoOd7rSiMk4QwPhA38p3YstX5hOJc5ZBKiTCnQ6KLBs&X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Date=20260525T163404Z&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&X-Amz-Expires=300&X-Amz-Credential=ASIAQ3PHCVTYVLMDHBIY%2F20260525%2Fus-east-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Signature=b047ae2b21af74798544f5dd5d9354a832c65cb7a34819434c0a749e6fd8f9fb&hash=d29633e142f6c48d553224063a91608f4bd4ac8e1db5e86e9bea0dcf63a0c621&host=68042c943591013ac2b2430a89b270f6af2c76d8dfd086a07176afe7c76c2c61&pii=S2405939026000845&tid=spdf-100af02e-fc2d-4578-a2a1-eae5ef9b1a98&sid=fadf63d68f62c940c728ac3-cade0b210421gxrqa&type=client&tsoh=d3d3LnNjaWVuY2VkaXJlY3QuY29t&rh=d3d3LnNjaWVuY2VkaXJlY3QuY29t&ua=13150353535709565356&rr=a015f2078f5b90ae&cc=us

New Publication. Thanks to the team. Thanks to MS sheep and goat farmers who support my Extension Program at Mississippi State University. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vprsr.2026.101504

Mississippi State University Animal & Dairy Sciences

Mississippi State University Extension Service

MSU Division of Agriculture, Forestry, and Veterinary Medicine

MSU College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

CCBA - UADY, Oficial

🌾 Forage Friday 🌾
Some forages get a bad reputation as “weeds,” but this one has proven it can pull its weight in the pasture. It’s hardy, productive, and doesn’t mind less-than-perfect soil.

📸 This week’s feature:
👉 Crabgrass
🔍 Crabgrass is a warm-season annual forage that can survive in low fertility soils
📍 Found all across the state of Arkansas
💬 For more information check out fact sheet:https://www.uaex.uada.edu/publications/pdf/fsa-2139.pdf

🌱 It may not win any beauty contests, but crabgrass can be a real asset in summer grazing. Do you let it grow in your pastures?