Area sheep, goat and alpaca farmers are invited to a farm field day on managing small ruminants on pasture and browse. Offered by Cornell Cooperative Extension in Delaware County, the event will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, May 29, starting at CMP Dorpers at 339 Abe Boice Road in Sidney Center, and moving on to Spruce Hollow Farm and Eagle Hollow Farm, both in Walton.
Tatiana Stanton, goat Extension associate at Cornell University, will discuss pasture management for small ruminants. She will cover tools for determining nutrition and health in a pasture-based farm, and how to decide what forage management strategies will work to maintain pasture health and herd productivity and discourage worm population. Stanton will also discuss the possibilities of extending the pasture season into winter for some livestock species and regions of New York, and options for establishing pastures and fencing in livestock.
Christine Camann, doctor of veterinary medicine with Ruminant Health Services of Unadilla, will discuss pastured small ruminant health problems, including poisonous plants, and the symptoms, prevention and treatments for bloat and worms.
Owned by Tim and Jean McCumber, CMP Dorpers generally maintains a flock of about 75 to 100 registered Dorpers and white Dorpers. Spruce Hollow Farm, owned by Lillian Browne-Burdick and Todd Burdick, is a diversified operation in the process of establishing a pasturing system for Boer goats. The farm also offers organic vegetables and herbs, eggs, horse boarding, rehabilitation and respite, equine sports massage and Reiki, and honey products. Owned by Joe Mascioli and Chris Mitchell, Eagle Hollow Farm offers registered alpacas of Peruvian, Chilean and Bolivian bloodlines.
The fee for this program is $10 per person and pre-registration is required by May 25. Lunch will be provided. Please make checks payable to Cornell Cooperative Extension and indicate "small ruminant grazing" on your check. Checks may be mailed to Cornell Cooperative Extension, P.O. Box 184, Hamden, NY 13782. Registrants are asked to provide the names of those who will attend, as well as contact information and a list of farm animals raised.
For a registration form, or for more information, call Cornell Cooperative Extension of Delaware County at 865-6531 or e-mail Janet Aldrich at JLA14@cornell.edu. Accommodations for persons with disabilities may be requested by calling Aldrich at 865-6531 by May 25 to ensure sufficient time to make arrangements. Requests received after this date will be met when possible.
This program is being offered by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Delaware County and is being funded through a grant from the Northeast Center for Risk Management Education. This material is based upon work supported by USDA/CSREES under Award Number 2007-49200-03888 and is funded through a grant from the Northeast Center for Risk Management Education.
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