Improving Small RuminantGrazing Practices

July 11, 2009

• All of WV and parts of 12 other states

• Extends 1000 miles from NY to GA, AL, and MS

• 1/10 of land area of the U.S.

• Hilly to mountainous topography

Rainfall• Averages 30 to 60

inches annually • Uniformly distributed

during the year• Spatial gradients exist

in mountainous areas

Temperature• Mean annual range

of 45 to 50 °F• Average growing

season is 160 to 200 days

• Average frost-free period of 120 days at higher elevations

• Small, less than 200 acres in size

• One quarter of the land use and most of the agricultural acreage is devoted to grassland and pasture

• Livestock production is the most common farming enterprise

• Historically lacked profitable systems suited to the region

• Today, greater profit potential through niche markets for chevon and lamb

• Expanding demand for pasture-based livestock products

• Increasing growth of traditional sheep, hair sheep, and meat goat industries

Enterprise Needs• New and refined grazing practices for small

ruminant production on hill lands in humid, temperate climates

• Forage and small ruminant management strategies to– maintain healthy livestock– achieve desirable growth rates and carcass quality– ensure environmental integrity

Research Goals• Discover regionally adapted forage

plants• Develop novel pasture systems• Identify bioactive plant resources

that can satisfy nutritional and health needs of goats and sheep

Research Approaches• Plants, ruminants, and their

interactions• Controlled-environment, field, and

laboratory experiments• In vitro and in vivo studies

Innovations in Small Ruminant

Grazing Practices for Appalachia

Finishing small ruminants on pasture Silvopasture as a natural choice for small

ruminant grazing Traditional and non-traditional forages for

central Appalachia Plant constituents for control of

gastrointestinal parasites Opportunities for use of artemisia in small

ruminant production

Innovations in Small Ruminant Grazing Practices for Appalachia

We hope you find this workshop informative and useful and invite your comments and

questions

http://www.ars.usda.gov/naa/afsrc