Proper Management Can Make Lambs Profitable
COLLEGE PARK, Md.—
March is is an exciting time for
youngsters on Mid-Atlantic farms
with sheep flocks. That's when
most of the lambs are bom.
During the first few hours after
birth, lambs need to nurse vigor
ously in order to gain full benefit
from the disease-protecting anti
bodies in their mother's colostrum
the vitamin-rich "first milk"
produced by all female mammals
after giving birth.
Newborn lambs should have
their navels disinfected with
iodine as soon as they have started
breathing, advises Scott M. Barao,
sheep specialist for the Coopera
tive Extension Service of the Uni
versity of Maryland.
This also is a good time to ear
tag and weigh the lambs for
record-keeping purposes.
Newborn lambs are susceptible
to death by starvation and hypo
thermia, Barao said, because they
have very little energy reserves in
the form of body fat So they need
to be watched carefully for at least
a week after birth. Bright eyes,
vigorous nursing, and frequent
naps are signs of a healthy lamb.
But getting lambs off to a good
start is only the first step if you
want a successful sheep operation,
Crop Improvement Meeting
Will Focus On Organic
Weed Control
HARRISBURG (Dauphin Co.)
A discussion on the control of
weeds in field crops without the
use of chemical herbicides will
highlight the program at the April
meeting of the Pennsylvania chap
ter of the Organic Crop Improve
ment Association (OCIA).
The meeting will be held at 7
p.m. on April 9 in Room 1-A at
the state Farm Show Complex in
Harrisburg. Chapter President
Drew Norman of Baldwin, Md,
said the meeting is open to all far
mers as well as the general public.
The program will feature pre
sentations by Ralph and David
Moore, Somerset County, Pa. veg
etable growers, and Melvin. Gel
r\
&
PA.
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Barao said.
Flock owners or shepherds need
to practice sound management and
good planning to insure a profit
especially during the current era of
depressed market prices.
Here are some guidelines;
• Aim for a 200 percent lamb
crop two lambs per ewe instead
of the usual one. This can be
achieved by cross breeding, high
energy feeding of pregnant ewes,
and a high lamb survival rate.
• Use resources effectively.
Raise lambs to market weight on
good quality forage instead of
high-priced grain rations. Rotate
pastures with temporary fences.
March is a good time to interseed
legume mixtures into permanent
grass pastures. Barao recommends
a 5-to-l ratio of red clover to ladi
no clover.
• Explore marketing opportuni
ties. Aim for supplying fresh lamb
to specialized markets on a year
round basis. Think about specialty
diets to capture quality premiums.
Avoid feed additives if you want
to capture consumers who prefer
"naturally grown" lamb.
"One thing is clear," Barao said.
"If you're in the sheep business to
make money, you've got to do a lot
of little things properly.”
singer, a grain fanner from Robe
sonia, Pa. The Moore and Gelsin
ger farms are certified oiganic by
the OCIA.
The OCIA is an international
farmer-directed organization
made up of growers, food proces
sors, and distributors devoted to
non-chemical approaches to agri
culture. Farmers certified annually
by the OCIA must adhere to strict
standards for soil improvement,
pest, and weed control.
Norman said that membership
in the Pennsylvania chapter of
OCIA also is open to vegetable,
field crop, and livestock producers
in New Jersey and Maryland.
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A Suffolk-Hampshlre crossbred ewe checks on her youngsters In animal sciences
facility at the Unlvreslty of Maryland, College Park. This family exemplified 200 per
cent lamb crop for which sheep producers should strive if they want a profitable
operation, said Scott M. Barao, sheep specialist for the Cooperative Extension Ser
vice at the University of Maryland.
MILK. IT DOES A BODY GOOD.'
MIDDLE ATLANTIC MILK MARKETING ASSOCIATION, INC.
&
Leola Produce Auction, Inc. will be opening for
business on Tuesday, April 23, 1991. Sale will
begin at 11:00 A.M.
The Produce Auction will be having sales every
Tuesday and Thursday at 11:00 AM until further
notice.
Quality Bedding Plants Welcomed.
Operating April Through November
Leola Produce Auction, Inc.
Wholesale Auction of Lancaster Co. Vegetables
Lloyd Horst, Manager
215-267-6072 (Home)
Attention
Vegetable
Farmers
Brethren Church Road
Leola, PA 17540
' 7
Office 717-656-9592
656-9580