NDLWPA goal is to provide this region a place to purchase quality breeding stock and with these two sales feel the opportunity is there. I would like to say  thanks to Harry Kerr of Bowman Livestock for the job done on the ewe sale and Tim Faller with the ram sale.

Friday, December 2
6:00 pm Registration

7:00 pm Epidemiology of Scrapies, Jessica Evoniuk, NDSU

8:15 pm Social - Lunch Lamb

8:45 pm Association fund raiser auction of donated items

Saturday, December 3
8:30 am Registration continues

9:00 am Using Distiller Grains, Dr. Chris Schauer, HREC

9:30 am Wildlife Service Update, Phil Mastrangelo, Director

9:50 am Break

10:00 am Scrapie Program/Survey Results, Beth Carlson, DVM Deputy State Veterinarian

10:20 am Health Update, Susan Keller, DVM State Veterinarian

10:40 am US Animal Health Association, Larry Schuler, DVM Federal Veterinarian

11:00 am Genotyping, Jessica Evoniuk, NDSU

11:30 am Luncheon, Awards, MIYWW Style Show

1:00 pm Wool Products, Dacotah Woolen Mills

1:30 pm New Zealand, Burdell Johnson, ASI Vice President

2:00 pm American Lamb Board, Bill Brennan, Iowa Lamb

2:30 pm Herd Management, Jay Bobb, DVM Pipestone Vet Clinic

Treasures report was given and approved. Questions were brought forward on how to use the Scrapie Outreach funds and the Wool Outreach funding from ASI. $300.00 was allocated for the NDJLPS for prize money at the North Dakota State Fair. This was sent to NDLPWA as a bill. Don made the motion that any requests for funding of this type would need to be made on an annual basis to the Board prior to the show. Brent Kuss seconded. Motion carried.

Matt gave an update on the search for the Extension Sheep Specialist. So far there have been 5 names submitted, 2 from the United States and 3 from out of the United States. The search will be narrowed in the near future.

Tim Faller gave a report on the Hettinger Ram Sale and Bowman Ewe Sale. There were approximately 20% more rams on the sale and brought an average of $440.00 per head. The ewe sale in Bowman went over very well and was well attended. The sale brought in $2,021.00 for the NDLWPA. Tim will not be handling the sales for 2006 and stated that both communities of Hettinger and Bowman are interested in maintaining the sales. They will be making presentations to the Board. Further discussion of the sites and the possibility of an additional sale earlier in the year will be held at the State Convention.

The Master Sheep Producer was brought up. We would like to present this award again so nomination forms were to be sent out to banks, county agents, and vo-ag instructors for possible suggestions for the award.

Since several younger people attend the convention it was suggested that a program be made available for them to attend. Suggestion was made to see if Jackie Buckley would be interested in setting something up for the younger individuals.

The menus were discussed for both Friday evening (vegetable and fruit trays, cheese trays and buffalo wings) and Saturday. John would be contacted to provide the main course with tossed salad, au gratin potatoes, green julienne beans and dessert of apple pie and ice cream.

Nominating committee for new officers of Burton (Chair) and Bent Kuss. Auction items for our Friday night auction were mentioned.

New Business - We received a proposal to help fund a study being done by NDSU on Club Lamb Fungus. Discussion was made and reviewed. Burt made the motion to table the topic for the time being. Brent seconded motion carried. Rick Schmidt has presented a bill for $150.00 for the market lamb carcass data. Motion was made to pay the bill and discontinue participation on future contests. Discussion motion was amended to pay the bill and not fund the program as it is currently and to review the possibility of funding if changes to the current format are made. Matt made motion, Mark seconded, motion carried. Motion to adjourn was made by Burton and Matt seconded. Motion carried.

Tuition is $25 per person or $35 for two people from the same operation. Tuition includes noon meals both days. Participation will be limited to the first 25 operations to enroll. The deadline to enroll is Friday, Nov. 25. The school will be held at the Burleigh County Extension Office. The NDSU Extension Service and Hettinger Research Extension Center are sponsoring the event.

To receive a registration packet or for more information on the school or housing, contact Faller at the NDSU Hettinger Research Extension Center, Box 1377, Hettinger, ND 58639, (701) 567-4323 or tfaller@ndsuext.nodak.edu.

Samples must be collected by a licensed, accredited veterinarian. All sheep tested must be officially identified with an approved scrapie tag. Producers must notify State Board of Animal Health before testing to approve funds. (701/328-2655 or 1/800-242-7535)

Financial assistance for producers to purchase certain type of rams:
1) Producers enrolled in the Scrapie Flock Certification Program (SFCP) will be compensated for purchasing up to two rams from other flocks of appropriate status in the SFCP.

2) Producers following a PEMMP or a Flock Plan will be compensated for purchasing two RR rams.

3) If funds remain after January 1, 2006, any producer who has purchased an RR ram may be eligible for reimbursement for one ram.

In order to take advantage of this program, producers must provide the North Dakota State Board of Animal Health with a copy of official genotype results and the flock number of the ram. Rams must be purchased between September 15, 2005 and September 15, 2006. Funds may be depleted prior to the cooperative agreement. Blood for genotyping must have been collected by an accredited veterinarian. Producers enrolled in the SFCP and those following a PEMMP or a Flock Plan will be eligible for $100 per ram purchased, up to a total of two rams. If you have more questions on these programs please notify State Board of Animal Health at 600 E. Boulevard Ave. Dept 602 Bismarck, ND 58505-0020 or contact at 701/328-2655 or 1-800-242-7535.

In the first two trimesters of pregnancy the fetus is growing rapidly. While the growth is rapid, the size of the fetus is still small, and the nutrient requirement for that growth is minor compared to the nutrient requirements of the ewe. At six weeks before lambing the fetus is only about 1/3 of the size it will be at full term. During the first two trimesters the increased appetite of the ewe will generally compensate for the increased nutrient demand on her body from the fetus. During the last six weeks things begin to change. First of all as the lamb grows its nutrient requirements increase exponentially. In this stage the glucose requirement is 70 to 85 grams of glucose per lamb per day added on to the 85-100 grams that is required for non-pregnant ewe maintenance. Secondly, as the lamb or lambs grow the ewe begins to run out of space in her abdomen. The increased appetite compensation is no longer effective as she physically cannot eat enough of the same feed to compensate for the lambs. At this time management needs to offer more nutrient dense feedstuffs to help the ewe maintain herself, her lambs and the added growth of lambs.

Treatment of ewes with ketosis involves preventing the condition from getting worse and/or aborting the fetus. If the ewe is close to lambing we recommend inducing the ewe to lamb with dexamethasone (5 mL, I.M.). Inducing ewes with dexamethasone is the closest replication of natural labor that is available. Ewes generally do not begin labor for 24-48 hours after injection. Ewes can be maintained with propylene glycol, 4-6 oz. orally 3-4 times a day and Predef (2mL, S.Q. every other day). Appetite stimulants such as Vitamin B complex and probiotics may also be beneficial. All of this will not correct the problem but can help maintain the ewe for a few days if she is close to lambing. If the ewe will not live long enough for induction of labor, lambs should be by Caesarian Section. If the ewe is not close to lambing we recommend that the lambs be aborted with dexamethasone.

Prevention of pregnancy ketosis should be a management goal each year as sheep go through gestation. Prevention really starts in the first trimester. Both fat ewes and thin ewes are at high risk for ketosis. Ewes should be condition scored after breeding and sorted accordingly. Practically this may mean that you have two gestating pens, one with heavy-conditioned ewes and one with thin ewes. Alternatively it many mean that a few of the thin ewes are gestated with ewe lambs. Ewes can be examined by ultrasound and sorted based on number of lambs they are carrying. Ewes carrying twins need 180% more nutrient energy intake than ewes carrying singles and for ewes with triplets the number is 240%. Certainly the number of gestating groups depends on what is practical and labor-efficient for the individual farm. Over-conditioned ewes can lose weight during the first two trimesters but must be gaining weight by the third or they are at risk for ketosis. Thin ewes should be gaining weight throughout gestation. Correct conditioned ewes should maintain their condition through the first two trimesters and gain in the third. Shearing ewes before lambing increases feed intake and thus is beneficial in preventing ketosis. Increasing nutrient density in the third trimester is most easily accomplished by feeding grain starting about 6 weeks before lambing. Moving from poor quality hay to higher quality hay is also beneficial. With highly prolific ewes grain and specifically corn is necessary as the ewe does not have much room in the abdomen for feed.
This article comes from Pipestone Vet Clinic

2004 Master Sheep Producers - Michael, Dee Dee, Sulley & Chance Merwin
Our goal is to make lamb production our sole business. We estimate it will take 800 to 1000 ewes to do this and we currently have 500. Presently I have a summer off farm job.

To lamb 800 or 1,000 ewes a year we must divide them up into 3 or 4 sub-flocks, because otherwise we would have to expand our facilities. We currently lamb in January and March. Previously, when our numbers were greater we also lambed in September and May. We are strongly considering lambing in September and November, January, March and not May, because we can get more lambs to market in the upper half of the annual lamb price cycle.

For a family to manage the work-load for this many ewes requires throwing all the feed pails away and use mechanized feeding and watering systems. We use fence line feed racks, automatic waters and self-feeding.

Lambs are self-fed from on creep at 2 days of age until finish on an all grain diet. Feed them like pigs. Never let the rumen develop.

We shed lamb the ewes and grow the lamb in a minimum protection area. We would like to feed the lambs in a hoop-bar someday, where there is plenty of air movement and shade. The capital to build ewe numbers comes first.

The jugs have a water-tube and self-feeder with alfalfa pellets. The water tube has flowing water to keep it clean and from freezing. The self-feeders in the jugs are filled before lambing. There is enough feed in them to last throughout a 21-day lambing period.

The drop bunch at night is divided into 15 to 25 ewes per pen to reduce the chance of miss mothering. We do not check them at night.

The families are in bunches of 65 to 85 ewes and fed on a fence-line feed rack with a baby lamb barrier at the back of the feeder to keep lambs in the pen. The drop bunch is let out of the lambing barn 2 times a day to eat at a fence-line feed rack. All other ewes are in shelter-belt protection during the winter.

Ewes are taken away from the lambs rather than the lambs away from the ewes. This keeps the lambs in a familiar environment until after the weaning stress period.

From start of lambing of one group to the start of lambing for the next group is 68 days or 4 estrus cycles. This gives us 47 days to rest; time to performance test production; wean and get the new lambs on finisher between groups.

Ewes in the maintenance period of their reproductive cycle are limit fed. If they are on pasture we keep them in a small holding area and let them out for 1 to 2 hours a day depending upon their needs and quality of the pasture. Then they are locked up again with just water and salt until the next day. If we want to be gone we leave them locked up 2 days or get dad to come and let them out the prescribed length of time.

Lambs are self-fed whole corn and a pellet supplement. We contract the corn and supplement from our local elevator. They blend and deliver it into our self-feeders.

We contract tillage, planting, harvesting, hauling and grinding of forages. We do not raise any grain. All grain is purchased delivered to the farm or put in our self-feeders.

We feed bales in bale feeders. A feed wagon with a scale is used to feed hay-ledge and grain in fence line feeders or bottom-less feed bunks.

We appreciate the opportunity to share with you and we invite you to come to our sheep camp. We like to meet other sheep producers and we love to talk about kids and sheep.