Diversifying with Small Ruminants for Profitability

Diversifying with Small Ruminants for Profitability

Summary

PASA is coordinating field days, intensive learning programs, conference workshops and regional group meetings for small ruminant producers for the purpose of encouraging stewardship and farm profitability. It is our hope that current producers will see an improvement in management and profitability as a result of attending our programs, while others will gain the confidence to introduce small ruminants into existing operations.

Objectives/Performance Targets

Of 250 farmers participating in this project, 35 will attend at least half of the technical programs and 25 will use the trainings to successfully introduce small ruminants to diversify operations or implement a change to significantly improve profitability of existing operations.

Accomplishments/Milestones

PASA’s goal for the 2008 field day season was to hold three field days attracting 175 farmers. 84 farmers attended at least one of the three field days held in 2008.
Field Days of 2008:

Incorporating Value-Added Goat Dairy into a Diversified Farm Business, Aug. 26

The Ultimate Diversified Farm: Grow & Sell It all! September 4

Miniature Nubians & Goats’ Milk Skin Care Products, September 12

With 69 participants, our daylong Small Ruminant pre-conference track at the 2008 Farming for the Future conference was a great success. Sandra Miller, a member of our advisory committee organized the all-day Thursday program including the following presentations:

Goat Nutrition from A to Z and Managing Parasites with Steve Hart, Ph.D., Langston University

Managing Goats on Pasture and Browse with Tatiana Stanton, Ph.D., Cornell University

Sustainable Sheep: Farm Products and Ecological Services with Karl North, Northland Sheep Dairy

Managing Goats for Prescribed Grazing with Kathy Voth, Livestock for Landscapes

From Grass to Garment: Fiber Farm Production with Linda Singley, Bearlin Acres Farm & Phylleri Ball, Steam Valley Fiber Farm

Also at the 2008 conference, 186 farmers participated in the following four Small Ruminant related workshops.

The Secret Life of Goat and Sheep Gastrointestinal Worms

Alpacas: Profitable Livestock on a Small Farm

Parasite Controls in Small ruminants

Feeding the World in Your Community: Capturing Ethnic Markets

We are finalizing dates and invitation lists for the regional producers meetings scheduled for January 2009, and continue to gather information for the producers’ directory to be compiled by March 2009

Impacts and Contributions/Outcomes

This year’s small ruminant programming attracted a diverse group of farmers and aspiring farmers as well as educators, agricultural and environmental consultants, students, homesteaders, and more. Three quarters were PASA members, but we are reaching non-PASA members as well. From our exit surveys, we learned that the large majority of participants learned what they expected to learn and 78% plan to make a change in their farming operation, business, or community as a result of something they learned at the event. In addition, 88% felt they had learned something at the event that would make their operation more profitable. The results from a Survey Monkey evaluation given to attendees of all field days show that in every category, when asked about knowledge/involvement before attending a PASA program compared to current level of knowledge/involvement, participants rated their current levels higher than before attending the event. Two-thirds of those evaluating Everything Small Ruminants reported their intention to make changes in their farming practice and/or business based on knowledge gained in the pre-conference track. This confirms that our programs are helping people change their practices and abilities in a positive way.