TOM HODGMAN
NSIP Katahdin Breed Representative

Katahdin breeders have a new tool to accurately identify the genetic potential for several commercially important traits. This tool (i.e., genomics) is not only important for producers who sell seedstock, but also for those buying breeding rams and replacement ewes to advance the performance of their flocks.

Genomics, an advanced DNA technology, combined with current estimated breeding values, improve the accuracy of selection for several traits important to producers, such as: growth to market, resistance to parasites, and especially maternal traits like number born and number weaned.
Katahdins are the first sheep breed in the United States to have the background research available to use genomic technology thanks to the DNA reference population of nearly 5,000 lambs assembled by Dr. Joan Burke and Dr. Ron Lewis with support of 20 cooperating flocks.

Katahdin Hair sheep International was awarded a grant from the National Sheep Industry Improvement Center to facilitate commercialization of Genomic-enhanced EBVs for NSIP producers. The idea is to use the Katahdin effort as a model for other breeds to follow. In years to come, other breeds – once they establish their DNA reference populations – can simply use the Katahdin example to more easily utilize this significant enhancement to genetic evaluation. This commercialization effort – funded by NSIIC – is now underway and begins with a broad educational campaign.

Katahdin breeders are fortunate to have experts to help guide them along the learning curve toward a better understanding of genomics, its impacts on breeding selection and the steps needed to generate GEBVs for their animals. To help producers learn more, the NSIP Committee of KHSI recently developed two documents to explain the basics of genomics and to determine whether this technology is a good fit for their flocks.

The first document provides an overview of genomics, how it differs from past genetic selection and how improvements in accuracy offered by GEBVs will shave years off the time it takes to prove the genetic value of an animal. Secondly, the committee also developed a “framework” to explain the nuts and bolts of on-farm DNA sampling, as well as the potential costs, to producers.

In addition to written guidance, a webinar series is scheduled for late winter 2021. The series of four webinars will be presented by industry experts and Katahdin breeders to further help NSIP producers determine if they want to become involved. Each of the four webinars will have a different focus and will include:

• What are Genomic-enhanced Estimated Breeding Values?

• What Does the Sample/Data Submission Process Look Like?

• How Do Genomic-enhanced Estimated Breeding Values Impact Accuracy and Selection?

• How has Genomics Changed the Beef Industry? What Can Sheep Producers Learn?

Each webinar will be recorded, so if you miss one you can view it at your convenience. To learn more, producers should visit http://www.nsip.org/genomic-enhanced-ebvs/

The American Wool Assurance Program was introduced as a concept at the ASI Annual Convention a year ago, but the voluntary program really took on life during this year’s Wool Council meeting as AWA Standards were introduced to the full ASI membership for the first time.

In the past year, the program – developed by ASI and Colorado State University – has undergone three major reviews by an industry group that included producers, shearers, sheep specialists and buyers.

CSU’s Dr. Jason Ahola oversaw development of the program and said that discerning consumers are beginning to require assurances that the wool used in outdoor and high-end fashions has been harvested humanely from sheep that are well cared for year round. Some clothing manufacturers are already requiring wool purchases to be certified through similar programs. This certified care movement is starting to be required of all livestock industries, from beef to poultry.

The AWA Program is different from other international sheep care assurance programs in that it is producer driven. And while it focuses heavily on the time period around shearing each year, there are standards for year-round care of the flock as the program is an extension of ASI’s Sheep Safety Quality Assurance Program and Sheep Care Guide....

Read full article here: 

https://www.sheepusa.org/magazines/march-2021#wool

At Codman Community Farms in Lincoln, the beef cattle are grass-fed, pasture-raised and ultimately available for purchase at the farm store. Demand for the farm’s beef, along with free-range chicken and pork, has never been higher.

“People are really coming out of the woodwork and really demanding this product,” said Jennifer Hashley, who manages the farm with her husband, Pete Lowy. “I think we’re up 500 percent over last year in terms of sales.”

That extraordinary uptick in sales is evidence of yet another pandemic-related supply chain disruption. Consumers, already wary of supermarkets, are turning to local farms, as coronavirus outbreaks close some of the nation’s massive meat packing plants and traditional stores limit meat purchases. Local livestock farmers see this as a moment not just to benefit their bottom line, but to leverage changing consumer habits and highlight an industrialized meat production system that’s long made it impossible to compete on prices.

"Eighty-five percent of the meat supply system is controlled by four major suppliers,” said Hashley. “There are so few processing plants, a lot of vertical integration and consolidation of the industry, and — because they can garner such large economies of scale throughout the whole supply chain — it’s really challenging for a small-scale producer to make the economics work well.”...

https://www.wgbh.org/news/local-news/2020/05/11/as-coronavirus-impacts-meat-supply-can-local-producers-fill-the-void

ASI Completes Secure Sheep & Wool Supply Plan

 

The American Sheep Industry Association has completed the development of the Secure Sheep and Wool Supply Plan for Business Continuity in a Foot and Mouth Disease Outbreak. ASI worked with the Center for Food Security and Public Health at the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine to develop this plan.

The sheep industry is a diverse industry producing quality meat and wool products under a variety of management and environmental conditions. The Secure Sheep and Wool Supply Plan focuses on business continuity in the event of an FMD outbreak. FMD is the most highly contagious disease of livestock and affects domestic cloven-hoofed animals (cattle, swine, sheep and goats) and many wild animals (deer, bison, pronghorn antelope and feral swine). FMD is not a food safety or public health concern.

Having the Secure Sheep and Wool Supply Plan in place prior to an FMD outbreak is critical for food security and animal health and well-being. The Secure Sheep and Wool Supply Plan will facilitate the safe movement of sheep and wool with no evidence of disease from farms in an FMD control area to harvest channels or to other farms. The Secure Sheep and Wool Supply Plan will enhance coordination and communication between all parties, speed up a successful FMD response, and support continuity of operations for sheep producers and associated industries....

https://www.feedstuffs.com/news/asi-completes-secure-sheep-wool-supply-plan

Pittsboro, N.C. [May 12, 2020] – Heritage breed farm animals and the genetics they possess are not only living time capsules from our past; they represent the key to our future as we are forced to adapt to a world that is changing at a rate not seen in previous generations. According to the Summary for Policymakers of the Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, released in 2019, the future of biodiversity in animal agriculture is in jeopardy. That’s still true in 2020.

To organize and target conservation efforts for more than 150 endangered livestock and poultry breeds at risk in the United States, The Livestock Conservancy compiles a Conservation Priority List. This year, the organization added eight more breeds to the list, including two horse, one sheep and five rabbit breeds. The ranked list of heritage livestock and poultry breeds is based upon the annual number of registrations in the United States and the breed's estimated global population size.

New to the Conservation Priority List this year:

• The Puerto Rican Paso Fino, listed as Threatened, is an old breed of gaited horse important throughout the Americas.
• Brabant horses, listed as Study, are an important heavy draft breed from Belgium.
• Teeswater sheep, listed as Critical, are common among longwool sheep breeds, but their low global numbers mean American breeders contribute to the breed’s international survival....

The American Grassfed Association defines grass-fed products from ruminants, including cattle, bison, goats, and sheep, as "those food products from animals that have eaten nothing but their mother's milk and fresh grass or grass-type hay from their birth until harvest." No grain feeding is allowed.

http://www.sheepandgoat.com/grassfed

"I was looking for a hot chick in her 70s who didn’t smoke, drink too much or need to take any pills,” The couple married on Aug. 5 during the Katahdin Hair Sheep International annual meeting.

http://www.sheepusa.org/NewsMedia_SheepIndustryNews_PastIssues_2016_September2016_TheLastWord

As the state’s population becomes more diverse, the demand for lamb and goat meat continues to increase, causing the industry to grow more popular…

https://www.georgiagrown.com/news/georgias-cultural-diversity-contributes-to-the-rising-popularity-of-sheep-farming

“One of the fastest growing areas of lamb sales is direct to consumer at farm markets or sold from farmer's own on-premise stores. …One-third of all lamb is now sold direct from producer to customer.”

http://edibledc.com/stories/blog/american-lamb

“…More than ever before, consumers want to know about what’s in their meat and poultry, how it was raised and where it came from.”

01 December 2016
http://www.thesheepsite.com/news/2182/american-restaurant-customers-concerned-over-meat-origins/