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FRANKFORT, Ky. — Sheep and lambs are making a comeback in Kentucky. The University of Kentucky will host an event later this month to help producers maximize their profits in this growing industry.
The 37th annual Sheeprofit Day will be May 25 beginning at 1:30 p.m. EDT at UK’s Animal Research Center Sheep Unit in Versailles. Sessions will cover marketing, vaccination, genotyping, wool production, ram purchasing, the National Animal Identification System and other subjects. UK will give a tour of the sheep unit.
A complimentary lamb supper will be served by the UK Block and Bridle Club at 6:30 p.m. A question-and-answer session called “The Help Desk” will be offered after the supper.
Warren Beeler, assistant director of the Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s Division of Value-Added Animal and Aquaculture Production, will lead the marketing session. Other presenters will include Debra Aaron and Don Ely, animal and food science professors from UK; Cindy Wolf of the University of Minnesota’s Center for Veterinary Medicine; Mike Caskey of Minnesota West Community and Technical College; Nan Riekert, a Romney breeder from Nicholasville, and Endre Fink, manager of UK’s sheep unit.
Kentucky’s sheep inventory as of Jan. 1 was 35,000, the highest since the 1992 inventory of 35,500, according to the Kentucky field office of the National Agricultural Statistics Service. Cash receipts for sheep and lambs in Kentucky were $2.06 million in 2005, a 28 percent increase over 2004 receipts of $1.61 million.For more information on UK’s Sheeprofit Day, contact Debra Aaron at (859) 533-5789 or daaron@uky.edu, or Warren Beeler at (502) 564-4983 or warren.beeler@ky.gov.
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