WERA39: Coordination of Sheep and Goat Research and Education Programs for the Western States
(Multistate Research Coordinating Committee and Information Exchange Group)
Status: Inactive/Terminating
WERA39: Coordination of Sheep and Goat Research and Education Programs for the Western States
Duration: 10/01/2010 to 09/30/2015
Administrative Advisor(s):
NIFA Reps:
Non-Technical Summary
Statement of Issues and Justification
The American sheep and goat industries are undergoing a new awareness of their role in food and fiber production within an ecologically and economically sustainable production setting. Sheep and goats in modern management systems provide more than meat, milk, pelts, and fiber. They may also lend themselves as tools to improve ecological systems. Where small ruminant numbers have declined, many ecological problems have increased. For example, encroachment of noxious and exotic plants, although present for over 100 years, have dramatically increased with the decline of small ruminant grazing. Sheep and goats are the most economically and environmentally sound means of controlling many of these invaders and, additionally, can be used to control small grain insect pests and add value to crop residue. Although the role of small ruminants in stabilizing native ecosystems is an evolving frontier for scientists and producers, improving the ability of the American sheep and goat industries to compete favorably in a rapidly developing world market requires new and refined information and communication for enhancing the biological efficiency of meat and fiber production and marketing of these products.
Currently, sheep infrastructure is undergoing major changes and hair sheep and meat goats are becoming increasingly important contributors to the income of small ruminant producers. These industry changes provide opportunities to implement innovations to complement other agricultural production systems as well as increase the production efficiency of sheep and goats in the presence of aggressive international competition. To best serve the sheep and goat industries, our ultimate goal is to facilitate the successful development and integration of sustainable, ecologically sound, and economically viable, and energetically efficient systems that use available resources to produce unique, high quality, and safe meat and fiber products from sheep and goats.
Objectives
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1. Develop ecologically and economically sound land management practices that use the unique foraging abilities of sheep and goats for: a) managing and sustaining functional and productive native plant communities; b) controlling invasive, exotic plant species; and c) improving nutrient cycling and pest management in range and cropping systems.
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2. Develop sheep and goat management strategies that enhance efficiency for production of high quality, marketable end products by: a) improving biological efficiency through better understanding of environmental and genetic events that influence meat and fiber production; b) identifying unique feedstuffs that enhance the nutritional value of meat; c) utilizing state-of-the-art instrumentation both in the field and in the lab to accurately and rapidly measure important characteristics of fiber; and d) develop animal identification systems that ensure the accurate real-time linking of animals to lifetime genetic, performance, health, and origin databases; and e) increase reproductive efficiency in ewes.
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3. Rapidly and accurately disseminate new information to producers through: a) development of novel technology transfer platforms; b) hosting field days at research centers; c) organizing on-farm demonstration projects; and d) incorporatingresearch findings into high school and university classrooms.
Procedures and Activities
Redefine the role of sheep and goats for enhancing ecological systems via integrated small ruminant management systems. The WERA-039 has contributed greatly to defining the numerous advantages of sheep and goat grazing to recover and sustain rangeland ecosystems and enhance cropping systems. Continued and new research utilizing sheep and goats includes: a) control of invasive plant species by grazing or mechanically harvesting not just for biomass, but the beneficial nutrients and properties of these species; b) riparian management, fire suppression, and weed control in forest, range, and cropping systems; and c) replacement of traditional chemical and mechanical fallow methods in cropping systems. Participating institutions (9) are Montana, North Dakota, Idaho, Texas, Nevada, Oregon, New Mexico, and Utah. Participating institutions (9) are from Montana, North Dakota, Idaho, Texas, Nevada, Oregon, New Mexico, and Utah.
Continued development and validation of better methods of quantifying wool quality. In the past, this has included development of ASTM measurement standards for Laserscan and OFDA for measuring fiber diameter and evaluation of skirting and classing wool prior to sale. These technologies are the basis for the national wool quality improvement program. Many results have been incorporated along with basic wool-handling skills into numerous American Sheep Industry Association-sponsored outreach programs. Modern technologies such as Near-Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy and Staplebreaker Model 2, are being used to quantify important fleece characteristics in breeding programs focused on improving overall productivity and quality of the wool breeds. Participating institutions (5) are from Texas, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, and Colorado.
Develop strategic feeding/supplementing practices to enhance sheep productivity. The evolving theme of current and published supplementation research by the WERA-039 is focused on timely and profitable uses of supplemental feeds targeting increased growth and profitability in the feedlot as well as improved reproductive efficiency. Continued and current projects are underway to enhance neonatal lamb survival, short- and long-term ewe health, and nutritive quality and healthy attributes of meat through the use of underutilized feed resources. Participating institutions (7) are New Mexico, Colorado, North Dakota, Idaho, Texas, South Dakota, and Utah.
Develop a decision support system for goat production based on the genetic potential, biological efficiency, and nutrient and management requirements of goats. Using large, medium, and small-framed breeds, continued and current research is underway to define and subsequently improve carcass merit, milk composition, and lactation curves of goats. Additionally, conduct a revision of Langston Universitys Meat Goat Handbook to include relevant materials for the Northern Great Plains. Participating institutions (4) are Texas, Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota.
Enhance the management capabilities of producers through testing, development, and system integration of accurate and real-time animal identification programs. Current and continued research is underway to use retinal imaging for accurate sheep identification, and test the efficacy of radio frequency identification systems based on accuracy, economic feasibility, user-friendliness, and longevity of different ear tag types and readers. The participating institution is Wyoming.
Evaluate potential benefits of introducing sheep and goat breeds that are either not currently in the U.S. or have only recently been introduced. Past research focused on Australian Merino breeding into certain lines of U.S. fine-wool sheep to increase both quality and quantity of wool produced. Cooperative evaluation of Australian genetic sources is possible only because of the pooling of resources from several WERA-039 stations. That breeding project resulted in a series of cooperative publications. In addition, flocks developed during this project are currently suppliers of breeding stock to the commercial industry. Additionally, the South African Meat Merino is being introduced into western white faced sheep in New Mexico. Participating institutions (6) are Texas, Montana, Wyoming, New Mexico, Nevada, and Idaho.
Provide new information on developing a safer meat product for human consumption. Current and continuing research is being conducted to identify potential routes of pathogen contamination and what pre- and post-slaughter protocols could be implemented to alleviate these routes. Participating institutions (5) are Texas, Colorado, North Dakota, Idaho, and New Mexico.
Expected Outcomes and Impacts
- 1) Integrating natural resource and crop management systems with sheep and goat production to improve crop and rangeland ecological health and productivity, decrease fossil fuel and pesticide use, and provide science based information of the mutually profitable incorporation of sheep into natural resource and crop management systems.
- 2) Enhancing overall flock health and the nutritive value of meat through the strategic use of unique feedstuffs.
- 3) Enhancing value-based marketing systems to reward quality production of meat and fiber.
- 4) Increasing collaborative research across disciplines and communication among regional institutions.
- 5) Defining the accurate and efficient use of real-time rapid animal identification technologies.
- 6)Effective outreach and communication through peer-reviewed publications, bulletins, and effective interactions among sheep producers, researchers and extension personnel.
Projected Participation
View Appendix E: ParticipationEducational Plan
The WERA-039 participants will continue to identify and investigate critical research issues that relate to sheep and goat production in the Western region with ramifications nationwide. This will be achieved by coordinating specific research projects among several stations to allow for better use of resources and a more focused effort toward project objectives. Cooperating stations in various forms will publish results of coordinated, multi-location projects; i.e., research progress reports, extension bulletins, popular articles, symposia proceedings, and refereed journal articles. Thus, research information will be presented in usable forms for all segments of the sheep and goat industries.
Each WERA-039 participant is committed to reporting individual achievements and contributing data and time to cooperative publications. Exchange of information among participants will be in the same format as that used in past years; i.e., an annual brief summary/progress report on each contributing project from each participant, submitted in advance, bound, and presented and discussed at the annual WERA-039 meeting.
The WERA-039 objectives encompass the major research priorities formulated by the research and education task force of the American Sheep Industry Association and by WERA-039 participants. Because of the challenges being faced by the sheep and goat industry at the current time, it is important to quickly share our findings with the industry. Results will be presented in popular press articles, regional publications, extension bulletins, and regional educational seminars. The WERA-039 will continue to encourage publishing in the Sheep and Goat Research Journal, and development of new (and refinement of traditional) means of technology transfer.
Organization/Governance
A Chairperson and Secretary will be elected each year at the Annual Meeting. A Nominating Committee, appointed by the current Chair, will select and submit nominees to the membership. Nominations from the floor will also be accepted. In the past, the current Secretary has typically been elevated to Chairperson and a new Secretary elected. Communications from the Administrative Advisor and Chairperson will be e-mailed directly to the active WERA-039 participants. The Secretary will record and e-mail the minutes from the Annual Meeting, and will also be responsible for binding into one volume and distributing the Station Reports at the Annual Meeting.