Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

Agricultural Center and School of Veterinary Medicine, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge June 8-10, 2009 Monday, June 8 Jim Miller, host of the meeting, welcomed the group to the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Peter Haynes, Dean of the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine, welcomed the group and discussed some of the future directions of the school. Dr. Morrison, Director of the LSU Agricultural Center, also welcomed the group and described the purpose and mission of the Center. Dr. Morrison briefly touched on some aspects of Louisiana agriculture. A 2010 meeting location was discussed. Bob Godfrey, Dan Morrical, and Debra Aaron were appointed to a committee to determine the next meeting location. Justin Luther stated that Christopher Schauer would like to host a joint meeting (WERA 112/NCERA 190) in 2011. David Notter and Dan Waldron were appointed to the 2009 Resolutions Committee. Mike Thonney chaired station reports for Objective 1 (Develop and evaluate methods to improve reproductive efficiency) by Cornell University (Mike Thonney), North Dakota State University (Justin Luther), Oklahoma State University (Mike Thonney, representing Raluca Mateescu), U.S. Meat Animal Research Center, USDA Nebraska (Kreg Leymaster). A break was taken, and then station reports for Objective 1 continued with South Dakota State University (Jeff Held), University of Virgin Islands (Bob Godfrey), Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (David Notter), and Virginia State University (Stephan Wildeus). Mike Thonney chaired the afternoon presentation of station reports for Objective 2 (Develop strategies to improve the efficiency of lean growth, carcass quality, and meat palatability) by the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center, USDA Nebraska (Kreg Leymaster), South Dakota State University (Jeff Held), U.S. Sheep Experiment Station, USDA, Idaho (Greg Lewis), Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (David Notter). Mike Thonney chaired the station report for Objective 3 (Evaluate genetic resources, nutrient requirements, and production systems for milk production) by the University of Wisconsin-Madison (David Thomas). Yahia Khandoker, Department of Animal Breeding & Genetics, Bangladesh Agricultural University, provided a guest presentation to the group on his research and extension efforts associated with Black Bengal goats. Yahia is collaborating with David Notter and Robert Godfrey on a project funded by the USDA. Black Bengal goats have a mature weight of approximately 25 kg and are an important part of the agricultural economy in Bangladesh. Jim Miller discussed logistics associated with the evening dinner and social events. The group enjoyed an authentic crawfish boil. Monday, June 8 The meeting reconvened at 8:00 a.m. David Notter solicited resolutions as chair of the 2009 NCERA Resolutions Committee. Mike Thonney chaired station reports for Objective 4 (Evaluate and further develop hair sheep genetic resources in easycare production systems) by the University of Kentucky (Debra Aaron), Louisiana State University (Jim Miller), Oregon State University (Jim Thompson), Texas A&M Agricultural Experiment Station (Dan Waldron), Dale Bumpers Small Farms Research Center, USDA, Arkansas (Joan Burke), U.S. Meat Animal Research Center, USDA, Nebraska (Kreg Leymaster), Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (David Notter), and Virginia State University (Stephan Wildeus). Business Meeting 1. The meeting was called to order by Mike Thonney, President. Greg Lewis discussed collaborative projects taking place between the USSES, Dubois and the MARC, Nebraska. Maternal and paternal lines of sheep are under development for future studies. Development of these lines and the breed composition of each were discussed by David Notter. 2. Approval of the 2008 meeting minutes was requested by Mike Thonney. Dave Thomas stated that Dan Waldrons name was spelled wrong in the 2008 minutes. Jim Miller asked to be added to the list of 2008 attendees. Dan Morrical moved to approve the minutes pending the above changes, and Jim Miller seconded the motion. 3. Kreg Leymaster nominated Henry Zerby (Chair), Justin Luther (Vice-Chair) and Jim Miller (Secretary) as the 2009 officers. Bob Godfrey moved to accept the nominated officers, seconded by Dan Morrical. 4. On behalf of the 2010 meeting committee (Dan Morrical, Debra Aaron, and Bob Godfrey), the following locations were discussed; Iowa, Kentucky and St. Croix. After much discussion Dan Morrical moved that the 2010 meeting be hosted by the University of Kentucky. The motion was seconded by Jim Miller. The motion was passed. 5. On behalf of the resolutions committee (David Notter and Dan Waldron), David Notter presented the following resolutions: Resolution 1: Be it resolved, the members of the NCERA-190 committee on Increased Efficiency of Sheep Production express thanks to Jim Miller and to the students and staff at Louisiana State University for their hospitality in organizing a successful annual meeting of the NCERA-190 sheep research and extension committee. (To be sent to Jim Miller, David Morrison, Dean Peter Haynes.) Resolution 2: Be it resolved, the members of the NCERA-190 committee on Increased Efficiency of Sheep Production wish to express appreciation to the following: a) the American Sheep Industry Association for the presence of Paul Rodgers and Will Getz at the NCERA-190 meetings. (To be sent to Peter Orwick, Executive Director of ASI and Glen Fisher, President of ASI) b) the American Sheep and Goat Center for their past and anticipated future support for sheep and goat research in the U.S. The members likewise appreciate the presence and participation of Tim Turner at the meeting. (To be sent to Chase Hibbard, Chairman of the Board, American Sheep and Goat Center). Greg Lewis moved to accept the proposed resolutions, and the motion was seconded by Joan Burke. The motion was passed. 6. Joan Burke discussed development of the new NCERA-190 project. It was suggested by Joan Burke that members not listed on the committee should log onto NIMS and enroll themselves as official members. John Kirby, the NCERA-190 Administrative Advisor, explained this process. 7. Paul Rodgers gave a report on behalf of ASI. He extended a thank you to those committee members who submitted journal articles to the Sheep and Goat Research Journal. A recent letter describing hair contamination from hair sheep to wool sheep was further discussed. Carbon emissions from sheep and the need to quantify emissions was discussed. Paul suggested committee members to investigate New Zealands sheep carbon emission model. Approval of new anthelmentic products should also be investigated by the committee. NRSP-7, which was funded by a line item in congress, provides funds for approval of such products in minor species. Injectable iodine and an anthelmentic product are currently under review by NRSP-7. According to Paul, CIDRs will probably be approved in the current year. Members were urged to log onto the NRSP-7 website for more information. The ASI sheep production handbook was discussed. Paul asked the committee for suggestions on improving the book, and further asked for ways to better transmit the information contained within. The ASI Sheep Research Symposium was discussed. It was suggested that a committee be established by NCERA-190 to continue this program. Justin Luther, Dan Morrical, Dave Thomas and Debra Aaron agreed to be members of the committee. Will Getz, co-chair of the ASI PERC committee, introduced himself and spoke on behalf of the committee. Tim Turner of the American Sheep and Goat Center provided an update for attendees. Chase Hibbard is the new Chair of the ASGC Board. Tim discussed future funding possibilities through the ASGC. 8. John Kirby discussed the approval process for a new project proposal. John described that the mid-term review process will be simplified, while the administrative advisor will have more of an influence on the annual review process. John was pleased with the presence of industry representatives and producers at this meeting and the inclusion of extension activities in committee reports. He urged the group to investigate ways to include sheep production courses and lessons into the undergraduate student curriculum. John described some examples being implemented around the nation for species other than sheep. Implementation of a similar program for sheep was discussed by the group. John stated that industry needed to be involved in this process. John also stated annual reports need to be submitted within the next 60 days. Mike Thonney asked the group for further discussion on sheep curriculum development. It was discussed if a committee of NCERA 190 members should be established to lead this effort. Mike Thonney, Jeff Held, Richard Earhardt and Debra Aaron offered to be members of the committee. It was further suggested that members of WERA should be involved in the committee. Mike was designated as the chair of the committee and he charged the other committee members to investigate development of undergraduate student sheep curriculum concepts. The attendees then toured the LSU sheep and goat facilities. After the tour, attendees met at a local establishment for dinner and more socializing. Respectfully submitted, Justin Luther, Secretary 11 June 2009

Cornell has investigated the benefits of diets containing minimum concentrations of fermentable fiber available from by-product feeds have been documented. Increasing feed intake by growing lambs and mature, dry ewes has been has been shown to reduce digestibility of NDF. Cornell University has completed experiments to document the effects of lambing cubicles on intensity of lambing management and on lamb survival are under way. Initial results indicate that the flow-through lambing cubicle approach may reduce human and animal stress associated with lambing time. Phenotypes on ability to breed and lamb out-of-season continue to be collected for a project designed to identify DNA markers by Cornell University. The Cornell STAR accelerated lambing system has been shown to be a feasible way of making better use of buildings and equipment and year-round labor. It also increases opportunities to take advantage of optimal times to market lambs. Methods continue to be tested to improve reproductive rates and lamb survival under the system. North Dakota State University is continuing to develop strategies for reducing prenatal loss and ultimately, improving reproductive performance in sheep. A newly developed rumen by-pass arginine product is currently under investigation. We are also investigating the use of P.G. 600 in place of eCG for estrous synchronization protocols for LAI in sheep. Although this project has largely involved producer flocks from throughout the state of North Dakota, we plan to collaborate with other universities from throughout the Midwest. In 2008, we secured approximately $500,000 in grant funds for improving reproductive performance in sheep. Oklahoma State University has developed a backcross pedigree which proved to have sufficient power to detect QTL, even with a limited number of markers, and we have collected multiple measures (presence/absence of estrous cycles, regularity of estrous cycles, number of estrous cycles, early conception, early pregnancy, lambing success, progesterone levels during pre-breeding and post-breeding periods) to better describe a dichotomous aseasonal reproduction phenotype (yes/no) and improve the power of our study. It is possible, in principle, to use molecular genetics to improve aseasonal reproduction in sheep, the first steps toward providing the tools for achieving this have been completed. Texas AgriLife has implemented a study to estimate performance differences between Dorper and Rambouillet ewes. Estimates of breed differences for fertility, number of lambs born, lamb birth weight, lamb weaning weight, and lamb carcass traits were documented from records on ewes from 2 to 6 years of age. The main objective of this study is to evaluate lifetime lamb production from Dorper and Rambouillet ewes. Dale Bumpers Small Farms Research Center, USDA, Arkansas is in the second year of transitioning to an organic forage system for lamb production was completed. The pasture consists of warm and cool season grasses and legumes and is currently being subdivided for rotational grazing. This is a long-term project that will lead to Best Management Practices for organic lamb production for GIN control and limited need for grain supplements throughout the year. In addition, scientists at USDA, ARS in Arkansas, Louisiana State University, and Fort Valley State University continued studies on the practical use of COWP and sericea lespedeza for management of H. contortus in low input systems. This finding is important to producers in warm, humid climates looking for sustainable alternatives to chemical dewormers. Plans are being implemented at the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center, USDA, Nebraska to increase the number of breeding ewes at USMARC by about 1,000 head. The increase is being accomplished by expanding the number of easy-care sheep in our pasture-lambing, low-input production system. An experiment was completed to investigate effects of myostatin and callipyge mutations on carcass and meat quality traits. Plans are being implemented to infuse one-quarter Texel germplasm into Composite lines fixed for alternative callipyge alleles and also to fix the myostatin mutation in each line. Flocks of Katahdin and Polypay sheep are being established at USMARC to serve as industry controls for future research on easy-care breeds. South Dakota State University's work with co-products, DDGS and soyhulls, has demonstrated these feed ingredients can lower unit cost of production and improve production efficiency in sheep operations. Feeding management strategies with these co-products were presented at national and international conferences and symposia. Level of vitamin E, 50 or 200 IU/d, supplementation to mature ewes exposed for spring mating did not affect reproductive efficiency. Preliminary data for a study evaluating Southdown compared to Hampshire for terminal sired lamb production has yielded information on lamb vigor and pre-weaning lamb growth. Post-weaning growth performance and carcass merit data will be collected for all lambs in this project. A study is being conducted to evaluate the effect of glycerol in a lamb finishing diet on growth performance and carcass traits. Glycerol is another co-product created from new-generation ethanol production facilities University of the Virgin Islands Agricultural Experiment Station has given tours of the Sheep Research Facility to over 500 students from the public schools. The Animal Science Program mentored student supported by funds from the USDA-CSREES grant for resident instruction in agriculture in the insular areas (No. 2006-38416-17727) as well as a student supported by the VI Dept of Labor. Moving live breeding stock between farms at distant locations is a significant limitation for sheep production on small-scale farms with limited technical training. Work at Virginia State University was initiated to validate results reported from Europe on the effective use of vaginal (shot-in-the-dark) AI with liquid semen for hair sheep.

Aaron, D.K. D.G. Ely, E. Fink, B.T. Burden, and M.M. Simpson. 2008. Carcass composition of Polypay versus White Dorper x Polypay crossbred lambs. J. Anim. Sci. 86 (E-Suppl. 1):30 Aaron, D.K., D.G. Ely, E. Fink, and B.T. Burden. 2009. Grading-up to hair sheep genetics in a pasture-based production system. In: Sheep Research Program Proceedings, ASI Annual Meeting, January 21-24, San Diego, CA, pp 50-52. Aaron, D.K., D.G. Ely, E. Fink, B.T. Burden, and M.M. Simpson. 2009. Factors affecting indicators of Haemonchus contortus infection in Polypay and percentage White Dorper ewes. J. Anim. Sci. (In Press.) Aaron, D.K., D.G. Ely, E. Fink, B.T. Burden, M.M. Simpson, and A.K. Lunsford. 2008. Phenotypic correlations among growth and carcass traits of Polypay and White Dorper crossbred lambs. J. Anim. Sci. 86 (Suppl. 2):340. Berger, Y.M. 2009. Opportunities in sheep dairying. Sheep Management WisLine Program. Viewed at: [www.ansci.wisc.edu/Extension-New%20copy/sheep/wisline_09/wisline09.html]. 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