By Dave Ostdiek, Nebraska Extension Communication Specialist
The 2021 Western Lambing and Kidding School on Saturday, Feb. 6, near Bayard, will feature a farm tour, hands-on demonstrations, and presentations by expert speakers.
The school, sponsored by the Nebraska Sheep & Goat Producers and Nebraska Extension, will run from 9:15 a.m. until 4 p.m. at the Julie Kappen Farm, 10803 Rd 89, Bayard, and Bobby Jo’s Branding Iron, 533 Main, Bayard.
To register, e-mail [email protected] or call Melissa Nicholson of the Nebraska Sheep and Goat Producers at 308-386-8378 by Feb. 1. The cost to attend in person is $25 for non-members, $20 for members, and $10 for students. Handouts and lunch are included.
Registration is at 9:15 a.m. at Julie Kappen's farm. The morning will consist of hands-on demonstration and discussion at the farm: Julie Kappen will give a tour of the sheep farm and facilities. Rob Zelinsky of Hubbard Feeds will cover management practices including docking, castrating, tubing and deworming. Jesse Fulton of Nebraska Extension will demonstrate proper use of vaccines, including handling, injection sites, and deworming. He will also speak about synchronization using CIDRs. Sheep producer Ivan Rush will speak about body condition scoring.
Lunch at Bobbi Jo’s Branding Iron in Bayard will feature American lamb. After lunch, Rob Zelinsky will speak about late gestation/lactation nutrition and management of the ewe and doe lamb, as well as kid dry lot feeding from birth to weaning. Jesse and Brittany Fulton will speak about their sheep operation near Minatare, and how they implement accelerated lambing, use of synchronization, and marketing. Virgil Hagel, a Bayard goat producer, will close out the day with a presentation on production of meat goats.
The western clinic is one of two sponsored this year by the Nebraska Sheep & Goat Producers. The other will be held in Seward on Jan. 30.