The 8th Annual Arlington Sheep Day will be held Saturday morning, March 12 at the Public Events Facility of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Arlington Agricultural Research Station near Arlington.

Registration for the morning Arlington Sheep Day program is $5 per person or $10 per family.

The morning program for adult producers will feature current and past students from the M.S. and Ph.D. graduate programs in sheep science at UW-Madison. Dr. Claire Sandrock received her Ph.D. in animal sciences working in the area of sheep nutrition, primarily in the area of protein utilization. She will discuss nutrition and supplementation strategies for highly productive ewes on pasture. Cody Hiemke completed the M.S. degree working on estimation of carcass composition of live lambs with ultrasound. He is now the lamb program manager for Niman Ranch, a premium natural meats company. He will discuss the benefits to the sheep industry of the production of high-quality lambs. Tom Murphy is in the process of completing the Ph. D. degree in animal breeding and genetics. He will be joined in his presentation by Todd Taylor, Arlington sheep unit manager, to discuss the use of estimated breeding values to improve flock productivity.

Concurrent to the adult producer program in the morning will be a hands-on program for youth sheep project members and interested adults on evaluation of fleeces both on and off the sheep and some other sheep-related activities. The youth program will be organized and presented by Bernie O’Rourke, Extension livestock youth specialist; Alissa Grenawalt, Extension outreach specialist; and Todd Taylor of the Department of Animal Sciences, UW-Madison. Attendance forms will be available for all youth that attend this session in case your county approves this activity as a qualifying educational meeting for your sheep project

Registration for the morning Arlington Sheep Day program is $5 per person or $10 per family and includes morning refreshments and materials. Advance registration is preferred and is available by mail, or persons can register the day of the event at the door for the same price.

The Arlington Sheep Day program will be followed at 12:30 p.m. by the Wisconsin Sheep Breeders Cooperative banquet, recognition program, and annual meeting. Both members and non-members of WSBC are welcomed to attend the WSBC banquet and recognition program. Advance registration is $15per person (youth 10 years and younger are $5 per person).

The complete schedule and registration form for both the Arlington Sheep Day and the WSBC banquet can be found at the UW-Madison Sheep and Goat web site (http://fyi.uwex.edu/wisheepandgoat/) and at the WSBC web site (www.wisbc.com). For additional information, contact Dave Thomas, UW-Madison ([email protected], 608-263-4306) or Jill Alf, WSBC ([email protected], 608-868-2505).

The Arlington Sheep Day is sponsored by the Wisconsin Sheep Breeders Cooperative; Department of Animal Sciences, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison; and Cooperative Extension, University of Wisconsin-Extension.

Source: UW-Madison Animal Sciences Department