Sheep producers interested in improving their management skills and increasing profitability are welcome to attend the 2017 Pipestone Lamb and Wool Program Sheep for Profit School, to be held July 5-8 in Pipestone.

The Sheep for Profit School, which is offered every other year, includes lectures, group discussion and tours of two progressive sheep operations. Instructors with diverse and practical sheep experience will help you define your vision and build a practical plan to achieve your goals. Organizers say the four-day investment that will change your sheep operation and how you view the sheep industry.

The school will be held at Minnesota West Community & Technical College, 1314 N. Hiawatha Ave., Pipestone.

The event's opening day is from 4 to 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 5, with registration, an overview of the school and the sheep industry, a get-acquainted dinner, and lectures on the economics of sheep production, sheep management philosophy and five keys to profit.

From 8 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Thursday, July 6, participants will have a full day of activity. Lectures will be offered in facility requirements, lamb and wool marketing, goal setting, personal or enterprise goals, genetic selection, building the ewe flock and other sheep management topics.

The first tour will visit the Brian Winsel farm to view sheep facilities and learn about ewe condition scoring and feed management. Winsel started in sheep nine years ago and has steadily grown his flock size to 900 ewes. To accommodate expansion, he remodeled an existing building into a labor-efficient lambing facility, and he built additional cold housing with a drive-through feeding system. He incorporated a working and shearing area in the same building. Winsel also employs a wave system of lambing.

On Friday, July 7, another full day is planned from 8 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Instruction will be given in identifying and treating common ewe and lamb diseases, preventative health programs, proper antibiotic use, flock biosecurity and reproduction.

A tour of the Bruce and Karla Gundermann farm follows. Highlights to be seen and discussed include sheep facilities, record keeping, lambing time management and overall management philosophy. The Gundersons started in the sheep business 17 years ago, when they decided to discontinue raising hogs and converted their facilities to sheep production. Since then, they have steadily grown their ewe flock to about 850 commercial ewes. They used existing buildings, added onto the lambing barn and built five hoop barns to improve labor efficiency. They market a high lambing percentage because of the attention they pay to detail.

On Saturday, July 8, the school ends at noon. Morning sessions will focus on feeding.

The school costs $495 and includes tuition, handouts, noon and evening meals and breaks.

For more information and to register, visit Pipestone Sheep.

Source: Pipestone Lamb and Wool Program