The Pipestone Lamb and Wool Management Program, dedicated to changing sheep production to make it more profitable for producers, announced it is hosting its biennial sheep facility tour.

The Pipestone lamb and wool program offers this tour every other year, and this will be the sixth tour offered. The purpose of the tour is to give producers an opportunity to see various types of sheep facilities, including the latest innovations in sheep buildings, handling systems, feeding systems and facility layout.

The tour will be a full day, visiting four lamb and wool producers with new and remodeled facilities. All of these operations have devised their buildings and feeding systems to reduce labor and enable them to run larger numbers of ewes with the same labor.

Tour participants will see lambing barns, hoop barns and remodeled buildings along with various feeding systems designed to reduce labor and minimize feed waste. In addition, this will be an opportunity to hear the philosophy of sheep production from successful sheep producers.

Here are the preliminary tour details, which begin and end June 4 at Minnesota West Community & Technical College, 1450 College Way, Worthington, Minn.:

7:30 a.m. Registration

8 a.m. Bus leaves Minnesota West, Worthington Campus

The day will be spent touring four sheep operations.

6 p.m. Arrive back at Minnesota West, Worthington Campus

Cost for the day is $180, which includes tour transportation, tuition, handouts, lunch and refreshments.

The minimum enrollment need for the tour to take place is 30 people. The maximum enrollment is 54 people.

For more information and to register, visit pipestonesheep.com.

Or contact the Pipestone Lamb and Wool Management Program by mail at Minnesota West Community & Technical College, P.O. Box 250, Pipestone, MN 56164; phone 800-658-2330; or email [email protected] or [email protected].

Source: Pipestone Lamb and Wool Program