The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service will hold the 2023 Hair Sheep Conference in McGregor on May 25.
The program will be held at The Exchange Event Center, 300 S. Jefferson Ave., McGregor. Onsite registration will begin at 7:30 a.m.
The cost is $25, payable by cash or check, and an RSVP is requested by May 18 to Candace Chapman at the AgriLife Extension office in McLennan County at 254-757-5180 or candace.chapman@ag.tamu.edu. The event was organized by the AgriLife Extension office in McLennan County and the Central Texas Small Ruminant Committee.
“In Texas, there are more hair sheep than wool sheep,” said Shane McLellan, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension agriculture and natural resources agent, McLennan County. “Hair sheep tend to require less labor and the lambs are well suited for the non-traditional market, which has a growing demand for lamb and mutton.”
The primary difference between hair sheep and wool sheep is the ratio of hair fibers, McLellan said. All sheep have both hair and wool fibers; however, a hair sheep has more hair fibers than wool fibers.
Due to their size, sheep are often a preferred livestock species for small acreage landowners. A small flock or herd is suitable for the land, and they require fewer facilities and less equipment than cattle, he said.
2023 Hair Sheep Conference
The conference will cover the following topics presented by these expert speakers:
- Visual Selection Fundamentals, Clay Elliott, Ph.D., Purina Animal Nutrition small ruminant nutritionist, Calumet, Oklahoma.
- Managing Internal Parasites in Sheep, Jake Thorne, AgriLife Extension sheep and goat program specialist, San Angelo.
- Benefits of Hair Sheep in Texas, Reid Redden, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension sheep and goat specialist and director of the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center in San Angelo.
- 21st Century Hair Sheep Genetic Selection Technologies, Redden.
- Supplementing the Diet of Hair Sheep, Elliott.
- Management of Weaned Lambs, Thorne.
- Market Trends and Opportunities, Derek Poe, Hamilton Commission Company general manager, Hamilton.
- Livestock Predation Management,Bill Costanzo, Texas A&M AgriLife Research associate, San Angelo.
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