Sheep & Goats   

Management

• Cornell Sheep Department
• Cornell Goat Management
• NYS 4-H Cloverbud Meat Goat Record
• NYS 4-H First Year Meat Goat Record
• NYS 4-H Market Kid Record
• NYS 4-H Meat Yearling Goat Record
• NYS 4-H Adult Doe Meat Goat Record
• NYS 4-H Doe Kid Record

Nutrition                 

• Feeding & Nutrition

Genetics & Reproduction

• "Kidding with Confidence” from Cornell Cooperative Extension (Pdf Version)

Kidding Season Mentors and Mentees Sought for 2009

The advice of an experienced, knowledgeable goat farmer can really help a new meat goat farmer through his or her first kidding season.  The Cornell Department of Animal Science in cooperation with the Empire State Meat Goat Producers Association has put together a kidding season mentoring program for meat goat producers. It includes a loose leaf notebook full of kidding facts and photos to make it easier for experienced farmers to take the time to mentor new meat goat farmers through a kidding season. 
The program is designed for a mentee (the new meat goat farmer) to visit a mentor’s farm two or three days or afternoons during the mentor’s kidding season with a couple of follow-up phone calls during the mentee’s own kidding season.  However, if the two farmers live close to each other, it often makes sense to split up the visits  and have the new farmer visit the mentor prior to kidding to help with pre-kidding tasks like vaccinating and organizing supplies, and then come again during kidding, and after, to assist with kidding and postnatal care.  Ideally, the mentor's herd should be kidding before new goat farmer’s herd.  People who have been past mentors and mentees have indicated that the mentoring is most valuable when the mentee is able to observe at least a couple of kiddings on the mentor’s farm. 
We are looking for six to eight mentoring teams in the Northeast US (one new producer and one experienced producer per team) to participate in the program in 2009.  The teams can be located in any Northeastern state. The kidding notebook has been revised and expanded with feedback from previous teams.
Please contact Tatiana Stanton at Rm 114, Morrison Hall, Dept. of Animal Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853 or tls7@cornell.edu or (607)254-6024 if you are interested in this program.  Teams of one mentor/one mentee are ideal.  However, we can also help you find a mentor or mentee if you do not have your own team in mind. 

Health

• Pest Management Recommendations for Sheep, Goats, and Swine

            (Pdf Version)

Showmanship

• Selection of Prospect Market Lamb
• 4-H Show Lamb Guide

Marketing                                                    

• New York Sheep & Wool
• Empire State Meat Goat Producers Association
• Sheep & Goat Marketing Program  

           A National Resource for Sheep and Goat Marketing joint project between the

           University of Maryland and Cornell University.

• American Sheep Industry Association 
• National Lamb Feeders Association
• The American Meat Goat Association
• American Dairy Goat Association 
• U.S. Goat Council
• Empire State Meat Goat Producers Association
• Empire Sheep Producers Association  

          “The Empire Sheep Producers Association (ESPA) is the industry

          organization  representing New York Sheep  Producers. The objectives and purpose

          of the association are to promote and advocate the general welfare of the New York

          State sheep industry and its members.”

• New York State Dairy Goat Breeders Association
• The Vermont Sheep and Goat Association
• NY State Farmstead & Artisan Cheese Makers Guild
• Changes in the Sheep Industry in the United States - Summary of 2008 report by

           the National Academy of Sciences

• 2009 New York Lamb and Kid Tele-Auction

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