July 8, 2005

Purdue offers one-stop training for goat, sheep producers

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Purdue University and the University of Kentucky will sponsor a daylong meat goat and sheep workshop on July 30 in Southern Indiana.

Extension specialists and agricultural educators will lead lectures and hands-on activities at the Southern Indiana Purdue Agriculture Center (SIPAC) located in Dubois County. Attendees will learn about the development of whole-herd programs, deworming methods, parasite reduction practices and fecal egg counting.

Training on a system for parasitic worm control and certification, known as FAMACHA, will also be offered. Farmers and producers will practice diagnosing symptoms of infected small ruminants. In the training they will receive the materials needed for conducting parasite testing at their own farms. The overall goal is to reduce the number of internal parasites and overcome their resistance to deworming drugs.

"Internal parasitism is one of the major health concerns for meat goat and sheep producers," said Mike Neary, Purdue small ruminant Extension specialist. "We have seen Kentucky's success with this system. Now, Indiana producers will have a chance to use it."

Purdue instructors include: Neary; Nicole Ferguson, School of Veterinary Medicine; David Trotter, Purdue Extension educator in Clark County; Jim Peter, Purdue Extension educator in Dubois County; and Jason Tower SIPAC superintendent.

The workshop is limited to 50 participants, and pre-registration is required. The cost is $35, and checks should be made payable to Purdue University. Registration forms can be downloaded from either the Purdue Sheep Web site or the SIPAC Meat Goat Web site. Registration forms and payments must be returned to Neary at Purdue by July 21.

For more information, contact Neary at (765) 494-4849 or mneary@purdue.edu. The workshop will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at SIPAC, located at 11371 E. Purdue Road in Dubois, Ind. Directions are available on the registration form.

Writer: Stephanie K. Miller, (765) 494-8402, millersk@purdue.edu

Source: Mike Neary, (765) 494-4849, mneary@purdue.edu

Ag Communications: (765) 494-2722;
Beth Forbes, forbes@purdue.edu
Agriculture News Page

Related Web site:
Purdue sheep home page

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