By The Namibian
THE development of the white savannah goat started on the farm of DSU Cilliers and Sons in 1955 in a minimum-care environment close to the Vaal River where the animals were expected to adapt, survive and breed on typical savannah veld.
By Cathy A. Bauman, Andria Jones-Bitton, Jocelyn Jansen, David Kelton, and Paula Menzies; BioMed Central
The study’s objective was to evaluate the ability of fecal culture (FCUL) and fecal PCR (FPCR) to identify dairy goat and dairy sheep shedding Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis. A cross-sectional study of the small ruminant populations was performed in Ontario, Canada between October 2010 and August 2011. Twenty-nine dairy goat herds and 21 dairy sheep flocks were visited, and 20 lactating females > two years of age were randomly selected from each farm resulting in 580 goats and 397 sheep participating in the study. Feces were collected per rectum and cultured using the BD BACTEC™ MGIT™ 960 system using a standard (49 days) and an extended (240 days) incubation time, and underwent RT-PCR based on the hsp-X gene (Tetracore®). Statistical analysis was performed using a 2-test latent class Bayesian hierarchical model for each species fitted in WinBUGS.
By Sheep Central
NEW season lamb supplies increased at major saleyards early this week, but were still only about half what was offered at the same time last year, Meat & Livestock has reported.
By NBC News
A farmer in northwest England has gone to extreme lengths to make sure his sheep will stand out from the crowd. He turned his entire flock orange.
By Meg McKinney, NPR
The chuga-chuga sound is one any dairyman would want to hear — daily. It’s the sound of milking machines collecting the white liquid, which is turned into edible products that support their farm.
By Food Safety News
A cheese manufacturer in Ohio and a dairy farm in Arizona were the recipients of the most recently posted food-related warning letters from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
By Irish Farmers Journal
Vaccination is an integral component of the footrot control programme for leading Texel breeder Michael McHugh. “We have been vaccinating for the past six years and we find that, when combined with effective treatment, proper foot bathing and culling of chronic cases, it has given excellent results,” said Michael, who runs a flock of 300 ewes at Lisnashannagh on the outskirts of Carrickmacross in Monaghan.
By Laura Roddy, Irish Farmers Journal
Sheep will be separated at factories into three categories: satisfactory, acceptable and unacceptable, according to guidelines released by Teagasc to implement the Department’s new policy.
By Steve Byrns, AgriLife Today
They may not replace the pickup, horse or 4-wheeler, much less a good sheep dog, anytime soon, but a Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientist thinks drones have practical ranching applications that will expand in the near future.
By Cara Jeffery and Sally Bryant, ABC
With spring lambing underway, sheep producers are being urged to revise their tail docking techniques. Findings from a study by Dr. Joan Lloyd released in a report from Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) showed a tail cut too short puts lambs and sheep at greater risk of developing arthritis.
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