Northwest Arkansas Small Ruminants Field Day set for Oct. 28 in Fayetteville

Small ruminants have practical and profitable uses on the farm. Still, there is a lot to know about sheep and goats to maintain their health and the sustainability of the land they are on.

A free event offering education on how to raise sheep and goats will be held Oct. 28 at the Milo J. Shult Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Fayetteville with sponsorship from Soil for Water, a forage sustainability project funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program.

The Northwest Arkansas Small Ruminants Field Day, hosted by the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, will be held from 8:30 a.m. to noon at 1935 W. Heck St. in Fayetteville.

Lunch will be provided after the morning’s learning sessions and demonstrations with Dirk Philipp, associate professor of forage agronomy, Dan Quadros, assistant professor and small ruminant Extension specialist, and other speakers from the animal science department at the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

In addition to ways cattle producers can integrate sheep into their farming operation, Philipp said participants will be taught sustainable grazing techniques based on research conducted by the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the research arm of the Division of Agriculture. Quadros said sheep are a growing segment of Arkansas livestock operations, and small ruminants can be an asset for big and small farms.

“This field day will provide hands-on opportunities and demonstrations from the classroom to the farm-level environment,” Quadros said. “It will be very valuable for beginning farmers who want to adopt new technologies and learn the business risks and rewards, as well as established cattle ranchers looking for ways to maximize use of their land.”

Coffee and pastries will be served at 8:30 a.m. before a “farm walk and talk.” Joining Philipp and Quadros in presentations will be Linda Coffey, livestock specialist for the Southeast Regional Office of the National Center for Appropriate Technology, along with Washington County Extension Agent Ronnie Horn and Benton County Extension Agent and Staff Chair Johnny Gunsaulis.

Learning sessions will include the following topics:

• Forage and nutrition
• Grazing strategies
• Reproduction and flock management
• Parasite identification and control
• Practical, on-farm necropsy

Registration for the event is required to attend. To register, please visit https://bit.ly/Small-Ruminants-Field-Day-Registration.