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A flock of white sheep grazing in a small pasture.

All American Sheep Day at the Black Hills Stock Show

January 10, 2020

The Black Hills Stock Show All American Sheep Day will be held Feb. 6, 2020 at the Kjerstad Event Center in Rapid City, S.D. (915 Centre St).

A young lamb standing in a barn stall.

SDSU Extension Lambing Season Tour

January 10, 2020

SDSU Extension will be hosting a lambing season tour on Wednesday Jan. 22, 2020, in Newell, S.D. The group will gather at TJ’s Café & Waterin’ Hole (214 Dartmouth Ave, Newell, SD).

Teardrop shaped tick with a dark brown body and legs and an elongate white patch behind its head.

Ticks Becoming Active in South Dakota

The arrival of spring in South Dakota means warmer weather and more outdoor activities. However, it also brings an increase in tick activity.

A field of flowering alfalfa.

Precautions for Grazing Weevil-Infested Alfalfa

Alfalfa weevil populations are high this year, creating challenges for producers. Questions have arisen on how to get some value out of the forage by grazing it rather than putting it up for hay.

A group of three people pruning a tree.

Garden Clubs & Associations

Novice gardeners and master gardeners share a love of and respect for nature, which is one of the many reasons why they naturally seek out like-minded individuals to organize clubs or associations.

A closeup of a sheep's face. The sheep looks to be in pain.

Sore Mouth: A “Pox” Virus for Sheep

Just like in children or adults who contract the dreaded chicken pox, sheep and goats can catch their own similar “pox” virus called Sore Mouth, technically known as Contagious Ecthyma. This health problem is most recognizable by red blisters or thick brown scabs on the skin around the lips or muzzle area.

A young lamb standing in a barn stall.

Importance of Lamb Nutrition Management to Avoid Acidosis

Acidosis (also known as lactic acidosis, grain overload, over-eating or grain poisoning) is a metabolic condition that most commonly occurs with lambs offered grain based diets, but can affect mature sheep.

A mother sheep cleaning its newborn lamb in a pen.

Newborn Lamb Care Management

Proper newborn lamb care is a critical component of flock profitability. In the U.S. lamb mortality from all causes is approximately 20% with more than 80% of those losses occurring in the first two-weeks following lambing.

A closeup shot of a sheep's eye.

Small Ruminant Abortions: Cleanup and facility considerations

Sheep and goat producers in the upper Midwest rely on annual lamb or kid crops to maintain economic viability. Reduction in the lamb or kid crop due to abortion (premature birth) and stillbirths are a common occurrence on many farms. Some of these problems have implications for human health as well as animal health.

A flock of white sheep grazing in a small pasture.

Sheep Breeds

Everyone has heard the fairytale “Baa Baa Black Sheep Have You Any Wool?” but what about the double-coated California Red, the multi-colored Katahdin sheep with hair, or the East Friesian dairy ewe that produces over 1,100 pounds of milk a year? Sheep come in different shapes, sizes, and colors and all of them provide different functions and uses for producers. These can range from meat, wool, and milk production or a combination of characteristics.