A national Sheep and Goat Needs Assessment was conducted by the South Dakota State University (SDSU) small ruminant Extension team. The peer-reviewed survey was open from January to July of 2021 and was formatted as an online QuestionPro survey. The survey was distributed to producers throughout the U.S. via direct emails from state Extension professionals and livestock associations, sheep and goat related social media platforms, news releases, and in-person producer events. Open-ended and closed-ended questions were asked around three main topic areas:
- Farm and ranch demographics
- Preferences on production and management topics of importance and challenges
- Preferences on extension programming and delivery
