Sheep Reproduction and Genetics

Two Master Lamb Producers Recognized at 2022 South Dakota Sheep Growers Association Conference

October 28, 2022

The South Dakota Master Lamb Producers Association recognized sheep producers from Alexandria, South Dakota, and Wessington Springs, South Dakota, during this year’s South Dakota Sheep Growers Annual Convention.

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.

Use of the EAZI-BREED Sheep CIDR in Spring Mated Ewes

Efforts to manage the reproductive cycle of the ewe have been a focus of producers and researchers for decades. By nature sheep are seasonal breeders with active ewe estrus cycles expected from late-August until January in the Upper Midwest and in a state of anestrous (non-cyclic) for the other months. Recently a commercial progesterone intra-vaginal device, the EAZI-BREED sheep CIDR (controlled internal drug release) was approved in the US to synchronize estrus in mature ewes during the anestrous period.