FY 2003 Sheep

Objective: Assist in facilitating and reaching the proposed goal of providing training regarding the SSQA program in order for the information to be promptly and accurately presented to producers, distributors, and consumers.

Background: The Sheep Safety and Quality Assurance program (SSQA) has been developed to ensure that consumer products generated by the U.S. sheep industry are safe and of the highest quality possible. Consumer concerns have prompted every sector of the livestock industry to take a careful look at the products they market. The SSQA program focuses on food safety and quality of sheep products produced under a total management approach through the implementation of process control strategies. The mission of the Sheep Safety and Quality Assurance program is to maximize consumer confidence in, and acceptance of, sheep products by using research and education to improve management during the production of safe and high-quality sheep products.

The SSQA program was developed to provide education to producers pertaining to the concepts and background of total quality management, to outline the criteria for which production procedures will assist in meeting the objectives of SSQA that should be addressed in a sheep production unit, and to assist in the writing, implementation, and verification of production procedures to meet the outlined criteria.

The American Sheep Industry Association (ASI) began development of an industry-wide quality assurance program in 1991. In 1992-1993, ASI, in conjunction with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), sponsored a quality assurance audit to examine all phases of the production of sheep and of the generation of lamb, mutton, wool, pelts, milk, and lanolin. The audit traced each product from its origin on the farm or ranch through processing (in animal-harvesting plants and mills) to the consumer. In the final report of that audit, industry problem areas were identified, and preventative management strategies to assist in the reduction of quality challenges were developed. Factors of importance in quality assurance programs at the live-animal sector were farm, ranch, and feedlot management practices affecting the quality of sheep products. ASI, in cooperation with Colorado State University and other universities, revised the nation-wide Sheep Safety and Quality Assurance program. The SSQA program was compiled in 2002 and the manual and criteria have been revised in 2004 representing the culmination of 13 years of efforts to address concerns prompted by the sheep industry regarding the care and safety of the products they market.

Update: The newly revised SSQA manual provides information about objectives and process control procedures for use by sheep producers that will help generate safe, high-quality products. The SSQA manual contains introductory information, criteria to be achieved through process control in order to insure compliance with the SSQA program, background information about the criteria presented, the protocol utilized to verify compliance with the criteria in an on-farm SSQA program, product traceability concerns, how to monitor and take corrective action, and record keeping, along with supplemental information in appendices. Safety and Quality criteria of the SSQA Program are outlined, along with supporting information relevant to the topic. In order to become SSQA verified, producers must implement process control strategies to address all criteria, via written Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), as outlined in the guidelines, and contact a trained third party to verify compliance with the criteria in their operations. Full verification in the SSQA program will be awarded when all criteria have been addressed with written SOPs and have been implemented in a production unit.

With the revised criteria of the SSQA program, a SSQA Train-the-Trainer seminar was held in Ft. Collins, CO in October 2004. The Train-the-Trainer seminar provided the opportunity to train knowledgeable sheep individuals and give them a foundation regarding the necessary implications and effects of SSQA. Consequently, trainers will be available, as well as have the capability and materials needed to educate sheep producers throughout their local area and region. These trainers will have the responsibility of conducting future seminars critical in educating producers about the SSQA program and the steps crucial to implementation of and compliance to the program. Hence, the necessary education can be more effectively instituted to not only assist producers along the span of production to ensure a safe and high quality product, but also to maximize the operation’s profit potential. The SSQA manuals are in a loose leaf style binder so that future updates will can more easily be made and can be obtained by contacting ASI at 303-771-3500 or at their web site www.sheepusa.org/

As you know, we attempted to implement components of the SSQA Program on a commercial operation to (a) evaluate the impact of the management techniques on product quality, and (b) to begin to discern the cost of implementing SSQA procedures on-farm. We were successful in establishing collaboration with Spencer Rule to accomplish these objectives. We followed last year’s lamb crop throughout production, and collected data in the packing plant relating to effectiveness. Unfortunately, the lambs were not harvested until late-January and early-February. We completed data collection at that time, and have been evaluating data since. A draft final report of the study has been developed. We are in the process of editing/revising this report.

Title: High Country Woolens product development and marketing of wool blankets made from black and blackface wool

Objective: High Country Woolens is a vertically integrated value added project that will take blackface wools, which have traditionally brought a lower price in the traditional wool market, and have them manufactured into specialty blankets. Once the blankets are manufactured the group will work to sell them through marketing outlets that target sportsmen and outdoors enthusiasts. The projects is designed to fill a need in a niche market that will bring producers a higher price for their wool in a new market segment while also educating those that share the outdoors experience with ranchers about the eco-friendly attributes of the American wool and lamb industries.

Result: The product procurement, development and manufacturing phases have been completed and the advertising materials developed. Marketing packets complete with product samples have been developed and distributed. The product is available through mail order and are currently being placed at various retail outlets.

Bonnie Kline, the Executive Director of the Colorado Wool Growers Association was one of the featured speakers at a grant writing seminar sponsored by the National Sheep Industry Improvement Center in January 2005. She used this project as her example. That presentation is available at this sight and can be seen by going to: Advice For
Successful Grant Writing

Objective: Elk Creek Cheese was founded in 1999 by a group of Grade A goat dairy farms primarily in Michigan and Ohio. The group has experienced a ready acceptance in the market place and a corresponding increase in demand for their product. The group has recently completed a processing facility and they are in the process of working with additional goat producers to expand their flocks to help meet the growing demand. The program shows promise for expansion of the dairy goat industry in that region and the grant will help facilitate the expansion by freeing capital that has been locked up in the processing facility to help increase other aspects of the expansion.

Result: The project resulted in three new goat dairies coming on line and three more gearing up to beginning shipping milk in early October 2003. The grant combined with the producers commitment will help to ensure a stable supply of milk for the projected future market growth and needed working capital. With the increased production and marketing ability the impact of the program in the area has been very positive. The impact from the growing market is requiring producers to adjust to new production levels and that increase will begin to be seen in the fourth quarter of 2003. NSIIC has completed their funding of this project.

Objective: Reports of the National Research Council’s series on nutrient requirements of domestic animals are used as the standard for livestock feeding throughout the world. The Reports consolidate peer reviewed research about environmental impacts and production efficiencies for the benefits to producers, researchers, educational programs and are also the trusted non-bias source of information for government policy makers and legal decisions. The last editions of the National Research Council’s Nutrient Requirements of Goats and Nutrient Requirements of Sheep were published in 1981 and 1985, respectively. The $50,000 grant from NSIIC will be combined with $200,000 from other sources to complete an updated Nutrient Requirements publication that will include all small ruminants.

The origin of this project was a proposal by the Committee on Animal Nutrition to revise two reports in The Nutrient Requirements of Domestic Animals series: The Nutrient Requirements of Goats (1981) and The Nutrient Requirements of Sheep (1985). The two reports will be revised in a single report on nutrient requirements of small ruminants. All life phases and types of small ruminant animal production will be addressed. Updated recommendations will be made with consideration for the increased performance of different types of sheep and goats, as well as other uses of small ruminants. The formal proposal to produce the report was approved by the Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources on February 22, 1999; by the Division on Earth and Life Studies on October 15, 2002; and by the Executive Committee of the National Research Council’s Governing Board on November 12, 2002.

After the proposal’s approval, an extensive search and thorough examination of the qualifications of numerous individuals for potential membership on the proposed Committee on the Nutrient Requirements of Small Ruminants was conducted. Current and former members of the Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources and staff were consulted for suggestions. Databases of experts including the National Academy of Sciences were searched. National Academy of Sciences section liaisons were consulted, as well as current and former members of the Committee on Animal Nutrition. Professional societies and organizations were contacted for input including the American Dairy Science Association, the American Society of Animal Science, Poultry Science Association, the Canadian Society of Animal Science, and the Federation of Animal Science Societies. Nominees were reviewed and approved by the Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources, Division on Earth and Life Studies, and the President of the National Academy of Sciences in March 2004.

The committee was asked to meet certain goals for the study, as set forth in the following Statement of Task.

“A thorough review of the scientific literature and data on nutrient requirements of small ruminants will be conducted. All life phases and types of small ruminant animal production will be addressed. Updated recommendations will be made with consideration for the increased performance of different types of sheep and goats, as well as other uses of small ruminants. Effects of the environment, feed additives, and metabolism modifiers on nutrient requirements will be addressed. In addition, quantitative information on rumen and tissue requirements for protein will be incorporated, as well as new information on bioavailability of various nutrients. This revision will provide the user with recommendations for predicting nutrient requirements of small ruminants with consideration of various management situations. New and expanded information will be provided on feed composition. Areas of needed research also will be identified.”

The first meeting was held on May 17 and 18, 2004 at the National Academies Building in Washington, D.C. Topics discussed during the first meeting included: the NRC process and role of the committee, the statement of task, potential conflict of interest and bias, possible report outlines, sources of information, study timeline and goals, writing assignments, and future meeting dates. The sponsors of the study (some present in person and others via teleconference) discussed perspectives and expectations.

On June 28, 2004, Austin J. Lewis replaced Jamie S. Jonker as the Project Director.

A short meeting was held on July 26, 2004 in conjunction with the joint American Dairy Science Association-American Society of Animal Science meetings in St. Louis, MO. The committee discussed which species to include in the report and the overall format of the document.

A teleconference meeting was held on September 10, 2004. Progress on writing assignments of the individual chapters was discussed.

The second major, in-person meeting was held on November 8 and 9, 2004 in Irvine, CA. Writing assignments were reviewed and updated and the outlines for the primary tables were established.

A teleconference meeting was held on December 3, 2004. Table outlines were revised and progress on writing assignments was updated.

Another teleconference meeting was held on February 18, 2005. Various sections of text that had been completed and submitted were reviewed. Plans were made for the in-person meeting in Washington, D.C. in April.

The termination date was extended from September 30, 2005 to December 31, 2005, and additional funds were sought from one of the sponsors (CSREES).

On April 8, 2005, J. Marcos Fernandez resigned from the committee. His new position as Associate Dean of Agricultural Sciences at Penn State University placed too many demands on his time to allow him sufficient time to spend on the committee’s work.

The next meeting of the committee will be on April 21 and 22, 2005 in Washington, D.C. At this meeting a draft of the report will be reviewed and plans will be made to complete any remaining sections and to prepare the report for the National Academies review process.

Overall, the committee is making good progress and the work is on target to be completed by the contract end date.

Title: Use of Real Time Ultrasounography Technology to Enhance Genetic Selection for Improved Carcass Quality and Cutability in Lambs

Objective: As consumers demands continue to shift toward case-ready, ready-to-cook, heat and serve and comfort foods the need for the lamb meat industry to respond through genetics and feeding practices becomes increasingly important. One of the elements missing in the lamb meat industry has been a non-invasive pre-harvest technique for evaluating the use of real time ultrasonograpic technologies to assist with genetic selection, production efficiencies and yield. Ultrasounographic techniques have been effectively utilized by the beef and pork industries, but the technology has only had limited success in lamb meat for a number of reasons. This program will help determine if advances in Ultrasounographic technologies will make it a viable tool in the lamb meat industry.

Specific Aim - Obtain the most recent real time ultrasonography techniques and information from experts in the field.

This phase has been completed, two members of the investigation team traveled to Australia and consulted with leading experts in this area of research with sheep and beef. Additionally, we have consulted with various ultrasonography experts in the U.S. with extensive experience in swine and beef ultrasonography experience. We purchased an ALOKA SSD-900V ultrasonography unit with a multi frequency probe. We are very pleased with the image quality and the resolution we have achieved with this unit.

Specific Aim - Apply the advances in real time ultrasonographic technologies to multiple anatomical locations during various stages of physiological development/growth and evaluate their ability to predict carcass cutability.

The lambs from the first generation were subjected to ultrasonography measurements at multiple time points during their growth. Several anatomical locations were used for initial data collection and some were then eliminated due to practicality of obtaining these measurements in future industry application. For the remainder of the sessions, the following ultrasonography measurements were collected and recorded: loin depth, loin width, loin eye area and back fat depth at/between the 12^th and 13^th ribs and body wall depth four cm from the ventral edge of the longissumus dorsi (ribeye). A group of ram and ewe lambs were selected for potential studs for the next generation. The remaining ram lambs, wethers and ewe lambs were harvested at The Ohio State Meat Science Laboratory. After chilling, carcass data for cutability and quality traits was collected on each carcass. Carcasses were then fabricated into closely trimmed (.25 cm) retail cuts as described by Garrett et al. (1992). Subcutaneous fat trim, seam fat, kidney and pelvic fat, lean and bone components were collected and weighed for each whole-muscle cut and subprimal. The final statistical analysis of this data is currently being completed.

Specific Aim -Investigate the use of real time ultrasonography to augment genetic selection strategies with the goal of improving production efficiencies and red meat yield.

We modified this phase to more accurately reflect an actual industry scenario. Originally, we were going to use the two best rams identified in Phase II and mate them with several of the ewe lambs identified in Phase II. However, to more accurately reflect actual applied practices we mated the two best rams identified in Phase II to the same group of brood ewes that produced the lambs used in Phase II. In addition to being closer to an actual industry practice, this also allowed us to avoid the confounding effects of comparing offspring from mature ewes and young ewes lambing for the first time. The two young rams we identified in Phase II performed very well during the breeding season and settled above 90% of the ewes in each of their breeding groups. The lambs have been born and are being managed in the same manner as the previous generation that was used in Phase II. Because this management scheme involves the lambs being raised on pasture after they have been weaned and then finished on grain, it has taken them a little longer to reach market weight than originally projected (in both Phase II and Phase III). We anticipate harvesting these lambs early November and completing data analysis.

We have had the opportunity to collect ultrasonography measurements and corresponding carcass data on additional sets of market lambs and will also include these data in the final report to help further explain the merits and application of this technology for the industry.

Title: Goat meat marketing in the retail and food service markets in two southern cities

Objective: The goat meat industry is an emerging sector and in the past the emphasis has been on husbandry and production practices, with lesser emphasis on marketing. While there have been studies conducted on goat meat market identification and consumer acceptance, there is little information on goat meat marketing. Southern States Cooperative Foundation in cooperation with North Carolina and Kentucky producers will develop a blueprint marketing study and test it in Raleigh, NC. The study should be conducted in such a way that it can be duplicated in other locations as the goat market continues to develop and expand.

Update: April 2004 (Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader) (after reading this report be sure to close the PDF file so you will be able to return to the website)

Title: Effects of diet on growth, endocrine profiles, and carcass composition in meat-type goats raised in Missouri

Objective: As the meat goat industry moves from a specialty niche market toward filling the needs of the growing Hispanic and Islamic markets, the US goat industry is moving from their primary emphasis on mohair and goats as a pasture management tool into a mainstream meat industry. The grant will fund research that will evaluate production efficiency, growth rate, and carcass composition of goats raised in an intensive (feedlot) or non-intensive (grass fed) production system. The program will also evaluate fatty acid profile of the goat meat from the two production systems relative to dietary healthfulness and palatability.

Update: The goats were harvested in accordance with the proposed time line and they did find significant differences in growth rates and carcass characteristics. Their blood samples have been assayed and the results are in the process of being analyzed. However, due to the small loin eyes, they were unable to complete the tenderness aspect of the study at this time.

Title: Sire selection criteria and retinal identification for value-based market lambs

Objective: The main objective of the project is to capitalize on production and carcass traits of superior animals in value based marketing. The programs is designed to determine the ability of rams identified as superior in the performance test to transmit their desirable characteristics to their offspring and increase carcass value. the project will also evaluate the efficiency of a retinal imaging device to allow individual lambs to be identified from birth through processing.

Objective I. Determine the ability of rams identified as superior in the performance test to transmit their desirable characteristics to their offspring and increase carcass/wholesale cut value.

Lambs (n = 79), produced by mating 5 performance-tested rams to ewes randomly selected from the University of Wyoming flock of western whiteface ewes, were placed in a commercial feedlot and selected for slaughter when they reached approximately 64 kg live weight. At the commercial slaughter facility, weight carcass traits were obtained (Table 1). In addition, untrimmed legs from 10 carcasses sired by each ram plus legs from contemporary carcasses were "bought back" and are being dissected by the UW Meats Laboratory into lean fat and bone to provide an estimate of carcass composition. Correlations among image analysis data, actual dissection data, and estimates of retail value of individual wholesale cuts as well as that of the whole carcass will be calculated following collection of carcass composition data.

Ram Group

Live Wt, kg

Hot Carcass Wt, kg

Yield Grade

Rib eye area, cm²

64.4 ± 1.3

31.4±0.8

2.8 ±0.2

16.4 ±0.5

63.1 ± 1.4

31.1 ±1.2

2.6 ±0.3

17.2 ± 1.5

65.1 ± 1.0

32.5 ±0.5

2.8 ±0.2

18.1 ±0.3

64.5 ±0.8

31.4±0.4

2.7 ±0.1

18.1 ±0.3

63. 3 ±1.1

31.9±0.7

3.2 ±0.2

17.4 ±0.4

Objectve 2. Evaluate the efficacy of a retinal imaging device to allow individual lambs to be identified from birth through the slaughter process.

Vascular patterns of the retina are individually unique, much akin to the uniqueness of fingerprints, and may offer an alternative permanent method of identification.

Collaborative efforts with the Optibrand company (Optibrand Ltd., LLC, Fort Collins, CO) evaluated the applicability of this unique feature to the identification of sheep. The retinas of all lambs born to selected sires at the Archer Research Station were scanned and the image stored along with appropriate identification information using Optibrand's software. These lambs also received their traditional ear identification tags that are coded for year of birth, breed, and cross-referenced to their dam's identification. The consistency of identification by the traditional ear tags and the Optibrand system was evaluated by rescanning the lambs at weaning, when the animals were moved to the feedlot, and following exsanguination at the slaughter plant. Throughout these steps, the process continually evolved and modifications in soft- and hardware were made. As a result, a subsequent test was conducted to evaluate the accuracy and repeatability of using retinal vascular scans as a method of positively identifying sheep. Results and procedures used for this test are described in detail in the following manuscript that will be presented at the 2004 Annual Meetings of the Western Section of Animal Science (Corvallis, OR). These data confirm that hardware and software developed to collect and process digital RVP images from sheep can be accurately used for animal identity verification.