Sheep Update

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The Virginia-North Carolina Wool Pool will be marketing wool to Mid-States Wool Growers Cooperative Association based in Canal Winchester, Ohio. Each pool will sell wool on either a cash or grade and yield basis. Producers are encouraged to package, handle and store their wool in an appropriate manner in order to maximize the value of their wool clip. Wool should be packaged by type/grade (ewe vs. lamb wool, long staple vs. short wools, fine vs. medium wools) in plastic bags, and be clean, dry, and have foreign material (straw, mud, manure) removed prior to packaging. Following is a list of local pool delivery dates, and locations where wool will be picked up by Mid-States:

June 13	Staunton and Lexington, VA
June 19	Orange, VA
June 27	Christiansburg, VA
June 27	Williamston Asheville, NC
June 28	Albemarle and Asheville
June 29	Sparta, NC
July 9	Farmville, VA
July 10	Wytheville, VA
July 12	Winchester, VA
July 17	Lebanon, VA
July 25	Tazewell, VA

For more information regarding specific times and locations, contact your local Virginia Cooperative Extension Office or Scott Greiner, Virginia Tech, phone 540-231-9159.

Rules and regulations and consignment information for the 2001 Virginia Commercial Ewe Lamb Development Program are now available. The Virginia Commercial Ewe Lamb Development Program was initiated in 2000 with three primary objectives: 1) to provide commercial producers a source of quality replacement ewes, with documented genetics, management, and health status, 2) to provide an opportunity for producers to market commercial breeding stock, and 3) to serve as an educational tool in sheep production and management. The program is sponsored by the Virginia Sheep Producer's Association and is conducted at the Virginia Sheep Evaluation Station, located at the Virginia Tech Shenandoah Valley Agriculture Research and Extension Center located near Steeles Tavern. Commercial crossbred ewe lambs will be delivered to the station in early September. Ewe lambs will be developed on grass with supplemental grain mix provided to optimize growth and reproductive performance during the development program. Ewes will be co-mingled and allocated to breeding groups based on age, weight, and breed. Ewes will be mated to purebred rams, which have all been tested on the 2001 Virginia Performance Ram Lamb Test. Rams will be placed with the ewes October through mid-December. Breeding dates will be recorded on all ewes, and pregnancy status will be determined on all ewes in late December via ultrasound. A sale will be held in early January for all pregnant ewes. Ewes will be sold in consignor groups of 4-5 ewes based on projected lambing date and genetics. In 2000, 88 bred ewe lambs sold for an average of $193. Average development and sale costs were $37/ewe in 2000. For detailed information, contact Scott Greiner at 540-231-9163.

The 60th Annual Eastern Stud Ram Show and Sale was held June 15-16 at the Augusta Expoland near Staunton. The show was held on Friday with over 350 sheep exhibited. Wilson Stock Farm of Rural Retreat, VA exhibited the Champion Hampshire Ram. ECM Suffolks of Waynesboro, VA consigned the Champion Suffolk Ewe. The sale on Saturday had a $352 average on 261 total sheep sold. Sale results, including price and number sold for each breed were as follows:

	Rams	Ewes
Hampshire	$350 (20)	$383 (24)
Polled Dorset	$322 (36)	$311 (55)
Southdown	$264 (9)	$355 (15)
Suffolk	$410 (22)	$567 (15)
Wether Sires & Dams	$426 (17)	$316 (39)
All Breeds	$358 (104)	$354 (148)

Club Lambs	$233 (9)