Sheep and goats

Featured resources

Livestock Evacuation during Wildfires

Learn about the development of an Ag Pass Program in California to improve farmer and rancher access to properties to take care of livestock during wildfires. Mathew Shapero, University of California Extension Livestock and Range ...

Mar 2022 | Video

How to get ewes to adopt orphan lambs

Getting ewes to adopt orphan lambs requires the orphans to smell like the ewe's own brood. There are several ways to transfer the ewe's smell to the orphan and pull off a successful adoption. Here's how to do it.

Cassie Bouska | Jan 2022 | Article Peer reviewed (Gray level)

How to meet the mineral needs of livestock in mixed pastures

Minerals are critically important for the health and well-being of livestock. Cattle, sheep and goats are frequently pastured together, but sheep can be harmed by copper, which cattle and goats need. Options to get animals the ...

Shelby Filley | Sep 2021 | Article Peer reviewed (Gray level)

Tips for livestock care in high temperatures

When a heat wave hits, don't forget that livestock need help to cope with the high temperatures too. Here are five things you can do to help livestock stay cool.

Jenifer Cruickshank | Jun 2021 | Article

Living on the Land: Getting Started with Sheep and Goats: Nutrition and Feeding

By Susan Kerr , Ashley Conway , Brian Tuck , Ellen Hammond and Shilah Olson

Sheep and goats require five essential nutrients: water, energy (carbohydrates and fat), protein, vitamins, and minerals. A deficiency in any of these can cause illness, poor growth or performance, and even death. This publication describes ruminant digestion and nutrition.

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Photo by Daniel Robison (Cropped from original)

Photo: Candi Bothum

Livestock auction, scales, and marketing services

A collection of items concerning livestock auctions, scales, and marketing.

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Latest resources

ODA Resources for Meat Processors and Producers

Oregon Department of Agriculture works to assist meat processors and livestock producers in Oregon. They have Meat processor resources, Livestock producer direct marketing resources, and more.

Jan 2024 | Online resource

Critical Control Points for Ranch Profitability

This presentation examines several different management practices that have the high potential to impact the profitability of livestock and forage operations. There is a built in self-evaluation process so you can see which practices you may need to spend more time addressing. Some of the slides have presentation notes you may find by hovering over the small note box in the upper left corner of the slide.

Shelby Filley | Dec 2023 | Presentation

Livestock & Wildfire Resource Hub

Wildfire, via smoke and flames, can endanger the health and productivity of livestock. We are investigating the effects of wildfire—particularly smoke—on cattle. With a more thorough understanding of how wildfire smoke changes animal physiology, we can develop better strategies to alleviate that stress. We invite you to explore our website to learn more about this hazard and our research and outreach projects. Feel free to contact project members at Oregon State University or the University of Idaho with questions.

Jul 2023 | Online resource

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Living on The Land: Getting Started with Sheep and Goats—Building a Flock or Herd

By Susan Kerr , Brian Tuck , Shilah Olson and Ellen Hammond

This is a second publication in the Living on The Land series on how to make a good start with sheep and goats. It gives more detail on how to choose healthy, high-quality animals, including specific signs of good health; tips on choosing a reputable seller; the diseases to ask a veterinarian to screen for; and managing new animals’ entry into your existing flock.

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Photo: Betsy Hartley (Cropped from original)

Sheep

How to navigate poor marketing conditions for lambs

Selling lambs during a down market can be a challenge. If you decide to hold your lambs until the market improves, here are some strategies for feeding and maintaining their health.

Shelby Filley | Aug 2019 | Article Peer reviewed (Gray level)

Good choices on rams now translate to good flock production later

There is no room for snap judgments when selecting breeding sheep. Next year’s lamb crop depends on careful choices. Taking the time to look closely at prospects will pay off with an improved flock down the road.

James Thompson | Aug 2018 | Article

More sheep resources

Goats

Price of goats

What's the price of goats? This USDA Ag. Marketing Service website has prices for goats across the US. Use these as a guide to prices for goats in Oregon.

USDA | Jul 2020 | Online resource

Footrot in sheep and goats

This publication from Purdue University Extension describes footrot and other foot disorders so that you can make a proper diagnosis of the problem. It also covers treartment and preventive measures such as hoof trimming, foot baths, and culling of animals not responsive to treatments.

Dec 2020 | Online resource

Goat Meat Quality

This short article from Michigan State University Extension has information on goat meat quality.

Jeannine P. Schweihofer | Jun 2020 | Online resource

More goat resources

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Agritourism

Pasture and forages

Irrigation

Upcoming Events

May 1

Linn County Livestock Association spring meeting

6:00 pm - 8:00 pm Brownsville, OR

Jun 19

Willamette Community Lamb Farm Tour

5:30 pm - 7:30 pm Albany, OR

Jul 23 - Jul 27

2024 Coos County Fair & Rodeo

10:00 am - 7:00 pm Myrtle Point, OR

Meet Our Experts

Diane Choplin

Small Farms Education Program Assistant 2

Shelby Filley

Regional Livestock & Forages

Julie Scism

4-H Education Program Assistant

Contact me with 4-H Questions in Clatsop County.

Rebecca Thistlethwaite

NMPAN Director

Contact for meat sales, science, & processing questions.

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How to manage Tansy Ragwort?

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