When we talk about bees and pollination, most people automatically think of honeybees. And it’s true. Honeybees do a lot of pollination for us, plus, they make us honey. So, we consider them to be a valuable resource. But did you know that honeybees are not native to the United States? And that 80% of…
Quarantine: An Important Protection For Your Sheep
In a previous blog post we discussed selecting breeding stock. Today we are going to discuss the next step. Quarantine. When you bring your new prize ram/ewes home, they should go straight into a quarantine pen far away from all your other animals. It doesn’t matter how healthy you think the new animals are or…
Squash Bugs: Pests Sucking Life Out of Your Plants
Cucumbers, zucchini, pumpkins are all staples of a summer garden, and for good reason. They are typically very productive and easy to grow even for a beginner gardener. Unfortunately, depending on where you live, pests tend to get in the way. The pests and pest transmitted diseases that cucurbits (squash family plants) are susceptible to,…
Easy Homemade Sheep Milk Ice Cream
One of our favorite uses for sheep milk is ice cream, or more accurately iced milk. Sheep milk is plentiful going into the hot summer months and ice cream is a quick, easy, delicious snack to make. Sheep milk is high in solids, and as a result it makes a healthier ice cream than cows’…
Tomato Hornworm: Is Something Eating Your Tomatoes?
Today we are going to take a quick look at the big ugly tomato hornworm. Many times, they seem to appear and demolish big chunks of your tomato plants almost overnight. Fortunately, they are easy to manage, and they do not require any pesticide usage to control. If you are unfamiliar with this garden pest,…
Meningeal Worm: How Deer Can Impact Your Flock
Did you know that whitetail deer can share diseases and parasites with your sheep and goats? Meningeal worm, also called brain worm and deer worm, is one of those parasites. It is not as frequently seen or spoken of as other parasite, but it can be deadly if not treated promptly and properly. Thus, it…
How To Keep Garden Weeds At Bay
Weeding. Most gardeners consider this to be one of their least favorite tasks. It can be tedious, monotonous, and thankless enough to put some people off gardening all together. Weeds grow incredibly fast and can overtake your garden seemingly overnight. They can quickly result in crop yield reductions or the death of ornamental plants. Thus,…
Enhancing Livestock Performance: The Importance of Breeding Stock Selection
If a large percentage of your flock is related to your ram, you might be at the point where you are worried about inbreeding and looking to buy a new ram. Perhaps you’re looking to buy in some new ewes to enlarge your flock. Or maybe you just feel like your sheep aren’t performing as…
Brown Rot: The Bane of Growing Stone Fruit
If you have ever tried growing stone fruits like peaches or plums, then you might have struggled to ever get fruit. This is particularly if you live in the hot humid environment of the southeast. In the spring your trees flower, you get a promising set of happy looking fruit, then shortly before they start…
Keeping Mastitis Out Of Your Flock Of Sheep
If you breed sheep for any length of time, you’re likely to run across a case of mastitis at some point. This is particularly true for dairy animals. The increased udder volume and the larger, lower placed teats that are desirable for milking make the animals more susceptible to mastitis. So today we are going…
