Winter Time Farm Planning

So, it's a great time to take advantage of a little "inside time" to do some farm planning for the spring and summer.

Grain costs seem to change daily, and so maintaining the sustainability of a sheep operation could hinge on how to best use the forage resources on your operation. Have you run a soil test on your pasture fields lately? A great way to plan is to use an aerial photo of your farm or ranch and note the various pasture fields. Consider differences in soil, slope, and topography to determine which fields and how many need to be tested for the coming year. Some soil amendments, such as lime, should be added in the fall or over the winter to give the soil pH time to change before the spring growing season.

For many operations, soils differ between pastures, so different forage species should be planted in those fields. Thinking back to last year's growing season, are there fields that were thinning or have large percentages of weeds growing in them? Now is a good time to plan for changes to make these fields more productive. Does the soil fertility need to be adjusted? Are there other forages species that you would like to introduce into these fields? Do you need to look at weed control options? Don't be too quick to rip up the sod and replant; often pasture production is greatly increased simply by adjusting the soil fertility.

Do you have adequate options for providing water to the sheep in your pastures? Sheep, like any other livestock species, prefer to graze close to a water source. In large fields, they tend to overgraze the areas closest to water and spend very little time grazing farther from the water source. Are there options to reduce the size of some fields and add another water source to utilize pasture forages better?

Are there any changes that could be made to the health management program for your sheep? What were your major challenges last year, and what adjustments to management or health care could be made to decrease or eliminate those challenges? These challenges could include internal parasites, diseases, or foot problems.

Culling practices can often need adjustments on many livestock operations. Examine ewes critically for udder problems, feet and leg issues, lambing issues, and body condition. As you record lambing information, you might also write down any comments related to lambing: weak lambs, large teats, mothering problems, etc. Most lambing record sheets include a section for recording these comments. Circle the ewe's number in your records so you don't forget to cull her after her lambs are weaned. You might also leave the tails on lambs that should not be kept for breeding purposes.

Winter is also a good time to set production goals for your sheep operation. Are you satisfied with your weaning weights? What is your lambing percentage? Would your operation be more profitable with a higher lambing percentage? Are your ewes capable of raising twins without any additional assistance from you? Answers to these questions can be helpful when looking for that new ram that will continue to advance the profitability of your sheep operation.

For more suggestions on evaluating the sustainability of your operation, ATTRA has developed a small ruminant sustainability check sheet available online. This checklist can help producers review forages, livestock, marketing, records, economics, quality of life, and other areas for improvement. Even when sheep prices are high, we can still plan to become more sustainable in our production methods.