Project Overview
Beef producers in southern Illinois had expressed an interest in diversifying their production into multiple markets, specifically raising sheep/goats. Due to beef producers background, they are uniquely positioned to transition into, but lack knowledge of small ruminant production. This program was developed to provide beef producers with the basic knowledge needed to be successful at animal selection, breeding, rearing young, and marketing.
We developed an interactive 12 week course that brought together nationally recognized small ruminant experts. The weekly classes were recorded live to provide ample opportunity to review the materials. A website was developed to host the course materials and to provide a chat forum and additional resources. A CD of materials was also developed for those that had poor internet connectivity.
Overall 110 people were enrolled for the course (13 international and 12 US states). A variety of people were enrolled in the course beef producers, people who had never raised sheep/goats, a few to several years of production experience, international producers, etc. The course provided greater exposure and enrollee interaction than initially anticipated. Overall two beef producers purchased, bred, and raised small ruminants – one each sheep and goat.
Number of Participants: 10
PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS
There are no promotional materials available for this project.
EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS
There are no educational materials available for this project.
REPORTS & EVALUATIONS
There are no reports or evaluations available for this project.