The Ohio Sheep Day program will take place at the OARDC Eastern Agriculture Research Station (EARS) in Belle Valley on Saturday, July 14 beginning with registration and time to visit with trade show exhibitors from 8:00 am to 9:00 am.  From 9:00 am to 10:00 am, there will be introductory comments from Dr. Cath Ann Cress, Dean of the College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CFAES), and an overview of the history, development and current management systems of sheep research at the station by Wayne Shriver, EARS farm manager.  A special feature of the 2018 Ohio Sheep Day is a Kid’s Program for children under 10 years of age.

The morning breakout sessions will focus on sheep handling systems, lambing facilities and lamb feeding systems.  Presenters include some familiar OSU Extension specialists and educators as well as some of the relatively new Extension specialists and OSU Department of Animal Science researchers.  Those presenters are Steve Boyles, Tony Parker, Wayne Shriver, Monique Pairis-Garcia, Clif Little, Ale Relling, and Lyda Garcia.

After a lamb lunch and time to visit with the trade show exhibitors, participants will once again load onto tour wagons and the afternoon breakout sessions will begin.  The topics for the afternoon sessions include Forage Research Plots that benefit the Sheep Producer, Setting up a Fence and Water System to Make Sheep Production More Efficient, and a Pasture Walk with the Experts.  Presenters include Christine Gelley, Clif Little, Wayne Shriver, Bob Hendershot, Jeff McCutcheon, Ted Wiseman and Rory Lewandowski.

There is no-preregistration required to attend Ohio Sheep Day.  The cost is $15 for Ohio Sheep Improvement Association (OSIA) members and $25 for non-members.  Cost includes lunch and handout materials.  The Ohio Sheep Day Program is a collaborative effort between the Ohio Sheep Improvement Association and OSU Extension with sponsorships from the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation and the Ohio Sheep and Wool Program.  For more information, contact Roger High at 614-246-8299 or by email at rhigh@ofbf.org.  More information about the pre-sheep day grazing tour along with a registration form and an Ohio Sheep Day flyer are posted on the Wayne County Extension web site at http://go.osu.edu/agwayne.