The Peru Gazette

Cornell Cooperative Extension/CCE has planned ‘Management Systems to Fit Your Life’ workshops for sites in Watertown, Malone, Plattsburgh, and Canton to focus on ways producers can structure their operations to accommodate both their farm business goals and lifestyle.

Workshop presentations and discussion will consider how frequently to lamb or kid, growing versus buying feed, how different marketing channels may conflict with off-farm job commitments, and how different management systems impact costs, time and labor requirements.

‘Sheep and goat farmers have lots of options for different management systems to meet unique business and lifestyle goals. For example, lambing and kidding can be once a year or multiple times as well as at different times of year. For some producers, profitability is important but not the first priority. These workshops are designed to help small livestock producers develop the right management system for each individual operation,’ says CCE Northern New York Livestock Team Leader Betsy Hodge, a small livestock specialist with CCE St. Lawrence County.

The 2012 Census of Agriculture counts the six Northern New York counties of Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence with 184 sheep farms, 5,975 sheep, 261 goat farms, and 2,206 goats.

The 2014 NNY Sheep and Goat Week Management Systems to Fit Your Life workshops will be held:

Tuesday, December 2, 6:30pm, CCE Jefferson County office, Watertown, $5/person, contact Ron Kuck, 315-788-8450, rak76@cornell.edu;

Wednesday, December 3, 10:30am, CCE Franklin County office, Malone, free, bring a dish to pass for lunch, contact Diane Dumont, 518-483-7403, drd9@cornell.edu, and

Wednesday, December 3, 6:30pm, CCE Clinton County office, Plattsburgh, free, pre-registration appreciated, contact Peter Hagar, 518-561-7450, phh7@cornell.edu; and

Thursday, December 4, 6:30pm, CCE St. Lawrence County Extension Learning Farm, Canton, $5/person, contact Betsy Hodge, 315-379-9192, bmf9@cornell.edu.