Author: Carter Laidlaw

Silvopasture video series from FarmingWithTrees

The following was submitted by GSSB Member CB Katzenbach of Sweet Sourland Farm

We are forest farmers, make maple syrup, and participated in the silvopasture survey described below. It’s something we’ve been doing for many years, using small ruminants to control understory vegetation among the red and sugar maples and the sap collection tubing lines. Over the years we’ve followed Cornell’s Maple research programs, and Cornell SmallFarms. A film crew came to our farm (NJ) in the summer of 2022, and you can see fleeting images of our Barbados Blackbelly sheep in this introductory video from Farming With Trees:

https://youtu.be/lY-oAQvWcvo?si=_UJUQbylYvYjL7du

We’re looking forward to seeing the short video they made here; they will add new videos every 2 weeks. Although the survey was limited to the northeastern U.S., the same principles can apply to farms throughout the continent.  Here is their statement and links for more information:

FREE VIDEO SERIES HIGHLIGHTS EXAMPLES OF SILVOPASTURE IN THE NORTHEAST US

With support from the USDA National Agroforestry Center (NAC), a collaboration of Regenerative Design Group, Wellspring Forest Farm, and Inhabit Films announce the release of a free video series documenting Silvopasture systems in the Northeastern USA.

Silvopasture (grazing livestock with trees) systems are complex, dynamic and site specific. The practice is both rooted in indigenous land stewardship and its benefits are well documented by scientific literature. Adoption by farmers and land stewards of silvopasture is currently low, but growing in interest.

This project began with an inventory of self-identified silvopasture practitioners in the Northeast US region. A total of 145 respondents across 9 states (ME, VT, NH, MA, CT, NY, RI, NJ, PA) reported stewarding 27,000 acres, with 5,300 of those acres in Silvopasture. From these respondents a range of examples were selected for videos and case studies to offer a snapshot of the practice along with ideas and inspiration for others to follow.

Videos will be released biweekly through the Farming with Trees collective, a decentralized network encouraging collaborative projects in Agroforestry that are grounded in the wisdom and knowledge of people, communities and ecosystems. Find out more at www.FarmingwithTrees.org and Join our Email List to receive an email when a new video is released on the website and YouTube Playlist .

Our immense gratitude for the farmers who agreed to share their experiences.

This project was made possible by a grant from the U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA), Forest Service, National Agroforestry Center (NAC), under the authority of the Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act of 1978. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender. All photos by Costa Boutsikaris, Inhabit Films. 2023.

Finish the Fight Against Scrapie: Brains Needed!

The United States is nearing the goal line after a 70 year battle against scrapie, a fatal disease that affects the brain of sheep and goats. Sheep and goat producers can help the USDA achieve this goal. The current program has been very successful to drastically reduce the amount of scrapie in the US. One of the most difficult aspects of an eradication program is making sure that the last few cases of the disease are found.

The most recent two cases of scrapie found in the US were sampled at slaughter but could not be traced back to a farm origin. One of these cases was a sheep in Wisconsin in 2021 and another was a goat tested in Indiana in 2019. Because these animals did not have adequate records and identification to find where they came from, it is likely there are still farms with cases of scrapie. For a country to be declared free of scrapie, international standards require a certain level of testing among all sheep and goat populations within a country. No samples can test positive for classical scrapie. The samples we need to test are brain and a lymph node.

Each year every state is given a minimum number of samples to be collected based on the breeding sheep and goat populations. This assures sampling represents the different populations. In fiscal year 2023 (October 1, 2022 – September 30, 2023), NJ needs to sample 31 mature (>18 months) sheep and 23 mature goats. As of the end of December we only collected 2 sheep samples and 1 goat sample. We continue to ask for help from our New Jersey small ruminant industry to obtain these samples.   If a producer has an adult sheep or goat that dies, that must be euthanized, or is being culled please contact USDA, APHIS, Veterinary Services at 609-241-2236.  There is no charge for the collection or testing of the samples.  Producers may be eligible for official plastic tags as long as our supplies last.

Submitted by:
Linda A. Detwiler, DVM
Veterinary Medical Officer
Sheep And Goat Health Team
Ruminant Health Center

Linda.Detwiler@usda.gov
609.738.5511