Between sessions you can talk with presenters, vendors, and the fellow producers you’ve just met during the sessions. Half the value of the Symposium is the colleagues you meet, the friends you make, and the knowledge you glean from other dairy sheep producers.

Presentation Details

WATCH THIS PAGE FOR UPDATES ON THE SYMPOSIUM PROGRAM

The DSANA Symposium Committee, made up entirely of producers in the U.S. and Canada who are actively milking sheep or who have in the past, has developed a comprehensive lineup of topics that are relevant to all dairy sheep producers, regardless of size. A presentation booklet (“proceedings”) will be available to all attendees, either electronically or in a paper version.

Improving Milk Quality in Your Flock

Dr. Andrea Mongini

Dr. Andrea Mongini, DVM will discuss milk quality and somatic cell count management. Part 1: The causes of clinical and subclinical mastitis, how they are transmitted, and how to control the spread. Part 2: Milk tests – how your milk is graded, what the milk test numbers mean, how to troubleshoot the test results; and how to create an on-farm mastitis lab. 

Dr. Mongini is a partner in M&M Veterinary Practice, which she operates in California with her husband, Dr. Craig Meadows; she was named 2023 Small Ruminant Practitioner of the Year by the AASRP.  Her practice specializes in dairy cattle, dairy goats, and dairy sheep, with an emphasis on herd health, nutrition, and production management. She also owns and operates Ewetopia Dairy, a 300-ewe dairy.

Once-a-Day Milking and the Effect on Milk Quality

Dr. Michelle Buckley

Many dairy sheep producers move to once-a-day milking to save themselves labor, but may not realize the effect on milk quality. What are the actual quality changes that result in the milk after milking frequency is reduced? Dr. Michelle Buckley will explain the role of an intra-mammary hormone that is released when the drying off process begins. At what point does the hormone get released? How does the change in milk affect cheese make and yogurt set? Recommendations for the drying-off process will also be shared.

Dr. Michelle Buckley, DVM, is a ruminant practitioner and a post-doctorate in Veterinary Field Services at Iowa State University. She was previously in private practice in Southern California. She is the founder and inaugural host of Baa’s and Bleat’s, a podcast sponsored by the American Association of Small Ruminant Practitioners.

Using Social Media Influencers to Market Sheep’s Milk Yogurt

Aisling Flanagan

We’ve all heard about major consumer-product companies using social media “influencers” to help market their product. Not many of us have heard about a sheep dairy using influencers to help market their sheep milk yogurt! Aisling Flanagan and her husband, Michael, produce sheep's milk yogurt and cheese at their Rockfield Farm sheep dairy and creamery in County Mayo, Ireland.  [Incidentally, Rockfield Dairy just won Ireland’s 2024 award for “Best New Irish Farmhouse Cheese”.]  

Aisling is an experienced sales and marketing consultant and has been a Lecturer in Marketing and Sales for the past 19 years at the University College Dublin's School of Business.  She will share her experience promoting her farm’s yogurt and cheese on social media and will give us some insight on using social media platforms and influencers to market sheep dairy products.

Managing Fiber and Balancing Rations in the Lactating Dairy Ewe Diet

Dr. Antonello Cannas

We all know that sheep require fiber in their diets to maintain healthy rumen function. Fiber intake promotes chewing, saliva production, and rumination. Fiber also influences overall feed intake, nutrient utilization, and feed efficiency. But how do we make sure that our sheep are getting enough fiber, and of the right type? 

Dr. Antonello Cannas of the University of Sassari, in Sardinia, Italy, will be joining us to give an overview of managing fiber in dairy sheep diets. Dr. Cannas will also discuss properly balancing rations for lactating ewes. Dr. Cannas and his team conduct dairy sheep research on the island of Sardinia, home to more than 2 million dairy sheep.

Producer Panel

5 Years In: Producer-Processors Share What They’ve Learned

Rob Dunning, Hannah Walker, Carrie Wasser

The producer-processors on this panel have each been milking sheep and making value-added products from their milk for approximately 5 years. They will share some of the lessons they’ve learned in “the school of hard knocks”: what’s gone right, and what hasn’t worked so well, from the unique perspective of those who both milk and make/sell product. They will also explain what led them to both produce and process milk, how they balance those two sides of their business, and what they wish they had known when they first started out.

Panelists: Rob Dunning of Raspberry Ridge Creamery (Pennsylvania); Hannah Walker of Rosemary & Thyme Creamery (Georgia); and Carrie Wasser of Willow Pond Sheep Farm (New York)

Colostrum Management for Dairy Replacement Lambs

Dr. Andrea Mongini

We’re only beginning to understand how important colostrum quality is for our replacement dairy ewe lambs. Dr. Andrea Mongini, DVM will help us with a presentation on colostrum management: what is “quality” colostrum; what is the mechanism of immunoglobulin absorption in the newborn lamb; how does inadequate immunoglobulin absorption impact the replacement female; what is the current understanding of the effect of feeding high SCC colostrum and milk to replacement females; and how can we use colostrum management to reduce mastitis in the ewe flock. 

Dr. Mongini is a partner in M&M Veterinary Practice, which she operates in California with her husband, Dr. Craig Meadows; she was named 2023 Small Ruminant Practitioner of the Year by the AASRP.  Her practice specializes in dairy cattle, dairy goats, and dairy sheep, with an emphasis on herd health, nutrition, and production management. She also owns and operates Ewetopia Dairy, a 300-ewe dairy.

Selecting for Parasite Resistance in the Dairy Flock

Dr. Michelle Buckley

Parasite management is almost synonymous with sheep management. But how does milk production level come into play with a dairy ewe’s resistance or lack thereof? Are your highest-producing ewes going to be the ones with less resistance to parasites, simply because of the stress of high lactation? What is the difference between ewes who are asymptomatic and those who are supershedders? Dr. Buckley will discuss how to identify family lines of poor resistance, and how selecting for parasite resistance might impact one’s selection for high milk production.

Dr. Michelle Buckley, DVM, is a ruminant practitioner and a post-doctorate in Veterinary Field Services at Iowa State University. She was previously in private practice in Southern California. She is the founder and inaugural host of Baa’s and Bleat’s, a podcast sponsored by the American Association of Small Ruminant Practitioners.

Producer Panel

Diversifying Markets By Investing in Brick & Mortar

Kandice Marchant, Anna Landmark &
Sarah Hoffmann

This Producer Panel will introduce us to three cheesemakers who needed to capture higher margins on their products, beyond what wholesale pricing was able to bring in. Each responded by opening a store, which allowed them to sell to customers directly. These panelists will discuss their process for determining the financial need for their store, what it was like to open their store, and how it has affected their dairy production processes. The panel, more broadly, will be about innovative ways of increasing profits for sheep dairy products, touching on event planning, e-commerce, and other revenue streams. So even if you’re not considering a brick & mortar store, you will come away with ideas on how to capture that direct-to-consumer dollar.

Panelists: Kandice Marchant of Marchant Manor Cheese (Ohio); Anna Landmark of Landmark Creamery (Wisconsin); Sarah Hoffmann of Green Dirt Farm (Missouri)

Supplementing Dairy Ewes on Pasture
(and Indoors)

Dr. Antonello Cannas

Following up on his popular presentation about part-time grazing systems for dairy sheep at the November 2023 Virtual DSANA Symposium, Dr. Antonello Cannas will be joining us in person in Chicago to dive deeper into the topic. In this presentation, Dr. Cannas will speak to the nutritional considerations of a part-time grazing system. He will share with us what he and his research team have found to be the most successful strategies for supplementing ewes in a part-time grazing system.

Dr. Antonello Cannas of the University of Sassari, in Sardinia, Italy, will be joining us to give an overview of managing fiber in dairy sheep diets. Dr. Cannas will also discuss properly balancing rations for lactating ewes. Dr. Cannas and his team conduct dairy sheep research on the island of Sardinia, home to more than 2 million dairy sheep.

OPP/MVV: Avoiding, Testing, Eliminating

Dr. Cindy Wolf and Tommy Lavoie

Ovine progressive pneumonia (OPP) -- or Maedi-visna virus (MVV) -- is a virus that primarily invades the lungs and udder. It is an economic scourge for dairy sheep producers once it takes hold in a flock. Tommy Lavoie, a sheep dairy producer in Quebec, eradicated OPP/MVV from his flock a number of years ago; he will discuss his experience in this presentation. Dr. Cindy Wolf, a retired veterinary professor who has been devoted to educating sheep producers about OPP/MVV, will join us to share updated information on the virus, eradication protocols, and a new and highly effective test for OPP.

Presenters: Tommy Lavoie milks about 300 East Friesian ewes in Quebec, and sells his milk to cheesemakers. He is one of our industry's most progressive producers, using EBV's and other genetic data in his management processes, and using laparoscopic artificial insemination, embryos, and imported semen to improve his flock's genetics.

Dr. Cindy Wolf, DVM, is a retired professor at the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Minnesota. She also raises meat sheep on her family farm in Minnesota. She has been a leader in the OPP Society, which has worked hard to move the sheep industry forward with new information on OPP, testing, genomics, and management.

Producer Panel

Record-keeping for the Breeding Program

Lynn Swanson, Marcie Davis, Terry Felda, Charles Killough & Persephone Allen

Clear protocols and detailed records can make a big difference in how a producer determines which ewes to breed to which ram, knows if/when a ewe has been bred, and keeps track of the qualities they are seeking to build a sound flock. These producers will discuss their different approaches to breeding (including breeding out of season and using EBV’s) and how they keep track of what they are doing. They will finish their panel discussion by sharing their biggest piece of advice regarding a successful breeding program.

Presenters: Lynn Swanson, Glendale Shepherd, WA; Marcie Davis, M&J Farms, CA; Terry Felda, Tin Willows Farm, OR; Charles Killough, Forever Young Farm; Persephone Allen, Full Fleeced Farm, WI.

Producer Panel

Using Data for Management Decisions

Tommy Lavoie, Josh Spicer,
and Mariana Marques de Almeida

Good management decisions ultimately start with having good data about your production system — your flock of dairy ewes. At this panel, three different farms will present examples of how they use their flock’s data to make management decisions and ultimately save money. For instance, by feeding less feed to lower-producing ewes, or by using a lower-cost feedstuff in a ration.

Presenters: Mariana Marques de Almeida, Ms J & Co. (Wisonsin); Tommy Lavoie, Lait Brebis du Nord (Quebec); Josh Spicer, Old Chatham Creamery and Shepherd’s Way Farm (New York)