OSU Sheep Team

Tim Fine, Miami County Program Assistant

January 15, 22, 29, and February, 5, 12, 19, and 26-Sheep Production Short Course, Knox County Agricultural Center. For more information, go to http://knox.osu.edu

January 21&22-Heart of America Grazing Conference in Columbus, IN. Agenda and registration materials can be found here http://www.agry.purdue.edu/ext/forages/pdf/2009HOAGC.pdf.

Various dates in January, February, and March- OSIA’s District Programs. A variety of topics will be covered at locations all across the state. For more information, visit http://ohiosheep.org

February 13-Ohio Forage and Grasslands Council Annual Meeting at Ohio Department of Agriculture in Reynoldsburg. For more information, contact Leah Miller at (740)545-6349.

March 6&7-Appalachian Grazing Conference, Morgantown, WV. For more information, log onto http://www.wvca.us/grazing_conference

March 12, 19, and 26-Hancock County Grazing School. Contact OSU Extension in Hancock County at http://hancock.osu.edu

March 16, 23, and 30-Eastern Ohio Grazing School. Contact Belmont, Guernsey, or Monroe County Extension at http://belmont.osu.edu; http://guernsey.osu.edu; or http://monroe.osu.edu.

Tim Fine, Miami County Program Assistant

The 2009 Appalachian Grazing Conference will be held at the Lakeview Resort in Morgantown, West Virginia on March 6&7. For more information and registration details, log onto http://www.wvca.us/grazing_conference.

Log on and get registered soon as the reduced lodging rate of only $76.00/single occupancy coupled with the conference registration of $75.00 is only available until February 2.

Tim Fine, Miami County Program Assistant

Want to be a better manager of your pastures and your livestock at the same time? If you live in Northwest or Eastern Ohio, here is your opportunity.

The Hancock County Extension Office will offer a grazing school on March 12, 19, and 26 in Findlay, and the counties of Belmont, Guernsey, and Monroe will hold their school on March 16, 23, and 30.

For more information regarding the school in Findlay, contact Gary Wilson at the Hancock County Extension Office at (419)422-3851. For the school in Eastern Ohio, contact either Steve Schumacher in Belmont County at (740)695-1455; Clif Little in Guernsey County at (740)489-5300; or Mark Landefeld in Monroe County at (740)472-0810.

Roger High, Ohio Sheep Extension Program Specialist

This O.S.U. Extension Coordinated Program is an effort to provide outreach programs in several areas of sheep production. We invite sheep and goat producers from around Ohio to come to one or more of the educational sessions to learn more about different areas of sheep and goat production.

Programs Sponsored by: Ohio Sheep Improvement Association, Roger A. High, Executive Director, contact (614) 246-8299 or rhigh@ofbf.org or visit our website at www.ohiosheep.org for more information. Contact Extension Educators for possible meeting fees.

When, Where and What?

Wednesday, January 14, 2009 “Mt. Victory Program”
Location: Mt. Victory Plaza Inn, Mt. Victory, OH
Time: 6:00 p.m. - PAID RESERVATION IS REQUIRED FOR MEAL
7:00 p.m. – Program begins
Registration for meal: $15.00/person: Paid Registration due by: January 5, 2009
Speaker: Bob Hendershot, USDA/NCRS Grazing Specialist, “Pasture Management”
Contact: Wesley Haun, Logan County Extension Educator at (937) 599-4227

Tuesday, January 27, 2009 “Springfield Program”
Location: Clark County Extension Office, 4400 Gateway Blvd., Suite 104, Springfield, OH
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Speaker: David O’Diam, OSU Meat Lab Manager, “Lamb and Goat Carcass Evaluation”
Contact: Jonah Johnson, Clark County Extension Educator at (937) 328-4607 or
Tim Fine, Miami County Extension Program Assistant at (937) 440-3945

Monday, February 9, 2009 “Burton Program”
Location: Geauga County Extension Office – Patterson Center, 14269 Claridon-Troy Rd, Burton, OH
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Speaker: Roger A. High, OSU Sheep Extension Specialist, “The Management Continuum”
Contact: Les Ober, Geauga County Program Assistant, (440) 834-4656

February 25, 2009 “Bryan Program”
Location: Williams County Extension Office -
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Speaker: Dr. Bill Shulaw, OSU Preventive Veterinarian, Beef and Sheep, “Internal Parasite Management”
Contact: Flo Chirra, Williams County Extension Educator at (419) 636-5608

Wednesday, March 4, 2009 “Fostoria Program”
Location: Ag Credit Services Corporate Office, 610 West Lytle St., Fostoria, OH
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Speaker: Dr. Steve Loerch, OARDC Ruminant Nutritionist”, “Ruminant Nutritional Programs utilizing Dried Distiller’s Grain’s (DDG’s)”
Contact: Ed Lentz, Seneca County Extension Educator, (419) 447-9722 or Gary Wilson, Hancock County Extension Educator, (419) 422-3851

Monday, March 16, 2009 “Licking/Muskingum Program”
Location: Licking Valley High School, Haynesview Drive, Hanover, OH
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Speakers: Roger A. High, OSU Sheep Extension Specialist, “What Market are You Breeding For?”
Katherine Harrison, General Manager, Blystone Farms, “Marketing to the Ethnic Population”
Contact: Howard Siegrist, Licking County Extension Educator, (740) 349-6900 or
Mark Mechling, Muskingum County Extension Educator, (740) 454-0144

Thursday, March 19, 2009 “Woodsfield Program”
Location: Monroe County Courthouse, Extension Office Conference Room, 101 North Main Street, Woodsfield, OH
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Speaker: Roger A. High, OSU Sheep Extension Specialist, “Sheep Nutrition”
Contact: Steve Schumacher, Belmont Co. Extension Educator, (740) 695-1455 or
Mark Landefeld, Monroe County Extension Educator, (740) 472-0810

Wednesday, March 25, 2009 “Lisbon Program”
Location: Crestview Local School, 44100 Crestview Rd. , Columbiana, OH
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Speaker: Roger A. High, OSU Sheep Extension Specialist, “Lamb and Goat Quality Assurance”
Contact: Julie Herron, Columbiana County Extension Educator, (330) 424-7291

UNKNOWN DATE AT THIS TIME! 2009 “Bryan Program”
Location: Unknown at time of release – More details later
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Speaker: Dr. Bill Shulaw, OSU Preventive Veterinarian, Beef and Sheep, “Internal Parasite Management”
Contact: Flo Chirra, Williams County Extension Educator at (419) 636-5608

We are setting these programs up as “district” programs to reach as many sheep and goat producers around the state of Ohio as possible. We encourage you to come and to get your sheep and goat production questions answered.

Mary Thomas, Coshocton/Tuscarawas Lamb and Fleece Improvement Committee Treasurer

The Coshocton / Tuscarawas Lamb & Fleece Improvement Committee will be sponsoring a Sheep Shearing School on Friday and Saturday, February 6-7, 2009 from 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. at River View High School Ag Shop, 26496 SR 60 North, Warsaw, OH 43844. Class size is limited to 20, and the cost is $40 per student. Registration deadline is Friday, January 16. If you have questions or would like a registration form, please call (740) 545-9163 or e-mail jmthomas2006@gmail.com

Rory Lewandowski, Extension Educator, Athens County

A small ruminant production school for sheep and goat producers will be held this winter in Athens County. The school will be held on 5 consecutive Tuesday evenings beginning on January 27 and continuing February 3, 10, 17 and 24. The school will be held at the Athens County Extension meeting room and will run from 6:30 pm until 8:45 pm. each evening. OSU Extension, Athens County and the Ohio Sheep Improvement Association (OSIA) are sponsors of the school.
This is envisioned as the first of several multi-week schools for sheep and goat producers that will be offered over the next several years. The 2009 school will focus on marketing and breed selection. Though marketing is often presented as the last step in educational programs, it really needs to be thought about early on when developing a sheep or goat enterprise. A successful sheep or goat enterprise should be put together working backwards from where animals will be marketed. Some breeds and production systems fit certain markets better than others. Some producers may only want to consider a limited range of market options. Understanding what marketing options are available and what type of animal each particular market wants can help to define breed selection and/or production systems. On the other hand, if a producer is locked into a certain breed and/or production system, understanding markets may offer insight into where/how their farm’s animals should be marketed for best returns.

Topics that will be covered at the small ruminant production school include:
• Ethnic Marketing Options for Sheep and Goats: Katherine Harrison-Haley, Blystone Farm, Canal Winchester
• Meat Goat Breed Selection: Dave Mangione, Extension Educator, Ross County
• Producing for the Commercial Sheep Market: Rick Reynolds, Manager, United Producers Inc., Mount Vernon
• Marketing Considerations/Direct Marketing: Don Van Nostran, Athens County Sheep Producer
• Sheep Breed Selection: Roger High, OSU Extension Sheep Specialist, Director Ohio Sheep Improvement Association
• Current Issues in Sheep and Goat Production: Rory Lewandowski, Extension Educator, Athens County and Curt Cline, Athens County sheep producer
• Carcass Evaluation: Understanding your Product from a Consumer Perspective: Dr. Paul Kuber, OSU Extension Meat Specialist
• Pulling it All Together/ Matching Animal to Pasture Production: Daryl Clark, retired OSU Extension Educator and Muskingum County sheep producer

Cost is $25 and includes registration and materials for 1 to 2 people from a farm business, $10 for each additional person from the same farm operation. Also included in the cost are speaker fees, handout materials and refreshments. Make checks payable to “Athens County Extension”

Pre-registration is requested to the Athens County Extension office by Friday, January 23. Contact the office by phone at (740) 593-8555 or Rory Lewandowski by email at: lewandowski.11@osu.edu

Dr. Bill Shulaw, OSU Extension Veterinarian

The starvation/hypothermia complex usually comes about when multiple contributing factors are present and not just the simple occurrence of cold weather. Some of these include failure of the ewe to care for the lamb, difficult birth resulting in a weak lamb, bacterial mastitis in the ewe, “hard bag” in the ewe caused by ovine progressive pneumonia virus, and several infectious causes of abortions which also may result in live, but weak, lambs. Most producers will be confronted with the occasional hypothermic lamb.

A comprehensive source of information about problems occurring around lambing time is the Sheep Production Handbook published by the American Sheep Industry Association. The following is from the current edition of the Handbook:

“Rectal temperature is the primary guide to identification and treatment of hypothermia in lambs. Mild to moderate hypothermia is characterized by a body temperature between 37° and 39°C (98° and 102°F); severe hypothermia occurs when the body temperature is below 37°C (<98°F). Hypothermia is caused by excessive body heat loss coupled with reduced heat production. Newborn lambs are unable to regulate their body temperature for the first 36 hours after birth so environment and management practices greatly affect how much body heat newborn lambs may lose. Energy from body fat, colostrum, and milk is required by lambs to generate heat. Starvation depletes stored energy sources quickly and precludes the intake of adequate amounts of high energy nutrients. Common, but not necessarily routine, findings on necropsy that suggest starvation include: the absence of milk in the stomach and intestine, a change in the color and consistency of fat around the kidneys from light tan and firm to purple and gelatinous, and a complete absence of fat in the abdomen.”

There are multiple approaches to treatment of lambs that are hypothermic. Again quoting from the Sheep Production Handbook :

“Hypothermic lambs do not get better without assistance. For treatment of hypothermia, the following steps are recommended:
1. Move ewe and lambs to shelter or, if the hypothermia is severe, remove lambs from the ewe.
2. PRIOR TO WARMING, lambs more than five hours old with severe hypothermia (< 37°C, 98°F) should be given an intraperitoneal injection of a warm 20 percent dextrose (glucose) solution at a dose of four to five milliliters per pound of body weight. The injection can be given by the following procedure: (1) hold the lamb by the back legs in a hanging position, (2) disinfect the injection site that is located one inch either side and one inch behind the navel, (3) slowly insert a 20-gauge, one inch sterile needle, with the syringe containing the dextrose attached, into the abdomen, and 4) direct the injection toward the rump.
3. Towel-dry wet lambs. Supplement with heat or warm in a warming box using dry heat, e.g., a hand-held hair dryer or heat lamp. Temperature in the box should not exceed 103°F. Avoid overheating lambs by affixing a thermometer to the inside of the box and checking the lambs and the box thermometer regularly, at least every 30 minutes. Lambs should be warmed to 99°F.
4. Tube feed colostrum at the rate of 20 to 25 milliliters per pound of body weight per feeding after the lamb has been warmed (30 milliliters is approximately equal to one fluid ounce). Lambs unable to nurse on their own should receive this amount of colostrum by stomach tube three to four times during the first day of life.
5. Return the lambs to the ewe when rectal temperature is normal (usually one to three hours), and they can stand and nurse on their own. If lambs are still weak after treatment, they should be fed regularly by stomach tube until they are strong enough to join their mother.
6. If only one of a set of twin lambs is involved, remove both lambs from the ewe while warming is taking place and return both lambs simultaneously. Observe lambs frequently to check for relapses.”

Your veterinarian should instruct you in the technique of intraperitoneal injection and can provide you with sterile glucose solution. If you find yourself unprepared, tube feeding the lamb a warm (1020 F.) corn syrup solution (like Karo®) may be helpful. Two ounces of a 50:50 mix of corn syrup and warm water through a stomach tube will provide both heat and readily available glucose to a cold lamb. This can be repeated hourly or so if the lamb appears to be responding.

Moderately hypothermic lambs may respond to warming them and tube feeding with milk or colostrum. If the ewe has no milk and you can’t get milk from another ewe, milk from your refrigerator that has been warmed to body temperature can be substituted safely.

Much has been written about colostrum and its importance to the health of newborn mammals. Again from Sheep Production Handbook:

“Many infectious diseases occurring in the first few days of life occur because the lamb did not get enough colostrum during the first 12 hours after birth. The newborn lamb, unlike the human baby, is born without protective proteins, called antibodies, in the blood. Antibodies are necessary to protect the lamb from bacteria and viruses that gain entrance into the body by various means. The first milk of the ewe, called colostrum, contains antibodies necessary for lamb survival. Colostrum antibodies against some diseases, such as the clostridial diseases, can be increased by vaccinating the ewe a month before lambing. The antibodies consumed by the lamb pass from the intestines into the blood stream. However, a gradual closure of the intestine to the passage of antibodies occurs and is completed by approximately 12 hours after birth. Therefore, it is extremely important for the lamb to get colostrum as soon after birth as possible. Colostrum also contains concentrated levels of energy, protein, vitamins, and other nutrients needed by the lamb. To ensure survival, the lamb should consume an amount of colostrum equal to five percent of its body weight. For example, a 10-pound (160 oz.) lamb should receive eight ounces of colostrum within the first few hours after birth, four ounces immediately, and an additional four ounces within the next 12 hours. It is easier, quicker, and more effective to use a stomach tube rather than a bottle to feed colostrum to a weak lamb.”

Although it is possible to use cow or goat colostrum as a substitute for ewe colostrum, shepherds should carefully weigh the risks of doing so. Colostrum from outside sources, including other sheep flocks, can bring unwanted disease causing bacteria and viruses to the farm. Some examples include Johne’s disease and salmonella, and very recent research has suggested that scrapie may be transmitted by milk or colostrum.1,2

The above quotations are from pages 423, 424, and 426 of the SID Sheep Production Handbook, 2002 Edition, volume 7, published by the American Sheep Industry Association, 9785 Maroon Circle, Suite 360, Centennial, CO 80112. Phone: (303) 771-3500. (Email: info@sheepusa.org)

1. Lacroux C et al. Prions in milk from ewes incubating natural scrapie. PLoS Pathog. 2008 Dec;4(12):e1000238. Epub 2008 Dec 12.

2. Konold T et al. Evidence of scrapie transmission via milk. BMC Vet Res. 2008 Apr 8;4:14.

Dr. Bill Shulaw, OSU Extension Veterinarian

There are many factors that affect lamb survival. Serious shepherds should consult the Sheep Production Handbook, produced by the American Sheep Industry Association (www.sheepusa.org), for a more complete discussion of the various conditions and infectious diseases which impact lamb survival. However, if a pregnancy is carried to term, most losses occur in the first 3-4 days of life, and if lambs survive the first 4 weeks, most usually make it to market. Most losses can be grouped in 3 general categories - starvation/hypothermia, pneumonia, and scours (diarrhea). To a large degree, these losses are related to management factors we control, and therefore, a proportion of this loss is preventable.

Most small ruminant species are very hardy and have adapted well to their environment and available nutritional support. If one examines which mammals are found in the harshest of the world’s environments, you will find that small ruminants predominate over bovines and other large mammals. If left to themselves, many small ruminant species will deliver their young in the spring, or early summer, when the weather turns milder and forages are most nutritious and abundant. In wild small ruminant species, selection pressure eliminates extremes in birth weights and favors mothers with optimal characteristics in ease of birth, mothering ability, balanced milk production, and ability to thrive with available nutritional resources.

One only has to look as far as the white-tailed deer in Ohio to see these pressures at work. Data collected by the Ohio Division of Wildlife from 1997-1999 (published in 2004) indicate that greater than 90% of mature does will give birth to an average of about 1.86 fawns in May and June. (Tonkovich et al, 2004) Somewhere between 6% and 10% of mature does will have three or more fawns. Between 30% and 60% of those female fawns (depending on the region of Ohio) will conceive in the following fall when their live weight is about 85 pounds. They will give birth to about 1.21 fawns when they are themselves only one year old. These recent figures are actually somewhat lower than previous research conducted in 1981-82 and may reflect declining habitat quality (read nutrition) in some parts of the state where deer numbers have increased substantially since the early 1980s. Each fall we harvest over 30% of these animals during the hunting seasons (over 230,000 in 2007/2008), and car accidents account for many more. (http://dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2008/02/07/2008-09_deer_regs.ART_ART_02-07-08_B1_GT99IS2.html?sid=101) Except for the agricultural crops they use, deer provide Ohioans with considerable red meat production with no help from us, largely as a result of our relatively fertile soils and favorable climate.

The starvation/hypothermia complex is the leading cause of death in the Great Lakes region. This is a largely a function of the time of year when lambs are born. However, vigorous lambs that receive adequate colostrum and milk (5-10% of body weight) in the first few hours after birth can withstand a significant amount of cold. Some literature from other parts of the world refers to this problem as SME - starvation, mismothering, and exposure. This terminology emphasizes the ewe’s contribution to the problem. Research, and practical experience, indicates that selection for ewes with sound udders, desirable teat placement, and strong mothering instincts can significantly reduce the impact of this problem. Likewise, large birth weights and dystocia, also conditions we can select against, contribute to less vigorous lambs that don’t find the ewe’s udder without assistance. Because lambs have small body weight in relation to their surface area, hypothermia will always be a potential cause of loss, even in lambs born in mild or warm weather. However, we can reduce its impact in our flocks by altering our selection and management practices.

Pneumonia is the second leading cause of death in young lambs. Death is most often caused by bacterial infections, usually Mannheimia (Pasteurella) hemolytica and Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae. These bacteria are common in sheep flocks, and the problem strains usually can be found in the nasal passages and tonsils of adult, and often healthy appearing, ewes. Transmission to the lamb is usually by aerosolized droplets, containing the bacteria, originating from carrier ewes. This transmission is favored by inadequate exchange of air and moisture as is often seen in our barns. Poor ventilation, combined with a significant proportion of the ewe flock with chronic infection of the respiratory tract, generally results in pneumonia being a significant cause of mortality in young lambs. The same situation occurs in cattle and some other species. Producers should consider culling ewes with a chronic cough.

Increasing the rate of air exchange will, of course, tend to make the barn colder in winter and could increase the risk of hypothermia in lambs. However, starvation/hypothermia problems can be minimized with appropriate selection and management. Pneumonia not only causes significant mortality in young lambs, but also leads to chronic infections in older lambs and ewes. Pneumonia is a leading cause of death and reduced performance in feedlot age lambs. Many infections in these lambs are already established in the respiratory passages, long before lambs reach the feedlot, and only need the stresses of transportation and the feeding program to result in clinical disease. Refinements in building design and reduced animal density in confinement situations are more effective long-term measures to control pneumonia than antibiotic usage. Experience suggests that flocks which lamb outdoors in the spring tend to have a low incidence of lamb pneumonia.

Diarrhea in young lambs is caused by several kinds of bacteria, viruses, and protozoa. Lambs that do not receive adequate colostrum are at greatest risk of developing diarrhea. However, even animals that received adequate amounts may still develop diarrhea if the colostrum did not contain specific antibodies to these agents. In addition, colostral antibody can be overcome by a severe buildup of infectious agents in the environment. Lambs with diarrhea may shed hundreds of millions of infectious organisms in every teaspoonful of manure. For many infectious organisms, ingestion of only a few is necessary to cause disease. For example, fewer than 10 Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts are needed to cause a productive infection. As if all this weren’t bad enough, some ewes act as inapparent carriers of these infectious agents and seed the environment with low numbers. One might ask why most lambs don’t get sick.

Healthy vigorous lambs, with adequate colostrum, and in a relatively clean, well-ventilated environment, may withstand exposure to low levels of many infectious agents and not get sick. In fact, this is a necessary process in order to insure that their immune system responds to these low level challenges and develops resistance (protection). This exposure process eventually results in replacement animals that successfully make and pass protective antibodies to their own lambs. This is a dynamic situation. It is when things get out of balance that clinical disease becomes evident.

Overcrowding, excessive moisture or humidity, lack of bedding, and poor sanitation all contribute to raising the overall level of contamination by infectious agents to levels that result in disease. Infectious agents in the environment are not only acquired by the lamb nosing about the pens, but also by nursing udders which are contaminated by dirty environments. In addition, once a scours outbreak is in progress, much of the environment rapidly becomes contaminated, and many lambs get exposed. Isolating ewe/lamb pairs when diarrhea occurs in the lamb can help reduce the number of cases that develop. Likewise, good overall sanitation with dry, relatively deep bedding can reduce the amount of exposure lambs get to disease-causing organisms.

Most flocks harbor many of the common infectious agents responsible for the bulk of lamb losses caused by infectious disease. These agents are either in the environment or harbored by the animals themselves. Whether or not clinical disease occurs is usually a function of the interactions between animals with their environment. Our role in minimizing management factors that contribute to disease development is crucial to the health status of our flocks.

Reference

Tonkovich et al. Trends in Reproductive Performance and Condition of White-tailed Deer

in Ohio. Ohio Journal of Science 104 (5):112-122, 2004.

Tim Fine, Miami County Program Assistant, and Dr. Bill Shulaw, OSU Extension Veterinarian

If you are producing sheep in the United States, there are a few resources provided by ASI that you will want to become familiar with.

“The Sheep Care Guide” published in 2006, can be downloaded for free at this web address. http://www.sheepusa.org/?page=site/text&nav_id=0f5f3dfebed3b57b05688c5eae9c8df7 . The Sheep Care Guide was developed to serve as a reference to provide sheep producers with information about caring for their sheep using practices which are based on research findings and which are consistent with a program of quality assurance. The latest edition of the Sheep Care Guide has been updated using new information available from research and using suggestions provided by a review team from the Federation of Animal Science Societies. The review was based on the Animal Care Principles developed by the Animal Agriculture Alliance.

Another web address that sheep producers will want to check out is the site that contains all of the American Sheep Industry Association’s for-sale publications. These can be found at: http://www.sheepusa.org/index.phtml?page=site/text&nav_id=42c985d7b36d445107825b11f21ff35b.

Some notable publications that can be purchased from this site include:

“Sheep Production Handbook” This handbook is the latest revision of the familiar SID Sheep Production Handbook which has been used for many years as a resource for the US sheep industry and as a textbook in many courses. It covers all aspects of sheep production for the beginning and experienced shepherd.

“Producing Consumer Products from Sheep: The Sheep Safety and Quality Assurance Program.” Consumer confidence is critical in this day and age, and the Sheep Safety and Quality Assurance Program is a guide to the production of a safe, wholesome product. This Quality Assurance Guide is only $6.00 and is just one of many resources available at the web site listed above.

Tim Fine, Miami County Program Assistant and Mark Sulc, OSU Forage Specialist

The 2008 Forage Performance Trials Report is now available. It has been published in a special supplement to Ohio’s Country Journal, but is also available online at http://www.ag.ohio-state.edu/~perf/ and can be requested at any Ohio State University Extension office.

Included in the report are performance results for various varieties of alfalfa, red clover, orchardgrass, tall fescue, perennial and annual ryegrass, teff, sorghum x sudangrass, sudangrass, and forage sorghum. The forages were planted at three different locations in Ohio (South Charleston, Wooster, and Jackson) and span the growing seasons from 2005 through 2008.

For a more comprehensive break down of the forage performance trials, please visit the OSU Extension Forage Team web site at http://forages.osu.edu.