By J.D. Belanger – Question: Like most homesteaders who weren’t initially interested in elevating sheep for income, I’d like to find a technique to earn some money on the farm (in our case, 25 acres of stony hills). Simply currently I heard of milking sheep, which sounds attention-grabbing. Is that this one different a form of pie-in-the-sky get-rich-quick schemes? How quite a bit milk does a sheep give, and what’s {the marketplace} for sheep milk? What are the enterprise prospects? The professionals and cons?
Not just like the early days of ostrich farming or Boer goat farming, no individual is suggesting that milking sheep is a technique to get rich quick when you occur to’re interested in elevating sheep for income. Or the least bit, for that matter. And however, sheep dairying appears to have some attention-grabbing prospects.In all probability essentially the most spectacular arguments goes like this: By some estimates, People eat 73 million kilos of sheep milk cheese per yr, nevertheless 72 million kilos of that is imported.
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Translate this into sheep numbers. That 72 million kilos of imported cheese represents about 360 million kilos of milk, which suggests a minimal of 600,000 good top quality dairy sheep. North America has an estimated 5,120.
Proper right here’s one different eye-popping set of numbers, when you occur to’re interested in elevating sheep for income. In current instances, cow’s milk has been selling for spherical 12¢ a pound, and goats milk for 29¢, whereas the Wisconsin Sheep Dairy Cooperative has been paying 54¢.
But yet one more set of numbers: sheep milk cheese usually retails for $20 a pound, and $50 is simply not extraordinary in consuming locations. In distinction, a fairly good cow’s milk cheddar or Swiss could be had for beneath $4 a pound.
Totally different sights for small farmers interested in elevating sheep for income are the seasonality of milk manufacturing (often from April to September, or a lot much less), and the possibility to increase your earnings by making the cheese your self. (In some parts of the nation this might be a necessity.) We’ll come to that later, nevertheless first, let’s take a greater take a look at dairy sheep and sheep milk cheese.
The Historic previous of Sheep Milk Cheese
Most people are aware that sheep have been elevating sheep for milk, and the milk has been made into cheese, for tons of of years, principally inside the Middle East and the Mediterranean space. Only a few of these, resembling Roquefort, have been accessible inside the U.S. for just a few years. Solely simply currently have People acquired the fragile tastes, and the fat wallets, that make specialty sheep milk cheeses marketable on a relatively wider basis.
There have been articles on sheep milk cheese in Countryside Journal higher than 25 years prior to now. Once more then it was almost solely a homestead enterprise, a “hippie farmer” enterprise alongside the traces of candle-making and pure gardening. Only a few people milked “frequent” sheep, usually Dorsets or Polypays, by hand, and made a lot of kilos of cheese of their kitchens. People elevating sheep for income had been further concerned with meat sheep or wool.
Nevertheless pure gardening (and to some extent, candle-making) grew to change into further “mainstream.” Connoisseur and peasant gourmand cooking gained status. American wines began to equal, and even surpass, imported wines, every in top quality and quantity. Cheese imports soared, and American sheep dairying took a lot of tiny steps to try to maintain. Thought of one among these steps was the formation of the Wisconsin Sheep Dairy Cooperative.
A Cooperative is Common
Throughout the early Nineteen Nineties, solely just a few small cheese factories inside the Increased Mississippi River basin handled sheep milk. By 1996 they’d been out of enterprise, leaving the few sheep milk producers then in existence with no market.
A cheese plant in southwestern Wisconsin, Montchevre (specializing in goat cheese) expressed an curiosity in sheep milk, nevertheless supplied that they may work with a single provide which may take care of the entire licensing, annual inspections, month-to-month milk sampling, inventory administration and price to farmers. This led to a gathering of current and potential sheep milk producers inside the midwest, which resulted inside the establishment of the Wisconsin Sheep Dairy Cooperative.
This group functioned as a producer agent for Montchevre all through the 1996 and 1997 milking seasons. In 1998 it grew to change into licensed as a dairy plant, which allowed it to market milk to further prospects. WSDC now ships sheep milk as far as New York.
The one totally different sheep milk promoting and advertising and marketing cooperative in North America is Ewenity Dairy Cooperative in Ontario, Canada. Nonetheless, the Canadian dairy sheep enterprise is struggling correct now for a lot of causes, not the least of which is the Canadian BSE (mad cow) catastrophe.
The Dairy Sheep Affiliation of North America (DSANA) was primarily based in 2002 to foster the enterprise, nevertheless is simply not a promoting and advertising and marketing group.
On the entire, North American enterprise sheep dairying is concentrated in New England and adjoining areas in Canada, and the Increased Midwest. Resulting from restricted milk promoting and advertising and marketing options, an estimated 50 p.c of North American sheep milk manufacturing is made into cheese on the farm. That’s supplied to folks, native meals outlets, and consuming locations.
Breeds of Dairy Sheep
The overwhelming majority of sheep inside the U.S. are raised for meat and wool. All that is requested of a ewe of one among many meat sheep breeds is that she produce adequate milk to feed her lambs as a lot as weaning. Which implies even a great ewe of a meat or wool breed rarely produces higher than 100-200 kilos of milk in a lactation lasting possibly 90 days. This isn’t adequate to make milking them worthwhile.
Nonetheless, the place sheep have been milked for tons of of years, some animals have been bred for milk manufacturing. Instantly, breeds resembling East Friesian (Germany), Lacaune (France), Sarda (Italy), Chios (Greece), British Milksheep (U.Okay.) and Awassi and Assaf of Israel produce from 400 to 1,100 kilos of milk a yr. The commonest and productive dairy sheep in North America have some East Friesian blood, with Lacaune a distant second. Every had been imported solely inside the last 10 years, and solely in terribly restricted numbers. (There is only one Lacaune breeder in North America, in Canada.)
The glitch is that new imports of any breed, along with sperm and embryos, are subsequent to unimaginable beneath current legal guidelines, which have grow to be far more stringent with the present mad cow scare.
There are a number of sheep inside the U.S. producing 600 kilos of milk a yr, nevertheless not nearly adequate to fulfill the demand. And even that’s far off the potential of 1,100 kilos. Nonetheless, the American frequent is solely 180 kilos a yr. Not surprisingly, genetic enchancment is a big goal of the dairy sheep enterprise.
The Faculty of Wisconsin Ag Evaluation Station at Spooner, in northwestern Wisconsin, is discovering {{that a}} cross of three/4 East Friesian and 1/4 Lacaune produces an excellent dairy sheep. This accommodates the monetary consideration that East Friesians produce 20 further lambs per 100 ewes than pure Lacaunes, since meat and wool product sales are vital parts of sheep dairy revenue.
In brief, when you occur to’re elevating sheep for income with a think about sheep milk and sheep’s cheese, don’t plan on starting a worthwhile sheep dairy with any of the frequent meat/wool breeds.
Milking Sheep
The hand milking of 25 years prior to now gave methodology to machine milking with buckets, the buckets being carried to the bulk tank (cooler). Instantly the buckets have been modified by pipeline strategies which pump the milk instantly from the sheep to the bulk tank.
What this suggests is that the beginner elevating sheep for income can anticipate to spend inside the neighborhood of $50,000 on milking gear, along with a freezer, sooner than selling the first drop of milk, in line with the Faculty of Wisconsin Division of Animal Sciences. (And electrical power for that freezer will value about $2,000 a yr.) The milk need to be cooled to underneath 40ºF inside two hours, and frozen in five-gallon plastic milk baggage (40 kilos per bag) to -10ºF inside 12 hours.
Whereas freezing does provide advantages to every the farmer and the cheesemaker, it’s moreover further costly and labor-intensive for every. Points embrace lack of milk and cream that sticks to the bags, and temperature variations all through transport. (Warmed to 25º, the milk stays to be sturdy, nevertheless top quality deteriorates.)
J. Thomas Clark runs Earlier Chatham Sheepherding Agency in Earlier Chatham, New York, the most important sheep milk and sheep dairy product producer inside the U.S. He buys milk from the Wisconsin cooperative, and has been processing frozen milk for higher than eight years. He notes that he generally encounters “processing points which generally is a thriller,” and he believes that “traits of frozen milk coping with and processing need to be checked out further intently. We strongly think about that further evaluation on every the controls and the coping with of frozen milk are compulsory.”
Not like dairy goats, sheep are milked from behind. They each climb up ramps to raised milking platforms, or keep at flooring diploma whereas the milkers work in pits. Peak of the ramps or depth of the pits depends on non-public selection.
Some pipelines run underneath the sheep, whereas others are overhead, moreover a matter of selection.
Sheep are admitted to the milkroom in groups of six, 12 and even 24 at a time, counting on the number of stanchions, and eagerly enter the stanchions to get on the feed. The main target is dropped into the feed trough, usually by conveyors or augers. When the animals are in place the stanchions roll once more, forcing the sheep into place for milking. When milking is achieved the stanchions are rolled forward, the sheep exit the parlor, and the next group is out there in.
Steven and Jody Study of Nerstrand, Minnesota, milk as many as 525 ewes and last yr produced 220,000 kilos of milk from February to November, for a median of spherical 425 kilos per ewe. With three people, milking 500 sheep takes 3-1/2 hours, “from sanitizing to cups off.” Nevertheless cleanup takes almost as long as milking.
And in a single different deal with that ol’ monetary system of scale, Steven figures that with 4 people their setup would possibly take care of 1,200-1,400 ewes.
Flock Administration
Regular flock administration when elevating sheep for income with a think about milk differs little from that seen in meat/wool operations. Dairy lambs are significantly further delicate, and losses of 15% ensuing from lambing points are often not unusual. There are a selection of methods of coping with lambs: a lot of years prior to now it was frequent to depart the lambs with the ewes until weaning at 30-60 days, and solely then start milking.
Instantly the system utilized by the Spooner Evaluation Station is further frequent. Lambs are left with the ewes for 12-24 hours. Then the lambs are bottle fed every three hours for one or two days. Subsequent they go to a training pen the place 5 to eight lambs are on an computerized nursing machine. By day 5 – 6, groups of 30 are assembled, nonetheless with computerized nursing machines. Lambs are weaned by day 30.
There are variations between these two extremes. In a single, the ewes are milked as quickly as a day whereas the lambs are nursing and twice daily after weaning.
Dairy sheep are raised on pasture, sometimes alfalfa, with supplemental hay, and get grain rations inside the milking parlor. Concentrates fluctuate broadly from farm to farm. Concentrates sometimes embrace corn nevertheless barley, rye, beet pulp, sunflower meal, extruded soybean meal, and flooring alfalfa are moreover fed. Some shepherds are feeding haylage or corn silage.
In step with Dr. David Thomas of the Faculty of Wisconsin, full feed requirements for a ewe will depend on her lactation measurement. A ewe milking for 180 days would require approximate 1,600 kilos of alfalfa hay, 325 kilos of corn and 45 kilos of soybean meal per yr if these had been the chosen feedstuffs. A mineral mix prepared for sheep should be accessible free choice all the time.
Vitamin, effectively being care, housing, fencing, predator administration, shearing and so forth. are the similar for every meat/wool and dairy sheep.
On account of sheep are seasonal breeders and mate from September to December, often, lambing occurs from about February by means of May. It follows that milking may also be seasonal, sometimes from March or April until about September. Anticipate a lactation of 90-150 days for house ewes, and 120-240 days for good animals of the specialised dairy breeds. Milk manufacturing for house ewes is generally 100-200 kilos per lactation, for dairy breeds, 400-1,100 kilos, and 250-650 kilos for crosses. Fat content material materials is 6-8%. Protein is 5-7%. These fluctuate with feed and stage of lactation.
A Attainable Future
For anyone interested in elevating sheep for income with a think about dairy sheep, a glimpse of the potential for sheep milk cheese was equipped by a panel of cheesemakers on the 2004 Good Lakes Dairy Sheep Symposium.
Tom Clark of Earlier Chatham Sheepherding Agency in Earlier Chatham, New York acknowledged he produces 500,000 kilos of cheese a yr, sells all of it, and is solely scratching the ground. “Do a higher job of promoting and the sky’s the limit.” Sid Put together dinner, of Carr Valley Cheese, Mauston, Wisconsin, acknowledged the potential is “monumental,” and he thinks the long term is in “American originals” reasonably than trying to duplicate the well-known Earlier World cheeses. This accommodates educating clients regarding the “paintings” of cheese.
This fourth-generation cheese maker simply currently gained a main award with a 100-year-old family recipe. “My uncle knew merely how quite a bit picket to cut to heat the curd.” He doesn’t must return to that, nevertheless his degree was that cheesemaking was, and is, an paintings. The massive firms, he acknowledged, have “dumbed down” cheese. His finest fear is that when the big companies see the patron curiosity in sheep cheeses they might “go the easiest way of pure greens. We could be seeing sheep milk Velveeta.”
When elevating sheep for income with a think about milking sheep and making sheep cheese, pricing is a matter. Sheep milk sells for $15-$30 per cwt. in areas like Armenia and Spain, he acknowledged, as compared with the $50-$60 inside the U.S. If the value paid to the shepherd is simply too low, the cheesemakers gained’t get the milk; however when it’s too extreme, they gained’t be able to promote the cheese.
Steven Study of Shepherd’s Strategy, Nerstrand, Minnesota, acknowledged that inside the Minneapolis house “there’s a mark inside the sand: $20 a pound, retail. Amount drops off after that.” Nonetheless, Sid Put together dinner and Mary Falk of Love Tree Farm, Grantsburg Wisconsin, well-known that there is a good distinction between cities. Customers in Chicago gained’t bat a watch at $16 a pound, wholesale, whereas these in Milwaukee will chuckle at you. Distributor markups moreover fluctuate broadly. Some take solely 10%, whereas some anticipate 25% and far more.
It was often agreed by these which are elevating sheep for income with a think about sheep milk that sheep milk pricing will grow to be further refined, alongside the traces of cow milk pricing. In the end milk prices will undoubtedly be primarily based totally on such parts as protein content material materials reasonably than sheer amount. Sid Put together dinner recognized that in spring, he’ll get 1.5 kilos of cheese from 10 kilos of milk, nevertheless by fall that peaks at 1.8 kilos of cheese from the similar amount of milk. That’s a giant distinction. Half pricing is undoubtedly coming.
That’s solely one among many parts ensuing within the conclusion that one among many finest requirements of a worthwhile enterprise in elevating sheep for income, along with promoting and advertising and marketing, is genetic enchancment of the sheep breeds.
Getting Started
For individuals who uncover the possibilities of milking sheep attention-grabbing, what’s the next step?
Clearly, you’ll must be taught as quite a bit as you presumably can. Sooner than you’re accomplished this will likely embrace each factor from sheep husbandry often to milking strategies and kit and presumably cheesemaking as correctly. 
Steve and Jody Study, Shepherds Strategy, Nerstrand, MN, milk higher than 600 sheep. Jody is the licensed cheesemaker at their state-of-the-art cheese plant, and says an infinite batch of cheese makes use of 4,000 lbs. of milk, whereas 800 lbs. is taken into consideration a small batch. The Reads opened a small cheese retailer on their premises which is open on Saturday mornings and run by one amongst their youthful sons.
Go to as many dairy sheep operations as doable. Dealt with with respect and consideration for his or her time and experience, most of these people will seemingly be pleased to share their knowledge with any person who’s merely getting started with milk sheep as a way of elevating sheep for income.
Do the paper work. Arrange an reasonably priced enterprise funds primarily based totally on what you might need realized. Resolve the place you’ll uncover the sheep and kit to get started, the best way you’ll pay for all of it, and the best way you’ll assist the operation until it pays its private means.
On this regard, we haven’t met a single dairy shepherd who, when elevating sheep for income, started selling milk or making cheese in line with their distinctive schedule. It is advisable anticipate stunning points and delays. Above all else, understand how you’re going to market your milk! Most of the people who started milking sheep higher than 10 years prior to now have cease. Those who started further simply currently have realized an incredible deal by trial and error.
Nevertheless for people who’re merely starting elevating sheep for income, do your homework and assure you might need sufficient financial sources, and in addition you merely might be getting in on the underside floor of one of many very important thrilling and promising new agricultural enterprises to return again alongside in just a few years.
Homesteader Jerry Belanger has raised sheep, nevertheless his cheeses have been created from goat milk. He is the founding father of every COUNTRYSIDE and sheep! magazines, and his books embrace “Storey’s Info to Elevating Dairy Goats.” He now spends his time gardening, cooking and baking, and elevating birds.
Initially printed in 2005 and regularly vetted for accuracy.