Local Lamb Lessons Program

Purpose: Series of workshops and site visits aimed specifically at farmers beginning or interested in building a profitable sheep enterprise

Program Status: Registration ended. Course materials, videos of classroom sessions and site visits are available for review.

Program Format:

• Workshop series
• Related site visits
• Curriculum-based education

Curriculum Topics:
1. Planning a Successful Sheep Business (12/07/2017)
- Evaluation of direct-to-consumer local market potential
- Benefits for cheese, fleece/wool, and lamb production
- Product pricing strategies (cost plus and marketplace pricing models)
- Pricing considerations for different farm management plans

2. Public Sector Programs (01/18/2018)
- USDA Programs overview
- Livestock Indemnity Program
- Conservation Reserve Program & CRP Grasslands
- Farm Storage Facility Loans
- Farm Service Agency Loans
- FSA loan program eligibility

3. Dairy (02/01/2018)
- Comprehensive dairying overview
- Flock management
- Creating proprietary cheese products on small local scale

4. Fiber Processing (03/01/2018)
- Types of fleece and wool market opportunities
- Insights from Hudson Valley experts
- Successful direct-to-consumer business models

5. Meat Production (04/05/2018)
- Two vibrant market segments: ethnic market and high-end restaurants
- Specific lamb characteristics and requirements by market

6. Breed Selection (4/19/2018)
- Sheep breeds best suited to local climate, topography, and soil types

Contact Information:

• Phone: 518.432.5360
• Fax: 888.317.5556
• Email: info@hvadc.org
• Address: 507 Warren St., 2nd Floor, Hudson, NY 12534