Small Ruminant Ranch Tour Taking Arkansans To Texas In October
Pulaski County Farm Family winner Randy Motley of Motley's Pumpkin Patch and Christmas Tree Farm hosts a tour of his agri-entertainment business
for a Farm Family of the Year judging team.
University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture image by Kevin Quinn
FAYETTEVILLE, ARK.
A visit to sheep and goat ranches, feed mills, a livestock auction and more are all on the agenda for a small ruminant ranch tour for Arkansas producers in October.
The tour is being hosted by the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture department of animal science and will be held Oct. 28-31 in San Angelo, Texas, for producers who are interested in small ruminant production. The cost to attend is $400 for a single occupancy room and $565 for a double occupancy room and includes lodging, meals and transportation.
“It’s an awesome opportunity for producers to see what other producers are doing, especially in more small ruminant focused areas of the United States,” said Chelsey Kimbrough, assistant professor and small ruminant specialist for the Division of Agriculture’s Cooperative Extension Service.
Producers will get the chance to visit sheep and lamb operations, show goat operations, feed mills, livestock auctions, research centers and more, Kimbrough said.
One of the unique opportunities available on the tour is being able to attend the goat and sheep livestock auction, something that is not as common in Arkansas, Kimbrough said.
“Participants also get to see other operations, and learn things that they may be able to implement on their farms,” Kimbrough said.
The deadline to register is Oct. 4. For more information on the event contact Chelsey Kimbrough at ckimbrough@uaex.edu or by phone at 501-503-6592. Registration for the event can be found at https://uaex.formstack.com/forms/ranch_tour. ∆