Sat., April 11, 2026 at 8:00am
Sat., April 11, 2026 at 3:30pm
Berrysburg Community Center
155 N Chestnut St
Berrysburg, PA
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State Extension, in partnership with Turning Point Land & Livestock, will host the Flock Forward Field Day on April 11 at the Berrysburg Community Center in Berrysburg, Pennsylvania.
This in-person educational event is designed to provide sheep producers with research-based, practical strategies to enhance flock health, reproductive performance, forage management, genetic progress and overall operational efficiency. The program will bring together Extension specialists, agricultural engineers, veterinarians and producers for a full day of applied instruction and networking.
The day will begin at 8 a.m. with trade show viewing, producer networking and event check-in, followed by welcome remarks from Mackenzie and Eli Strawser, owners and operators of Turning Point Land & Livestock. At 9 a.m., Adrian Barragan will explain how to establish an effective veterinary‑client‑patient relationship and when, why and how to submit the right samples for diagnostic testing. At 10 a.m., Zachary Curtis will cover strategies to improve forage systems, comparing major crops (such as corn silage, cool‑season grasses, sorghum types, small grains and alfalfa) in terms of agronomy, nutrition, economics and management. At 11:15 a.m., Austin Brown and Lisa Herickhoff will discuss reproductive management tools for small ruminants, including new technology enabling cervical AI in ewes, as well as AI, embryo transfer and IVF to accelerate genetic progress.
A lamb luncheon and trade show at noon and a 1 p.m. producer networking forum will offer time for informal discussion and peer learning. At 1:30 p.m., John Tyson will present on converting vacant barns for profitable sheep production. At 2:30 p.m., Brown will share results from a statewide survey on Ovine Progressive Pneumonia and TMEM154 genetics, explaining disease control, testing strategies and how genetic tools can benefit flocks, with a genetic testing kit raffled during the session.
The cost is $30 for adults, $15 for youth ages 8-18 and free for children under 8. Register by April 6 at extension.psu.edu/flock-forward-field-day, or by contacting the customer support number at 1-877-345-0691.
