Ohio producers get carcass insight

CALDWELL, Ohio — While most people were watching television to see election results on the night of Nov. 6, a group of 30 Ohioans was gathered at the Eastern Agricultural Research Station in Belle Valley for the sixth class of the 2018 Southeast Ohio Sheep and Goat School series.

Instead of poll returns, these folks were watching Ohio State University Meat Science Professor Dr. Lyda G. Garcia break down both a lamb and goat carcass from primal, to sub-primal, and retail cuts.

Ohio State Extension educators from southeast Ohio coordinated the series. With few resources available for goat production in Ohio, special emphasis was given to include relevant information for both sheep and goats in each program.

As a whole, the program covered topics including anatomy, nutrition, animal behavior, breeding, birth, growth, predator and disease control, pasture management and marketing.

The final class was tailored to address appropriate feeding methods that create a favorable meat product for the American market, with an understanding of how feeding translates to carcass quality.

Following a homemade lamb dinner, Brady Campbell presented a review of alternative finishing systems for feeding out sheep and goats.

Campbell, a doctoral student at Ohio State, serves as the OSU Sheep Team Program Coordinator. His current research pertains to parasite pressures in Ohio flocks and the effects of delayed weaning on pasture.

Interested shepherds can get updates on the Ohio State Sheep Team website, www.sheep.osu.edu.

Dr. Garcia provided the class with an overview of the primal cuts of lamb and goat. With the help of Pernell Saling, of Saling’s Custom Meat Processing in Caldwell, she fabricated both carcasses into retail cuts as the audience watched.

 Tara Voda and Scott Campbell of Noble County provided the lamb for the demonstration, and Kelley Hughes, of Washington County, provided the goat.

Demand for a 2019 program is strong, according to sheep team member and Noble County Extension Educator Christine Gelley, and future classes are being planned. For information contact her at gelley.2@osu.edu.