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Gulf Coast Natives, sheep with historic links to long-ago French and
Spanish settlers, could help provide a new livestock option for Southern
farmers. These wool-type sheep are part of a cooperative
ARS-Louisiana State University breeding program to produce a new composite
sheep breed to withstand the Mid-South's steamy summers and prolific
parasite population. Descended from sheep brought to North America by
early French and Spanish explorers and settlers, the Gulf Coast Natives
have unusually high resistance to parasite infestation and can tolerate
high temperatures and humidity better than other breeds. In their
breeding program, ARS scientists also are using Dorset sheep, an English
breed; St. Croix, a tropical breed with good heat tolerance and parasite
resistance; Polypay, a composite U.S. breed; and Texel and Romanov sheep
to add size to the mix. St. Croix sheep offer the advantage of producing
hair rather than wool. While the hair has no market value, wool markets
are often too far away to make wool sales feasible for Southern producers,
who still must face the expense of having wool sheep sheared. In the
first phase of the crossbreeding program, three-breed lambs have grown
well from birth to weaning.
South Central Family Farm Research Center, Booneville, AR
Michael A. Brown, (501) 675-3834
Feeding unmarketable onions to hungry sheep is a safe way to recycle
what otherwise is destined for the landfill. ARS scientists found
that sheep gained as much weight when fed onions as when fed expensive
feed grains. For the onion grower, the practice would turn a liability
into a money maker; for the sheep producer, it supplies a cheap source of
nutritious feed. American farmers produce nearly three million tons of
onions each year, and many don't make it to market. In some years, bumper
crops far exceed market demand. Also, in some areas up to a 40 percent of
the onions have to be discarded because they are too small or otherwise
don't meet standards. Growers also must remove unharvested onions from a
field to keep them from becoming reservoirs for plant disease. Luckily,
many onion-growing areas also produce sheep.
Range Management Research
Unit, Las Cruces, NM
Rick Estell, (505) 646-6332
Last updated: October 28, 1996
Return to: Quarterly Report
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Last Modified: 02/11/2002
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