Webinar Schedule and Participant Guide
Webinar Dates
In 2025, this course will be offered live for 6-weeks on Thursdays from 6:00 – 7:30 PM (Eastern) from January 16 – February 20. While we encourage live attendance, so you have the opportunity to engage with presenters and ask questions, all webinars are recorded and posted in the online classroom to watch anytime. Once enrolled in this course, you will retain access to all materials indefinitely, and can return to participate in the live webinars in future offerings of the course if you wish. Join us!
To access the webinars during our next live session, you will simply need to click on the webinar join link that is posted in the Weekly Resources section of this course. This link only works on the appointed day and time for the webinar, so while you can try clicking it sooner, it won't open the webinar meeting for you.
You may also join our webinars from a mobile device by installing the official Zoom app from your preferred app store. Then, when it's time for a webinar, simply open your Zoom app and enter the 9-digit meeting ID that will be posted along with the webinar link.
Weekly Topics
Week 1: Overview of Selection and Production
Topics covered: Navigating in Teachable (our online classroom), course expectations, student introductions, overview of various sheep production systems and how they relate to your market, your farm resources and the rest of your life.
Week 2: Nutrition
Topics covered: Considerations for feeding styles, forage analysis and the value of good forages, body condition scoring and general nutrition requirements for different stages.
Week 3: Health Management
Topics covered: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Overview of a flock health program including; planning to prevent health problems, vaccinations, hoof care, record keeping, identification systems and biosecurity.
Week 4: Pasture Management
Topics covered: 3P’s of sheep production – management tools to improve pasture quality, reduce parasite issues, and minimize predator losses. Grazing can be an integral part of sheep farming. Learn about rotational grazing, fencing types, guardian animals, evasive grazing to control parasites, pasture improvement, how to measure the dry matter in your pasture and where to get a grazing plan.
Week 5: Lamb Management
Topics covered: Neonatal lamb care from beginning to "end". We will address late gestation and parturition challenges, lambing at different times of the year and lamb care protocols.
Week 6: Sheep Happens...Q&A session
Topics covered: This is a student driven session. We will address any other questions and clarifications needed from previous weeks and/or topics that have not yet been addressed.