FAQ

How do I apply for membership?

If you are interested in applying for membership or finding out more about the application process, please visit the application page. Prospective members generally apply for membership well in advance of actually starting to milk. Feel free to download and review the application or contact WSDC if you have any questions or concerns about the application process.

How are the applications evaluated and when can I expect an answer?

Applications are evaluated on a quarterly basis in November, February, May and August. If an application is received prior to one of these quarterly meetings you will get an answer or possibly a request for more information within two weeks of the meeting. Applications are evaluated on a point system in which points are assigned for certain aspects of the potential members application. These areas include, but are not limited to, location, ability to meet grade"A" standards, and potential future value to the WSDC.

Are there existing farms I could visit to learn more about the industry?

When considering starting a sheep dairy operation, it is best to visit as many different farms as possible. The WSDC has farms of many different sizes and styles of operation. All current WSDC members welcome visitors and those interested in the industry. Please visit the farms page to learn more about WSDC farms in your area or farms that may operate in a manner similar to your goals. Request telephone contact information for particular farms from webmaster@sheepmilk.biz

What type of investment does it take to get started?

The investment required to start a sheep dairy is highly variable from farm to farm. Such things as suitable existing buildings, finding the right used equipment and patience in developing sheep with dairy genetics will reduce the amount of the investment. Purchasing new buildings, new dairy equipment and a large number of dairy ewes will, of course, raise the amount required. Current WSDC members have invested as little as $25-$30,000.00 or as much as $80-$100,000.00 in buildings, equipment and livestock specific to the sheep dairy operation.

How much land and what type of facilities are needed?

Sheep dairy farms can operate in many different ways. Some WSDC members operate larger farms, growing all or most of their own feed. Others operate on smaller farms, purchasing most feed. Nearly all members use grazing of grass or improved legume pastures as a primary feed source in the summer months. Depending on soil fertility, a viable number of dairy ewes could graze on fairly small farms. Some current farms graze up to 10 ewes per acre or more on a rotational basis. Other farms graze fewer animals per acre on larger untillable pastures.

Minimum facilities include a building to house a parlor and milkhouse. A commercial walk-in freezer is also required. Some sheep dairies use warm weather lambing and very seasonal milking to reduce the number of indoor facilities required for the operation. Others practice cold weather lambing and extended season milking which will greatly increase the number and size of buildings required.

What breeds are best to get started with?

A popular option to get started building a dairy flock is to cross dairy rams (generally East Friesian or Laucaune) to a quality group of commercial ewes. Many members have had success with this method using Dorset, Suffolk, Targee, Polypay and many other commercial breeds.

Where can I get breeding stock and about how much will it cost?

Many new producers use a combination of methods when developing a dairy flock. Dairy rams for cross breeding are readily available , with quality rams in the $500-$700 range. This type of crossbreeding can be supplemented with the purchase of dairy ewes also. Dairy ewes are best purchased from established sheep dairies with a production recording system in place. The purchase price of high quality ewes will vary depending on age and genetic potential. Prices in the $250.00-$400.00 range are common. Much lower cost ewes can be purchased at a younger age (feeder lamb). These types of ewes will have some level of dairy genetics but no proven production genetics and may be suitable for cross breeding. Please visit our classifieds page for a list of farms offering dairy rams and ewes for sale throughout the season.

What are producers paid per pound of sheep milk?

Current WSDC payment to the producer is between $54.00 and $55.00 per 100 lbs.

Do dairy sheep require any special care as opposed to normal sheep?

Dairy sheep do not really require anything special that other sheep would not except that most farms keep the ewes on a much higher level of nutrition than normal commercial ewes. This is mostly due to the increased level of milk production and the greatly extended lactation dairy ewes exhibit when compared to commercial ewes.

The pure dairy breeds now available in the U.S. (East Friesian and Laucaune), have some lack of ability to adapt to the environment and have also shown problems typical with other pure breeds of sheep. For this reason, most established sheep dairies continue to cross breed to produce ewes that milk well but are also well adapted to particular farms.

Why do WSDC farms have to be grade "A"?

WSDC has current customers that require grade "A" milk for the products they produce. WSDC would like to avoid administrative and shipping difficulties associated with producing both grade "A" and grade "B" milk. For this reason, along with the desire to always offer the highest quality milk possible, WSDC requires that all member farms be grade "A".

Do most farms feed milk replacer to lambs or milk after weaning the lambs?

Most WSDC farms operate under one of three different systems for weaning lambs. In the day 1 weaning system the lambs are taken from the ewes and fed milk replacer shortly after birth. The "mix" system involves the ewes being seperated from the lambs for a specific portion of the day, milked and then returned to the lambs. Day 30(or later) systems involve weaning the lambs at a fairly young age of about 30 days and commencing milking of the ewes twice a day from that point. Each system has many advantages and disadvantages and it is up to the producer to choose a system that is well suited to their farm and goals.

How much labor is involved in sheep dairying?

Sheep dairying is very rewarding but can be VERY labor intensive at particular times of the season. Having several hundred ewes lambing combined with milking and raising lambs greatly increases the required labor as compared to commercial sheep operations. Many sheep dairies hire labor for these times in the production season.

Why do member farms have to freeze milk?

Freezing milk helps provide a constant supply of sheep milk for multiple customers even with the seasonal nature of most sheep dairies. Frozen milk also facilitates shipping of milk long distances. Freezing of milk also greatly increases the amount of milk most farms can sell, by allowing a farm to save milk for sale when production volumes are too low for fluid milk shipments or fluid shipments cannot be scheduled due to location or timing.

About how much milk does a dairy sheep give?

The milk yield of dairy ewes will vary depending on the level and quality of dairy breeding, nutrition, management, weaning system and the time of year milking is started. Some WSDC farms with early winter lambing and day 1 weaning systems are reaching the 500-600 lb range per ewe. Other farms that are just getting started are near the 300-400 lb range. Farms practicing 30 day weaning and lambing later in the spring are experiencing yields of 200-300 lbs with lower input costs. If milking regular commercial ewes, expect small yields in the 120-180 lb range under ideal conditions. First crosses with dairy rams can yield 300 lbs under ideal conditions.

What if I have a question that's not listed here?

If you have any additional questions, please contact WSDC at: webmaster@sheepmilk.biz



WSDC Cheese is now available at the following retail locations or Buy Cheese Now.	WSDC Membership Frequently Asked Questions
	How do I apply for membership? How are the applications evaluated and when can I expect an answer? Are there existing farms I could visit to learn more about the industry? What type of investment does it take to get started? How much land and what type of facilities are needed? What breeds are best to get started with? Where can I get breeding stock and about how much will it cost? What are producers paid per pound of sheep milk? Do dairy sheep require any special care as opposed to normal sheep? Why do WSDC farms have to be grade "A"? Do most farms feed milk replacer to lambs or milk after weaning the lambs? How much labor is involved in sheep dairying? Why do member farms have to freeze milk? About how much milk does a dairy sheep give? What if I have a question that's not listed here?
	How do I apply for membership? If you are interested in applying for membership or finding out more about the application process, please visit the application page. Prospective members generally apply for membership well in advance of actually starting to milk. Feel free to download and review the application or contact WSDC if you have any questions or concerns about the application process. How are the applications evaluated and when can I expect an answer? Applications are evaluated on a quarterly basis in November, February, May and August. If an application is received prior to one of these quarterly meetings you will get an answer or possibly a request for more information within two weeks of the meeting. Applications are evaluated on a point system in which points are assigned for certain aspects of the potential members application. These areas include, but are not limited to, location, ability to meet grade"A" standards, and potential future value to the WSDC. Are there existing farms I could visit to learn more about the industry? When considering starting a sheep dairy operation, it is best to visit as many different farms as possible. The WSDC has farms of many different sizes and styles of operation. All current WSDC members welcome visitors and those interested in the industry. Please visit the farms page to learn more about WSDC farms in your area or farms that may operate in a manner similar to your goals. Request telephone contact information for particular farms from webmaster@sheepmilk.biz What type of investment does it take to get started? The investment required to start a sheep dairy is highly variable from farm to farm. Such things as suitable existing buildings, finding the right used equipment and patience in developing sheep with dairy genetics will reduce the amount of the investment. Purchasing new buildings, new dairy equipment and a large number of dairy ewes will, of course, raise the amount required. Current WSDC members have invested as little as $25-$30,000.00 or as much as $80-$100,000.00 in buildings, equipment and livestock specific to the sheep dairy operation. How much land and what type of facilities are needed? Sheep dairy farms can operate in many different ways. Some WSDC members operate larger farms, growing all or most of their own feed. Others operate on smaller farms, purchasing most feed. Nearly all members use grazing of grass or improved legume pastures as a primary feed source in the summer months. Depending on soil fertility, a viable number of dairy ewes could graze on fairly small farms. Some current farms graze up to 10 ewes per acre or more on a rotational basis. Other farms graze fewer animals per acre on larger untillable pastures. Minimum facilities include a building to house a parlor and milkhouse. A commercial walk-in freezer is also required. Some sheep dairies use warm weather lambing and very seasonal milking to reduce the number of indoor facilities required for the operation. Others practice cold weather lambing and extended season milking which will greatly increase the number and size of buildings required. What breeds are best to get started with? A popular option to get started building a dairy flock is to cross dairy rams (generally East Friesian or Laucaune) to a quality group of commercial ewes. Many members have had success with this method using Dorset, Suffolk, Targee, Polypay and many other commercial breeds. Where can I get breeding stock and about how much will it cost? Many new producers use a combination of methods when developing a dairy flock. Dairy rams for cross breeding are readily available , with quality rams in the $500-$700 range. This type of crossbreeding can be supplemented with the purchase of dairy ewes also. Dairy ewes are best purchased from established sheep dairies with a production recording system in place. The purchase price of high quality ewes will vary depending on age and genetic potential. Prices in the $250.00-$400.00 range are common. Much lower cost ewes can be purchased at a younger age (feeder lamb). These types of ewes will have some level of dairy genetics but no proven production genetics and may be suitable for cross breeding. Please visit our classifieds page for a list of farms offering dairy rams and ewes for sale throughout the season. What are producers paid per pound of sheep milk? Current WSDC payment to the producer is between $54.00 and $55.00 per 100 lbs. Do dairy sheep require any special care as opposed to normal sheep? Dairy sheep do not really require anything special that other sheep would not except that most farms keep the ewes on a much higher level of nutrition than normal commercial ewes. This is mostly due to the increased level of milk production and the greatly extended lactation dairy ewes exhibit when compared to commercial ewes. The pure dairy breeds now available in the U.S. (East Friesian and Laucaune), have some lack of ability to adapt to the environment and have also shown problems typical with other pure breeds of sheep. For this reason, most established sheep dairies continue to cross breed to produce ewes that milk well but are also well adapted to particular farms. Why do WSDC farms have to be grade "A"? WSDC has current customers that require grade "A" milk for the products they produce. WSDC would like to avoid administrative and shipping difficulties associated with producing both grade "A" and grade "B" milk. For this reason, along with the desire to always offer the highest quality milk possible, WSDC requires that all member farms be grade "A". Do most farms feed milk replacer to lambs or milk after weaning the lambs? Most WSDC farms operate under one of three different systems for weaning lambs. In the day 1 weaning system the lambs are taken from the ewes and fed milk replacer shortly after birth. The "mix" system involves the ewes being seperated from the lambs for a specific portion of the day, milked and then returned to the lambs. Day 30(or later) systems involve weaning the lambs at a fairly young age of about 30 days and commencing milking of the ewes twice a day from that point. Each system has many advantages and disadvantages and it is up to the producer to choose a system that is well suited to their farm and goals. How much labor is involved in sheep dairying? Sheep dairying is very rewarding but can be VERY labor intensive at particular times of the season. Having several hundred ewes lambing combined with milking and raising lambs greatly increases the required labor as compared to commercial sheep operations. Many sheep dairies hire labor for these times in the production season. Why do member farms have to freeze milk? Freezing milk helps provide a constant supply of sheep milk for multiple customers even with the seasonal nature of most sheep dairies. Frozen milk also facilitates shipping of milk long distances. Freezing of milk also greatly increases the amount of milk most farms can sell, by allowing a farm to save milk for sale when production volumes are too low for fluid milk shipments or fluid shipments cannot be scheduled due to location or timing. About how much milk does a dairy sheep give? The milk yield of dairy ewes will vary depending on the level and quality of dairy breeding, nutrition, management, weaning system and the time of year milking is started. Some WSDC farms with early winter lambing and day 1 weaning systems are reaching the 500-600 lb range per ewe. Other farms that are just getting started are near the 300-400 lb range. Farms practicing 30 day weaning and lambing later in the spring are experiencing yields of 200-300 lbs with lower input costs. If milking regular commercial ewes, expect small yields in the 120-180 lb range under ideal conditions. First crosses with dairy rams can yield 300 lbs under ideal conditions. What if I have a question that's not listed here? If you have any additional questions, please contact WSDC at: webmaster@sheepmilk.biz
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		Last Updated: 1/12/07

WSDC Membership Frequently Asked Questions

How do I apply for membership?

What if I have a question that's not listed here?