Virginia Cooperative Extension and the Agricultural Research Station at Virginia State University’s accelerated lambing system improves lamb supply consistency

Virginia Cooperative Extension at Virginia State University helps small-scale sheep farmers across Virginia reduce expenses, increase profits and provide exceptional products with innovative, evidence-based strategies. With demand for lamb outstripping domestic supply, local, small-scale farmers and consumers can benefit from systems developed by Extension and the Agricultural Research Station at VSU.  

Dr. Dahlia O’Brien, a small ruminant Extension specialist and ARS researcher (25%) collaborated with Dr. Stephan Wildeus, a small ruminant reproduction physiologist at ARS, to demonstrate a dual-flock semi-continuous lamb production system.   With wool demand declining, VSU researchers and Extension experts study and promote the use of hair sheep in this system.  

“Most lambs are born in late winter to spring, but lamb harvesting is constant throughout the year. This results in an inconsistent supply of lamb year-round,” said O’Brien. The system we’ve developed helps stabilize sheep farmers’ income and increase their profits by enabling them to provide a more consistent, year-round supply of lamb.” 

Using the strategies developed at VSU, the lambing process has been extended from once a year to every eight months; thereby increasing lambing from twice to thrice every two years. With a dual-flock, managed four months apart, lambing is six times every two years.  

Extension maintains 60-70 Barbados Blackbelly and St. Croix ewes, which are naturally hardy, parasite-resistant breeds with long breeding seasons. The ewes thrive in pastures without added nutrients and raise their lambs well with minimal assistance.  These qualities reduce the time and expense it takes to maintain a flock, making them attractive to small-scale farmers.   

The dual-flock system separates the ewes into flocks A and B. Instead of introducing a ram to both flocks at the same time, the sire is introduced to flock B four months later. This staggered approach ensures market-weight lambs are available year-round. Each ewe is pregnant for five months, raises two-three lambs for two months, and recovers for a month before starting the process again.  

Lambs are removed when they hit market weight, which is about 85 pounds for the Barbados Blackbelly and 125 for St. Croix.  Ewes are separated from the flock if they have mastitis, cannot birth live lambs or do not conceive after two attempts. Replacements are selected from among the offspring.  

Until COVID, many Americans were unfamiliar with lamb. Not knowing the flavor, texture or how to cook it deterred them from purchasing it. It was primarily purchased by ethnic and religious communities with demand surging in the fall for Ramadan, Eid-al-Fitr (the Festival of Fast Breaking) and Eid-al-Adha (Festival of Sacrifice);  in winter for Christmas; and in spring for Passover and Easter. Middle Easterners, Greeks, Hispanics and those who dwell in large metropolitan areas are the largest consumer groups in the U.S.  

During COVID and the great lockdown, people searched for protein sources other than beef, poultry, pork and legumes to offer them a variety that satisfied their palates. Many discovered lamb, which is a great protein source with similar calories and saturated fat as beef. “However, lamb is richer in minerals and vitamins,” said O’Brien.  

After distributing lamb boxes with various cuts to Food Hub members, O’Brien said, “43% indicated that would pay a premium for ground lamb if it were available for purchase.” Consumers also indicated a “high interest” in ground lamb, gyros, burgers and sausage links. 

To introduce lamb to the campus community, O’Brien collaborated with the VSU College of Agriculture Hospitality Management Department to do the following:  

• Prepare Easter lamb.  

• Offer faculty, staff and students an opportunity to pre-purchase boxes with different lamb cuts in either barbecue or burger style. (They quickly sold out.)  

• Provide weekly recipes to email subscribers. 

• Offer cooking demonstrations and taste tests. 

• Host a cooking competition for hospitality students.  

To bring greater awareness to Virginia producers and consumers about the benefits of lamb, Extension also offers a wide variety of workshops and events.  

O’Brien and the Lambing Acceleration Program exhibit transformational leadership and provide impactful service by leveraging the ARS data and collaborating on events with academics.  

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