NP Ranch

04/11/2026

This is what a good spring looks like at our place. Oats chest-high, crimson clover blooming, and a flock that doesn’t have time to be pretty — they’re too busy snacking on pasture and nursing their lambs. Hard to complain about a day like this.

04/09/2026

Still thinking about it? Don’t.
If you’ve got sheep—or plan to—this is time well spent. Whether you’ve been in the sheep business for years or are just getting started, the Texas Sheep Field Day delivers practical know-how you can take home and use. Expect hands-on demos, straight talk with other producers, a lamb meal, and a private treaty sale—all in one place.
Gatesville, TX
May 1–2
Don’t be the one hearing about it later—be there.
For more information or to register:
https://texassheepfieldday2026.eventbrite.com
We’d sure like to see you there.

03/25/2026

Turning the flock onto fresh pasture.

03/11/2026

Check out the latest from EAPK!

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Ypbi2F7wq/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Our Spring Newsletter is now available https://mailchi.mp/easternalliancekatahdins.com/spring-2026-newsletter

03/09/2026

First breeding group gets a sample from the new pasture while we do some work in their area. Most of their lambs have to figure out how to go around!

02/06/2026

Registration is now open for the "Sheep & Goat Genetic Improvement Field Day" (www.uaex.uada.edu/smallruminantgenetics), one of the premier events of its kind that has ever taken place in the U.S. Don’t miss the opportunity to learn from top researchers, ask questions, develop networks, and participate in live demonstrations on how to put into practice the available technology to increase productivity and profit. It’s free of charge. It will be on February 27th (Friday) at Heifer Ranch (55 Heifer Rd, Perryville, Central Arkansas), from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm. Check the tentative agenda below. Lambing/kidding season will make things a bit complicated, I know, but it is a reschedule from a previous date, and we have a tight deadline established by the funding agency. So, plan in advance to attend it.
Sheep & Goat Genetic Improvement Field Day
Heifer Ranch, Perryville, Arkansas
9:30 am: Welcome, Christine Hernandez, Heifer Ranch; Blake Erbach and Dr. Dan Quadros, University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture; Dr. Jake Thorne, Texas A&M
9:45 am: Economic benefits of using rams/bucks with EBVs, Dr. Tom Murphy, USDA/ARS
10:30 am: Breakdown sessions I: Collecting and recording data
Parasites: FAMACHA system, Dr. Joan Burke, Sheep Management Solutions, LLC
Parasites: Collecting and submitting f***l samples, f***l egg counting methodology, body condition scoring, Dr. Dan Quadros, UADA
12:00 pm Lunch and learn: Implementing an on-farm genetic improvement program, Dr. James Morgan, Sheep Management Solutions, LLC
1:00 pm: Breakdown sessions II: Collecting and recording data
Growth performance: types of ID and RFID, number of lambs born/weaned, birth weight, weaning weight, postweaning weight and collecting tissue, Heifer Ranch; Texas A&M University; UofA
Buying rams with good genetics: visual assessment vs. EBVs, Dr. Joan Burke, Sheep Management Solutions, LLC
Using ultrasound for pregnancy check and carcass evaluation, Dr. Jake Thorne, Texas A&M AgriLife
2:30 pm: The future development of the NSIP, Dr. Tom Murphy, USDA/ARS and Dr. Jake Thorne, Texas A&M AgriLife
3:00 pm: Producer Panel: Using Estimated Breeding Values (EBVs) to improve economically important traits.
3:30 pm: Adjourn
Optional, 3:30 p.m - 4:30 pm: One-on-one with experts: Learn more about the National Sheep Improvement Program (NSIP)
Dr. Tom Murphy, USDA/ARS
Dr. Joan Burke, Sheep Management Solutions, LLC
Dr. James Morgan, Sheep Management Solutions, LLC
Dr. Jake Thorne, Texas A&M AgriLife

Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service Department Of Animal Science - UA
Texas A&M AgriLife Sheep and Goat Extension
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Heifer USA
American Sheep Industry Association
Southern SARE

01/24/2026

A short, easy to read, one page reminder on how to tube feed a lamb.

01/19/2026

Lambing has begun!!

01/19/2026

If this group of St. Croix ewes and lambs catches your eye, you might want to talk with Cane Ridge Farms through Enrique Schuster (USVI St. Croix). There’s a reason this breed sets the bar for parasite resistance. On St. Croix Island, parasites are a daily fact of life, all year long. Nature applies the pressure, good shepherds make the choices, and the sheep tell the story.

01/13/2026

When on vacation and you stop in St. Croix (USVI) you have to visit a sheep farm and the small ruminant experiment station at The Univeristy of the Virigin Islands.

12/31/2025

Wishing all of you a happy and prosperous 2026!

12/25/2025

Merry Christmas!