March 18th, 2022 SEKSPA’s Lamb Slaughtering and Processing Workshop SUCCESS
Where:
University of Kentucky’s Sheep Farm
and Meat Lab
Participant Testimonies:
“I truly enjoyed our UK tour and training. Seeing a side-by-side demo of small and medium lamb carcasses is very revealing! It helps us understand the market we have.” Pulaski County SEKSPA Member
“UK’s Lamb Slaughtering and Processing Workshop was a fascinating presentation of the process of producing farm-to-table lambs. From creep feeding to packaged lamb chops…… lambs from the pasture to the freezer …there is something in the workshop for every sheep farmer!” Wayne County SEKSPA Member
“The UK Workshop was a very humbling experience for a mountain sheep farmer like myself. It was a captivating experience to observe UK’s state-of-the-science sheep farm and Meat Laboratory.” Perry County SEKSPA Member
On Friday, March 18th, twenty SEKSPA members attended a Lamb Slaughtering and Processing Workshop at the University of Kentucky (UK) hosted by Dr. Don Ely and Dr. Gregg Rentfrow. The workshop was designed to be an educational opportunity to learn about methods and techniques that can make an exceptional lamb carcass. The morning session took place on UK’s Sheep Farm in Woodford County. Many different topics were discussed but the main areas involved genetics, nutrition, and marketability. Dr. Ely started his discussion in the barn that houses UK’s flock of Hampshire, Polypay and White Dorper sheep. He pointed out that genetics and nutrition are two of the most important variables. Without optimum nutrition there will be losses in the genetic potential of one’s market lambs. This session was very informative for the beginner sheep farmer but was also a refreshing lesson for the experienced farmer as well.
The afternoon session of the workshop took place at UK’s Meat Lab on the main campus in Lexington. Dr. Rentfrow guided us through the processing of two lambs of differing size to compare the outcomes. The participants learned how the different cuts are created by observing the systematic process of cutting up a lamb carcass. There are four main cuts on a lamb carcass with the most profitable one being the loin, followed by the rack, with the legs and shoulders breaking even. Dr. Rentfrow was very knowledgeable on the laws regarding the public sale of meat products and allowed for many questions from participants on different areas of this broad topic.
A total of 48 people registered for last Friday’s workshop. Because of space limitations in the Meat Lab, we had to cut the attendance off at 20 participants. The remaining 28+ people have been placed on a waiting list for a second (and possibly a third) workshop that will be scheduled later in the year.
On behalf of SEKSPA, we greatly appreciate the University of Kentucky, Dr. Don Ely, Dr. Gregg Rentfrow, and the Laurel and Wayne County Cooperative Extension Offices for hosting the Lamb Slaughtering and Processing Workshop for our members.
