For 20+ years we have had a base flock of East Friesian x Lacaune ewes.  From 2017-2021, we used improved Lacaune semen, imported from France via DSANA’s Semen Importation Program. In 2018-2020, we also used improved Assaf semen imported from Spain via Ms J & Co in Wisconsin. Then in 2022, we imported East Friesian rams from Wooldrift Farm in Ontario; these rams’ dams are high-EBV ewes with beautiful udders. The rams’ daughters are now in the parlor, and it is clear that the rams have been improvers for us.

We milk seasonally, and use pasture and stored forage supplemented with grain during the lactation season.  Over the past 25 years, our dairy flock has been bred to be hardy in our Central New York winters. Using EBVs we select for milk production and emphasize udder conformation. It has taken 25 years of diligent selection and culling, but we are pleased to report that in starting in 2021, our ewes (aged 1 to 7 years) have maintained an average of ~ 1,200 lb milk per head over an average of 270 days in milk.

Using Lacaune and Assaf semen

In 2017 Meadowood Farms was one of 20 US farms that took the opportunity to purchase Lacaune semen from France, through DSANA (the Dairy Sheep Association of North America). Our first Lacaune-sired daughters from those breedings were milked in the 2019 season — those Lacaune-semen-sired yearlings produced a full 50% more milk than their US-ram-sired penmates.

Genetic evaluation of individual ewes in the Meadowood Farms dairy flock

Meadowood Farms is enrolled in DSANA’s Genetic Evaluation program (www.dsana.org/Genetic-Evaluation-Project). We submit metering and milk component data from each individual ewe in our flock. We meter every two weeks through peak lactation, and then monthly thereafter through the entire lactation season; we collect monthly milk samples on each individual ewe for milk-component analysis for five consecutive months during the lactation season. The yield and component information is analyzed by Genovis in Quebec, and we now receive EBV’s — Estimated Breeding Values — on all individual ewes, for milk yield, component yield (protein & fat%), SCC, and persistency.

We pride ourselves on the health of the flock. The sheep are tested annually for OPP and Johne's (100% negative), and we have no foot rot on the farm. We vaccinate for CL and CD/T.