Study Focus

Sheep 2011 is a national study designed to provide indi-

vidual participants, stakeholders, and the industry with 

valuable information representing 70 percent of U.S. farms 

with one or more ewes and 85 percent of the U.S. ewe 

inventory. Sheep 2011 will • Describe trends in sheep health and management 

practices from 1996 to 2011.

• Describe management and biosecurity practices used to 

control common infectious diseases, including scrapie, 

ovine progressive pneumonia, Johne’s disease, and 

caseous lymphadenitis. 

• Estimate the prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites 

and anthelmintic resistance.

• Estimate the prevalence of Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae

in domestic sheep flocks. Relate the presence of the 

organism in blood and nasal secretions to clinical signs 

and demographic and management factors. 

• Facilitate the collection of information and samples 

regarding the causes of abortion storms in sheep. 

• Determine producer awareness of the zoonotic 

potential of contagious ecthyma (sore mouth) and 

the management practices used to prevent transmission 

of the disease.

• Provide serum to include in the serum bank for 

future research. 

How You Can Help

By participating in Sheep 2011, you will help the industry 

and your own operation by contributing to the develop-

ment of reliable and valuable information that will be 

used to

• Educate the producers and veterinarians of tomorrow,

• Help policymakers and industry make informed 

decisions,

• Measure the impacts of disease, and

• Assist researchers and private enterprise to identify 

and focus on vital issues related to sheep health and 

productivity.

Testing Options

The following options will be available:

• Fecal parasite load and possibly anthelmintic 

resistance testing

Goal: Estimate the prevalence of gastrointestinal 

parasites and anthelmintic resistance.

• Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae

Goals: Estimate the prevalence of Mycoplasma 

ovipneumoniae in domestic sheep flocks. Relate 

the presence of the organism in blood and nasal 

secretions to clinical signs as well as demographic 

and management factors. 

• Sore mouth

Goal: Identify strains of sore mouth if present on 

the operation.

I

n January 2011, the National 

Animal Health Monitoring System 

(NAHMS)—a unit within the U.S. 

Department of Agriculture (USDA), 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service (APHIS)—will launch the Sheep 

2011 study. This national study marks the 

first time in 10 years that NAHMS has 

taken an in-depth look at the U.S. sheep 

industry. Producers from 22 States* with 

the Nation’s largest sheep inventories will 

be asked to participate in Sheep 2011. The 

study will examine the priority health and 

health management issues facing the U.S. 

sheep industry. 

*California, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, 

Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, 

Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, 

Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming

The Sheep 

2011 Study

How You Will Benefit

If you participate in Sheep 2011, you will receive

• Reports and information sheets that will enable 

you to compare your operation—including 

management decisions and practices—with other 

sheep operations. 

• Results of gastrointestinal parasite and possibly 

anthelmintic resistance testing.

• Results of testing for Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae, 

a disease-causing organism that can decrease 

productivity and allow for secondary bacterial 

infections. 

• Results of testing for sore mouth.

The data and analyses from the NAHMS sheep studies 

are extremely valuable to our industry and have many 

uses, including identifying emerging or new disease 

conditions, establishing research priorities, working 

with pharmaceutical and biologics companies on 

product needs, and providing timely information to 

State and Federal Government agencies.

Paul Rogers

Deputy Director of Policy

American Sheep Industry

USDA, Judith Rodriguez
The U.S. Department of Agriculture prohibits discrim

-

ination in all its programs and activities on the basis 

of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and 

where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, 

parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic 

information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all 

or part of an individual’s income is derived from any 

public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases 

apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities 

who require alternative means for communication of 

program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, 

etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 

720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint 

of discrimination, write to USDA, Director, Office 

of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., 

Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272 

(voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal 

opportunity provider and employer.

Issued November 2010

Program Aid No. 2067

What Your Participation Involves

Participation in all NAHMS studies is voluntary. If you 

are selected to participate in Sheep 2011* and decide 

to do so, representatives from the USDA National 

Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will visit you 

to complete a questionnaire. If you are eligible and 

choose to continue in the study, veterinary medical offi-

cers (VMOs) and/or animal health technicians (AHTs) 

will visit and explain further phases of the study. • NASS will contact selected sheep producers in 

January and February 2011 to complete 

a questionnaire.

• From March through May 2011, VMOs and/or 

AHTs will visit you to complete an additional 

questionnaire and discuss participation in 

biological sampling.

*Farms with fewer than 20 ewes at the time of sample selection will 

follow a different study protocol that will involve completing only a 

short questionnaire by mail or, if preferred, by follow-up telephone 

call. This process is voluntary and strictly confidential.

A Scientific Approach

APHIS established NAHMS to collect and report accu-

rate and valuable information on animal health and 

management in the United States. Since 1990, NAHMS 

has developed national estimates on disease prevalence 

and other factors related to the health of U.S. sheep, 

goat, dairy cattle, swine, beef cattle, equine, poultry, and 

catfish populations. The science-based results produced 

by NAHMS have proven to be of considerable value to 

the U.S. livestock, poultry, and aquaculture industries. 

NAHMS studies are • National in scope, • Voluntary and confidential, • Statistically valid, • Scientific, and • Collaborative in nature.

Confidentiality

Because NAHMS’ studies rely on voluntary participa-

tion, APHIS protects the privacy of every participant. 

Only those collecting the data know the identity of the 

respondent. No name or address is ever recorded in 

any APHIS database. No data will be reported on any 

individual or in a manner that would allow the identifi-

cation of an individual.

Sheep 2011

An In-Depth 

Look at the 

U.S. Sheep Industry

For More Information...

To find out more about Sheep 2011, please contact

USDA–APHIS

Veterinary Services, Attention: NAHMS

NRRC Building B, Mailstop 2E7

2150 Centre Avenue

Fort Collins, CO 80526-8117

Phone: (970) 494–7000

Email: NAHMS@aphis.usda.gov

Or visit NAHMS on the Web at 

http://nahms.aphis.usda.gov/.

The NAHMS Sheep 2011 Study will help sheep 

producers identify management and biosecurity 

techniques designed to prevent the spread 

of disease.

Jim Logan, DVM

State Veterinarian

Wyoming Livestock Board

Photo Credits: Cover photo courtesy of the American Sheep Industry; inside cover, 

USDA file photo.

United States Department of Agriculture

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service