Still, they might also prove more profitable. Experts say it takes about 2 hours of work per year to maintain one ewe and her offspring on farm pasture. Farmers caring for 20 to 100 ewes thus would add 40 to 200 more hours of work to their regular duties. Where a farmer already has some beef cattle, there are economical and biological advantages to adding some sheep to the operation, Terrill says. Shared pastures can work well, he points out.
Sheep tend to prefer finer plants and cattle the coarser ones.
Sheep can be fed out to market on forage alone if it is adequate, thus requiring little outlay for feed. For small-scale entrepreneurs who prefer the conventional production of slaughter lambs and wool, the ASI is a good source of information. ASI also sells subscriptions to its Research Journal and its Sheep Production Handbook. Local county agricultural extension agents throughout the United States may obtain copies of the 12-page bulletin to answer public inquiries. The bulletin costs 50 cents to the public.