Registration now open!
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Registration now open! ~
Get the latest information on dairy sheep and sheep milk production
and help your farm business thrive!
Sign up for DSANA’s 2025 event
WEd. Nov. 12 & Thurs. Nov. 13
12:00 - 5:00 pm Eastern, Both Days
Online, via Zoom
For 30 years, dairy sheep producers from Canada, Mexico, Europe, Central & South America, New Zealand & Australia, and the U.S. have attended DSANA’s annual symposium. It is the major annual event of the dairy sheep industry in North America, providing education and connection.
The event is perfect for established sheep dairies, those considering sheep dairying, those who milk sheep on homesteads, cheesemakers who work with sheep’s milk, veterinarians interested in small ruminant dairy animals, small ruminant nutritionists, and businesses that serve the sheep dairy industry.
Presentation Topics:
A farm-based udder conformation Assessment System
nutritional needs of Dairy ewes through various lactation stages
Producer Panel: using a flock nutritionist
bottled milk production: Virtual tours and producer panel
colostrum needs and supplementation for newborn lambs
Research from Greece on sub-clinical mastitis
An in-Depth look at biofilm-forming staphylococcus
A virtual Farm tour, TBA…
Presentations will be from 12 - 5 pm (EST), on both days
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A Zoom link will be sent to all registrants on both days, in the morning
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The presentation will be recorded but we encourage you to attend live so you can ask questions
Cost:
Free for DSANA members
(check your current membership status)
For non-members: $75
Includes a 1-year membership in DSANA
Presentation Details
WATCH THIS PAGE FOR UPDATES ON THE SYMPOSIUM PROGRAM
The DSANA Symposium Committee, made up entirely of producers in the U.S. and Canada, has developed a comprehensive lineup of topics that are relevant to all sizes of sheep dairies:
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Research into Mastitis in Dairy Sheep
Dr. Vasia Mavrogianni
Dr. Natalia Vasileiou
University of Thessaly, Greece
Researchers at the University of Thessaly in Greece have been investigating clinical and subclinical mastitis in dairy sheep for decades. Dr. Natalia Vasileiou and Dr. Vasia Mavrogianni will present an overview of the most significant conclusions of their program’s 20 years of dairy sheep mastitis research, particularly the primary culprits of subclinical mastitis, how it spreads, and why it is so difficult to treat. They will also discuss milking procedures, which their data has shown to be the biggest factor in the spread of subclinical mastitis within a dairy flock.
An Udder Conformation Assessment System for Dairy Sheep Farms
Bee Tolman
Meadowood Farms, Cazenovia, NY
Good udder conformation in a dairy ewe is important for both strong milk production and persistency, and ewe health throughout lactation. Bee Tolman will talk about teaching dairy sheep producers to use a version of Quebec's dairy sheep udder assessment system. Easily teachable and quickly learned in the parlor, the system can help producers assess their ewes’ conformation and decide what udder traits to introduce into their flock.
Producer Panel:
Bottled Sheep’s Milk
Production &
Marketing
A panel of sheep dairy producers who have found success selling bottled sheep’s milk will speak about packaging choices, facilities & equipment, their customer base, and why they chose to sell fluid milk.
Colostrum Feeding Made Simple: Supporting Dairy Lamb Health
Dr. Juliana Mergh Leão
Saskatoon Colostrum Company Ltd. &
The university of Guelph, Ontario, Canada
Josh Davis, owner/operator at M & J Farms, Hughson, California
Healthy lambs start with quality colostrum. Dr. Juliana Mergh Leão will share the latest science and practical strategies for the use of cow colostrum milk replacer in dairy lambs. Joining her will be Josh Davis, a sheep dairy producer who has been using cow colostrum milk replacer exclusively for 8 years. Together, they will also discuss an extended feeding approach that mimics the natural decline in maternal colostrum when lambs remain nursing on the ewe.
Dairy Sheep Nutritional Needs During Lactation
Andrea Mongini, DVM
M&M Veterinary Practice and Ewetopia Dairy, California
Dr. Andrea Mongini, veterinarian and dairy nutritionist, has presented often at past DSANA symposia. This year Dr. Mongini will walk us through the general guidelines of dairy ewe nutrition for the stages of lactation, to ensure strong milk production, ewe health, and lactation persistence.
Producer Panel:
Working with a Flock Nutritionist
Eliza Spertus, Green Dirt Farm, Missouri
Terry Felda, Tin Willows Sheep Dairy & Ranch, Oregon
Josh Davis, M & J Farms, California
Sheep nutrition plays a critical role in the health, productivity, and profitability of a sheep dairy. In this producer-driven panel, three owner-operators share their experiences working with professional dairy sheep nutritionists. Terry Felda (Oregon), Eliza Spertus (Missouri), and Josh Davis (California) will discuss the cost and structure of the consulting services they use, how they work with their nutritionists, and the benefits they’ve seen in their operations. They will offer practical insights into how a nutritionist can support long-term success for a dairy sheep farm of any size or management approach.
Biofilm Bacteria
and the Health of Your Ewes
Shannon Walsh, DVM, Ontario &
Technical Services Veterinarian at HIPRA Animal Health for Eastern Canada
Meet your sworn enemy: biofilm-forming staphylococcus bacteria (pictured here). These are the class of bacteria responsible for Staph aureus mastitis, but perhaps more importantly, they are also the primary cause of subclinical mastitis in dairy sheep, insidiously reducing milk production and increasing bulk somatic cell counts. Dr. Shannon Walsh will give us an in-depth look into these biofilm-forming bacteria, explaining how they form the biofilm, what makes them different from non-biofilm-forming bacteria, how the film protects them from antibiotics and also protects them from the ewe’s innate immune responses, and how mastitis vaccines help the ewe’s immune response to these bacteria.
Plus a Farm Tour TBD!
“I found excuses not to attend the symposium for years. I was too busy, it was too hard to leave the farm, it’s too expensive. When we finally did attend in 2017, I quickly learned the error of my ways. The information we took home from that symposium and the ones that followed have had a measurable effect on how our farm operates and our bottom line. The best part of the symposium is the networking. Meeting people who have lived through the same problems and challenges you face day to day is incredibly helpful and comforting. I always leave the symposium feeling re-energized about my farm.”
- Kyle White, Milkhouse Farm + Dairy, Ontario, Canada
Registration Form
To register for this year’s Symposium, simply choose the tickets you would like to purchase and fill out the form that appears below. DSANA members need to click “sign in” and enter their email address and password. For questions, or if you need assistance, please email hello@dsana.org. We would love to help! (Want to pay the reduced member price? Join DSANA today!)
“We've been attending the Symposium for over 20 years. The information we've gathered has been critical to the success of our dairy and cheese-making business. It's been invaluable to build relationships with the network of experts and colleagues we've learned from at the Symposium and the ability to troubleshoot with them later when we've encountered challenges. Another great thing about the Symposium has been the marketing knowledge and feedback we've gained from presenting our cheese to experts and peers at the Symposium's cheese reception”
- Sarah Hoffmann, Green Dirt Farm, Missouri, USA
