The Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center in San Angelo will present its fourth online meeting on the impact of COVID-19 on sheep and goat markets June 11.
The event will use the Zoom video meeting platform starting at 3 p.m. Participants need to download Zoom to their computer or smart phone in advance of the meeting to preregister. Once preregistered, participants will be given the meeting link and have the option to join online or by phone.
This event is free and open to the public. Sheep and goat producers are encouraged to participate.
“Since our first update of the COVID-19 impact on the lamb and goat market in April, the markets have continued to change,” said Reid Redden, Ph.D., Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service sheep and goat specialist and Texas A&M AgriLife Research interim center director, Sacramento.
“Sheep and goat producers have a lot of questions regarding the government programs, which we’ll cover during the webinar. Our intent is to try and provide information to producers on what has occurred and why. We know many segments of the market are facing extremely dire situations, and this webinar is geared toward keeping producers informed.”
Expert speakers will include Redden; Bill Thompson, AgriLife Extension economist, San Angelo; David Anderson, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension livestock and foods marketing economist, College Station; and guest speaker Erica Sanko, American Sheep Industry director of analytics and production programs, Sacramento, California.
Topics discussed will include the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Stability Act, the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program, wool marketing assistance loans and the loan deficiency payments. Markets, cold storage, lamb production, retail food service demand, cut prices, cull ewes and lightweight slaughter will also be covered.
