UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



BULLETIN No. 573 



Joint Contribution from the Bureau of Plant Industry, WM. A. 



TAYLOR, Chief, and the Bureau of Animal Industry 



A. D. MELVIN, Chief 



Washington, D. C. 



August 4, 1917 



THE SHEEP INDUSTRY ON THE MINIDOKA RECLA- 

 MATION PROJECT. 1 



By E. F. RINEHART, Agriculturist, Demonstrations on Reclamation Projects, 

 Bureau of Plant Industry. 



CONTENTS. 



Page. 



Importance of sheep production on Govern- 

 ment reclamation projects 



Agricultural conditions on the Minidoka 



project 



History and present status of the sheep indus- 

 try on the Minidoka project 



Relationship of farm sheep production to 



the range sheep industry 



Sheep population of the Minidoka project 

 Agricultural diversity of farms producing 



sheep 



Methods of sheep management 



Relationship of sheep production to other 



industries on the farm 



Foundation stock 



Breeding practices 



Page. 



Methods of sheep management Continued. 



Lambing 12 



Docking and castrating 13 



Weaning 14 



Feeds and feeding 15 



Buildings and equipment 18 



Diseases, pests, and minor ailments 20 



Shearing 23 



Marketing 24 



Future development of the industry 25 



Conservative practices 26 



Relationship of sheep production to other 



industries 26 



C ommunity cooperation 27 



Stabilizing the industry 27 



IMPORTANCE OF SHEEP PRODUCTION ON GOVERNMENT 

 RECLAMATION PROJECTS. 



Two of the leading factors influencing the development of agri- 

 culture on the Government reclamation projects are the isolated 

 location of these irrigated regions and the local conditions neces- 

 sitating or favoring the production of forage and grain crops, which 

 ordinarily will not bear the cost of transportation to the large con- 

 suming centers. It follows that the development of these irrigated 

 lands requires the establishment of live-stock industries, in which 



1 This bulletin has been prepared under the direction of Mr. F. D. Farrell, Agriculturist in Charge of 

 the Office of Demonstrations on Reclamation Projects of the Bureau of Plant Industry, as a part of the work 

 of that office in the development of agricultural industries on the Government reclamation projects. That 

 part of this work which relates to live-stock production is conducted in cooperation with the Bureau of 

 Animal Industry. The suggestions made in this bulletin, while based primarily on the results of observa- 

 tions on the Minidoka Reclamation Project, are applicable to several other irrigation projects in the north- 

 western United States having similar climatic and agricultural conditions. 

 104987 Bull. 57317 1 



