PENNSYLVANIA FURNACE, Pa. — The Pa. Shepherd’s Symposium will be held Oct. 19 at the Samuel E. Hayes, Jr. Pa. Livestock Evaluation Center, Pennsylvania Furnace, Pa.
Speaker
The featured speaker is Don Van Nostran, who has been in the sheep business for more than 50 years, and has turned his interest into a family business.
Van Nostran spent 19 years in agriculture education and then took over the general manager’s position with Mid-States Wool Growers for the next 19 years.
In 2008, he retired from Mid-States and started his own business marketing lamb carcasses wholesale on a year round basis to the Kroger company.
His presentation will emphasize marketing as the way to improve total income from a sheep operation. Under Van Nostran’s system, the market price is known before the production of lambs even begins.
Meal
The day will also include a lamb luncheon, showcasing the contestants for the 2014 Pa. Lamb and Wool Queen contest.
There will be a silent auction to benefit the Pa. Sheep and Wool Growers Association. The evening will feature a reception and door prizes, concluding with the Pa. Sheep and Wool Growers annual meeting.
Cost
Registration fees for the symposium are $40 for adults and $17 for children. For more information and to register, contact Laurie Hubbard at 570-864-6027 or by email psushepherd@yahoo.com.
