Mark your calendars to join the Nebraska Sheep and Goat Producers for a great meeting for producers on November 6 & 7, 2026 in North Platte, NE. We are excited to feature two tours from local producers starting on Friday. Concluding the day with our Annual Meeting and Banquet.

We will continue our conference on Saturday November 7th with a day that is packed full of a great list of speakers. Check out the agenda below. For more information, please email ne.sheep.goat@gmail.com

Friday November 6

1:00 PM Meet at Nebraska Prime Lamb LLC, Monheiser Family, Hershey

Managed by Karleen, Kevin, and their son CJ Monheiser, the farm focuses on raising high-quality, USDA-certified prime lamb meat. They focus heavily on herd health, raising both meat lambs and polled wethers (often utilized in youth stock shows or terminal production). CJ Monheiser, who manages much of the livestock’s daily care and feeding, has a strong regional background in animal science and competitive livestock handling.

3:00 PM Meet at Steve and DeAnn Vaughn are first-generation ranchers who operate Back to Grass Nebraska, a sheep and goat ranch located in Lincoln County, Nebraska near the town of Brady. (26499 S Brady Moorefield Rd. Brady NE 69123)

The Operation: Prior to the Cottonwood fire, they managed 400 head of sheep and goats on 620 acres of rolling hills, utilizing holistic and rotational grazing practices. They had spent 10 years building their herd genetics and infrastructure from the ground up. The Cottonwood Fire burned across their entire grazing pasture and destroyed all of their fencing and stored hay. While firefighters successfully saved their residential home, about half of their herd (approximately 200 animals) was lost to the fire.

5:00 PM Annual meeting of Nebraska Sheep and Goats at North Platte Stockyards (2200 E 8th St. North Platte NE 69101

 Saturday November 7

8:00 P M. – Breakfast Burrito @ North Platte Stockyards (2200 E 8th St. North Platte NE 69101)

9:00 AM – The Things That Help Market Your Stock -Randy Fisher Yard Manager and Sheep and Goat Representative Columbus Sales Pavillion

9:45 AM – Who Buys Sheep and Goat Meat – Jennifer Lutes – Field Specialist in Agri Business, MU Extension –

Jennifer Lutes is a Field Specialist in Agricultural Business & Policy with University of Missouri Extension. Based in McDonald County, she serves the Southwest Missouri region and collaborates across the state on projects that strengthen farm businesses, value-added enterprises, and local food systems. With more than a decade of experience, Jennifer specializes in enterprise planning, financial analysis, and producer education. She frequently works with agricultural organizations and industry partners to deliver research-based resources that meet the needs of farmers and agribusinesses.

Jennifer holds an M.S. in Agricultural Economics from the University of Arkansas, a B.S. in Poultry Science with a minor in Agricultural Business, and both an A.A. in Agriculture and an A.S. in Livestock Production from Crowder College. This academic background provides a strong foundation in agricultural sciences, economics, and applied farm management, which she brings directly into her Extension programming.

Jennifer’s Extension work centers on helping producers strengthen their businesses through value-added opportunities, economic analysis, and sound farm management. She is committed to equipping farmers with the information and tools they need to make informed decisions that improve profitability and reduce risk. Her current emphasis includes:

  • Value-Added Farm Products – Helping producers evaluate feasibility, processing options, labeling, and regulatory compliance to enhance profitability and connect farms directly to consumers.
  • Sheep & Goat Farm Management & Economics – Developing enterprise budgets, benchmarking tools, market outlooks, and economic comparisons that enable producers to evaluate alternatives and make profitable production decisions.
  • Farm Business Management – Delivering applied training and resources on whole-farm planning, financial analysis, and economic comparisons across enterprises and cost structures to support sound financial decisions and risk management in production, marketing, legal, and human areas.

Through a combination of applied research, producer surveys, and statewide programming, Jennifer develops educational resources that help farmers explore new opportunities while managing risks.

10:25 AM – Feeder lamb Nutrition -Ryan Spurling – Assistant professor/Extension Specialist South Dakota State University

Spurling grew up on his family’s farm in Missouri, where they raised goats, hair sheep, cattle and row crops. He was active in 4-H, showing rabbits, cattle and meat goats. He has earned bachelor’s degrees in agricultural business and animal science from Northwest Missouri State University, and his graduate and doctoral degrees from Utah State University focused on sheep and goat production with an emphasis in nutritional management.

His experience includes helping with extension workshops and field days in Utah, lamb clinics in Utah and Idaho and work with the Utah Department of Natural Resources on using sheep and goats to control invasive plants. He has also helped conduct a statewide mastitis survey, grazing trial using sheep and goats to control invasive weeds, a feeding trial for wethers and work with protein supplements on rangelands.

10:55 AM – Feeding the Ewe and Doe before kidding -Ryan Spurling Assistant professor/Extension Specialist South Dakota State University

11:25 AM Lunch at North Platte Stockyards

12:30 PM Leave for West Central Research, Extension and Education Center 402 W State Farm Road, North Platte NE 69101

 1:00 PM Pipestone Production Systems, Philip Berg, Lamb and Wool Instructor at Minnesota West Community & Technical College

Philip Berg was born and raised on a Pipestone area sheep farm and continues to work with his family’s sheep operation. He graduated with an Animal Science degree from South Dakota State University and also received a Master’s Degree in Animal and Range Science from North Dakota State University. After receiving his Master’s Degree, Philip worked for the North Dakota State University Research Center in Hettinger, ND. After six years with the NDSU Research Center, he returned to Pipestone where he was employed by the University of Minnesota Extension Service in Pipestone County for eleven years. Philip began his role as a Lamb and Wool Instructor in June of 2005.

1:45 PM ASI board member Lynn Fahrmeier WCREEC

Lynn Fahrmeier of Wellington, Mo., is a first-generation shepherd on a fifth-generation farm that has been in the family for more than 120 years. Lynn and his wife, Donna, have been raising Katahdin hair sheep since 1997.  As an early adaptor of regenerative farming practices, the Fahrmeiers use their sheep flock and cattle herd to graze cover crops on many of their 2,000 acres of crop ground. Fahrmeier has been president of Katahdin Hair Sheep International, chairman of the National Sheep Improvement Program, and has served as a board member of the Missouri Sheep Producers Association for many years. He is currently serving on the Missouri Farm Bureau Sheep Committee and is chairman of the Wellington Community Christian Center.

A graduate of the University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Fahrmeier has worked tirelessly to promote agriculture and has hosted many farm tours.  The Fahrmeier’s have two children, Samuel and Elizabeth, and a son-in-law, Dillon.

2:15 pm Fly and Lice Control in Sheep and Goats David Boxler, Extension Educator WCREEC

David Boxler is an Associate Extension Educator and livestock entomologist at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, specializing in insect identification, pest control, and research for Nebraska cattle producers

Boxler serves as an Extension Educator in NE Ext Engagement Zone 3, based at the West Central Research, Extension and Education Center in North Platte, NE

 His work includes:

  • Providing insect identification and general insect information.
  • Offering insect control guidance for livestock, particularly flies affecting cattle
  • Conducting research studies on insects that impact livestock and translating findings into practical recommendations for local, state, and national producers
  • Collaborating with producers to develop and test pest control methods, including innovative tools like leg‑stick fly patches

According to IANR News, Boxler has 50 years of service with Nebraska Extension

Key contributions include:

  • Establishing an economic injury level for stable flies in feedlots.
  • Identifying the impact of stable flies on pastured cattle.
  • Testing multiple methods to control pasture stable flies.

Pioneering the use of plant‑based biopesticides for safe livestock pest control

He began his career as a research technician under livestock entomologist Jack Campbell, later earning a master’s degree in entomology and building a career grounded in science, service, and producer collaboration

3:00 Marketing Panel WCREEC

Erin Laborie and husband

Pipestone Lamb and Wool Program Eric Berg

Connie Moore

Back to Grass Nebraska Steve Vaughn

Matt Grimes

Nebraska Prime Lamb Monheiser Family

4:15 PM – Time for Evaluation and Drawings for those filling out the Evaluations WCREEC