Sericea lespedeza has been shown to reduce barber pole worm infections in small ruminants.
Hair sheep tend to be more resistant to gastro-intestinal parasites than wooled sheep or goats.
Teaching the next generation about worms.
Sericea lespedeza has been shown to reduce barber pole worm infections in small ruminants.
Susan Schoenian
Western Maryland Research & Education Center
18330 Keedysville Road
Keedysville, Maryland 21756
Susan Schoenian is a Sheep & Goat Specialist at the University of Maryland’s Western Maryland Research & Education Center in Keedysville. She has been with University of Maryland Extension since 1988. Susan received a B.S. degree in Animal Science from Virginia Tech and a M.S. degree in Animal Science from Montana State University. She has a 100 percent extension appointment. She conducts extension education programs for youth and adults in all aspects of small ruminants, including integrated parasite management (IPM). From 2006-2016, Susan conducted the Western Maryland Pasture-Based Meat Goat Performance Test and did studies comparing carcass characteristics of pen-fed and pasture-reared goats. In 2018, she transitioned to sheep research. Her first project was a comparison study of ram, wether, and short-scrotum lambs. Susan's international experiences include Brazil, China, Egypt, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Poland, Russia, South Africa, and various Caribbean islands. Susan is the author of several web and social media pages pertaining to small ruminants including the Maryland Small Ruminant Page (www.sheepandgoat.com) and Sheep 101. Susan maintains the web site for the American Consortium for Small Ruminant Parasite Control. She raises Katahdin sheep on her small farm in Western Maryland.
