The California Wool Growers Association recently held its 106th Annual California Ram Sale in Tulare, and UC Davis livestock veterinarians and students were on hand to help facilitate the event. As they have done for more than 50 years, the school’s livestock team provided health checks on all 500 rams up for sale.

Participating in the event were Drs. Bret McNabb (director of Large Animal Hospital), Fauna Smith (chief of hospital’s Livestock Herd Health and Reproduction Service), Adriana Garzon (herd health resident), Alejandro Hojos (herd health resident), Deniece Williams (chief of Dairy Production Medicine Service at the school’s Veterinary Medicine Teaching and Research Center in Tulare), Antonios Voutsinos (dairy production resident), and three veterinary students.

“This is a great opportunity for our livestock services to interact with commercial sheep producers,” said Dr. McNabb. “If one of their animals has a health concern, we take the time to explain why their ram is not fit for sale.”

The producers enjoy working with the veterinary students, recognizing the need for more large animal veterinarians. Dr. McNabb also emphasized that the event allows students great exposure to the livestock industry and also gives them an opportunity to gain valuable and extensive hands-on experience with the shear number of examinations in a short amount of time. The team is able to perform roughly 500 health checks in about three hours.

UC Davis conducts physical examinations checking for any reproductive issues or potential production-limiting diseases, such as contagious or communicable diseases. A separate quality control committee also checks rams for overall soundness and structural correctness. Only rams that pass both committee inspections are allowed to go through the sale.

Consigners at the event raise sheep throughout the Western United States for breeding. Buyers are typically California sheep producers looking to bring in new genetics to their breeding ewes.

“The main purpose of the sale is to provide a way to introduce the healthiest and highest quality rams to help California shepherds and sheep producers maintain and improve the genetics of their flock,” stated Dr. McNabb. “UC Davis is proud to be part of that tradition for more than half a century.”

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