Sheep Industry News August 2024

SheepIndustry Volume 28, Issue 8 August 2024

News

August 2024 Volume 28, Issue 8

Contents

4

President’s Notes

6

Market Report

8

ASI Member Listing

36

Breeder's Directory

38

Industry Calendar

ON THE COVER: This month we take a look at how genetics research is pushing the industry forward.

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2 • Sheep Industry News • sheepusa.org

Wool Blazer Featured In Team USA Uniforms When Ralph Lauren unveiled Team USA’s uniforms for the opening ceremonies of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, many were caught off guard by the inclusion of a wool blazer. Sheep producers, however, know the value of wool in any season.

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20 Helle Rambouillet Leans On Decades of Information Sheep Genetics USA visited the small town of Dillon, Mont., to talk with

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NSIP Sees Leadership Change

Producers Look at Future for Dorpers, Dorsets Dr. Jake Thorne of Texas, the NSIP breed representative for Dorpers, and North Dakota’s Curt Stanley, the NSIP breed representative for Dorsets, look to the future of their respective breeds.

Black Sheep Gathering Celebrates 50 Years

After nearly a decade of leading the National Sheep Improvement Program, Rusty Burgett announced earlier this year he was leaving the organization. David Scales has since been hired to guide NSIP in the years to come.

Heather Brummer had a plan of attack heading into the 50th Black Sheep Gathering in late June in Albany, Ore. But that plan fell by the wayside when she stopped by the sheep barn on Saturday to get a look at the animals who grow the world’s most amazing natural fiber.

Rambouillet breeder John Helle about his flock and developing the Duckworth line of fine wool clothing.

August 2024 • Sheep Industry News • 3

President’s Notes BRAD BONER ASI PRESIDENT

Inspired for the Future by Genetics W elcome to the 2024 Genetics issue of the Sheep Industry News . This is the fourth year that ASI has dedicated the August edition to focus on ways we can advance genetic improvement in our industry. ASI believes that genetic improvement is one of the major cornerstones that will improve producer profitability and help to keep the American sheep industry competitive in our marketplace by providing consumers with a high-quality product at a price that is sustainable up and down the value chain. As I am sure most of you are aware, the countries who import the most lamb into the United States market are already keenly focused on genetic improvement and have made advances in recent years that have made their product more acceptable to the American consumer than it was 10 years ago. That alone should be all the incentive we need for all of us to up our game by making smarter breeding decisions. Using data to help to identify those individual animals who can fill in the weak areas in our flocks without sacrific ing other important traits is key to making the kind of improvements that are necessary. You will find two excellent articles in this issue that discuss increasing the amount of data you use to make your seedstock/breeding decisions. The first is a conversation between outgoing National Sheep Improvement Program Executive Director Rusty Burgett and David Scales, who was selected to follow in Rusty’s footsteps. NSIP is one of the most useful tools we have available to us that will help us make wiser decisions. I would strongly encourage you all to take the time to soak up all the information that is in the second article. John Helle of Montana explains the value of using data in making your selection decisions. John is a progressive sheep pro ducer who raises registered and commercial Rambouillets. He’s also the founder of Duckworth Clothing Company. Duckworth manufactures and markets clothing that is 100-percent American made and sourced. This is achieved through source verified, 100 percent made-in-the-U.S.A. materials, with total supply-chain control from the fiber to the finished garment. Lots of hands-on knowledge from John in this article will prove to be invaluable to many of you. New technology can also help producers be more efficient and, in some cases, reduce the amount of labor needed to complete some of the production tasks at hand. Dan Persons with Shearwell Data shares with us how to make use of sheep handling equipment to decrease our labor costs and increase productivity. In addition, Dr. Tom Murphy with the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center looks at blending technology and tradi tion to achieve your flock's breeding goals. These are just a few of the great articles in this month’s issue. I strongly recommend this issue stays by your reading

chair until you’ve read it from cover to cover. Until next time, keep it on the sunny side.

4 • Sheep Industry News • sheepusa.org

SheepIndustry NEWS August 2024: Volume 28, Issue 8

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AMERICAN SHEEP INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION INC. 9785 Maroon Circle, Suite 360 Englewood, CO 80112-2692 Phone: 303-771-3500 • Fax: 303-771-8200 info@sheepusa.org • Sheepusa.org EDITOR/ADVERTISING DIRECTOR: Kyle Partain COMMUNICATIONS ASSISTANT: Parand Malekani ASI Office Staff: Peter Orwick, Executive Director Rita Kourlis Samuelson, Deputy Director/Wool Marketing Larry Kincaid, Chief Financial Officer Zahrah Khan, Operations Manager Erica Sanko, Director of Analytics & Production Programs Christa Rochford, Wool Marketing Programs Manager Heather Pearce, Wool Production Programs Manager Chris Jones, Administrative Assistant The Sheep Industry News is published monthly as the official publication of the American Sheep Industry Association Inc. SUBSCRIPTIONS: Payment of member dues in an ASI affiliated state organization entitles a member to a subscription. For non-members, the subscription rate is $50 per year. ADVERTISING INFORMATION: Rates available at Sheepusa.org. Deadline is the fifth of the month preceding the cover date. All advertising is subject to publisher’s approval. Advertisers must assume all liability for their advertising content. Publisher maintains the right to cancel advertising for nonpayment or reader complaint about service or product. Publisher assumes no liability for products or services advertised in Sheep Industry News.

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August 2024 • Sheep Industry News • 5

Market Report

DAVID ANDERSON, PH.D. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

Production and Total Supplies Ahead of Last Year

N ow that July is here, it’s time for a little mid-year review. One of the interesting events in the market this year is that sheep and lamb slaughter and meat production are larger than a year ago and prices – for the most part – have been higher than last year. That’s typically hard to pull off unless there is some positive news on the consumption and demand side of the equation. TOTAL SUPPLIES The data on sheep and lambs going to meat packers is divided into two categories: the first is mature sheep, and the second is lambs and yearlings. Through the first week of July, slaughter is running ahead of last year in both categories. Lamb and yearling slaughter is up 3 percent compared to last year. Lamb dressed weights have averaged 62.6 pounds so far this year compared to 64.4 pounds last year. The combination of more slaughter and lighter dressed weights leaves total lamb and yearling production 0.2 percent ahead of last year – almost even. While lamb and yearling slaughter is perhaps more important for current lamb meat supplies, mature sheep slaughter might have some longer-term implications. So far this year, mature sheep slaughter is up 12.1 percent during the same period. Given that the ewe flock in the U.S. Department of Agricul ture’s Jan. 1 inventory report was 2 percent lower than the previ ous year, this rate of slaughter suggests reduced domestic produc

tion in the future. The remaining major part of total supplies are imports. Lamb imports are up 35.5 percent compared to last year. Imports from both Australia and New Zealand are up more than 30 percent. First quarter imports totaled 71.1 million pounds and were the largest first quarter import volume on record. Mutton imports are 7 percent lower than last year. Total supplies on the market include lamb and mutton in cold storage. Pounds in storage have been creeping higher this year. In May – the latest data – lamb and mutton in cold storage totaled 23.4 million pounds, up from 19.9 million pounds in January. But the storage in May remains less than last year’s 25.1 million pounds. Put all these supplies from different sources – domestic and international – together and there has been about 5 percent more lamb and mutton on the market this year than last year. for most of 2024. In the face of larger supplies, the resilience of lamb prices has been surprisingly good. Lambs weighing 60 to 90 pounds (an average of Colorado, South Dakota and Texas markets) and headed for a meat packer averaged about $220 per cwt. in the first week of July compared to about $180 per cwt. last year. They peaked back in April at about $280 per cwt. The decline since April has been largely seasonal as lamb prices normally decline from spring to summer. Lambs of the same weight and representing the same mar kets but designated for feedlots have remained above a year ago, as well, reflecting some past positive returns to feeding with lower corn prices. Heavyweight slaughter lambs reported from Sioux Falls, S.D., indicate that prices have fallen seasonally down to $215 per cwt., slightly above last year’s $207 per cwt. in early July. Lambs in that market experienced a strong counter-seasonal price move last year leading to the highest prices in 2023 during the summer. So, when comparing to last year, it would not be surprising for prices later this summer to be below last year. On the wholesale meat side, prices for the cutout and most PRICES Lamb prices have been largely running ahead of last year

6 • Sheep Industry News • sheepusa.org

lower across most microns, especially finer microns. Fewer bales have been offered in these early Australian sales. An annual three-week recess will begin in August. Using U.S. prices at Charleston, S.C., prices have declined for 22 micron and under for the fourth consecutive week. Higher micron wools have experienced more stable prices with 23s, 25s and 28s increasing while 26s and 32s declined by 7 and 2 cents, respectively. While some buying might pick up on higher prices, across the board gains will likely have to wait on improved eco nomic conditions, especially in Europe. Inflation and slow economic growth are combining to limit demand and that is likely hitting the finer micron wools relatively harder. SUMMARY Lamb prices have been resilient in the face of increased supplies. Perhaps surprisingly, supply growth has come from both domestic and foreign sources. As usual, the growing U.S. economy – as measured by gross domestic product and low un employment – will be important determinants of demand and a source for demand growth. Continued economic growth and improvement will boost the wool side of the market, also.

cuts have been above a year ago. A widening price premium for domestic lamb legs compared to Australian lamb legs has likely supported imports. Given larger supplies of lamb, it might be difficult to maintain higher prices than a year ago later this year. WOOL On the wool side of things, a new marketing year in Aus tralia has begun with some fits and starts. Prices are generally

August 2024 • Sheep Industry News • 7

ASI Member Listing WWW.SHEEPUSA.ORG l INFO@SHEEPUSA.ORG

VOTING MEMBERS

National Lamb Feeders Association 605-224-0224 • lambfeeders@outlook.com Nebraska Sheep & Goat Producers Association 308-386-8378 • Ne.sheep.goat@gmail.com Nevada Wool Growers Association 775-934-8860 • pr_paris@yahoo.com New Hampshire Sheep & Wool Growers nhswga@nhswga.org Garden State Sheep Breeders Inc. (N.J.) 609-947-2260 • kmelvinnjsheep@gmail.com New Mexico Wool Growers Inc. 505-247-0584 • nmwgi@nmagriculture.org Empire Sheep Producers Cooperative (N.Y.) 585-367-2775 • sheepkath@aol.com North Carolina Sheep Producers Assoc. Inc. 919-522-4110 • wewillservethelord@nc.rr.com North Dakota Lamb & Wool Producers Assoc. 701-333-8009 • curtsheep@gmail.com Ohio Sheep Improvement Association 614-499-2931 • rhigh@ofbf.org Oregon Sheep Growers Association 503-364-5462 • info@sheeporegon.com Pennsylvania Sheep & Wool Growers Association 814-880-3314 • psushepherd@yahoo.com South Carolina Sheep Industries Association 864-360-3222 • debbiewebster615@gmail.com South Dakota Sheep Growers Association 406-581-7772 • lisa@sdsheepgrowers.org Tennessee Sheep Producers Association 931-510-1322 • info@tennesseesheep.org Texas Sheep & Goat Raisers’ Association 325-655-7388 • tsgra@wcc.net Utah Wool Growers Association 435-915-6119 • sierra@utahwoolgrowers.com Vermont Sheep & Goat Association 802-899-2104 • settlementfarm@comcast.net Virginia Sheep Producers Association 540-231-9159 • sgreiner@vt.edu Washington State Sheep Producers 360-999-8118 • washingtonsheep@gmail.com Wisconsin Sheep Breeders Cooperative 608-743-9080 • wisconsinsheepbreeders@gmail.com

Alabama Meat Goat & Sheep Producers 334-613-4221 • BRagland@alfains.com ASI Women 435-528-7570 • sherrischumann@utah.gov Arizona Wool Producers Association 520-560-4202 • caauza@peoplepc.com Arkansas State Sheep Council 870-853-7404 • wjcalloway@gmail.com California Wool Growers Association 916-444-8122 • info@woolgrowers.org Colorado Wool Growers Association 970-874-1433 • cwgawool@aol.com Connecticut Sheep Breeders Association 860-819-8339 • secretary@ctsheep.com Meat Sheep Alliance of Florida 352-502-2564 • ruthtaber@embarqmail.com Georgia Sheep & Wool Growers Association 706-340-1098 • georgiasheep@gmail.com Hawaii Sheep and Goat Association 808-775-8075 • alohadjam@yahoo.com Idaho Wool Growers Association 208-344-2271 • director@idahowoolgrowers.org Illinois Lamb & Wool Producers Inc. 573-205-9208 • amanda.limback@gmail.com Indiana Sheep Association 317-607-5664 • executive@indianasheep.com Iowa Sheep Industry Association 641-625-4248 • info@iowasheep.com Kansas Sheep Association 620-393-5204 • kssheep@ruraltel.net Kentucky Sheep & Wool Producers Association 502-682-7780 • kyates@kysheepandgoat.org Maine Sheep Breeders Association 207-324-1582 • donna.flint@maine.edu Maryland Sheep Breeders Association 410-746-5768 • chestnutcreekfarm@gmail.com Massachusetts Federation of Sheep Associations 508-829-4556 • brmacphee@aol.com Michigan Sheep Producers Association 616-610-5628 • samaludl@gmail.com Minnesota Lamb & Wool Producers Association 320-760-5727 • kinneylamb@gmail.com Missouri Sheep Producers Inc.

Brad Boner Wyoming President

Ben Lehfeldt Montana Vice President

Joe Pozzi California Secretary/Treasurer

Peter Orwick Colorado Executive Director

Wyoming Wool Growers Association 307-265-5250 • alison@wyowool.com

573-578-0497 • christy576@gmail.com Montana Wool Growers Association 406-442-1330 • stefanie@mtsheep.org

8 • Sheep Industry News • sheepusa.org

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Black Sheep Celebrates 50 Years A s a fiber enthusiast, Heather Brummer had a plan of attack heading into the 50th Black Sheep Gather ing in late June in Albany, Ore. But that plan fell by however, that she purchased during her time in Albany. The appeal of a drop spindle is its portability, which would allow her to take projects along as she journeys the Pacific North west on her mountain bike.

the wayside when she stopped by the sheep barn on Saturday morning to get a look at the animals who grow the world’s most amazing natural fiber. Brummer drove more than five hours from her home near Everett, Wash., to attend the Black Sheep Gathering for the first time, and the sheep stole the show. Merinos, Rambouil lets, Romneys, Shetlands, Valais Blacknose and more paraded through the show ring that day offering white, black and every imaginable color in between for those who were able to

A quick tour of the Linn County Expo Center on Saturday during the show found a huge number of fiber enthusiasts – including Brummer – camped out at picnic tables and shady spots all around the grounds working on knitting and spin ning projects while taking in the cool, sunny summer day as they waited for the potluck dinner celebration that goes back to the very roots of the original Black Sheep Gathering in 1974. For approximately 20 of those 50 years,

pull themselves away from the fleece show, the fiber market and the array of workshops. “This year, I’ve been getting more into learning about fiber processing,” Brummer said. “I’ve been a knitter for 30 years and I got into spinning about 10 years ago. When you get into spinning, you quickly get into fiber prep, which makes you a better spinner and a better knitter. It’s been a lot of fun to see all of the colors here.” While she was reg istered for workshops on Friday (spinning) and Sunday (knitting

Oregon sheep producer Dan Wilson of SuDan Farm has cooked the lamb that is served at the potluck. Like many of those years, he was cooking his own lamb – ribs, this year – to serve to the masses. The show and the potluck are both free and open to the public. “The gathering started as a humble pot luck for natural-colored sheep producers and handspinners, but it has since grown into an epic celebration of gorgeous fiber animals and fiber arts, still with

techniques) during the three-day gathering, she left Saturday open so that she could take in the fleece show judging. But she never even made it into the building where the fleece show was taking place. “I wanted to watch the fleece judging and the sheep judging to learn as much as I could,” Brummer said. “But I got sucked into the sheep judging and missed the fleece show judging. I wanted to learn what the judge was looking for in the fleeces, but I didn’t go to the fleece sale on purpose. I’m not ready to process fleeces, so I wanted to avoid that temptation.” Brummer headed home with a variety of fiber and spindles,

a unique emphasis on natural-colored,” wrote Black Sheep Gathering Director Laura Todd in the Black Sheep Newsletter . “The Black Sheep Gathering has woven itself into the hearts of many, becoming a cherished tradition.” Among those traditions is a fairly predictable battle be tween Montana’s Steitzhof Merinos and Oregon’s Apple Creek Merinos for the top awards in the fleece show. It came as little surprise when the two small-scale operations split the top awards. John and Carol Steitz took the top spot for an individual fleece, while Laurel Stone’s Apple Creek earned the Black

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Sheep Cup for having the five most valuable fleeces for hand spinning from a single producer. It was the second time Stone has taken home that honor. “I last won it when Judith MacKenzie was the judge, and she comes from the handspinning side of things. Geof Rup pert (the 2024 judge) comes from the management and breed ing side, so to win it from two people on two different sides of the spectrum is really meaningful,” said Stone. “The words of praise I got from the judge today were very impactful and just mean so much to me.” Ruppert called the fleeces from both operations among the best naturally colored Merino fleeces to be found anywhere in the world. “It’s nice to be bringing the Black Sheep Cup (a mammoth trophy) home again with me this year,” said Stone, who in addition to showing sheep and fleeces, serves as the gather ing’s publicity coordinator. She also had a project in the fiber arts show and took part in The Spinner’s Lead competition, as well. “I guess I’m a sucker for punishment,” she said of the many hats she wears during the weekend. “I’ve attended this since I was a little kid, and I just think it’s really important that we keep new people coming to this event. We need to get the next generation involved in fiber arts and raising sheep. Oth erwise, it’s all going to disappear.” John Steitz enjoyed a career in engineering before starting a regenerative farming operation near Kalispell, Mont., and choosing his favorite animals – sheep – to help in rebuilding the land. “I didn’t really plan to be where we are right now, but it just sort of developed,” he said. I’m the most shocked person in the world that it worked. We love coming to this show, but it’s not about winning awards and showing the sheep. It’s about the people that we’ve met here. We still camp with people we met the very first year we came to this show. They aren’t even sheep producers, they’re handspinners. But we met them in the parking lot the first year and they became our fan club.” All of the fleeces Steitz entered in the show were sold before he and Carol even arrived in Oregon. But they asked custom ers for the right to show them at the Black Sheep Gathering with plans to ship them out upon their return to Montana. “The fleece we won with today, when her mother was preg nant with her, she won this same award. And when her grand mother was pregnant with her mother, that ewe won this award, as well,” Steitz said. “The way I look at it – and maybe Laurel sees it differently – is we don’t really compete with her, we compete against ourselves to get better every year. We just come here to see where we’re all at in that process.” Visit BlackSheepGathering.org to learn more.

August 2024 • Sheep Industry News • 11

Wool Blazer Featured in Team USA Uniforms

W hen Ralph Lauren unveiled Team USA’s uni forms for the opening ceremonies of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, many were caught off guard by the inclusion of a wool blazer. Sheep producers, however, know the value of wool in any season. The uniforms were introduced to the public back in late June and include “a distinctly modern take on a tailored look, featuring a classic tailored single-breasted wool blazer with red and white tipping and a striped oxford shirt, unex pectedly paired with a tapered jean and a classic suede buck shoe,” according to a fact sheet from the company. “Ralph Lauren developed the Team USA collection with thoughtful consideration of material and manufacturing choices. Styles throughout the collection – including Team USA’s Opening and Closing Ceremony Parade uniforms – are crafted with recycled polyester and USA-grown Responsible Wool Stan dard certified wool, among other materials.” Given her previous experience in providing wool for Team USA uniforms – mostly for the Winter Olympics – Jeanne Carver of Oregon-based Shaniko Wool Company was an obvious choice to supply wool for the blazers. “I was surprised, but thrilled when we got the inquiry from Ralph Lauren for wool for the Team USA uniforms for Paris 2024,” Carver said. “Those of us who have worked

closely with sheep for generations know that wool is the original performance fiber and a premier fiber for year round use. Wool not only supports our ‘life energy’ in a way no other fiber does, it makes the best suiting fabric in the world. We are pleased this is recognized by Ralph Lauren and is being showcased in the Team USA uniforms for this summer’s Olympics in Paris.” Shaniko pools wool from more than half a dozen sheep producers scattered across the American West. “I’m very honored that long-standing family sheep opera tions have chosen to join me in delivering wool certified to the rigorous international Responsible Wool Standard,” Carver said. “They have been the first in the United States to do so, and are located in California, Colorado, Idaho and Nevada. These ranches are great examples of the best of American agriculture. You can read more about them at ShanikoWoolCompany.com. We are all honored to be one of the partners for Ralph Lauren’s Team USA Opening Cer emony uniforms.” Ralph Lauren’s Team USA Opening and Closing Cer emony uniform apparel and a collection of Team USA apparel and accessories are available at RalphLauren.com, TeamUSAShop.com and in stores in the United States and in France.

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August 2024 • Sheep Industry News • 13

SGUSA Pushing Industry Forward S heep Genetics USA was started in 2020 by industry lead ers who saw the need to coordinate the efforts of produc ers, consumers, feeders, researchers, educators and the

small seedstock flock. Joining the board for his first term is David Ollila. In 2020, Ollila retired from a 34-year career in agriculture education – nine years as South Dakota State University Extension sheep field specialist and 25 years as an agriculture education/FFA advisor. Additionally, Ollila is a fifth-generation sheep and cattle rancher located 10 miles southeast of Newell, S.D., oper ating with his wife, Holly, and sons, Ethan, Tate and Finn. Flying “O” Sheep produces and sells Rambouillet seedstock as well as running a band of commercial ewes. During the past 30 years, Ollila has field tested and implemented progressive sheep production practices through a holistic approach on

National Sheep Improvement Program in utilizing limited resources to make genetic progress in the American sheep Industry. Contributions from ASI, the American Lamb Board and the National Sheep Industry Improvement Center enabled the vision to become a reality. One of the first initiatives by the group was to collaborate with ASI on an issue of the Sheep Industry News dedicated to genetics. This August 2024 issue will mark four consecu tive years of a genetics-themed issue. A second effort was to

help initiate and facilitate a Genetics Forum at the ASI Annual Conven tion, beginning in 2022. This brought together the ASI Genetics Stakehold ers Committee, NSIP and Sheep Ge netics USA with a united purpose of providing an educational forum and update on industry efforts toward genetic improvement. The Sheep Genetics USA Board of Directors has tried to ensure it is making a difference in the indus try and that its focus is to improve genetics of the American flock. The board is currently working to identify funding opportunities for re search, as well as educational work shops to provide better opportunities and technology to the industry. The board has had a change in leadership since the ASI Annual Convention. Founding members of

his own ranch of native rangeland and tame pastures as well as irri gated cropland. As a member of the South Dakota Section of the Soci ety for Range Management, Ollila has served as chairman of the SRM Youth Activities Committee, which organizes professional and youth range management education ac tivities. He is also a member of ASI’s Genetic Stakeholders Committee. Last August, Sheep Genetics USA brought 20 Young Guns – producers,

researchers and extension person nel – together in Fort Collins, Colo., for a two-day immersive workshop to identify the genetic priorities for the American sheep industry. In that strategic session, the group identified what is right, what is wrong, what is confusing and what is missing cur rently within the industry. This pro vided a path for the future, leading to where the group would like to see American sheep genetics by year 2030. From these discussions, seven priorities were identified: 1. NSIP suggested improvements/changes (fee structure, develop new relevant indexes etc.). 2. Collection of 40,000 SNP panels per year for five years ($6MM cost at $25/test plus $5 to analyze).

SGUSA still serving on the board are Tom Boyer, Ben Lehfeldt and Rusty Burgett. Karissa Isaacs is currently serving as chair of Sheep Genetics USA in her second year on the board. Isaacs is the director of producer resources at Superior Farms, where she works directly with producer partners and develops pro grams to improve production efficiencies and sustainability. She is also a fourth-generation sheep producer from Colorado, where along with her husband they have recently started a

See SHEEP GENETICS USA on Page 34

“If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always be where you’ve always been.” – T.D. Jakes

14 • Sheep Industry News • sheepusa.org

NSIP Sees Leadership Change in 2024 A fter nearly a decade of leading the National Sheep Improvement Program, Rusty Burgett announced earlier this year he was leaving the organization. animals with breeding values that are specifically bred for their production needs.

Secondly, is the geographic spread of NSIP. When I started, NSIP membership was centered in the Midwest and a few pockets of the East. Now, NSIP membership has expanded into 38 states from coast to coast and border to border. Finally, are the genetic technical advances made throughout the livestock world. The term molecular genet ics is no longer a foreign word to many sheep producers. Due to the reduced cost of DNA analysis and the vision of sheep seedstock producers, NSIP is now offering Genomi cally Enhanced EBVs for Katahdins, with other breeds in line to follow. SGUSA: It sounds as if you have enjoyed a positive period of change with NSIP. The entire sheep industry would like to thank you for leading the industry in the field of genetics and wish you the very best with your new position. David, welcome. Could you please share with us a little of your background and history? DAVID: I grew up in the Eastern Upper Peninsula of Michigan. My family’s farm was established in 1887. While originally dairy farmers, by the time I was old enough to be involved they had transitioned to beef cattle, hay and small grains. My dad blames me for the sheep segment of the farm, which is essentially a 4-H project that got out of control. I attended Michigan State University from 2013 to 2017, where I majored in animal science and minored in agrono my with related course work in agribusiness management. I worked at the MSU Sheep Teaching and Research Center, and this gave me a great introduction into sheep being selected utilizing NSIP data as both the Suffolk and Dorset flocks were enrolled at that time. Following college, I trav eled to Lebanon, Ind., to work on the cutting edge of repro ductive technologies acting as the assistant farm manager of Reproduction Specialty Group under owner and founder Dr. Tad Thompson. After my time with RSG, I moved back to Michigan to be the manager of Wheaton Hampshires, one of the oldest continuous breeders of purebred livestock in the Midwest. There, I learned invaluable lessons concerning the presenta tion and marketing of livestock. Building on those lessons learned at Wheaton Hampshires, in 2022 I became the sale coordinator for the Michigan Beef Expo. During my tenure in that position, we saw a 90-percent increase in cattle sold.

David Scales has since been hired to guide NSIP in the years to come. Sheep Genetics USA caught up with both of them to discuss NSIP’s past and future. SGUSA: Rusty, can you tell us how long you were with NSIP and where you are headed next? RUSTY: I started serving as the executive director of NSIP beginning in 2015. I have recently accepted the as sistant professor of practice position at Iowa State Univer sity as the director of all the university’s livestock working farms. I will retain my engagement in the sheep industry as I plan on continuing with an NSIP Polypay flock in Central Iowa.

SGUSA: We expect that you have seen several changes through these past nine years with NSIP, can you expand on some of those? RUSTY: Sure, many of those changes have occurred within NSIP and others have been more general to the sheep genetic community. First, is probably the expanded adoption and recognition of Estimated Breeding Values within our industry. EBVs have long been the standard for measuring genetic merit for other species of livestock in the United States, and it is great to see their adoption in the sheep industry. We are now seeing commercial producers partnering with seedstock producers in order to have access to the

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SGUSA: Given your diverse livestock background, why did you decide to engage in the sheep industry and specifically NSIP? DAVID: I think there is an opportunity for tremendous growth in the sheep industry. Because of my diverse back ground it becomes apparent to me that as an industry we have fallen behind the rest of the major livestock sectors in terms of adoption of new technologies. I think that the diversity of our producer base is one of our strengths. If we keep an open mind, I think that production of sheep can fit into many models that our peers in other segments of agri culture would be unable to fulfill. Furthermore, I am a believer in NSIP because it has a variety of traits to match the diversity of our producers. As long as each operation has a clear set of goals and can priori tize traits that are of the most economic importance to their individual operations, then NSIP offers the selection tools to help them best accomplish those goals and further their bottom lines.

KATAHDINS

The

Genomic

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Breed

PO Box 739 Fowlerville, MI 48836 717-335-8280

SGUSA: What do you feel will be your major challenges in moving new genetic technologies forward? DAVID: I think one challenge moving forward is the fact that there are nearly 90,000 sheep producers in the USA, and less than 1 percent of them are seedstock producers enrolled in NSIP. Furthermore, I think pulling more commercial pro ducers in as end users of NSIP technology is essential to the growth of enrolled seedstock producers. In other words, a rising tide lifts all ships. Additionally, after conversations with a number of enrolled flocks, I think one bottleneck to be addressed is how to increase ease of data management on the producer end.

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Helle Rambouillet Leans on Decades of Information S heep Genetics USA recently visited the small town of Dillon, Mont., to talk with Rambouillet breeder John Helle about his flock and developing the Duckworth line of fine wool clothing.

SGUSA: John, many American sheep producers are aware of your name because of your involvement with industry groups but might not know the scope of your operation. Could you give us an overview of your ranch and the sheep enterprise. JOHN: Helle Rambouillet is a fourth-generation sheep ranch operating in Southwestern Montana. After immigrating from Eastern Europe, my grandfather on my mother’s side started a sheep ranch from sheep derived from the Williams and Pauly ranch out of Deer Lodge, Mont. The Rambouillet breed was a mainstay in the intermountain areas of the West because of its hardiness, good herding instinct, fine wool and lamb production. Currently, we run a 4,000-head commercial operation and 400 purebred ewes. The ranch produces feeder lambs, breeding ewes, yearlings, rams and wool. In addition to the sheep, we co-founded the value-added brand called Duckworth through which we market our wool. Through this brand we derive exceptional value from our fine wool genet ics. Using marketing channels on social media, we can tell the sto ry of sheep ranching while marketing Duckworth. We have also found that targeted grazing has been a valuable way to expand our operations throughout the valleys of Western Montana. After graduating from Montana State University with a degree in animal science and farm and ranch management, I returned to the family ranch. Throughout my high school years in FFA, my brother Tom and I started a purebred Rambouillet flock that helped pay for our college. This flock became the foundation of our purebred operation. In the mid-1980s, we started using com puterized production records to help us evaluate and advance the genetics in our flock. Upon returning to the ranch, we grew the stud flock by select ing ewes from the commercial herd. These ewes were well adapted to our area and had natural selection through range lambing. Us ing these select commercial ewes and the purebreds that we raised from our FFA project, we grew the flock to about 400 head. With the use of computerized records, we were able to determine which ewes excelled in the important traits for our operation. Operating in the mountains of southwestern Montana requires a unique operation style. We currently employ six shepherds to provide care for our sheep. Our sheep are constantly on the move, wintering in the valleys on residual crop stubble and supplemental hay, then in the spring and fall the sheep are running our private

lands in the foothills surrounding the mountains. Around the first of July, we take off to the summer range in the Gravelly Mountains about 75 miles away. The sheep are trailed through open range and mountain passes for about five days to arrive at their summer pasture. We then spend three months in the forest or until the snow drives us out, returning to our private land in the foothills off the mountains. This is where we wean and sort the sheep into winter bands and bring the lambs down closer to home in the Beaverhead Valley. To provide more wool for Duckworth, we keep all our lambs through the winter so they can all be shorn before they head to markets. The Helle Ranch has always been a family affair. Currently, four generations participate in various ranch projects. My mother, Agnes Helle, my brother, Tom and his wife Leah, my wife, Karen and I, along with two of our sons, Evan and Weston, operate the ranch. Evan handles Duckworth production and Weston is the sheep manager. I have two more children, Claire and Nathan, who work in off ranch jobs. Hopefully, our grandchildren will someday carry on the legacy.

SGUSA: You have added Australian genetics to your flock through the years. Can you talk about the breeds and why you

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felt the need to use international genetics. What positive advance ments do you feel they have made in your Rambouillet flock and have there been any negatives? JOHN: In the early 2000s, I was curious about what other breeds in the world had for genetic potential to help us achieve our production goals. This led me to Australia, New Zealand and

South Africa breeds to test their performance on our operation. By then I'd already been involved in the National Sheep Improve ment Program and had found EBVs useful in determining the superior animals. Through artificial insemination we brought in 11 different sires from Australia and New Zealand. The breeds used were Merino, Dohne and South African Meat Merino. These breeds were similar to the Rambouillet as they were all

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time-consuming. Incorporating dozens of weights and data points into NSIP, we can monitor a lot of valuable production metrics. By combining these traits into indexes, I feel our selection process has produced a well-rounded sheep adapted to our environment and management. The Western Range Index is a good start, but we also use some Merino and SAMM indexes, as well. This doesn't mean we can’t im prove, and we are constantly looking through the data to find animals expressing traits to improve our operation. Without NSIP EBVs, this would not be possible. I have a lot of confidence in breeding values and now look at the sheep as if it had bar charts on it showing me the positives and nega tives of its production potential. Oftentimes, we’re surprised by the appearance of a sheep compared to its actual production history. We have found that trusting

derived from the Spanish Merino in the past. The Australian Me rino – as we suspected – helped us add length and weight to our fleeces, but were inferior to our Rambouillet in meat production and prolificacy. The South African Meat Merino was a slightly larger and coarser breed than our Rambouillet, but I feel we did gain some growth and milking genetics from that breed. The Dohne breed was very similar to our dual purpose Rambouillet and I feel like that breed helped us add outside genetics increasing hybrid vigor. In the last 20 years through selection and line-breeding, our flock is now in termingled and includes the best traits that we found from our inter national project. The traits we incorporated into our flock improved staple length, fleece weight, milk production and lamb growth. SGUSA: You have been recognized as a leader in the use of EBVs generated through NSIP. What encouraged you to start with that program and what are the major differences you feel you have seen in your flock through its use.

the data and selecting mainly on production traits has helped us improve more rapidly. The per fect Helle Rambouillet ewe would be a 19-micron, 3.5-inch staple, raising two lambs on rangeland weaning her body weight in 120 days for eight years. SGUSA: Looking to the future, what are the genetic advance ments you still would like to make in your flock and what mechanisms do you envision you will need to use? JOHN: During the last 40 years, production data has al lowed us to get our sheep to a point where we are happy with the production. One thing we’ve noticed through the years of

JOHN: We have always been eager to try new technology to help better our sheep operation. Using computer records since the early 1980s gave us a huge data base that allowed us to join NSIP with a good start. In 2000, the computer program I was using became obsolete, which forced me to learn MS Access and write my own data collection program. At the same time, I took my pedigree information going back into the 1980s and entered pro duction data from the year 2000 on to propagate our NSIP start. With this pedigree and large data, set we were able to start receiving accurate EBVs right away. I would encourage people

selecting is that you start pushing one trait up usually at the cost of other traits. So, we found that a well-rounded approach – avoid ing single trait selection – has allowed us to maintain our progress consistently. There’s always something that we feel we could improve on and hopefully by incorporating the use of genomics we can continue to work on improving our flock. One thing I’ve visited with numerous academics and producers about is the trait of immune function. I think some of the traits that we would have a hard time measur ing are those that are going to become important in the future. The sheep’s ability to fight off disease and parasites without antibiotics and pesticides will become more important in the future.

to look at using NSIP, as we have found it very useful. NSIP doesn’t work as well without a large data set, so entering data as far back as you can helps bring your accuracies and make that tool more useful. SGUSA: You use a complicated procedure in your selection and breeding decisions. Will you describe the basic concepts that go into that procedure?

JOHN: By using EID technology and better handling equipment, recording weights and data points has become a lot easier and less

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DAN PERSONS Shearwell Data USA Sheep Handling & Data Collection

T echnology in the sheep world has been evolving for many gen erations and, while much seems

have a record of their previous weights and by watching the daily live weight gains of these lambs the producer can predict with reasonable accuracy how many lambs he will have available to meet the specifications of his buyer in the coming weeks. In the Midwest farmer feedlots, market lambs can be weighed on a regular basis with the larger lambs sent to market when they reach their target weights. These producers can also monitor the daily weight gain of their lambs to identify those lambs that have slowed down or stopped their progress, giving them the oppor tunity to sell those lambs that no longer have a profitable feed efficiency. This also allows for predicting how many lambs will be ready for market and slotting delivery times. Data collection can go well beyond just animal weights. There are producers tracking specific animals requiring special treat ments. They might be recording each animal that needed its feet trimmed, a wormer treatment, an extra nipple clipped, an inverted eye repaired, a misshaped udder or any number of other medical treatments. By studying these items and watching for individual trends they are reducing the labor needed to manage their flocks in the longer run. The data being collected on all of these lambs can be correlated back to the sires and dams of these lambs in order to discover those breeding animals that are either the “rock stars” or the “profit robbers.” RFID tags, readers, scales and sorting equipment provide little benefit without a concerted effort of the producer to review and analyze the data gathered. Good software, time spent analyzing the data and making decisions is the real silver bullet in this new management era. Just like I could use a weigh wagon instead of a yield moni tor in the combine to assess individual sections of a corn field, RFID is not required. But it is a wonderful tool to speed up the processes and make us more willing to gather larger amounts of data. This data can be instrumental in selecting the replacement females for our flock and for culling the non-performing animals we tend. As technologies continue to improve and we dream of new changes we could make, I think we will see companies come up with solutions to our needs. It might be tags with RFID and loca tion capabilities all in one. It might be tags that use bio-electrical circuitry to expand battery duration and it might be biological monitoring devices. We have seen genetic testing and assisted reproduction become mainstream in the last 10 years, and I am sure the same will hold true with a new way of collecting and utilizing data.

to have stayed the same in the basic way we have been raising our livestock there are changes that have taken place in the way we handle our livestock and collect the data we use. There have been some rather simple changes made. We have gone from working sheep in open pens to having well planned handling chutes designed for reduced stress on the animals and maximum animal flow. We have switched from using nails to screws and from climbing over fences to well-placed walk-thru gates. We have enlisted the use of tip tables to trim feet and dedi cated chutes for pregnancy scanning. All of this has been put in place to reduce operator labor and improve our efficiencies. We now usher in the new generation of handling equipment and data management tools. The newest weight indicators and load cells on the market can lock onto the weight of a mov ing animal in less than a few seconds and record those weights directly to a handheld device or to the scale head itself. You can add a Radio Frequency Identification tag reader to those scales to collect and record the tag numbers at the same time. With manual entrance and exit gates, the throughput of these scales can easily be 200 to 300 lambs per hour. The more advanced systems – with a scale, tag reader and automatic incoming and sorting gates – can be expected to handle 300 to 400 animals per hour depending on the operations taking place. Reading and recording visual ear tags has always been prob lematic in the livestock sector. We operate in less than pristine conditions and tags are often faded and covered in grime. The error rates of reading, writing and copying data from one media to another has been studied more than once and is found to be more than 15 percent. Add to this the fact that our operations have grown to larger sizes and our time has become more divided between either on-farm or off-farm obligations and the need to record accurately and at a reasonable speed becomes more evident. RFID can overcome this obstacle. Modern scales, RFID tag readers and high-quality software has given us a new toolbox to improve our sheep operations and meet the challenges of supplying our end customers with the product they desire. I have observed flocks using these tools to supply 75- to 90-pound lambs to an ethnic market on a regular basis. They are weighing lambs and sorting them out off of the pastures as they reach market weight. The lambs that return to the pasture

24 • Sheep Industry News • sheepusa.org