Sheep Industry News January 2023

President’s Notes SUSAN SHULTZ ASI PRESIDENT

A Pipeline To Success

R ecently, I was fortunate to be able to participate in the 50-year celebration of the Pipestone Lamb and Wool Program held in Pipestone, Minn. The history that was shared of this well-respected sheep management program was fascinating. The program began with Dwight Holaway of North Central Wool recruiting 10 nearby families to join together with the purpose of increasing sheep production. It also began with a challenge to produce a 200-percent lamb crop in an operation with more than 100 ewes. A financial prize was claimed in 1972 – the first official year of the Pipestone Lamb and Wool program – by John and Shirley Wichern, whose grandson Joseph is still raising sheep and is a mem ber of the program. The Pipestone program has increased from those 10 original operations in 1972 to 120 sheep operations that are members today. “Lots of hands have touched this program,” said Pipestone Lamb and Wool Program Instructor Philip Berg about the program’s continued growth and success. There are many facets of the Pipestone program that

have made it beneficial to producers who want to be profit able. The program is based on each operation developing a comprehensive written business plan with measurable benchmarks to improve its production on a yearly basis. The members enroll in classes and gain knowledge on nutrition, genetics, animal health, facilities, labor management, accel erated lambing and, of course, profitability. A central component of the program is that not only do the participants gain from the instructors, they also share their success and failures with each other. It works. The Pipestone producers utilize modern technology for raising their bonus lambs, tracking their health concerns and weighing their lambs on a regular basis to optimize their unifying goal of marketing high-quality lambs. Many of the lambs are marketed and harvested at the 130- to 140-pound range at 170 days. Now that is being efficient. The Pipestone Lamb and Wool program is a part of the Minnesota West Community and Technical College and connects progressive sheep producers in Minnesota, South Dakota, Iowa and Nebraska.

Six of the 14 past and present instructors of the Pipestone Lamb and Wool Program (left to right): Philip Berg, Dr. Ryan Knuth, Laurie Johnson, Jeff Peterson, Larry Miller and Mike Caskey.

4 • Sheep Industry News • sheepusa.org

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