Sheep Industry News January 2025

The turnout season continues until October, when the center’s grazing permit expires. At that point, the herders bring the sheep down to the valleys to graze in open pastures or return them to the center to be fed alfalfa grown on site or purchased from other growers. During these months, Cartagena maintains daily phone contact with the herders and makes weekly visits to each of the herders, who typically oversee a flock of 500 to 800 sheep, along with five herding and guard dogs and a horse. “When I visit the herders, I examine the flock to make sure they are healthy and well fed,” he said. “I also replen ish their food, water, fuel for their generators, hay for their horses and food for the dogs.” The center has 26 dogs serving as either herding or guard dogs. The former steer straying sheep back into the fold, while the latter, large white dogs, blend in with the flock to protect them from predators. “You’d never know the guard dogs are among the sheep unless you are closely observing,” Cartagena said. “They naturally position themselves in front of and circle the sheep when they sense a predator.” SELECTION & RAM SALE Cartagena’s team starts selecting sheep for sale around July, while the flock is out grazing, culminating in the annual September ram and ewe sale. This sale features rams, ewes and 15-month-old yearling lambs chosen based on traits crucial to buyers, such as body conformation, health, and reproductive and breeding potential to improve the quality of their flocks. Buyers come from all around the country – but primarily the West – seeking to replace old or deceased animals and improve their existing stock by breeding with the desirable Rafter 7 traits. “We usually retain the top 8 to 10 percent of the highest quality sheep to continue breeding our own line,” Huber said. “The remaining sheep – not sold as part of the sale to buyers or selected for breeding purposes – are either sold to others to process for meat, or processed by our Wolf Pack Meats in Reno to be sold as local, Nevada-grown meat.” This year, the center is launching a new initiative called the Replacement Development Program. The program will establish a systematic process for gathering meat yield and quality data from the Rafter 7 flock. Approximately 300 Rafter 7 Merinos will be transferred from the center to the university’s Main Station Field Lab for extensive genetic studies and data collection. This initiative – and the wider research at the center – aims to enhance research and support for the American

From meticulously documenting the flock’s reproductive phases and wool data to orchestrating key events such as the annual autumn ram sale, Huber, Cartagena, Hess, the sheep herders and veterinarians hardly find a moment of leisure amidst their responsibilities. With a herd of 2,000 sheep to manage, the pace at the center remains relentless. The first major undertaking of the year is shearing the sheep in early spring. Wool sales are the center’s primary source of income, with the Rafter 7 Merino wool consistently fetching the highest price for American-grown wool over seven consecutive years. Following shearing, Huber and his team shift their focus to lambing. Pregnant ewes are sorted into groups every two to three days as they near their due dates. “When a ewe gives birth, the newborn lamb and mother are transported to a lambing barn, where they are placed into individual pens called jugs to bond for about 24 hours without interference from other animals,” Huber said. “This allows the lamb to safely nurse colostrum from its mother before they are transferred to a mixing pen with other new pairs, allowing time for the newborn lamb and ewe to bond and for the newborn lamb to safely nurse.” This process continues throughout the lambing season, which typically spans around a month and a half each spring. Herders work around the clock, feeding and moni toring the sheep as they await the arrival of new lambs, mak ing for an intensive yet rewarding process. Toward the end of May, Cartagena begins arrangements for sending the flock out to graze in the hillsides, a process known as turning out. Cartagena coordinates the transporta tion of the sheep hauling trucks and trailers that serve as liv ing quarters for the herders during their time in the hillsides. He also ensures that the herders have an ample supply of food, water and other supplies.

January 2025 • Sheep Industry News • 19