Sheep Industry News July 2025

own operation. Some days, I wonder what I was think ing. But it’s been a good life for me and my family.” Like Clark, Stubbs runs a commercial flock with an eclectic breeding mix. There’s some Polypays out there along with Columbia, but more recently he’s transi tioned to Merinos and Rambouillets. And yeah, there’s a few Targhees there, as well. Stubbs laments the current lack of sheep in the area. “My grandpa told me that at one time, there used to be a shearing shed out here on my winter range and there was 100,000 sheep from Parowan sheared out there. Now, we don’t have 10,000 sheep left in the whole valley. It’s kind of sad to me. I feel like the consumption of lamb is there to support more sheep in this country. We just can’t compete with the imports.” CLARK & RUTH WEBSTER Working for a paving company in Nevada, Clark Webster might not seem like the typical Utah sheep producer. But he’s from well-known stock in these parts as his grandfathers on both sides of the family ran sheep in the area. Along with his wife, Ruth, he’s started C&R Farms in Cedar City. The couple are looking to supplement their traditional sheep income with some direct marketing of lamb both online and at farmer’s markets. Amber Kay’s Café on Cedar City’s south side – at the con gested intersection mentioned earlier – offers burgers made from the couple’s ground lamb. “We’re still just getting into all of that,” Webster said. “The biggest share of ours still go to the sale barn. It will be a slow growth, but hopefully over the next five years we’re able to keep back several hundred to grow this market.”

“I’m just a kid compared to some of those guys,” he joked, admitting that people he went to high school with seem to have gotten old. “I think I still look the same.” Regardless of his age, the rancher has moved into the role of trusted leader among sheep producers in southern Utah. He serves on the board of directors of the Public Lands Council and works to keep public lands open to Western ranchers. Stubbs’ operation is dependent on public lands as his 2,000-plus ewes run on more than 100,000 acres of federal and state lands in addition to some private ground that he leases. “I’ve been doing this for 36 years and I haven’t got ten a gold watch or nothing,” he joked again. “This is a terrible outfit to work for. When I was first out of high school, I worked for a guy who ran cattle in Cedar City. I ran some of my own sheep the whole time I worked with him, and he understood that I wanted to run my

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