Sheep Industry News June 2022

started moving that direction. We need a good, strong range ewe to survive around here, and the Rambouillets can do that now. We've got them out on the desert in the winter, then up on private pasture in late spring before moving to Forest Service land in the mountains for the summer. The Rambouillet buck producers have done a good job improving their genetics to where these sheep can survive and thrive around here now. I don't know exactly how much Columbia is still left in them, but it isn't much." The shift in breeding has improved the flock's wool clip to the point that the family is excited to see test results on the clip each season. "I remember when our ewe lambs busted into that 19 micron range. That was amazing," says Kelton. "It's always tiny steps forward when you're improving your wool clip, but we're pretty happy with where it is now. We've got good, strong ewes who produce good wool, and those don't always go hand-in-hand. We're producing strong, heavy-boned good for the range sheep and still getting that good micron." THE OPERATION It's important that each generation continues to improve the operation for the future. "They say the first generation builds it, the second generation maintains it and the third generation sells it," Pete says. "We're already past that. It's fun to see how much the farm has changed just since our grandpa had it. We didn't use to have the desert permit and the ewes stayed in the sheds all winter. Pops picked up that permit and that has revolutionized the way we're able to run sheep. Kelton and I want to leave our mark on the farm too when we pass it on someday. We're always looking for ways to do things better." The winter permit, for example, allowed the family to sell much

of its alfalfa as that commodity increased in value in recent years. Before the permit, the flock consumed it all (and more in some years). Getting a better handle on feed costs is a daily concern for the operation, and the winter permit made that possible. But there are other advantages, as well. "I feel like the ewes come home from the desert stronger than they would if they were spending the winter in a confined area and being fed hay," Kelton says. "Out there, they are staying strong and active." While improvement is always on the agenda, the main goal for the family operation is to keep it a family operation. It's a sentiment the Olsens share with many of their neighbors. "You could offer some of the guys in this area anything, but the land isn't for sale," Pete says. "I get to walk on the same ground that my dad, grandpa and great grandfather all walked on. My old man raised us all here. He didn't put any pressure on us to stay here. There was never an expectation for us to stay here. But he wanted it to be an option for us if that's what we wanted. It's not a nine to five job, but I get to work with my brother every day and have lunch with my family and I wouldn't trade that for the world." Kelton and his wife, Hailee, are raising their children around the operation, and Pete hopes to follow in his big brother's footsteps in that regard. "If there's a sheep-loving girl out there who'd like to live in a small village in central Utah," Allen jokes, "we'd welcome her into the family." "I'm hoping you get some good photos of me to put in the maga zine," Pete adds. "Maybe that would help. But I'm only 22. I've got time." Pete seems content to stay on the operation. Kelton left at one point – taking a job in Hawaii – but soon returned.

"I was looking out at the ocean and I knew it wasn't for me," he recalls. "I was in paradise and I couldn't get out of there quick enough. I'd rather be at 10,000 feet and working with a flock of sheep any day." Spending his entire life in a desert climate, Allen appreciates any place with a view of water, and says he'd be happy to represent the family in Hawaii. "I've been a part of a business I love and got to spend time with my high school sweetheart for the past 38 years," he says. "Water fascinates me, and I can have a lot of peace there now because I know I don't have to worry about what's going on here at the ranch thanks to these boys. They've got it under control."

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