April/May 2003

April/May 2003

Lambing is winding down and my old body is numb from constant trips to the barn, picking up wet lambs, getting them into pens, and making sure they are nursing. At times I don’t know daytime from night. After six weeks of this torture, I even forget how lucky I am to be part of the livestock business, to own land, and to share this occupation with my family.

I may not be the smartest guy on the block, but in my wildest dreams I cannot understand why we can’t put this so-called trouble of Spider and Scrapie behind us and move on. As one of the oldest breeders of Suffolk and Shropshire sheep in America, plus having a large commercial flock and feeding lambs, I feel this negative attitude can only slowly destroy our breed. It’s time we face the one major issue—that being it’s time we toughen up our great breed and make them more hardy. Every Suffolk breeder should go out to the western states like I do and talk to the commercial breeders with all their old white-faced ewes. They all want Suffolk rams. They know our rams can add 5 to 9 pounds on every feeder lamb they sell, yet they’re getting a little tired of these rams that cannot take their harsh land and environment. Anyone that doubts this statement should try buying feeder lambs out of the west. You’ll find there are fewer and fewer Suffolk-sired lambs. Five to ten years ago they were plentiful. The Suffolk ram is the greatest meat type terminal sire in the world, something we must never forget. I’m begging all you outstanding Suffolk directors to drop the words Spider and Scrapie, and let us breeders take care of this situation. At this time we know all the facts and have the morals to make these two words history.

I feel in the past few issues I’ve been getting a little hard-nosed on many of the issues concerning the sheep business—or so my grandkids think. The raising of sheep should be a money making project, it should be fun, something the whole family can share, and a bonding experience our children will always remember. For this reason, I’m going to take a look at the bigger picture; family and marriage. I wrote an article for the Sheep Breeder in the early 1990’s. The Sheep Breeder had been published for over 12 years and was the gospel of all sheep magazines until its very ending. I was told by the office girls that this article received more feedback than any article they had printed in their long history. I called the article “Get a Good Woman”, and I hope you’ll have fun reading it.

Get a Good Woman

When one has been in the purebred sheep business as long as I have, you can be sure there are many questions from young people wanting to know the best way to get started. At this time in my life I’m very careful about the kind of advice I give. Half of these impressionable young men believe everything I tell them and about 25% are never sure. Of course the remaining 25% think I am a senile old codger when I get too “far out” with my remarks regarding the raising of purebred livestock

Back in the 1970’s I came upon the idea of imparting my words of wisdom with a slogan every ten years. You know….something inspiring and memorable. Back then I told them to get “The best ram money could buy”. In the 1980’s I told them “It takes time and patience to be successful”. Then when the 1990’s came I finally came up with perhaps the best advice of all, “Go get a good woman”. I love this remark, it’s like hitting them in the head with a rock and you can be sure I have their full attention.

Anyone who doubts this statement should stop and reflect on the many good purebred and commercial breeders they know. How many of them have a great wife, or a special mother who not only supports them in their endeavors, but is also capable of lending physical and emotional assistance. I don’t believe there are many men who can lamb out ewes like a woman. To start with, most women have gone through the birthing ordeal. They know what it’s like; suffering no man could endure. If we have a serious problem at lambing I immediately get my wife to help. Her hands are half the size of mine and can reach into a ewe and do things I never could. Not being as physically strong as a man, she uses time and patience to manipulate the birth. There is a lot less stress on these ewes and lambs. My wife has always been slow at this job and at this time in life it seems like it takes her forever. But I never doubt her ability to bring a ewe and her lambs through a difficult birth.

Another thing women are best at is keeping records. The average man keeping records is like a bull in a china shop. The way some of these men keep records in unbelievable. I have seen men write on scraps of paper, check stubs, or better yet… the backs of their hands. When they get in the house, they hope they can decipher their palms for record keeping.

The thing that amazes me most today is the number of women trimming sheep. This was unheard of in the late 1930’s and 40’s. These women are not only good. They soon become masters of the art. I’m sure that the one thing that makes them excel is that they care more about appearances. Their care in the sheep’s appearance reflects this. Not only are they trimming sheep, they are also showing them. I do not usually think a lot about showmanship. I’m sure it’s over-rated, but if I was going to pick one great showman, it would be a woman. This particular gal is strong, good looking, and very competent. When she is in the show ring, she and the animal just seem to stand out from the others.

The women are not only trimming and showing sheep, some are even shearing them. As someone who has probably sheared more sheep than 75% of you will ever see; I feel this is going a little too far. I don’t want my wife looking like me with bony elbows, big knuckles, hard knotty muscles and bow legged. In fact, I feel there are too many men shearing that shouldn’t be. This is a skill that takes too long to learn. I don’t mind seeing a human torturing himself, wet with sweat; in fact it’s probably good for you. But what about the poor sheep? The stress beginners put on the sheep is not good. This is a job for experts and shearing should be done by them if possible.

Now I want you young sheepmen to know that picking out “A Good Woman” is serious business. In fact, it’s probably the most important thing you will ever do. You can be sure someone who looks like Madonna or Cher would not be a wise choice. Unless, of course, you’re George Clooney….and believe me, you’re not. I’m sure when picking out a female, whether it be a wife or an animal, the first thing is to check out her eyes. Always make sure they are bright and clear and full of life. Beware of the female that has that wild look in her eyes! Next thing if possible, check out her mother. There is an old saying, “Like mother, like daughter”. Once you have checked out these very important assets, plus a few of your own priorities, the rest should be easy.

First of all get rid of that macho image and replace it with a little charm and romance. The next step is to improve your appearance. Get rid of that old shirt, jeans that don’t fit, dirty tennis shoes and to top it all off, that old hat that looks like it’s been through a cattle stampede. And how about that hair? In short, stop looking like Larry, Darryl and Darryl! When this is accomplished, you will find there are more intelligent, attractive, outstanding young ladies out there than you ever thought possible.

For you fellows that are married, you’re almost impossible. I’m always amazed that when you bring your wife to a social gathering, meeting, state fair, etc. you simply dump her in a corner like a bag of feed. Then you take off for the nearest huddle of men and start what they now call “male bonding”. I can never remember a time when this has been so popular. It’s always been remarkable to me how well the wives do when they’ve been “unloaded”. They quickly make friends and soon learn how to handle the situation.

Let’s not forget the strong influence women also have on the family. Think of the value families get from raising livestock; especially sheep. It gives them all something they can have a part in. In these troubled times, it brings our families together. The benefits children get from raising livestock are innumerable. To this day I never get over the miracle of birth. Don’t miss sharing this special moment with your family

Hey young fellows, you can forget 95% of the things I tell you plus 50% of the things you learn from the sheep experts. But don’t get the silly idea that you can make it in the purebred sheep business without a Good Woman!