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United Suffolk Sheep Association |
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By Bob Kimm Remembering Richard Roe In my mind, Story Telling Time will never be the same without the colorful tales and thoughts we all had grown to enjoy from George Buckham, Sr. He truly was a gift to our industry and the Suffolk breed. He left a void that can never be replaced. I cannot help but think of him as I organize these thoughts about another special and genuine Suffolk breeder from St Ansgar, IA, Richard Roe. This will be some “Story Telling Time” along with a tribute to a Suffolk breeder who had a profound influence on many. Story Telling on Richard Richard truly influenced my breeding program in the beginning. I bought my first registered Suffolk ram from Richard in 1970. But it would actually be the second ram I would lease from Richard that would have a greater impact on my flock. My goals starting out were to produce commercial rams plus successfully participate in the National Lamb Show, an event that Richard served as chairman and enthusiastically promoted. To be successful in this contest required sheep that would excel in appearance, growth and carcass merit. There were several subdivisions to the show back in the seventies, but to keep it simple an exhibitor then could win the live show, where a judge ranks the entries projecting perceived carcass merit and the carcass show followed, where the actual carcass data determined the winner. Richard was a competitor. He also was trying to win the NLS. He purchased a ram from the 1972 Iowa Ram Test sale, bred by Bob Lewis, Correctionville, IA. This ram was the top gainer that year along with having half sibs which excelled in carcass merit (all rams tested were required to have two half brothers slaughtered to collect carcass information). Bob Lewis had a very successful track record at the NLS and Richard saw this ram, Ro-El 600, as having the credentials to boost his chances of having the winner’s edge in this competition. Upon arriving home from the Iowa Ram Test sale, the story was; upon unloading the Lewis bred ram the ram cracked his scrotum on the trailer floor’s edge resulting in an injured testicle. Richard took the ram to Iowa State University where they prescribed removing the enlarged testicle and Richard agreed. You must realize that Richard, at this time, was serving as the president of the National Suffolk Sheep Association. A breeder of integrity, he felt, using a one testicle ram would not be setting a good example so he told the professor in charge of the teaching flock at Iowa State, Dr. Don Warner, to just go head and use the ram in the fall of 1972 at the college. It was the summer of 1973 when I visited Richard’s operation to supervise a student of mine, Deb Weaver from PA who I had placed on a summer intern program under Richard’s tutorage. The conversation came up about finding a Suffolk ram that would fit my goals of being competitive at the NLS. Richard said that he was not sure about the first lamb crop sired by the Ro-El ram, which he still owned and remained at ISU, but if I wanted to check his lamb crop out and if they were to my liking he would lease the ram to me for that coming fall. I phoned Doc Warner at ISU and he quickly indicated that the ram would probably not work for what I was charting to do, I got the hunch that Dr. Don was just trying to discourage me in order to keep using the ram at the college, after all Warner was going to look out for the best interest of the teaching flock at the university. So I decided to contact the shepherd at ISU, Gary Wonder and he told me the lambs were very consistent, grew well and were full of muscle. I drove to Ames and sure enough the lambs looked great. I told Richard I would like to lease the ram and that he could break the bad news to Warner - that the ram was going to Bob Kimm for the 1973 breeding season. At the 1974 National Lamb Show I showed the Champion Progeny Pen of Five – Live sired by the Ro-El ram. After my success, I approached Richard shortly following the show to lease the ram again. Richard said no that he was going to use him since the group of five I exhibited, sired by Ro-El 600, looked the part and he wanted to give the ram a try himself. Within a month of my request I received a phone call from Richard stating that the Ro-El ram looked like he was herniating into the empty side of the scrotum which was left by the two year old operation. He decided that he did not want to chance using him and if I wanted him, he was mine, just come and get him. The rest is history. I picked him up and successfully used him for “seven” more breeding seasons. He died at the age of nine and he is the only ram I have ever buried on my farm. Oh, by the way, he went on to sire five more progeny pens of five champions-live, two of which were also champions on the rail, plus several individual and reserve individual champions both live and on the rail at the National Lamb Show. This ram also allowed me to successfully compete in the Iowa Ram Test through out the seventies and capture the recognition required by a young breeder to build a reputation to sell commercial rams off the farm. I owe all this to Richard Roe, who wanted to help a young Suffolk breeder by the name of Bob Kimm reach his goals. Many individuals help mold how each of us develop our philosophy with regard to breeding livestock. Established breeders can help fire enthusiasm and interest in a breed for newcomers, give them direction as to the valuable traits to incorporate into their breeding program and most importantly, give young people a break when possible. There are breeders, such as Richard Roe, who exhibit the “integrity” required to build a reputation to become a trusted seedstock producer. Richard established those standards for others to follow. I feel he played a role in how I approached my breeding program based on production, muscle, appearance and most importantly he gave me an opportunity, which opened doors. He believed in breeding Suffolks that excelled in production yet he wanted them to be acceptable in the show ring. But first they needed to be ecologically sound, efficient converters of roughages into food and fiber while replenishing the land in an environmentally friendly manner. Richard L. Roe Footnotes He grew up and graduated from a small central Iowa town, Radcliffe. In the early fifties, moved to Northwood, IA where he meant and married Beverly. Their three sons are: Richard Jr., Steven and Jeffrey, who now lives on the home farm and maintains a flock of Suffolks. Richard and Bev started farming in the mid-fifties on a 300 acre row crop operation near St Ansgar, which included 150 registered Suffolk ewes, a commercial ewe flock and 1000 head lamb feedlot. During the sixties, Richard served his state breed association by holding all offices in the organization. In 1966 he was named Iowa Master Lamb Producer of the Year. Then in 1969 Richard raised and qualified the NSSA’s second Certified Meat Sire on a ram named “Profiteer Jr.” This was a ram which Richard almost sold on two occasions but due to an injury, which left the ram crippled, he remain at the Roe farm. As time passed Richard realized the potential “Profiteer Jr.” was expressing and finally decided to use him; lucky for him he did. It was only the year before that Forrest Nelson successfully nominated the breeds first CMS on a University of WY ram named “Big Boy”. Richard was elected to the Board of Directors of the National Suffolk Sheep Association in December of 1968 and served as President of the NSSA in 1970, 1971 and 1972. Following a two-year period, he was again elected to the office of President in 1974 and 1975. In 1972, he was chosen as the coordinator for the Quality Lamb and Wool Project at the Albert Lea Technical School. He was well respected by the many project members for his capable leadership and knowledge of the entire sheep industry. His skill as a shepherd and breeder of 20 years was appropriately capped in 1974, at the International Livestock Exposition in Chicago, when his Senior Ram Lamb, “Peak Profit” was named Champion Suffolk Ram. This ram earlier in the year had won similar honors at the Iowa State Fair where half interest was sold to Darrell Anderson and Dennis Franz, MN. It brought a record price of $4,000 for the breed on a ram lamb at that time. “Peak Profit” was undefeated at seven major shows including the Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota and Nebraska State Fairs. The same year, Roe also exhibited the Reserve Champion Market Lamb at the International in Chicago. The following year, 1975, Richard would exhibit the Grand Champion Market Lamb at Kentucky’s first North American International Livestock Exposition, also with a home raised Suffolk wether. Richard was a very enthusiastic supporter of the National Lamb and Wool Show and Sale. At the time of his death he was serving his sixth year as chairman of this event. He was instrumental in establishing the first Central Test for wether lambs in 1974. The on-farm test was held at the LaVerne Martin farm near Albert Lea, MN for a decade following its inception. Today the NLS is hosted by SDSU, Brookings, SD, and the only division which still remains is that of the Central Test, where lambs are gain tested for 63 days at a neutral site then harvested for their carcass value. Richard’s fellow breeders, students and many friends were shocked and saddened to learn of his death in a one-car accident while returning home from a sheep producer meeting near Austin, MN on February 10, l976. We miss his friendly disposition and unwavering dedication to breeding quality Suffolks that fit the entire industries needs. Closing Thoughts from Friends Richard Roe was a very special man that loved the Suffolk sheep business with his whole heart. I had the privilege of serving on the NSSA board with him when I was still in my twenties. I looked up to Richard as one of my mentors at that time in my life, as he understood the exciting potential that the Suffolk breed possessed – to not only be Number 1 in the show ring, but also Number 1 for the commercial sector of our industry. Not only did he have an incredible ability to breed good Suffolk sheep, but also he was the perfect leader of the NSSA, as he always made decisions based on what was in the best interests of the Suffolk breed, not Richard Roe. It would be very interesting to know what Richard would be doing today with his Suffolk breeding program, had he not been taken from us way too early. Darrell Anderson, Ext Sec of Nat’l Swine Reg
I worked with Richard in the running of the National Lamb Show during the late sixties and early seventies. He was a man before his time, able to think outside the box. You could always count on him for solid information and decisions. He would go out of his way to assist young people, was a true leader. He was courteous, always had time for people and strived to make the best better. In his mind, production was the name of the game. For Richard, sheep had to have solid records, lambing percentage, growth, maternal traits, carcass merit and etc. He was a true friend to the sheep industry. Bob Fritz, past Livestock Dir, Wilson & Co.
First of all, Richard has such a great sense of humor and was so enjoyable and pleasant to be around. It was through technology such as the telea lecture system by which he brought so many of the outstanding sheep personalities from across the county right into our classroom, such as Dr. Charles Parker, Dr. G. F. Kennedy, Hudson Glimp and so many more. If Richard did not have the answer for us, he was so well connected in the sheep industry with key people that he could come up with the information requested. He also always tried to treat the commercial producers with the same respect as the purebred producers in the project. Another thing he always talked about was the need to merge the two different Suffolk associations, National with the American. I worked with him on the NLS Central Test and it was a pure pleasure. It was also Richard’s idea to incorporate the breeding stock show and sale into the National Lamb Show event. He always enjoyed promoting seedstock in any way he could. LaVerne Martin, NLS-CT Mgn. & Adult Sheep Program Member
As a mentor, Richard was great. His calm manner, patience, encouragement and sense of humor were qualities that stood out, when he was working with producers or people working with him. Most importantly, when judging youth shows, he showed great educational skills. He was always thinking outside the box; always willing to listen to ideas from others. Richard appreciated all good sheep of any breed. But Suffolks were very dear to him. As a breeder, he wanted them to be productive, well built and be pretty to look at. Debbie (Weaver) Rupp, 1973 student intern HCC
I first met Richard Roe at the Hawkeye Suffolk Sale, Des Moines in 1962. We soon became close friends and eventually became partners on most of our stud rams. Richard was truly dedicated to the Suffolk breed and the National Suffolk Sheep Association. Richard was a promoter of practical, useful Suffolks. While he loved the show ring he also entered carcass contests, ram tests and sold a lot of commercial rams. To produce “Profiteer Jr.”, the breeds second CMS, meant a definite commitment, as it required the slaughter of a number of lambs from one sire with very difficult minimums needed to qualify ten lambs. He also ran an on-farm test station in which he tested all of his keeper ram lambs for post weaning weight gain. During the late 1960s and 1970s Richard and fellow breeder W. H. Azeltine held annual production sales featuring a group of top yearling ewes. These ewes went on to perform well in the show ring and the lambing barn. Richard was very popular with fellow Suffolk breeders. His dispersal sale following his death was an indication of the quality sheep he bred and the respect he had from fellow breeders. The sale was held in the sheep barn at the Iowa State Fair. We had so many volunteers to help we used three shifts in ring men during the sale. Our main problem was the crowd around the ring was so big we had trouble getting the sheep to and from the ring. Rollie Rosenboom was the auctioneer of the fast-paced sale, when the ewe lambs hit the ring they sold an average of three per minute. Wayne Skartvedt, Suffolk breeder, IA
There are many adjectives that describe Richard Roe. He was a strong competitor in the show ring, helpful to everyone and willing to share information and always friendly. We always enjoyed visiting Richard and Bev at their farm. Bob & Mary Wilson, Suffolk breeders, IA
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