1. WSBC Names Wisconsin Master Shepherds
2. Jennings Elected to WSBC Board
3. Sheep & Wool Festival Set for September
4. Plan Ahead for Wool Entries
5. Wisconsin Wool Works! Seeks Consignors
6. WSBC Offers Funding For Educational Events
7. Your Membership Counts
8. WSBC Seeks Field Day Host
9. Ram Test Begins 2006 Season
10. Bred Ewe Sale Brings $334 Average
11. Treml’s Dreams Focus On Club Lamb Business
12. Green County 4-H Team Is NAILE Reserve Champ
13. Sheep Management Series Set to Start in January
14. Premises Registration Required by January 1
15. Indianhead Clinic Offers Youth, Adult Sessions
16. State Quiz and Skillathon Contests Open to All Teams
17. Rajek Wins Hampshire Ewe Scholarship
18. Wisconsin Juniors Compete at NAILE
19. WisconsinLamb Names Merchandiser of the Year
20. David Thomas Earns International Award
21. Southern Consortium Looks At Resistant Parasites
22. Sheep ARE Smart!
23. Greece Wins Sole Right To 'Feta Cheese'
24. President's Notes: Christmas dinner and other roles. . .

   At its annual meeting in Wisconsin Dells on October 31, Wisconsin Sheep Breeders Cooperative presented three Master Shepherd Awards to producers who have excelled in commercial, purebred and dairy-sheep production.

   Gordon Waite of Clinton was named the Wisconsin Master Shepherd in the commercial division, while MB Genetics of Rio, owned by Mike, Barbara and Megan Bishop, received the Wisconsin Master Shepherd Award in the purebred division.  Yves Berger of Spooner was named the Wisconsin Master Shepherd in the dairy-sheep division.

   Gordon Waite has been involved in the sheep industry for 83 years, and he and his wife, Joan, raise livestock with their son, Greg.  Charter members of the Great Lakes Wool Cooperative, the Waites lamb out 200 ewes and feed thousands of feeder lambs annually.

   MB Genetics was launched in 1995 as a 4-H project for the Bishop’s daughter, Megan.  The family quickly began to focus on breeding improved Southdown sheep that were prized for their meat production and in the show ring as both breeding stock and market lambs.  They have sold animals to producers in 21 states, as well as Canada and Cuba.  Their flock now consists of approximately 100 Southdown ewes.

   Yves Berger, a native of Lyon, France, serves as superintendent and sheep researcher of the University of Wisconsin Spooner Agricultural Research Station.  Educated in Paris and at the University of Minnesota, Berger gained sheep-production experience in Argentina, the Ivory Coast, Kenya, Morocco, Idaho and California before joining the Spooner sheep station in 1988.  Berger has been instrumental in the formation of the Wisconsin Sheep Dairy Cooperative, and he currently serves as its vice president of marketing.

   Other award presentations were to Steve and Darlene Pinnow, the Brew family and Jane Metcalf.  The Pinnows, of Delavan, direct market lamb to consumers, grocery stores and restaurants throughout southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois under the WisconsinLamb trademark.  They were presented with the Agri-Communicator Award.

   The Brew Family, which was influential in the early growth of today’s Wisconsin sheep industry, was presented the Art Pope Award for their long-term leadership.  The Brew family farm is located in Wisconsin Dells. 

   Metcalf, of Avalon, agricultural writer for the Wisconsin State Farmer and editor of WSBC’s Wisconsin Shepherd, was presented the Wisconsin Sheep Industry Award.

   A number of businesses and individuals were recognized for their support of the Wisconsin Sheep Industry.  Nelson Crest Farm of Janesville and Capn’s Catering of Jefferson were presented Gold Awards, while AJ’s Flock of Two Rivers was presented a Silver Award.  Receiving Bronze Awards were Wisconsin State Farmer of Waupaca, Mid-States Wool Growers of Canal Winchester, Ohio, and Sandy Fisher of Waukesha.

MASTER SHEPHERDS – WSBC President Gary Klug (left) is pictured with the 2005 Wisconsin Shepherds, (from left to right) Gordon Waite and his wife, Joan; Barbara and Mike Bishop and Yves Berger.

ART POPE AWARD – Art Pope (left), University of Wisconsin – Madison sheep professor emeritus, presented the award bearing his name to the Brew Family, represented by (from left to right) Jim Elphick, Eleanor (Brew) Elphick and Jean Brew.

   Wesley Jennings of Milton was elected to the Wisconsin Sheep Breeders Cooperative for a one-year term, replacing retiring board member Sheila Steck of Holmen.  Gary Klug of Denmark, Eric Meudt of Delavan and Todd Taylor of Arlington were re-elected to three-year terms. 

   The election of directors took place at WSBC’s annual meeting in Wisconsin Dells on October 31.

   Jenny Meudt of Delavan was elected to represent WSBC on the board of the Wisconsin Livestock Breeders Association.

   In a board re-organization meeting, Klug was re-elected WSBC president and Dawn Kundert was re-elected vice president.

WSBC DIRECTORS – Directors for the Wisconsin Sheep Breeders Cooperative for 2005-06 include (left to right) Todd Taylor, Arlington; Vice President Dawn Kundert, Mt. Horeb; President Gary Klug, Denmark; Paul Wagner, Valders; Carol Battenberg, Johnson Creek; Keith Schultz, Fort Atkinson; Wesley Jennings, Milton and Eric Meudt, Delavan.  Not pictured is Ray Antoniewicz of Oregon.

   Mark your calendars for Friday through Sunday, September 8 through 10, the dates of the 2006 Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival.  The Fifth Annual Festival, which is a consumer- and producer-oriented event of the Wisconsin Sheep Breeders Cooperative, will take place at Jefferson Fair Park. 

   For more information, visit www.wisconsinsheepandwoolfestival.com or contact Festival Chairman Bob Black, 920/623-3536.

   With shearing on the docket for many producers in the next couple of months, now is the time to select fleeces and plan to enter them in the wool show of the Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival.  The wool show will include classes for all types of fleeces—from commercial to double-coated, natural colored to white.

   The Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival is slated for September 8 through 10 at the Jefferson Fair Park

   For more information about the wool show, contact Mary Wallace, 608/884-4301 or whitedove@jvlnet.com.

   The Wisconsin Sheep Breeders Cooperative will once again sponsor its Wisconsin Wool Works! educational and retail booth at the Wisconsin State Fair in 2006.  The Fair dates are August 3 through 13.  The booth features items ranging from wool sweaters, hats, mittens and shawls and felted items to roving, spun yarn, pelts and lanolin hand creams.

   Fiber artists wishing to consign woolen and sheep-related items should contact Carol Black at 920/623-3536.

   As part of its mission to support educational programs for youth and sheep producers and to promote sheep and/or sheep products, the Wisconsin Sheep Breeders Cooperative earmarks a portion of its annual budget to provide funding for workshops, clinics and other events.  To obtain financial support of upcoming events, written requests for funding need to be made in writing at least 30 days prior to the event.  The sponsoring organization must be a WSBC member and must include WSBC as a sponsor both at the event and in the event’s promotional materials.

   In 2004 and/or 2005, WSBC contributed funds to the Indianhead Sheep Breeders’ Shepherd’s Clinic, Northeast Sheep Breeders’ Shepherd’s Clinic, Wisconsin Livestock Breeders’ Show Camp and the Wisconsin State 4-H Youth Conference.

   For more information, contact Jill Alf at 608/868-2505 or wisbc@centurytel.net or visit the WSBC website, www.wisbc.com.

   If sheep producers won’t support their own industry, who will? 

   If that question leaves you nodding your head in agreement, it’s time to send in your membership dues for the Wisconsin Sheep Breeders Cooperative. 

   Producers have only to page through The Wisconsin Shepherd or visit WSBC’s website—www.wisbc.com—to understand the breadth of activities and programs sponsored and supported by WSBC.  If you believe these programs have validity, then the organization needs your support in the form of yearly dues.  Send in the membership form on page two of this issue, along with your check, to start the year off right.

   Another way to help build a stronger industry is to pass along to WSBC the names and addresses of people who buy sheep from you, especially if they are people new to the industry.  If you know of someone who should be added to the mailing list, contact Jill Alf, WSBC’s executive secretary-treasurer, at 7811 Consolidated School Road, Edgerton, WI  53534; 608/868-2505 or wisbc@centurytel.net.

   WSBC is looking for sheep producers interested in hosting the organization’s summer Production Field Day.  In 2005, the Field Day was hosted by Mark and Sue Kenworthy of Tomah in early August, and in early June 2004, Randy and Sue Matczak of Marion served as hosts.

   If you are interested in hosting this year’s Production Field Day, contact Bob Leder, D.V.M., Field Day chairman, at N8914 County Road T, Bear Creek, WI  54922; 715/752-3459 or leder@dotnet.com.  

   Now is the time to make plans to enter rams for performance testing in the Wisconsin Ram Test.  The Wisconsin Ram is a cooperative effort of the Wisconsin Sheep Breeders Cooperative and the University of Wisconsin-Madison Meat and Animal Sciences Department.  The Test takes place at Nelson Crest Farm, owned by Nils and Nancy Nelson, located west of Janesville.

   The Wisconsin Ram Test provides a common environment through which both large- and small-scale producers can compare the growth rate and carcass merit genetics of their rams with rams of other flocks.  In addition to providing rate-of-gain information, the Wisconsin Ram Test gathers loin-eye and back fat ultrasound measurements and scrotal circumference measurements, plus it tests for genetic resistance to scrapie at Codons 136 and 171.

   January-born lambs should be delivered to the Wisconsin Ram Test station on April 8.  February-born lambs should be delivered on May 6, and March-born lambs should be delivered on June 3. 

   Organizers suggest January-, February- and March-born lambs be shorn within a week of delivery to the Test station; commercial shearing costs will be passed on to producers that deliver unshorn rams.  Cost of testing is $110 per ram.  Ram test and WSBC membership fees must be paid at the time rams are delivered.

   The Wisconsin Ram Test enables breeders to use the numbers obtained in the Test to assess the genetics of their flock.  Producers who buy a tested ram can use the test numbers as a reasonable assurance they are purchasing the genetics necessary for flock improvement.

   For more information, contact Test Station Manager Nils Nelson at 608/876-6928 or Dave Thomas, UW-Madison sheep Extension specialist, at 608/263-4306 or dlthomas@facstaff.wisc.edu.

   A total of 34 ewes and ewe lambs sold at the Wisconsin Bred Ewe and Ewe Lamb Sale brought an average price of $333.82, topping the 2004 sale average of $282 on 54 head by just over $50. 

   The Bred Ewe and Ewe Lamb Sale was held in Janesville on November 5.

   In the morning show that determined sale order, a spring ewe lamb consigned by Romaine and David Ace of Brooklyn earned champion honors in the Wether-Type show.  The lamb was taken home by Levi Martin of Union, Ill, for $325.  The reserve champion lamb was consigned by Meudt Show Lambs of Delavan.  The winter ewe lamb was purchased by Ruth Treml of Mauston for $375.   The top-selling Wether-Type ewe—and the top-selling ewe of the Bred Ewe Sale--was a Wether-Type winter ewe lamb consigned by Heath Williams and Todd Snell of Mabel, Minn.  She was purchased by David Allen of Chilton for $575.  The second-top selling ewe of both the Bred Ewe Sale and the Wether-Type ewes was consigned by Romaine and David Ace.  She was bought by Sylven Moellers of Mineral Point for $550.

   The sale average for the Wether-Type ewes was $406.25 on 12 head.   

   Two spring ewe lambs consigned by Pleasant Spring Southdowns of Stoughton claimed both champion and reserve champion honors in the Southdown show, plus they brought the highest Southdown prices of $200 and $150.  Megan Nelson of South Beloit, Ill., bought both lambs.  The Southdown average on five head was $160.

   In the Hampshire show, yearling ewes consigned by Highland Hampshires of Demark and by George, Ruth and Alecia Treml of Mauston claimed champion and reserve champion honors respectively.  Nancy Zernicke of Bonduel purchased the Treml’s ewe for $325.  The top-selling Hampshires, though, were two yearling ewes consigned by Roembke Hampshires of Cedarburg.  The ewes were purchased by Sylven Moellers, both for $400.  The Hampshire average on nine head was $325.

   The Suffolk average was $355 on five head.  Romaine and David Ace exhibited a mature ewe that received champion honors, and the yearling ewe they consigned was named reserve champion.  The champion ewe was purchased by Levi Martin for $375, while the reserve champion ewe was purchased by Tyler Elsner of Fort Atkinson for $400.  In a tie for the top-selling Suffolk, Elsner also bought a yearling ewe for $400 that had been consigned by Dick and Grace Piechowski of Waupaca.

   Carol Falk of Waupaca exhibited both the champion and reserve champion Columbia ewes, which were winter ewe lambs.  Both were purchased by Tara Reeverts of Byron, Ill., for $300 and $225.  With just two Columbia ewes sold, the sale average for the Columbias was $262.50.

   Kevin Slack of Lake Geneva consigned the champion Dorset, a spring ewe lamb, and she was purchased by the Jon Wittkopt Family of Pewaukee for $450.  With a single Dorset sold at the sale, the Dorset average was $450.   

   Alecia Treml has dreams both in her heart and on her business card.  The 19-year-old dreams of raising some of the best club lambs in the Midwest, and she has named her business Dream Acres Club Lambs.

   Treml, the daughter of George and Ruth Treml, N4979 County Road B, Mauston, was named Wisconsin FFA’s 2005 Sheep Proficiency Award winner and Wisconsin Livestock Breeders’ 2005 Sheep Master Stockman, plus she placed fifth in the Wisconsin State Fair’s Premier Exhibitor contest in August.  Wrapping up her junior show career, she won both the showmanship contest for her age group and lead-line class for the second year in a row at Wisconsin State Fair.

   Following in her brothers’ and late sister’s footsteps, Treml started showing sheep in 4-H and open shows at the age of seven.  The family’s flock was started in 1987 with three crossbred ewes and a Suffolk ewe.  Treml has shown registered Suffolks, Hampshires, Dorsets and market lambs, typically going to about five shows, including the Wisconsin State Fair, each year.  This year, she added seven jackpot shows to her schedule.

   Attending WLBA’s Livestock Show Camp for two years as a young exhibitor helped Treml set her course.

   “I decided I wanted to do something like that,” she recalls.

   As a high-school freshman, she started presenting fitting and showing clinics on her family’s farm for both sheep and beef exhibitors.  While she started it for 4-H and FFA members in Juneau County, she worked at expanding it to youth in surrounding counties in 2005.

   What she has learned while showing and getting ready for shows has had a huge impact on Treml’s attitudes and direction.

   “I wouldn’t be the person I am today without the showing,” she says.  “I’ve met so many people, and the ups and downs of showing has made me who I am.

   “Raising the animals to get to the show is a huge responsibility, and once you get there, it’s up to the judge to decide if you’re showing the best animal today,” she adds.  “It’s the determination that kids can learn.  Even if you don’t win, it’s the determination to come back and try again and better your flock that’s important.”

   Treml’s 4-H and FFA experience has helped her gain the skills and confidence to lead, teach and compete with others.  She served as club president for the last three years of her 4-H career, and she was president of her FFA chapter her senior year in high school.  Not only have 4-H and FFA afforded her the opportunity to travel, but it also has provided scholarships and meaningful leadership experience, she says, and she is appreciative of the support of her parents, organization leaders and other 4-H and FFA members in helping her achieve her goals.

   A 2004 graduate of Mauston High School, Treml is a sophomore at the University of Wisconsin – River Falls, majoring in animal science with a meat-animal emphasis.  Her goal is to work as a veterinary technician or assistant, perhaps on a large livestock farm.  Just as important, though, she wants to breed top-quality club lambs.

   Treml recently obtained a $5000 youth loan from USDA’s Farm Service Agency to expand Dream Acres Club Lambs, a business she owns with her parents.  She has purchased one ram and is buying bred replacement ewes.  Earlier this fall, her flock consisted of about 40 Dorset and Suffolk-Hampshire ewes.

   “We kept the majority of my flock but culled heavily,” she explains.  “We kept what we thought we could make improvements with.”

   Treml knows something about making genetic improvements in a flock.  She was the first in her family to exhibit at the Wisconsin State Fair.  After her first year of showing there, “we figured we needed to improve our flock,” she recalls.  In 2004, Treml exhibited the top Suffolk lamb in the State Fair’s performance class, a class that measures carcass traits.

   “That showed us that our breeding and genetics have improved a lot over the years,” she notes.

   “Ten years from now, my goal is to have a (club-lamb) business and be going to shows,” she adds.  “I hope that kids at State Fair will be coming to me for help raising their animals and for good club lambs.”

   Wisconsin’s 4-H skillathon team, made up of 4-H members from Green County, was named reserve national champion at the North American International Livestock Exposition in Lousiville, Ky., in November.  The team placed third in the identification category and first in the evaluation category in the National 4-H Skillathon Contest.

   Team members are Alicia & Naomi Gordee of Argyle, Mike Richardson of Orangeville, Ill., and  Devan Brugger of Monroe. 

   The National 4-H Skillathon Contest tests youths’ animal-science knowledge.  Skill stations included wool judging, hay judging, meat judging and identification, equipment identification, feed identification, breed identification, Quality Assurance, quiz, animal breeding scenario, and livestock performance and marketing. 

   Individually, Brugger placed second in identification and fifth over-all; Naomi Gordee placed first in evaluation and second over-all; and Alicia Gordee placed third over-all in the skillathon.  In all, nineteen teams competed in the contest.

   The team qualified by winning the state contest at the Wisconsin Livestock Breeders Association’s annual convention in April 2005.  Team coaches are Kelly Gordee, Green County 4-H agent Alissa Grenawalt and Bernadette (Bernie) O’Rourke, University of Wisconsin - Extension youth livestock specialist.

   Wisconsin traditionally has done very well in this national event.  In 2001, 2002 and 2004, Wisconsin teams earned reserve national championship honors.  Those teams came from Grant, Columbia and Marathon Counties respectively.

   Youth or adults interested in starting livestock judging or skillathon teams may contact UW-Extension’s Bernie O’Rourke at 608/263-4304 or borourke2@ansci.wisc.edu.

The long-running annual Sheep Management teleconference series will be held in 2006 from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. on the three Thursday evenings of January 5, February 2 and March 2 at WisLine sites in County Extension Offices throughout the state of Wisconsin. Producers, scientists and Extension workers will present information on important sheep production issues and topics for the benefit of Wisconsin sheep producers and youth sheep project members. 

   Sheep Management WisLine programs are provided as a service of University of Wisconsin Cooperative Extension and the UW-Madison Department of Animal Sciences, and are hosted by Dave Thomas, sheep Extension specialist.  The WisLine system provides two-way voice communications between speakers and listeners from participating county Extension offices in Wisconsin and are free to the public. Program information, including handouts, are available at your county Extension office or at www.uwex.edu/ces/animalscience/sheep/ in December 2005.  

   The Sheep Management WisLine program may not be offered in all counties.  Contact your county Extension office for availability in your area.  The programs are free, but participants must call their local county Extension office prior to each session to register for that particular session.  This will guarantee that the WisLine site is open and that adequate copies of handout materials are available.  Further questions should be directed to your local county Extension office or to Thomas at dlthomas@wisc.edu or 608/263-4306.

   Sheep and other livestock producers have just a few days left in which to register their premises.  As of mid-December, over 35,500 premises in the state already had been registered, building the framework for a 48-hour traceback in the event of an animal disease outbreak.

   “Premises registration is the law,” says Gary Tauchen, dairy farmer, a director for the Wisconsin Livestock Identification Consortium (WLIC) and the first person in the state to register his family’s livestock premises.  “This effort is good for producers, good for industry and good for Wisconsin.”

   A new state law, the Premises Registration Act, requires anyone who keeps, houses or co-mingles livestock to register their premises.  The purpose of premises registration is to provide basic information to animal-health officials in the event of an animal-disease outbreak.

   Premises registration is not aimed solely at large-scale agriculture.  “Premises” may house many animals or a single horse or chicken.  Identifying all locations where livestock are raised and/or held is the foundation to achieve a traceback system to identify all animals and premises potentially exposed to a foreign animal disease within 48 hours of discovery.  WLIC, serving as the agent of the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, is helping animal owners register their premises.

   There are four ways to register premises:  Computer registration at www.datcp.state.wi.us/premises/index.jsp or www.wiid.org is available by clicking on the link for Premises Registraiton; a premises registration form can be mailed directly in response to anyone who calls 1-888-808-1910; on-line registration or paper forms can be completed at a county Farm Service Agency (FSA) office; and premises may be registered through a WLIC agent listed at www.wiid.org.

   The Indianhead Sheep Breeders will host its 12^th Annual Shepherd’s Clinic beginning at 9 a.m. on Saturday, February 11.  The clinic will be held at the Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College Conference Center in Rice Lake.

   Speakers will include Mike Caskey, instructor at the Pipestone Lamb and Wool Program at Minnesota West Community and Technical College; Randy Gottfredson, University of Wisconsin-Madison animal scientist; Dr. Kennedy of Pipestone Veterinary Supply; Bill Keough, owner of BK Sheep Ration; Art Pope, UW-Madison sheep professor emeritus; Kathy J. Soder, animal scientist, USDA-ARS (Agricultural Research Service) Pasture Systems and Watershed Management Research Unit; and Dave Thomas, UW-Madison sheep Extension specialist.

   A noon, the Shepherd’s Clinic will feature a live auction of donated products.

   A program for youth will feature Jere Rambow, an agriculture instructor at Ridgewater Community College in Willmar, Minn., who has a purebred Suffolk flock in Litchfield, Minn.  Afternoon youth activities, presented by Erin Glunz and Dane Christenson, will include a skillathon and question and answer sessions with prizes.

   The clinic’s pre-registration fees are $12 for youth members, $16 for youth non-members, $16 for adult members and $20 for adult non-members; registration includes lunch.  People registering after January 31 and at the door will pay a $6 registration add-on fee.  

   For more information, contact Jeff Kieffer, 715/339-4223 or jkieffer@pctcnet.net.

Livestock Quiz Bowl Set on March 4 in Portage

   Entries for the Third Annual Livestock Quiz Bowl Competition are due on February 22.  This year’s event will be held on Saturday, March 4 at St. Mary’s Catholic School in Portage beginning at 9:30 a.m. with registration.  Since competition brackets are created prior to the event, February 22 is a firm deadline.

   The Livestock Bowl is a quiz competition, and all questions are about sheep, beef and swine topics.  Students use a buzzer in order to answer the questions.  Teams compete in a double-elimination format by giving oral answers to questions posed by a moderator.  Each match has both an individual and toss-up question round.

   Teams will be divided into three age divisions.  The junior division is made up of four members who are under 14 years of age as of January 1, 2006.  The senior division is for teams of four members who are all 14 years or older as of January 1, and a mixed team must contain at least one youth from each age division.

   Contest rules and registration forms are available from county Extension offices or at the Wisconsin Livestock Youth Website—www.uwex.edu/ces/animalscience/youth/index.htm.  For more information, contact University of Wisconsin – Extension’s Bernie O’Rourke at 608/263-4303 or borourke2@ansci.wisc.edu.

   The Wisconsin Livestock Quiz and Skillathon Contests will be held in conjunction with the Wisconsin Livestock Breeders Association’s Annual Meeting on Saturday, March 25 at the Wintergreen Resort and Convention Center in the Wisconsin Dells.  As a change from previous years, any junior or senior livestock team in the state may participate in the contests.

   The contests have two divisions:  Senior 4-H team members must be at least 14 years of age on January 1, 2006 and not have had their nineteenth birthday before that date.  Junior 4-H team members must be between eight and 13 years of age.  Each team must consist of three or four members.

   The top senior-level 4-H team will represent Wisconsin at the National 4-H Skillathon Contest, held each fall in Louisville, Ky.  FFA teams also are invited to participate in the State Livestock Quiz and Skillathon Contests, however, it is the top-placing 4-H team that will advance to the national 4-H contest.

   Forms are due March 17.  Registration on March 25 starts at 8:30 a.m., with the contest beginning promptly at 9 a.m.  Awards will be presented at the noon luncheon.  Top-placing teams and individuals will receive awards.  The fee to participate in the contests is $15 per person, which includes the noon luncheon.

   For more information, contact Bernie O’Rourke, University of Wisconsin – Extension youth livestock specialist and contest coordinator, at 608/263-4304, borourke2@ansci.wisc.edu or the Animal Science Youth Website at www.wuex.edu/ces/animalscience/youth/index.htm.

   The Wisconsin Hampshire Sheep Association has awarded its annual ewe scholarship to Brittany Rajek of Stanley.  Rajek can use the $100 award to buy a ewe or ewe lamb at the Wisconsin Sheep Breeders Cooperative’s Wisconsin Bred Ewe and Ewe Lamb Sale or the Wisconsin Invitational Sale.

   Rajek, a seventh grader, is the daughter of Robert Rajek Jr. and Mari Beth Rajek, 7596 County Highway G, Stanley.  She shows Hampshires, Dorsets and Shropshires at three shows a year.  She plans to continue showing sheep until she graduates from high school, at which time she plans to attend college.

   The North American International Livestock Exposition is considered the largest all-breed, purebred livestock show in the world, and its purebred sheep and beef events also are the largest in the world.  Despite its size and the quality of livestock exhibited there, Wisconsin junior exhibitors fared well when the show took place in Louisville, Ky., from November 4 through 17.

   Katherine Kuykendall of Richland Center took double honors in the Junior Border Cheviot Show by exhibiting both the grand champion ram and ewe.  Jessica and Jordan Alf, both of Edgerton, topped the beginning and senior showmanship contests respectively in the Junior Hampshire Show.  Josh Seibel won the intermediate showmanship contest in the Junior Southdown Show.   

   Wisconsin junior exhibitors with top-ten placings, by show, were:

   Border Cheviots – Katherine Kuykendall, Richland Center, 1^st intermediate ram lamb, 1^st yearling ewe, 1^st junior ewe lamb; and Tom Schambow, Janesville, 2^nd intermediate ram lamb, 6^th & 7^th yearling ewe, 3^rd slick shorn yearling ewe, 3^rd intermediate ewe lamb, 2^nd junior ewe lamb, 2^nd slick shorn junior ewe lamb.

   Hampshires – John, Jordan and Jessica Alf, Edgerton, 4^th February ram lamb, 2^nd March & after ram lamb, 5^th early yearling ewe, 5^th late yearling ewe, 4^th February ewe lamb, 1^st March & after ewe lamb, 1^st pair of ewes; Jessica Alf, 1^st junior showmanship; Jordan Alf, 1^st senior showmanship; Lynn Klug Blank, Port Washington, 5^th & 7^th February ram lamb, 9^th January ewe lamb, 2^nd February ewe lamb; and Shauna Suehs, Manawa, 8^th February ram lamb, 9^th February ewe lamb.

   Natural Colored – Katherine Kuykendall, Richland Center, 2^nd early junior ewe lamb.

   Polled Dorset – Michael Houfe, Milton, 6^th fall ram lamb; Elizabeth Jennings, Milton, 7^th early fall ewe lamb; and Josh Seibel, Mount Horeb, 8^th fall ram lamb.

   Southdowns – John Jones, Rio, 10^th January ram lamb, 8^th late yearling ewe, 5^th senior ewe lamb, 4^th intermediate showmanship; Kirsten Kohlman, Plymouth, 6^th senior ram, 10^th early yearling ewe; Josh Seibel, Mount Horeb, 7^th January ewe lamb, 1^st intermediate showmanship; and Kelsi Smerchek, Rosholt, 9^th late February ewe lamb.

   Suffolks – Tom Schambow, Janesville, 3^rd early yearling ewe, 3^rd late yearling ewe, 1^st senior ewe; Shauna Suehs, Manawa, 2^nd slick sheared ram lamb; and Danielle Wittman & DDJ Suffolks, New Glarus, 6^th late February ram.

   Tunis – Tom Schambow, Janesville, 1^st senior ram lamb, 3^rd junior ram lamb, 2^nd junior ewe lamb.

   Market Wethers – Aly Dallas, Shawano, 7^th 13-year-old showmanship, 10^th Natural Colored; Craig Green, Greenleaf, 7^th 15-year-old showmanship; Jacob Johnson, Montfort, 10^th Suffolk; Chelsey Saevre, Dodgeville, 7^th Natural Colored; and Dathan Smerchek, Rosholt, 10^th Southdown.

   Kimber Seibel of Mount Horeb also exhibited at NAILE.

   Jenifer Street Market of Madison recently was named the WisconsinLamb_TM  2005 Merchandiser of the Year.  Jon Stefonek, who serves as meat manager for Jenifer Street Market, accepted the award.  The award is based on outstanding customer service, presentation of the product, the variety of retail cuts available to the consumer, safe food-handling procedures and the percent of increased lamb sales. 

   Pinn-Oak Ridge Farms, LLC, owned by Steve and Darlene Pinnow, Delavan, focuses on fresh wholesale lamb delivered to retail stores and restaurants on a weekly basis under the WisconsinLamb trademark.  The Pinnows service over 40 businesses in southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois.

   The American Society of Animal Science has named Dr. Dave Thomas as the winner of the 2005 Bouffault International Animal Agriculture Award.  Thomas, who serves as professor of animal science and sheep Extension specialist at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, received the award in Cincinnati in late July.

   Thomas, a native of Mineral Point, earned a bachelor’s degree at UW-Madison, was a Peace Corps volunteer in Kenya and earned graduate degrees from Oklahoma State University.  He has been engaged in research, teaching, Extension and international activities for 28 years--at Oregon State from 1977 to 1981, Illinois from 1981 to 1991 and Wisconsin since 1991.  He has worked on projects in Indonesia with prolific and hair-sheep breeds, in Central Asia on improvement in prolificacy in Fine-wool flocks, and in Israel on utilization of the Booroola gene.

   He currently represents the USAID (U.S. Agency for International Development) to the International Livestock Research Institute in Kenya.  He has an internationally recognized research program in the genetic improvement of sheep, with over 450 career publications.

   The Southern Consortium for Small Ruminant Parasite Control was formed in response to the critical state of the small-ruminant industry associated with the emergence of anthelmintic-resistant worms.  SCSRPC is a group of scientists, veterinarians, and extension agents devoted to (1) developing novel methods for sustainable control of gastrointestinal nematodes in small ruminants and (2) educating stakeholders in the small-ruminant industry on the most up-to-date methods and recommendations for control of gastrointestinal nematodes.

   Members of SCSRPC meet regularly and are in close communication, continuously updating recommendations for parasite control.  Members are from Fort Valley State University, Georgia; University of Georgia; Louisiana State University; USDA, Agricultural Research Service in Booneville, Arkansas and Brooksville, Florida; University of Puerto Rico; the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University in Denmark; the Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute in South Africa; Auburn University, Alabama; Virginia Tech; University of Virgin Islands; and Langston University, Oklahoma.

   To learn more about this group, visit www.scsrpc.org.

   Sheep are not renowned for their intellect, but an Australian researcher has proven they are smarter than most of us think.  And some are smarter than others, leading scientists to believe they carry a specific "smart gene" that, once identified, will allow farmers to better select their livestock, reports ASI Weekly, an on-line publication of the American Sheep Industry.

   Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) Research Scientist Dr. Caroline Lee tested a group of 60 Merino sheep by putting them through a complex maze. Lee found the sheep not only worked out how to navigate the maze, but also got better each time they did it.  The test was done over three days and repeated after six weeks with the time taken to complete it and the number of errors made recorded for each animal.

    "We showed that sheep on average took two minutes on the first day and then they really significantly improved their time and were down to around 30 seconds on the third day," Lee said. "In addition, we actually measured them six weeks later ... and we found that they had retained their memory and were at a similar level to the previous test."

   The CSIRO is currently screening 600 sheep of different breeds to determine whether they have a smart gene or genes. This could take up to five years.

   Only Greece has the right to call its white, salty cheese “Feta,” the European Union's top court said in late October.  According to the October 28 edition of ASI Weekly, a publication of the American Sheep Industry Association, the EU’s court dismissed an appeal by Denmark and Germany for their cheesemakers also to be allowed to use the Feta name.
    The European Court of Justice ruled the Feta definition was reserved exclusively for cheese from Greece as it had been registered as a protected designation of origin in 2002.
    The ruling was a victory for Greece, where Feta cheese is believed to have been produced for around 6000 years. The Greek government has campaigned since 1994 for geographical protection for local Feta, which is made from a blend of sheep and goats' milk.
    The same kind of protection is enjoyed by Italy's parma ham and French champagne.

   I have been contemplating the Christmas holidays as of late. One of the things that has prompted some of this is the whole politically correct aspect of everything!   I am going to use some of my favorite 'catch-alls' when it comes to these overblown, out-of-proportion issues.  So, bear with me. . .

   It seems the print and broadcast media have been making way too much noise about Holiday trees/Christmas trees, a prime example of a certain faction of the public that tries to 'ram something down our throats'.  I believe most of us could not care less what people choose to call the Tree they bring into their houses, decorate with bright lights, ornaments of sorts, make part of the family, and then invite people over to view and celebrate family, friends and general good will!  Personally, I know why Martin Luther (yes, a Christian and 'The' Lutheran...bet that rattles some people!) started the Christmas tree tradition.  Perhaps this information could help people with their Holiday attitudes!? 

   I have this feeling I may be getting to the rambling point on such a moot point, but we all know some say 'to-ma-toe', some say 'ta-may-toe'. The point being, enjoy the season and for what it stands for you and yours. There are certainly bigger, more important happenings and circumstances to pay attention to.  And for those of you who think there is only ONE way to view any number of things--here I go--choose somewhere else to be offended!

   I was/am a huge fan of Erma Bombeck.  She passed away a few years ago, way too soon.  She had written numerous books over the years on her life experiences raising children, living in the 'burbs and other normal living activities. Her forte was seeing the absurdity of the obvious and relating to everyday people. Some of her books included, ‘The Grass is Always Greener Over the Spetic Tank’, ‘If Life is a Bowl of Cherries, What am I Doing in the Pits?', and ‘Families-The Ties that Bind and Gag Us!’.  The last title is the one I want to touch on.  Basically, the book was about the good and bad aspects of families. (I can see the wheels turning. . .) The Holiday season brings out the best and worst in people--maybe all at the same time! 

   One of the most interesting situations that happens to people during the events of the season is when adult children return home to Mom and Dad or just about any time families get together--the trap of falling into old family roles.  The level-headed professional woman, with husband and kids in tow, when confronted by her mother (aunt, grandma, etc.,) in the domestic coliseum, suddenly turns into this apparently dim-witted girl with two left hands (please, no offense intended) who obviously can't turn on a microwave oven, and she allows them to run over her because it always has been that way.

   Another example is the son (brother, nephew, etc.,) who is raising a family, holding down a job, paying off a mortgage and suddenly, in a familial setting, he slides into this punk role he might have perfected 20 years ago for who-knows-what reasons.  I guess where I am trying to go with this is to suggest that we watch the traps or try to figure out the triggers/buttons that allow us to behave poorly and/or strangely in family gatherings.  For me, it is very interesting to sit back and watch these things unfold!  HA! 

   I recently saw a new book out for Christmas gift giving.  (No space here for that whole gift-giving craziness!)  The book is a collection of the 50 strangest relatives, with room in the book for your own! I do believe Erma Bombeck had it right when she said families are the ties that can bind and gag us!  Enjoy, as it doesn't last forever.

   ‘It is not your Father's Oldsmobile anymore’. . . I think that may have been Oldsmobile's last attempt at marketing a brand of car that had existed since cars were invented.  It did not work, and Oldsmobiles ceased to be produced.  I really don't know the hows and the whys, but it is a shame.  I guess we can blame the foreign imports or lack of brand loyalty in today's markets.  I really don't know.

   Today's Wisconsin Sheep Breeders Cooperative is on a parallel path.  No, we are not breathing our last breath or going out of existence.  My point is we are not the same cooperative that was formed years ago.  Our mission is still the same—we gather and disseminate information to the public, we encourage youth in the industry, and we engage in the promotion, production and marketing of sheep, lamb and wool products.  However, that really does not do the organization justice when you look at all the activities, opportunities and issues we support.

   One of the biggest changes WSBC has made was going from the producer-oriented Wisconsin Sheep Industry Conference to the consumer-oriented Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival. The lack of numbers of sheep and producers necessitated this change.  It has been an interesting adventure thus far, and the learning curve has been fairly steep, but once again, WSBC members have embraced change and run with it. 

   Another area of change has been the use of educational funds.  These funds have been raised by the hard and conscious efforts of a few.  A Big Rose to them!  The funds are earmarked for groups around the state for clinics, workshops and youth meetings, to name a few.  All WSBC asks is that the groups submit a brief proposal concerning their event. The groups also are required to be WSBC members. The guidelines for funding are listed on the WSBC website.

   And that brings up another way we, as a cooperative, do business.  A BIG change in many aspects. At WSBC’s website—www.wisbc.com--members are listed, able to have links to other sites and post classifieds.  We have added a second website specifically for the Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival--a great help in reaching our consumers and keeping them informed.

    All of these things take money--I know you know where I am going with this.  It’s an interesting time to ask for dues, but when it comes to WSBC, I doubt there is another organization that you can choose to belong to that offers the breadth, depth and scope of events, promotions and member perks.  So, with that in mind, we will be sending out a formal membership notice around January 15^th.  Please take the time to support the Wisconsin sheep industry's leading organization.

   Best to you in 2006!

Gary T. Klug

President, WSBC

© WISBC