Beginning to Grand

As our family has made friends showing sheep, it is interesting to me to watch the interactions between the breeders of the animals and the exhibitors. Hewlett Farms is a local sheep farm.  They have helped us more than we ever could have imagined with sheep we have bought from them and with sheep we have bought from other breeders Ed and Connie (aka the Night Watchman) have been an incredible wealth of knowledge for the boys and the whole family. I asked Ed for a story about their farm and he shared how their youngest son got started in the sheep business himself.  You can find them on Facebook at Hewlett Farms Sheep.

 At the Black and White sheep show and sale 2005 in Oklahoma City. The beginning happened, the idea, thought,and or an inclination at least to be or do something different. Not by me, or the night watchman but rather 11 year old son Curtis. He, while checking out the stock, and wandering through the aisles of lambs, proposed the question. Mom why don't we buy a Dorset Ewe? 

When she presented the same question to me, I still remember the pride of owning my first 4-H project and in no way was I going to deny him of the same. So, the ground rules were laid and he was off to select the ewes he liked. The only real rule was that he had to pay for it with his own savings.

When his first choice hit the auction block and blew by his limit and so did number two, he came to me head down and discouraged. So doing what any good father would, we set out together to find another and as luck would have it choice three was the winner. After the show, enroute home, the night watchman proceeds to tell me her only experience with Dorset sheep is they had one as kids and she never lambed. Oh no! I thought Curtis has just bought one and now she is not going to breed, and that just wont do, so that was the beginng of phase two: Get more Dorset ewes. 

A call to Mr Ross owner of Curtis's new ewe and a road trip later his flock was now two . Feeling good about the project a few months later at the Midwest Stud Ram sale in Sedalia, Missouri, we ask Curtis about the idea of buying a ram and a couple more ewes. We thought he could be starting his own registered flock and not cross breeding them. He thought about it for a short time and then was off to select his new stud Ram and much like earlier at auction time his ram selection went out of sight he thought. He said, "Now what? I don't like any others!" 

By this time the night watchman was in the game and she had a young March ram in mind. With quick discussion and convincing he was to be the one and by the end of the auction Curtis had added a stud ram later named Polar Express and two more ewe lambs. He was set, and phase three was put in place. The plan was nothing short of Genius. Breed the four ewes and take those lambs back to Midwest ram sale the very next year. 

The year seem to fly by and Polar Express, though small, finally got the job done and lambing time was smooth. Praise the Lord! Curtis now had 5 lambs, 3 ewes and 2 rams. He decided that he would take Polar and 2 ram lambs to Sedalia and while there buy a new stud ram. It seems so simple.

During the show luck was with Curtis, and when judge Clay Elliott made the final selections. Curtis's little flock had the Res Grand Dorest ram, a second to him in class and the first place yearling with Polar Express. The phone call back to the Night Watchman was exciting and she couldn't believe it. All that was left to do was buy the new stud ram and wouldn't you know the only one he selected, was the one he couldn't beat. That's right the Grand ram bred by Slack was the one his sights were on. 

With great anticipation we could hardly wait for the auction. It was a tough fight and more than he wanted to invest but the gavel fall proved Curtis meant business. The only fitting name for the new stud was simply Grand. In all endeavors, there is always risk, and with that Curtis had put it all on the line. We encouraged him to buy more ewes to spread the risk, which he did adding three more. The plan had worked so why change it and year two was to be much the same. Save back a few ewe lambs and sell the ram lambs. 

To save you all the drama year two was incredible. Grand's first lamb to be offered won the Black and White Dorest ewe show and sold well. Then on to Sedalia, Curtis was loaded for bear. He took three each rams and ewes all lambs. With the judge favoring our style, the lambs were unbeatable. Curtis carried both the Grand ram and Grand ewe ribbons out of the ring. The sale went just as well and Curtis's second year endeavor was in the black with room to spare. From just a simple idea 24 months before to a winning, profitable, program all thanks to breeders offering good animals and a great ram called GRAND. 

Ed Hewlett 
Hewlett Farms Sheep

Sheep Farmer Math

In an effort to make math more interesting for kids and to make my kids understand that math really is important, I have started a series of Farmer Math questions to go along with the Flat Aggie reports.  These are patterned after the blog Bedtime Math.  Some of the questions are easy enough for pre-schoolers and sometimes I come up with some to even challenge high school seniors.

These questions follow the report Flat Aggie visits Uptown Farms and Flat Aggie Visits Clay Hill Ranch.  Additional educational materials can be found in the post All About Sheep.

1.  Flat Aggie saw 2 ewes lamb in the morning and 2 ewes lamb after lunch. How many ewes did Flat Aggie see lamb in all?

2.  If 3 ewes had twins and 1 ewe had triplets, how many lambs were there in all?

3.If the ewes are fed 6 pounds of hay per day and there are 28 ewes in each pen, how many pounds of hay does each pen need per day?

4.  What percentage of a bale of hay would be fed to each pen per day if a hay bale weighs 850 pounds?

5.  Farmers often calculate their lamb crop in percent lambs born alive per ewe.  If Uptown Farms had 98 ewes in all, 2 ewes did not have live lambs and the remaining ewes averaged 2.3 lambs born alive. How many lambs did they have in all to the nearest whole number?   What would that the lamb crop be?  (Need a hint?  Number of live lambs divided by the number of ewes in the flock.)

If you are a teacher or homeschooler that would like more information to go with the Flat Aggie reports, send me a message on my contact form.  Along with the report and the Farmer Math questions, we send each teacher an additional page of activities and sometimes a few hands on activities.

Answers: 1.) 4 ewes  2.) 9 lambs  3.) 168 pounds of feed  4.) 19.76%  5.) 221 lambs, 225% lamb crop 

-A Kansas Farm Mom

All for Him Lamb Challenge

 Today, I have an opportunity for you to share.  An amazing opportunity that could potentially change a young person's life forever.  I have talked about the Not so Typical Summer Camp my oldest boy attended and what the organizer of the camp has to offer is nothing short of amazing.

It is no secret that I am a proud supporter of the 4-H and FFA programs.  My kids show livestock for many reasons and one of them comes out in this interview.  There are very few people in the world that are as caring and giving as livestock people.  The following quote rings true with this interview:

“You can’t live a perfect day until 

you do something for someone 

who will never be able to repay you.”

― John Wooden

Please take time to read the Q&A I had with Chastin Leggett, then take the time to share it with someone who could truly benefit from this experience.  I know you won't regret it. 

 

1. Tell us a little about your latest project.

A. In February we launched an exciting new scholarship program titled the All for Him Lamb Challenge. This is a unique opportunity for 4-H or FFA members to win a free lamb to show and a full ride scholarship, to any You Gotta Believe Livestock Camp.

2. How &/or why did you come up with this idea?

A. I have been very blessed by interest in my show camps this year and by people who have helped me accomplish my life long goals. I decided I wanted to give back to the youth and give them the same opportunities that people once gave me. Once I had the idea, I started making some calls and was very blessed by the amount of people who wanted to help this happen.

3. Who is eligible? 

A. Any 4-H and FFA member or child who has never been in 4-H or FFA but wants to join can apply. There is no state restriction; applications will be accepted from all states. Applicants must show citizenship and leadership as well as financial need. Scholarship winners are required to attend lamb camp and complete small monthly reports to help teach them more about their projects.

4. Where can we find the application? When is the deadline? Who can we contact with questions?

A. You can find the application on our Facebook page YouGottaBelieveCamps. Or by e-mailing me at leggettcl@ymail.com. Anyone who has further questions is free to contact me at 620-762-2226.
The applications must be postmarked by April 1st, 2014.

5. Who is helping sponsor the lambs? Will there be mentoring on feeding and care available for
those who want it?

a. Brillhart-Slater-Leggett Show Lambs in Fort Scott, KS and Wright’s Farm in Fayetteville, AR helped launch the event by sponsoring the original two lambs. Clancy Anderson of Denver, Colorado stepped up and sponsored the advertisement for this event. After hearing about the project, Annuschat Club Lambs of Stillwater, OK offered to provide another lamb.
Other sponsors include Jodi Thompson, Les and Carrie Edwards, Tyler McVay, B-3 Construction, and Columbus Tire. Sponsorships are still being accepted either donations of lambs or monetary donations to help with show supplies and other expenses for the kids.

6. How has showing livestock changed your life?

A. When I joined 4-H at 7 years old I became instantly addicted to showing and judging livestock and it has altered the course of my life. The miles I have traveled, the people I have met, and the level of leadership and commitment I have learned led me to where I am today. In my mind, there is no other organization or opportunity that will teach our youth as much as purchasing an animal and learning to fend for something other than themselves. It teaches them about winning and losing, dedication, friendship, and ultimately how to be a productive citizen.

Here is my challenge to each one of you.  Forward this opportunity on to one family that could truly benefit from an experience like this.  We all know those kids that haven't quite found what they love in life and are searching for a place.  What if their place to shine is in the show ring and you could help make that happen for them?

-A Kansas Farm Mom