Sheep

The best option for adding sheep or goats to an operation is to purchase from a reputable breeder.

I asked my wife, “What have I done in the last 30 days?” She said, “Praying for rain, moving sheep and praying for rain.” I’m still praying for rain.

We hosted a farm and mill tour as part of our county’s Farm Stroll. The local University of Illinois Extension office coordinates the day with small farms and more in Boone County participating.

The mill is buzzing with activity to prepare some of our fiber for sale and complete customer orders. We make felted batts from our Scottish Blackface wool.

Well, it’s dry again and we really could use a good soaking rain. The grass pastures had been growing nice up to about two weeks ago when they started feeling the effects of no rain.

A team of nine people from Huntington University traveled to serve local communities through sustainable agriculture projects to Momostenango, Guatemala.

One of the goals in FFA is to prepare members “for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education.”

Purdue University researchers have developed a new sorghum trait that is safe for livestock and preferred by animals.

For Cliff Behrmann, bacon runs in the blood. Behrmann is the owner of Behrmann Meat and Processing, a business started by his maternal grandfather and Behrmann’s father.

Agrivoltaics works and it is going to keep growing in the United States.

An agricultural production system that integrates crops and livestock into a single interconnected practice in one field was the top yielder in Precision Technology Institute’s trials last year.

Sixty young livestock exhibitors vied for the title of Grand Champion Overall Master Showman during the 2024 Illinois State Fair Master Showmanship Contest.

I hope you readers saw the recent AgriNews article on sheep grazing under solar farms. Land stays in production while generating electricity for the grid and cash for shepherds while saving on mowing and spraying costs.

I’ve been busy with the granddaughters’ fair schedule of showing. The oldest one can now drive, so that helps a lot, but grandpa still drives the truck and trailer to the shows.

It is that magical time of the year — August fair season. In a lot of ways, I look forward to the fair more than Christmas. 4-H has always been a big part of my family.

Livestock managers and owners are invited to join University of Illinois Extension for the Storing Forages: Balancing Cost and Performance workshop on Thursday, Sept. 19.

Sheep and goats are a popular choice for youth and adults. Small ruminants are a good place for anyone to enter the livestock business on small acreage. Often, they develop into significant farm enterprises.

Grazing sheep on utility-scale solar sites is not a new practice for some shepherds.

The U.S. Department of Energy estimates more than 10 million acres will be converted to solar energy by 2050, and the American Farmland Trust projects over 80% could be sited on agricultural lands.

The DeKalb County History Center is one of five organizations in the United States selected to host the “Food: Gathering Around the Table” exhibit.

Sheep lovers can enjoy more than just 4-H and open sheep shows at the Indiana State Fair this summer.

Take note of Team USA’s opening ceremony blazers. They are made with USA-grown wool. Actually, the Ralph Lauren website lists it as USA-grown Responsible Wool Standard-certified wool.

Maybe it’s time to put some eggs in a different basket — that is, livestock. And since cattle prices are formidable for newcomers, I suggest a more reasonable approach to diversification: sheep.

The fairs have started and my granddaughters have been busy walking, setting up, washing and trimming their four market lambs and one yearling ewe.

Five new officers elected by the delegates during the 96th Illinois FFA State Convention will be traveling throughout the state during the upcoming year engaging with members to inspire them to achieve their goals.

Summer is finally here in northern Illinois. Temperatures are going to be hot this weekend. We call it Georgia weather, teasing our daughter who lives in Georgia. Luckily, we have had more rain than they have had.

As I write this we are halfway through our lamb slaughter event. This celebration involves eating the native foods along with processing the lambs, so Ruth and I are introduced to some new — to us — foods and customs.

These longer, warmer and sometimes wetter days are really giving the crops and pastures a great start. While most of my neighbors are done or close to finishing planting, we’ve just got a good start.

Increasing profitability of sheep operations starts at conception.

April was an extremely busy time, mostly because we welcomed a new granddaughter. Her name is Brynlee and she is doing well. We were lucky to spend more time in Georgia in April than Illinois.

The race to keep up with grass growth is about to start here. The sheep and cattle are now content with the rye and volunteer wheat, saving on the hay supply.

I’m glad to be done feeding hay and am now grazing cereal rye and red clover. Some of the rye is in the flag leaf stage already. I have rye that is 10 inches tall right next to 30-inch tall rye, so I need to get it grazed.

Sheep producers can reduce the amount of labor needed to work with their animals with a Te Pari handling system.

Visitors learned about farm animals and other ag-centered topics at the 2024 St. Joseph County Ag Days.

The Noble Research Institute is focused on land stewardship for improved soil health for grazing animal production with lasting profitability.

Fifteen Indiana farm families will share their stories at the Indiana State Fair this summer, showcasing the diversity of agriculture in Indiana.

If an important part of your business is flying between the United States and New Zealand — like it is for Air New Zealand — you get pretty skilled at making the tedious, 13-hour flight go smoothly.

This is the time of year that I become a little impatient waiting for spring. The warmer weather makes me think the grass and pasture should be getting green faster than they are. The sheep are also looking impatient.

It looks so far like spring has arrived early this year. Even if we get a last blast of winter, spring has a pretty good head start — so much so that I missed my best opportunity to frost seed some clover.

At the Illinois Lamb and Wool meeting a guy told me that he didn’t know about the wool loan deficiency payments program until he read about it in my article last year. He was able to get more than the 40 cents per pound minimum by having his wool graded.

Cattlemen learned about options for their operations at the Illinois Beef Expo trade show.

This year, February has seemed more like late March. The temperature here in northern Illinois is warmer than in past years, quite a difference from when I was writing the January column. I know the warm temperatures are not going to last.

Hello from Graze-N-Grow. Well, it seems Elton and I missed our deadline last month. I don’t know his excuse, but mine was forgetfulness. I wasn’t really idle, though.

I was just having so much fun with the minus-15 temperatures and 20 mph winds last month that I just forgot to write an article. Well, the last part is true. Things have been mundane around here — unroll hay, break ice and fill water tanks.

For 2024 Miss Illinois County Fair Queen Natalie Evans, being onstage at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Springfield wasn’t that much different from being in a livestock show ring.

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association is providing multiple internship opportunities for students to learn about different aspects of the cattle industry. Internships are offered in NCBA’s offices in Denver and Washington.

Larry Hopkins, a sheep farmer from Westfield, was one of three new farmers elected to serve on the executive board of the American Sheep Industry Association.

Today, as I am writing this column, it has been snowing all night and all day. So far in northern Illinois we have at least 6 inches of heavy, wet snow on the ground.

The Endangered Species Act turned 50 years old late last month. Signed by President Richard Nixon in 1973, the legislation was expansive and controversial.

Wool season is here in northern Illinois. Those wool socks, wool blankets, sweaters, gloves and mittens are so comfortable. Wool is a remarkable natural fiber. The website www.americanwool.org has a lot of resources to help with wool promotion.