“Times they are a changing” words from a sixties folk song, can sum up these troubled days we are experiencing.  What is around the bend, no one can predict with any certainty but as one saying goes, “When the going gets tough, the tough need to get tougher”. As an educator, I always reminded students the ‘character quality’ required to work through most all of life’s challenges is that of resilience.  How will we respond in the face of these adversities?  For Kimm Suffolks the plan is to work even harder to produce genetics that tomorrow’s customer will find worthy and useful when they choose to invest in new breeding stock.

The Kimm program has been focused on producing a moderate framed, ‘balanced trait’ Suffolk, which I feel has value for a diverse buying public.  I have always tired to serve a large segment of this business while keeping zeroed in on livestock that are useful to the commercial industry.  Breeding animals that are not extreme but are practical, complete and functional have allowed Kimm Suffolks to be blessed with a customer base that has only grown over the years, resulting in twenty consecutive successful production sales.  For sure, I have always strived to serve families wanting to raise and show competitive market lambs, whose parent-stock possess useful maternal and production traits. That side of my merchandising platform has taken a big leap forward.   This past spring I purchased half interest in an outstanding wether sire, JEDI from Larry Shell, OK.  He assured me that this ram did possess the traits Kimm genetic have been known for and comments shared by the Bianchi family, CA (partners on the ram) were that this guy is the real deal when it comes to siring the complete package.  His 2009 lambs are on the ground here and have verified both testimonials.  This summer I also purchased a wether type flock of fifty-five ewes from Rich and Mandy Rourke, IA City, IA.  Bloodlines included are predominately Kimm, Barry and Dale, with approximately half the ewes being registered.   The Rourkes have been guest consignors in my sale since Rich was a student of mine at Hawkeye CC back in the nineties. The IA City flock will remain under their management using my ram battery and the lamb crop will be merchandised, in part, through the Kimm production sale.  The only exception will be approximately twenty-five wethers and a handful of ewe lambs will be offered private treaty via an Internet auction managed by BW/Ringside, scheduled for April 7 and 8, 2009.  Details on this special sale will be announced on this web site as they are developed.  A few wethers will also be offered the night of my sale.

 Important from a bio-security standpoint for my customers to note: females from the IA City flock will not be mixed with the Tipton or Dysart flocks (those bearing Kimm-IA 22 scrapie ear tags).  The IA City flock will remain isolated and is presently not enrolled in the scarpie certification program.  Female additions to this newly acquired flock will be made from the home base from time to time (as ten females were prior to breeding this year) but no females are allowed to be transferred back into the Kimm-IA 22 flocks (which attained Certified Scrapie Free status as of June ‘08’).    The home based flock and the Tipton flock (under the direction of the Bubba Chapman family) are closed to any outside female additions.  The production sale catalog will be very clear as to the scrapie status of individuals offered for sale.  The entire Kimm program, now totaling over 220 females, should be positioned to offer even greater diversity to prospective buyers attending the 2009 Kimm Production Sale, May 2, 6:30 pm, at the home farm.  Nearly 100 females will be cataloged in this year’s sale, the most ever!  All the rams in this year’s sale will be RR/NN and ninety-five (or more) of the females will be RR and all NN.

This past November I had the pleasure of taking a two-week sheep tour of New Zealand hosted by Premier Sheep Supplies, Ltd.  What a beautiful country, I had the opportunity to attend the 2001 World Sheep Congress held in NZ and vowed to return some day with my wife given the opportunity.  There were thirty-two sheep producers from through out the US on the trip, a unique group to say the least!  Conversations with these sheep minded individuals during the tour were most enlightening and enjoyable.  The decline in NZ’s sheep numbers has been occurring for several decades and continues.  The conversion in NZ is to dairying.  Also, current Australian records indicate the fewest sheep in that country since 1924.  If world sheep numbers continue to decline, China by the way is the current leader in sheep numbers, then who will supply lamb for the US consumers of the future.  Presently, over seventy percent of the lamb consumed in the US comes from imports.  There is a growing US ethnic population who prefer lamb in their diet.  My question, why can’t the American Sheep Industry regain the lead in producing quality lamb for the US in the coming years?  For the families who have the resources and desire, I see opportunities in the future for the US sheep industry.  Currently the lamb market is a bright spot in the livestock industry along with the fact that feed costs seem to be leveling off.  Last point on this issue, we could learn great lessons from our friends down under concerning the phenomenal production efficiencies they possess and the consistency of their product!  We can do it; we just need to sharpen our minds and pencils.

It serves no purpose to continue raising concerns as to the direction the Suffolk breed has taken over the past three decades, trying to see how big they could make this creature, loosing sight of fundamental soundness and function.  What we need to do is work on constructing livestock that have an appeal to new families looking to enter this world of sheep production, especially youth.  It is interesting to note that during the past twenty-five years the Suffolk breed has gone from registering 82,182 head in 1983 to just over 11,000 in 2008, a decline of over 86%.  Comparing this to the other major breed’s decline in registrations: Rambouillet – 79%, Columbia – 72%, Hampshire – 55%, while Dorset, Polypay & Targee all declined around 50%.  Interesting to note, the Southdown breed has increased registrations by nearly 15 % since the early eighties (could taking the wool off have contributed to their success?).  Youth today are still interested in showing sheep, as evidenced by the popularity of market lamb shows and commercial ewe lamb classes, but most families do not have the interest or time to stand by a fitting stand for endless hours!  Plus most do not have the finances to pay a talented professional!  Yes, it is an art form, a real talent and I admire those gifted to sculpture beauty into an animal’s appearance, eliminating faults with a blocking shears.  However, I feel it is easier and more permanent to breed correctness and muscle into the beast.  It gives me satisfaction as a breeder that I can pass the genetics of structural soundness and muscle on to my customers.  Plus, I think a slick shorn animal with all the rights parts in the right places is a beauty to behold.  Point I want to make, we have our work cut out if we want to reverse the decline in Suffolk registrations and bring more youth back to wanting to show Suffolk breeding sheep.  How sad it was to see that the ‘Suffolk News’ has been discontinued!   I will not vent anymore frustration on these issues at this time but do encourage you to check out the latest addition to the ‘Customer Sound Off’ page found on this site, were I have added a letter written by Ron Alves, CA over twenty-five years ago.  How interesting that so little has changed.  You can also read several past years of my ramblings, which are archived at this site with a simple click.

The 2009 UJSSA Show will be held at the Hansen Arena in Laramie, WY on July 3, 4 and 5.  New production classes have been added.  To get full details along with entry forms, call the USSA office at 877-563-6105 or go on line to the Junior’s web site: www.UJSSA.org Any Juniors who have attained success this year with Kimm genetics need to be sending me digital photos and receiving credit for the 2009 sale.  The Junior Quiz Credit Program will again be offered, doubled from last year, now totaling $3,000 to six young Suffolk enthusiasts, based on their performance taking the quiz at 5 pm sale night.  Check out the full details on the Junior Program Page of this web site.  As in the past three years the entire 2009 sale offering has been nominated for the USSA Ewe Lamb Futurity Program.

The Production Suffolk Class at the 2009 Midwest Stud Ram Sale, Sedalia, MO will again be offered but for the third year of it’s existence the project will now be under the direction of Ron Alves, CA.  I will be on hand helping Ron, as he has given invaluable assistance to me these past two years.  Ron has also graciously accepted my request for his guidance in wrapping up the publishing of the Suffolk Production Manual.  Our goal is to have the manual finished by the fall of ‘09’.  Congratulations to the MacCauley Family, PA.  They exhibited the Champion Slick Shorn Suffolk Ram at the ‘08’ NAILE, Louisville, KY, sired by Kimm 7012 (a Mc 38 son) they purchased in our ‘07’ sale and I retained breeding rights for two seasons.  There will be progeny by him in the 2009 sale and plans are to use him even heavier this coming fall.