Emenheiser Suffolk ewe/lamb pair

[Joe Emenheiser]

Available for sale are two females from the very top end of my grass-based Suffolk flock. The ewe is a yearling born 2/18/11 and her ewe lamb was born 3/25/12. The yearling was an outstanding mother and milker, especially for a first time lamber. Neither one has ever seen grain, I deworm very minimally, and they have been on native pasture and grass hay only. By today's Suffolk standards they are small framed, but my emphasis has been on sheep with lots of early growth, moderate mature size, and minimal inputs. I think these two represent those goals pretty well. They are only for sale because I am splitting the flock into two lines and these have both lines multiple times in their pedigrees.

You can view additional pictures of the ewes and info on their sires at http://www.facebook.com/EmenheiserSheep. You do not need to be a facebook member to access these. The yearling is sired by my Millstone 702 ram and the ewe lamb is sired by the MacCauley 2498 ram. Price is $600 for the pair at the farm (Blacksburg, VA), but transportation may be possible. Please contact me at emenheisersheep@yahoo.com if interested.

[Joe Emenheiser]

Thanks for all the inquiries and the discussion these ewes have generated. They will be relocating to a cooperator flock in Virginia tomorrow, and are no longer available. Stay tuned as I continue to integrate the grass genetics these females represent into my commercial ram offerings. For recent updates and pictures, check out http://www.facebook.com/EmenheiserSheep

[Tom Nichols]

Joe,
Please share details of how you have set-up and utilized cooperator flocks.
Thanks,
Tom

[Joe Emenheiser]

Joe,
Please share details of how you have set-up and utilized cooperator flocks.

For the most part, my cooperator flocks are purebred Suffolk flocks that have leased or own part interest in my rams. I own no interest in their ewes, thus they remain their own entity. I refer inquiries for breeding stock to these flocks, based on desired type and availability. I sometimes, but not always, collect a commission for sales referrals. The cooperators involve me in the breeding, selection, and culling decisions, which I do free of charge, as if they were my own ewes. I do generally retain first right of refusal on any lambs sold that are sired by my rams. For the most part, the offspring in which I would have interest are retained as replacements by the cooperators. There are also a few flocks that have assimilated ewes I own into their own program, and I pay them for their management. As a grad student with limited time, space, and capital, this model allows me to work with the critical mass of females that I have learned is necessary to have a true "program". Prior to involving other flocks, I could do little to no advertising because I simply could not supply the demand. My main objective is to keep the genetic pieces I have worked hard to gather together alive, until I am in a better position to manage a large ewe flock myself. This is a breakeven model at best, but appears to be working well to accomplish my genetic goals, particularly over the last few years. I certainly have had my fair share of failed partnership ventures in the Suffolk business, and have tried hard to learn from those mistakes.

[Tom Nichols]

In the late 80's Nicholas Polypay had some type of agreement that were offering on their ewes but I have never heard of cooperative producers outside of the cattle industry. The possibilities with or dorsets and suffolks intrigue me. Thanks for sharing.
tom