816-Lancasttr Farming, Saturday, Octobar 11,1986
Sheep Breeders Face Stiff Competition In Open Breeding Shows
BY SUZANNE KEENE AND
MARTHA J. GEHR INGEE
HARRISBURG Competition
among sheep breeders at the
Keystone International Livestock
Exposition is always intense, and
this year’s contest was no ex
ception. Drawing contenders from
Maine to Maryland, the open
breeding shows this week saw
large classes of immaculately
fitted entries from the area’s top
breeders.
Cheviot
Despite competition from 11
other exhibitors, Kenneth Moore
Jr. of Rome showed his entries to
Kenneth Moore Jr., right, and his wife, Lome, show their
Cheviot champions.
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The champion Hampshire ewe belonged to Richard Field,
while William Maghes owned the champion ram. Here Barb
Herr, left, shows the ram and Joyce Burnham, right, holds
the ewe.
Champions in the Oxford show belonged to Michael and
Kevin Gates of Pleasant Valley, N.Y. Here, Michael shows the
ram, while friend Donald Kading shows the ewe.
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owned by Windswept Farm of State College, and Bob Har
mann, right, holds the champion ewe, owned by Skip and
Cheryl Heeg of Tully, N.Y.
the top placing in all classes of
Cheviot competition and claimed
the champion ram and ewe honors
along with the reserve champion
ram rosette. The reserve cham
pion ewe belonged to Erdenheim
Farm of LaFayette, N. J.
Moore’s champion ewe was a
spring ewe lamb making its
showring debut. The lamb’s
stylish, flashy appearance cap
tured the judge’s eye, Moore’s
wife, Lome, said.
The Champion ram, a homebred
spring lamb, added still another
win to his record; He has not yet
been beaten in his class, Moore
reported. He will continue his show
career at Farm Show.
Hampshire
Bedinger breeding showed its
strength in the Hampshire com
petition Friday. The champion
ram was a yearling purchased
from breeder Charles Bedinger of
Illinois, while the champion ewe’s
grandfather was a Bedinger ram.
The champion ram, owned by
William Maghes of Mc-
Connelsville, Ohio, has been un
defeated as a yearling and will
travel to Louisville later this year
to compete in the national show.
Richared Field of Dover-
Foxcraft, Maine, exhibited the
champion ewe, a yearling that
topped an entry by Rebecca Hope
of Knoxville, Md. to claim the class
and the championship. Hope’s
second place yearling went on to be
named reserve champion.
Field’s ewe came to Keystone
bearing an impressive show record
that includes championships at
West Virginia and York Fairs. She
was first m her class at the “Big
E” and reserve champion at the
Eastern National Show in
Timonium, Md.
“She’s one of our favorites,”
shephards Joyce Burnham and
Kenneth Kuykendall said following
the show.
The reserve champion ram
belonged to competitor Debbie
Gengler of Pittstown, N. J. and her
spring lamb.
Hope, who claimed the reserve
ewe, also had the exhibitor’s flock,
first place ewe lamb and pair of
ram lambs.
Oxford
Brothers Kevin and Michael
Gates of Pleasant Valley, N.Y.
captured the champion ram and
ewe honors in the Oxford show
Friday. Judge G.L.M. Chappell of
Lexington, Kty. selected their
homebred yearling for his
champion ram and another
homebred yearling for his
champion ewe.
Earlier in the year, the ram had
been named reserve champion at
the New York State Fair; the ewe
was champion there. Michael
Gates said he purchased the ewe’s
dam from Westhovens of Ohio at
the Keystone Sale a few years ago.
Gates also showed the top
exhibitor’s flock and pair of
yearling ewes.
Reserve honors in the Oxford
show went to Gerald Thoma of
Kensington, Ohio and his spring
ram lamb, and to Glenn Heffner of
Fleetwood and his spring ewe
lamb.
Dorset
Competition in the Dorset show
was especially tough, with 42
exhibitors contending for the
championships. When judge
G.L.M. Chappell had finished
scrutinizing the carefully-groomed
entries, he went to a spring lamb
owned by Skip and Cheryl Heeg of
Tully, N.Y. for his champion ewe
and to a spring ram lamb owned by
Windswept Farm of State College
for his champion ram.
The ram’s sire was last year’s
Keystone champion and went on to
be the high seller at the Ohio
Dorset Sale held earlier this year.
He sold for a whopping $7,700,
reported George Downsbrough of
Windswept Farm.
The homebred champion ewe
came to KILE with showring
experience at the Big E, where she
was first in her class.
The reserve champion ram was
a yearling owned by Mike Koehler
of Schnecksville, and the reserve
ewe was the second place spring
lamb owned by Scott Kuzemchak
of Pleasant Gap. Kuzemchak also
had the reserve champion sale
lamb. Wade Brothers of Green
ville, Va. showed the sale cham
pion.
Shropshire
Maine breeder Peter D’Ambra
dominated the Shropshire show,
(Turn to Page B 17)
In Shropshire competition, Robert Dinsmore, left, showed
the champion ram and Peter D’Ambra, right, had the
champion ewe.
John and Jean Woodward of Sabillasville, Md. swept the
open Romney show. Here, they show their champion ram and
ewe.
Shaunna Jones owned the ram and ewe champion of the
Southdown breed. Presenting the sheep for her in the ring
were handlers Joyce Burnham, left, with the champion ram
and Kenneth Kuykendall, posing the champion ewe.
Bob Harmann holds the champion Suffolk ewe and Dave
Harmann steadies the champion ram. Laurel Farms owns
both champions.