EMancastor Farming, Saturday, July 18, 1987
Cheviot, Polypay Top Keystone
Stud Ram And Ewe Show/Sale
by Mary Maxwell
Centre Co. Correspondent
UNIVERSITY PARK—A
large crowd of buyers from all over
the country was attracted to the
350 stud rams and ewes from
equally diverse regions at the Key
stone Show and Sale. The two
events were part of the Pennsylva
nia Lamb and Wool Festival held
last weekend at the Penn State Ag
Arena.
A Cheviot yearling ram, owned
by Martin Brothers, Willard, OH,
won the title of supreme ram over
ram champions from the other 13
breeds. The supreme ewe was
exhibited by Wilson’s Hamp
shires, Rural Retreat, VA. Buster
Wilson also took home the Milton
Morgan Trophy as champion
consignor.
Judges for the day-long show
were Tim Barnes, Radnor, OH,
and David Green, White Hall, MD.
On Saturday the animals went
through the arena again, this time
in front of auctioneers Hobart „nd
Wayne Farthing.
A champion Polypay brought
the highest-selling price. Theresa
Moor of Glen Easton, W.VA, paid
$lOOO for the fall ram consigned
by Rickate Livestock Co., Burling
ton, CO.
The Champion Suffolk ram,
consigned by Larry Orwick of
McComb, OH, was the second
high selling animal. The spring
ram was bought by Robert Lipski,
Suffield, CN. for $9OO.
Another Suffolk spring ram
brought the third highest price.
Butler Teams Clip Competition in Sheep-To-Shawl
by Mary Maxwell
Centre Co. Correspondent
UNIVERSITY PARK—
Teenagers carding, spinning and
weaving held spectators spell
bound during the Junior Sheep to
Shawl contest at the recently held
Pennsylvania Lamb and Wool Fes
tival. The teams of six members
had up' to three hours to make a
78-inch shawl.
This year’s winners, a team
from Butler composed of Becca
Merback, Kristen Graham, Lisa
Graham, Drew Pierce, Doug Gra-
Junior Sheep to Shawl contest winners were from
Butler. The tarn included (left) Becca Merbeck, Kristen
Graham, Lisa Graham, Drew Pierce, Doug Graham and
Bonnie Pierce.
Pine Haven Farm, Newville, PA,
paid $775 for the animal consigned
by Zigler’s Suffolks, Wytheville,
VA.
A Hampshire yearling was
fourth-highest. Harmann’s Hamps
received $7OO for the ewe bought
by Stephen Wolgast, Cornell, NY.
Gross sales for the day were
$80,205, with ewe prices particu
larly good.
Bob Calvert, Mercer was sale
manager. He was assisted by Har
old and David Harpster, Ken Kark,
Ron Miller and Bill MacCauley.
Show results are listed below:
Cheviot
Champion Ram-Martin Brothers,
Willard, OH, R Champion Ram-
Erdenheim Farm, Lafayette Hill, PA,
Champion Ewe-Erdenheim Farm,
Lafayette Hill, PA, R Champion Ewe-
Erdenheim Farm
Columbia
C Ram-Charles Clouser & Daus ,
Nova, OH, R Ram-Dirk Wise, Spring
Mills, PA, C Ewe-R E Shaffer & Son,
Fredericktown, OH; R. Ewe-R E Shaf
fer & Son.
Corrledale:
C. Ram-L.D Cook & Sons, New Lon
don, OH; R Ram-Tucker Family Corrie
dales, Shiloh, OH; C. Ewe-L D. Cook &
Sons, New London. OH, R Ewe-L D
Cook & Sons.
Horned Dorsal:
C. Ram-Wm. & Neva Johnston 111,
Grove City, PA; R. Ram-Michael H
Thompson Family, Greenville, OH, C
Ewe-Poverty Point Farm, Mars, PA, R
Ewe-James Luster, Greenville, OH
Polled Dorset:
C. Ram-Peter & Brenda LeVan, Bel
lefonte, PA, R. Ram-Clear View Acres,
York. PA; C Ewe-Lee & Louise Wag
ner, Easton, PA; R Ewe-Ovine Alley
Dorsets, Palmyra, PA
ham and Bonnie Pierce and calling
themselves The Cottontail Twis
ters, finished in two hours. The
second-place team, also from But
ler, finished 45 minutes later. This
group, The Fuzzy-Bunny Bobbins,
was made up of members Shelley
Clark, Michele Graham, Peggy
Fleming, Kathy Park and Kerry
and Shayna Klingensmith.
Both teams are coached by
Audrey Thomas. “We started
using Angora fur, hence the rabbit
like team names, and now use
wool, as well,” says Mrs. Thomas
“Th
Montadale:
C Ram-Alfred & Kathenne Tyler,
Glen Arm, MD, R Ram-R.E Shaffer &
Son, Fredericktown, OH; C Ewe-Alfred
& Katherine Tyler, Glen Arm, MD; R.
Ewe-Alfred & Katherine Tyler
Merino:
C Ram-Kenrich & Kathy Smith, Jer
omesville, OH, R Ram-Kennck & Kathy
Smith; C Ewe-Kennch & Kathy Smith,
Jeromesville, OH, R Ewe-Kennck &
Kathy Smith
Oxford
C. Ram-Gerald Thoma, Kensington,
OH, C. Ewe-Radley & Jackie Stanley,
Leete, IN, R Ewe-Radley & Jackie
Stanley.
Hampshire:
C Ram-Richard Fields. Dover Fox
croft, MA, R Ram-Wilson's Hamp
shires. Rural Retreat, VA, C Ewe-
Wilson’s Hampshires, Rural Retreat,
VA, R Ewe-John C Nordm, Russell,
PA
Polypay:
C Ram-Rickate Livestock Co , Bur
lington, CO, R Ram-Jim Williams, Hen
derson, KY, C Ewe-Jim Williams, Hen
derson, KY, R Ewe-James T Sheeder,
Somerset, PA
Ramboulllel:
C Ram-Doug Kirkpatrick & Family,
Ashland, OH; R. Ram-Ken Scott, Pula
ski, PA; C. Ewo-Steve & Marjie Heffel
finger, Jeromesville, OH; R Ewe-
Camelot Farms, Belfast, MA
Shropshire;
C Ram-Joseph L. Lavierl, Winsted,
CN; R Ram-Daniel H Riddick, Rich
mond. VT; C. Ewe-Peter D’Ambra, Sko
whegan, MA; R. Ewe-JW. Percival,
Painesville, OH.
Southdown
C Ram-Shauna Jones, Taxewell,
VA, R. Ram-David & Mary Merry, Sey
mour, IN, C Ewe-Shauna Jones, Tax
ewell, VA; R. Ewe-Steve Kwisnek,
Clarksburg, PA
Suffolk
C Ram-Larry Orwick, McComb, OH,
R Ram-James Hefner, Lima, OH, C
Ewe-James Hefner, Lima, OH, R Ewe-
Harry Jones, Taxewell, VA
at the State Farm Show, plus local
fairs and festivals.” The teens will
go out to Indiana for its state com
petition later this year. “The com
petition will be very tough there,” -
says the group’s coach, “but it will
be a good experience and fun.”
The first-place team won $75,
with the second-place team win
ning $63. Helen Trawitz bought
the top-placing shawl for $65 and
Dr. Clair Engle paid the same price
for the second-place piece.
The Lamb and Wool Festival
provided opportunity for persons
with other skills to display them, as
well.
Gina Addison, New Alexandria,
won the Hand Spun single and
2-ply woolen yam division and
Marcia Beppler received a blue
ribbon for her hand-knit sweater.
Jean Kimel, Somerset, received a
first-place award in the accessories
division for her wool pillow. Janet
Poulock, Unadilla, NY, won a blue
ribbon on her small, handcrafted
wool sheep.
In the photo competition Jeffrey
Calvert, Berlin, placed first in col
or and black-and-white photos.
Leanne Calvert, Berlin, received a
first-place rating in the art
competition.
Fleeces were judged, with Wol
ly Hill Farm, Bridgeport, VT,
receiving the grand champion
rosette. The reserve champion rib
bon went to Geoff and Sajah Rup
port. Union Bridge, Mp.
Keystone Stud Ram and Ewe Show are (left) Matt and
Budd Martin, Willard, OH, with their yearling Cheviot.
Buster Wilson (right) and Greg Harmon of Wilson’s
Hampshlres, Rural Retreat, VA, had Supreme ewe.
Do Teaser Rams Really Work?
Like to lamb in half the time?
This might sound too good to be
true, yet studies reveal that the
influence of a teaser ram three
weeks prior to the normal breeding
season will “tease” the ewes
through a “silent” heat period and
stimulate approximately 13 to 17
percent more ewes to breed on the
first estrus following the teasing
period.
Teaser rams can be used to syn
chronize ewes naturally. Although
this method is not quite as effective
as hormone therapy, labor require
ments and expenses are not as
high. Recent research in Australia
and New Zealand shows that pher
omones produced by the ram sti
mulate the advancement of the
breeding season by two to three
weeks and synchronize the ewes.
The rams’ pheromones have been
reported to affect yearling ewes, as
well as older ewes.
Pheromones are specialized
hormones, which are released by
the ram and smelled by the ewe.
The pheromones are found in the
wool and wax that accumulates
around the ram’s eyes. Research
has also shown that visual or phys
ical contact with the ram is not
necessary to stimulate the ewes. In
an experiment conducted in New
Zealand, wool from a Dorset ram
was rubbed on the muzzle of a
group of ewes three times a day for
two days. Forty-eight percent of
the ewes were stimulated to come
into estrus, compared to the 50 per
cent that responded when rams
were physically placed with them.
A study conducted at the Uni
versity of California’s Hopland
Field Station clearly showed that
teaser rams can be effectively used
to synchronize ewes. Two groups
of ewes were studied. One group
was exposed to teaser rams before
breeding, while the second group
was isolated from rams until
breeding started on August 1.
Forty-four percent of the ewes
exposed to teaser rams lambed in
the first seven days of lambing,
while only 11 percent of the ewes
that had not been exposed to teaser
rams lambed during the same per
iod. Similar results have been
observed at the University of
Wyoming Archer Sub-Station.
When teaser rams were placed
with the ewes three weeks prior to
breeding, eighty-four percent of
the flock lambed during the first 17
days of lambing, with the vast
majority of those ewes lambing
within a week.
It has been reported that diffe
rent breeds of rams may differ in
their ability to stimulate ewes. In a
New Zealand experiment, when
Dorset rams were used as teasers,
67 percent of the ewes were bred
during the first two weeks of their
breeding season, compared to 34
percent when Romney rams were
used as teasers. However, in a trial
conducted at the University of
California, Davis, using Dorset
and Suffolk rams as teasers, no sig
nificant difference was found in
the ram’s ability to stimulate ewe’s
onset of estrus during the first
week of May.
Just how ram pheromones sti
mulate ewes is unknown, but it is
known that within 10 minutes of
the introduction of the ram or pher
omones, ewes thdt are stimulated
will start secreting hormones from
their pituitary glands. These hor
mones cause the ewe to ovulate
within three days. This ovulation is
not accompanied by behavioral
estrus and is referred to as a “silent
heat.” Upon ovulation, a corpus
luteum (CL) forms on the ovary at
the point where the egg or ovum
was ovulated. Approximately 30
to 40 percent of the time, the CL
functions for a normal period of
time. In this case, the ewe will
exhibit a normal behavioral estrus
in 16 to 20 days after the teaser ram
was first placed in with the ewes.
However, in the remaining 60 to
70 percent of the ewes, the CL will
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