ANDY ANDREWS
Lancaster Farming Staff
HARRISBURG (Dauphin Co.)
Rambouillet class sheep were
the primary breed winners in the
wool judging competition on
Thursday night at the farm show.
The Leib family Bob, Suzie,
and Billy swept the major
awards, winning Rambouillet pre
mier exhibitor, breeder, and all
grand and reserve Rambouillet
The Bow family Ben, Mary, Melanie, and Benjamin
display their premier champion awards and their Corrledale
grand champion ram.
Billy Leib’s
Wins Wool
sheep championships, along with
the supreme wool championship.
“We have an excellent breed,
and we were careful in how the
sheep were selected and bred,”
said Suzie Leib. “The fleece have
few flaws, and it is difficult to get
fine fleece.”
The Leibs have been raising
sheep for 24 years, and raising
Rambouillets for about 10 years.
‘ ‘The Rambouillet is the backbone
Champ Breed Rambouillet
Breed Suprerrr Ch
of the American sheep industry,
and we were careful in breed selec
tion, primarily for the sheep’s meat
and muscle,” said Bob Leib.
Judge James Elphick of Arling
ton, Wisconsin admitted to having
a ‘ ‘hard decision’ ’ to make, ‘ ‘espe
cially between the ewes and rams
in the wool breeds for the supreme
champ.” In the end, Billy Leib, 9,
won for his yearling ewe, which
had won the junior sheep breeding
championship Wednesday night.
“It was a lot of work to bring her
up,” said Billy. “We put a lot of
feeding and care into her.”
Corriedale
Melanie Bow, 21, had never
shown her Corriedale at any previ
ous show. The fuzzy, deeply tan
ram became the Corriedale grand
champ, as a result of careful breed
ing and a lot of care.
“He is the result of about six
years of selection, and we are only
now getting the results,’’ said
Melanie. “We picked him out of
SO lambs, which was a good bit of
luck.”
The Bow family—Melanie, her
father Ben, and her mother Mary
have been fanning for about 21
years. Not only did they capture
the grand champion Corriedale,
but also won the champion Corrie
Lancaster Farming Saturday, Jmmry 20,1990-D9
Bllly Leib, 9, shows off his Rambouillet reserve champion
ram.
dale ewe, exhibitor, and breeder
awards.
“She’s a good showgirl,” said
Mary Bow, Melanie’s mother.
“We’ve been hard at work from
eight this morning to almost five
this evening, trimming away. We
gave the sheep a great deal of
care.”
Judge Elphick was impresssed
with the rams exhibited in this
class. “The front feet and the way
they stand are exceptional,” he
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