Molly Blackburn To
Show Sheep At Farm Show
UNDA WILLIAMS
Bedford Co. Correspondent
BEDFORD (Bedford Co.)
Linda and Bob Blackburn did not
grow up on a farm but it was a
dream they had for their children.
The 1714 acres with die big ramb
ling farm house they found 12
years ago was the answer to that
dream. It allowed them to intro
duce their three children, Andy,
Eli, and Molly, to the world of
sheep. Today, they have 27 Suf
folk and Suffolk cross ewes.
“We didn’t know much our
selves.” laughs the jovial Linda,
“But, we were willing to learn and
we asked the experts." The Black
bums purchase their sheep from
the Lyn Lee Farms near State Col
lege. Lyn Lee is owned by Dr.
Clair and managed by Steve Tay-
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“It’s paid off for us,” Linda
says. “We’ve had five reserve
champions at the Bedford Fair
and last year, showed the reserve
champions at the Bedford Fair
and, last year, showed the reserve
champion at the Pennsylvania
State Farm Show. Last summer,
four of the six called back for
Grand Champion were ours.”
Fust Andy showed at the Farm
Show, then Eli, and now 12-(soon
to be 13*)year-old Molly has
joined the ranks of Farm Show ex
hibitors.
“Molly has been an excellent
help in the sheep bam,” her mo
ther says. “She is always there
when I need her!”
Because of close observation,
die Blackburns lambing rate has
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been extremely good. “I get up
every two hours during the lamb
ing season,” Linda says.
“As a result, all of die kids have
learned to cook. It becomes a real
family adventure.”
The close attention paid off
when, this past spring, when one
ewe produced a 21-pound baby.
“Molly and I both helped her.”
Linda says, “and we were proud of
our accomplishment!”
It was the Farm Show that intro
duced the Blackburns to Lyn Lee
which shows prize winning breed
ing sheep. “We not only buy our
sheep from them, we ask their ad
vice on everything,” Linda says.
“We buy all of our feed and we
feed them well. And. we keep our
own bucks for breeding.”
Two floppy Hungarian Sheep
dogs lope around the Blackburn
yard and, enjoy playing with, as
much as guarding the sheep.
Several hones and some pygmy
goats complete the Blackburn
dream of owning a small farm.
And, again this year, they will
be joining the ranks of much lar
ger sheep farms with Molly and
her ewe, Elsie.
Molly has been spending long
hours preparing the sheep for the
big day ahead.
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Molly Blackburn shows on* of her Suffolk shaep that she
plans to add to tha competition at the Farm Show.
Dairy Management
(Continued from Page A3O)
previous issues, plus market
information and links to their
sites. A complete list of dairy
related sites is on:
http/./www.wam.umd.edu/-mar
kv/bookmark.htm. The web
address of Dr. Mark Varner at
the University of Maryland,
Dairy Extension and Animal
Science Department.
The Internet is quickly
becoming a routine vehicle of
answering questions and man
aging the dairy business intelli
gently, by accessing sources and
people nationally and interna
tionally with a seemingly unlim
ited line of topics. My UD e-mail
RD 2 Box 271, East Earl, PA 17519
(717) 354-0584
address
george.haenlein@mvs.udel.edu,
and my dairy columns are on the
web at:
http://bluehn.ags.udel.edu/deces
/dairycol/dc-/list.htm
In future, dairy farmers will
buy feed, sell milk and cheese,
file applications, discuss with
neighbors and experts and
search for new information to
the daily challenges—all by
using the internet. For some of
you, this is happening already,
for others, may the New Year
give you the means and motiva
tions to move into the electronic
age of the Internet (at your pace,
of course) with satisfaction of
greater accomplishments.