Breeding Sheep, Market Lambs Compete At 4-H Fair
LOU ANN GOOD
Lancaster Farming Staff
LAMPETER (Lancaster Co.)
Months ago Sarah Boyd traded
two pigs for a lamb from B & B in
Ohio.
She doesn’t know how the pigs
have done since then, but an estatic
Sarah clutched the championship
banner for the lamb at the Lancas
ter County 4-H Fair last week at
the Lampeter Fairgrounds.
Although Sarah, daughter of
Kerry and Deb Boyd, has shown
numerous champion hogs, this was
the first time she managed to show
tire grand champion market lamb.
The win wasn’t completely due
to genetics. Sarah walked the lamb
about one mile every day to build
up musceling.
Named Jordan, the Suffolk
crossbred will be entered in com
petition at the upcoming Denver,
Ephrata, and New Holland fairs.
Judge Rod Crone said that in
selecting the market champion, he
looks for correctness, muscle, and
frame in that order. He said that
Sarah’s Suffolk-cross was as
smooth as possible from hip to
dock and had all the necessary
ingredients for a champion market
lamb.
Taking the reserve champion
market lamb title was a Hamp-
Suffolk cross, which was the light
heavyweight champion shown by
Jessica Stoltzfus.
Earlier in the day, Jessica was
named reserve champion show
nun She finished out the day by
collecting the ribbons for showing
the championship breeding sheep
with her homebred Dorset. In addi
tion, Sarah received honors for the
!x'st bred and owned champion
breeding sheep.
Jessica purchased the market
lamb from Tim Fleener of Robeso
ma, who had purchased it from
Ohio.
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Of the champion breeding
sheep, Jessica said that it is really
special because she watched it
being bom. The Dorset champion
is the offspring of Brittany, a for
mer supreme breeding sheep
winner.
The champion ewe has a full
brother, whose sire is Bad Atti
tude, at the Penn State Test Station.
Another of Jessica’s Dorset
boasts the largest loin eye ever on
record at the Penn State Test Sta
tion. It was the top selling Dorset at
the Penn State sale held about three
weeks ago.
This is probably Jessica’s last
year in showing. She is a cross
country runner at Elizabethtown
High School. Because she hopes to
win a scholarship on her running
ability, Jessica said that she will be
unable to participate in upcoming
county fairs.
Because Jessica has built up her
flock of 40 Dorsets, she hopes her
parents, Frank and Irene, will keep
the ewes while she is away at col
lege, although the offspring will be
sold.
“It's neat to win supreme breed
ing sheep with what’s bred on your
own farm,” Jessica said.
The showmanship champion
was Jen Zimmerman. The 16-year
old junior at Ephrata High School
has been winning showmanships
around the county for years, but
this was her first win at the annual
4-H Fair.
Jessica and brothers Jimmy and
Jay, own 65 head made up of
Dorscts, Cheviots, Hampshircs,
and Soulhdowns.
The novice showman was Dus
tin Collins. Only 9 years old, Dus
tin said, “I just love animals.”
He started out with chickens,
then tried a few pigs.
“But I like sheep the best,” said
Dustin. The doghouse on the fami
ly’s Peach Bottom home has been
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transformed to a chicken house
then to a pig pen, and now a sheep
pen, where Dustin’s crossbred
Oreo is kept along with Dustin’s
Sister Marie’s lamb.
Dustin is the son of Donna and
Larry Collins. He credits his
parents and grandparents with
encouraging him in 4-H,
participation.
“When I got Oreo, my dad really
warned me to keep the door closed,
but one time dad forgot to close it
and Oreo jumped the fence. It took
us at least one hour before we got
Oreo backin the pen,” Dustin said.
Showing both the champion
lightweight market lamb and the
reserve heavyweight market
champion was Heather Ziegler.
Tiffany Dean showed the reserve
lightweight champion.
Mediumweight champion
market lamb was shown by April
Leaman and the reserve by Travis
Donough. His brother Ryan
Donough showed the reserve light
heavyweight champion and his sis
ter Joellyn received the award for
showing the best bred and owned
market lamb.
.In addition to the Dorset champ
ion selected as the supreme breed
ing sheep, the following breed
winners are as follows:
• Cheviot champion and reseve
shown by Jimmy Zimmerman.
• Columbia champion and
reserve shown by Gabriel
Bowman.
• Corticdale champion shown
by Sarah Broomell.
• Hampshire champion shown
by Jimmy Zimmerman.
• Homed Dorset champion and
reserve shown by Jennifer
Zimmerman.
• Lincoln champion and reserve
diown by Gabriel Bowman.
• Montadale champion shown
oy Jessica Schmidt.
(Turn to Page B 13)
tip
Sarah Boyd shows the champion market lamb at the Lan*
caster County 4-H Fair. Judge Rod Crone selected the Suf
folk crossbred based on correctness, smooth muscling,
and frame size.
Showmanship champions at the Lancaster County 4-H
Fair, from left, are reserve champion Jessica Stoltzfus and
Jen Zimmerman, champion.