| We have been raising Katahdins since 2009. Today, our flock has grown into a purebred operation of 300 ewes that focuses on raising low maintenance, phenotypically attractive, fertile females. Those goals have led us to develop an Elite Ewe system. Our Elite Ewe system is based on qualifying brood ewes that lamb in our accelerated program while thriving on a forage and pasture system. Our ideal phenotype of our Katahdins is one that is wide made, sound structured, and big ribbed. |
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| Forage System |
| The brood ewe flock rotationally grazes on perennial pasture from Late May until Late October. In the fall we graze cover crops and corn stalk residues until the snow doesn’t allow us. During the winter months, all the ewes are fed a TMR of silages, ground hay, and DDG’s. Our ewes need to be deep bodied and big ribbed to thrive on this system in an accelerated lambing program and keep their body condition. |
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| Accelerated Lambing System |
| We lamb three different times throughout the calendar year. Each lambing group is exposed for 45 days. This 45 day window puts a focus on ewes that cycle when exposed. It also helps us maintain a consistent and even group of lambs to wean each season. We begin the year by lambing in January. Those lambs are weaned off in March. Then, in April we will expose those ewes so that they lamb in September. Those ewes that lamb in September will wean off lambs in early November and then be exposed so that they lamb in April. When a ewe lambs in April she will wean off lambs in July and be exposed in August so that she lambs in January. That rotation allows for ewes to lamb 3 times in 2 years. |
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| Elite Ewe System |
| Our Elite Ewe System is built on lambing percentage, pounds of lambs weaned, and gross dollars generated. Since we have an accelerated lambing system the ewes need to maintain a 200% lambing percentage each year. Also, they must lamb from every time they are exposed to a ram. Collecting weaning weights proves that our ewes are good milkers. A good milking ewe that re-breeds proves she is low maintenance and fertile. We track gross dollars generated because we sell rams and ewes for replacement stock. The better phenotype of those offspring will correlate to higher dollars generated per ewe. |
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| Roots & Ruminants Podcast |
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Roots & Ruminants, your podcast for creative and innovative use of farm pasture and rangeland. We're going back to the basics of raising and grazing livestock to growing your own forage. Join us as our hosts Jared Knock and Justin Fruechte visit with special guests to explore practical land use.
Click Here To Listen |
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