We caught up with the breeder of the Reserve Champion Ewe at the 2026 Ohio State Fair and the Grand Champion Market Lamb at the 2026 Missouri State Fair. We invite you to read our candid interview with TKM Livestock/Nahrup Club Lambs below and please continue to check back often for our next edition of “Breeder Spotlight.”
What’s the pedigree of your champion?
Ohio – Under the Radar x Mercedes Donor (Ride Time x Happy Days)
Bailey Nahrup showed her to the backdrop I believe 11 times the summer she showed.
Missouri – Under the Radar x Mercedes Donor (Ride Time x Happy Days)
How many years have you been raising sheep?
10 years or so
What excites you the most about raising show stock?
Two things –
1 – we love lambing ewes. Bringing new life into the world and those first few hours of mom and baby talking back and forth, nursing, etc is one of God’s greatest gifts to us. There’s a peace in the barn during lambing season we look forward to every year.
2 – watching showman grow in confidence throughout the show season because of the hours spent grinding in the barn.
What is your favorite animal on your farm?
Mercedes – she raised the fourth overall ewe at NAILE, and most recently the reserve ewe at Ohio – both for Carson Nahrup
What is one lesson that you have learned while raising sheep that has changed your perspective over time?
Patience! There are no quick wins in this industry. Years of grinding, tactical breeding decisions, failed matings, sheep that don’t feed… all these lead to the big wins. Cost/money only determines ownership – spend the time finding the skinny ones with a shot because those feed to the highest ceiling.
Where would you like to see your operation go in the next 5 – 10 years?
Fun fact – we sold out of all our blackface ewes this March. Strategic decision to follow our children’s passion of raising whiteface sheep to compete across all levels of competition. The next few years will be isolating successful ewe families that produce – in the ring and under the knife.
