We caught up with the breeder of the Grand Champion Breeding Ewe at the 2026 The Show Reno. We invite you to read our candid interview with Amburgey Genetics below and please continue to check back often for our next edition of “Breeder Spotlight.”
What’s the pedigree of your champion?
“Razzie” stems from our fallborn ET program, and would be sired by Contagious. Jaye wanted to help tag the recips on transfer day, so naturally Razzie comes from one of the recips with a missing tags.
How many years have you been raising sheep?
Both of us grew up in the industry, but we officially started our operation together just before getting married in 2018.
What excites you the most about raising show stock?
Like many others in this industry, our goal is to raise the kind of sheep we value while continually striving to make each lamb crop better than the last. Lately, watching our own little ones experience lambing season through their eyes has a way of making all the challenges along the way seem small.
What is your favorite animal on your farm?
Tucky our Australian Shepherd and our 2011 donor. Both are instrumental to our family and operation, and both define loyalty.
What is one lesson that you have learned while raising sheep that has changed your perspective over time?
Adapting to the fact that the rare ones in the top 1% don’t necessarily have to resemble one another. Outside of our non-negotiables, it’s broadened our perspective and most of the time strengthened our thought processes.
Where would you like to see your operation go in the next 5 – 10 years?
Change is inevitable, and market and economic conditions are beyond our control. Regardless, business model will be centered around ewe families we believe in and donor females we phenotypically value, with the goal of populating the best ones we can.
