We caught up with the breeder of the Grand Champion and Reserve Grand Champion Market Lambs at the 2022 North American International Livestock Exposition We invite you to read our candid interview with Neff Livestock below and please continue to check back often for our next edition of “Breeder Spotlight.”
Tell us about the breeding/genetics/pedigree of your champion:
These 2 sheep were bred very similar and actually sold as lot 1 & 2 in our January born embryo group. The Grand lamb was a Unicorn X Drop the Mic X Up the Limit X Polar ( full genetic sun to Chief). Then the Reserve was a Unicorn X Bishop Bullwinkle X Drop the mic. He was a flush mate to our buck lamb we own with Rule Sheep Company and Allen / Newcomb we call MAKING WAVES.
If you could add anything to your operation, what would it be?
A good dog.
Over the last several years the use of Fresh and Frozen Semen AI, as well as flushing has evolved. How does your flock utilize AI/Flushing and if so, how has it affected your flock?
Using Repro technologies such Ai and Et have been huge in the advancement of our program. Every ewe on our farm gets 2 shots to stick to Ai before we actually kick a ram in and we do an extensive amount of flush work. The progress one is able to reach using these technologies is nothing short of incredible.
Do you have a job besides raising sheep, if so what?
I do not.
Do you have a set time you like to have chores done by?
I like for all feeding to be done by 9 am and evening feeding to be done by 5:30. We stick to this extremely closely. I’ll be honest though this is only possible because of our herdsman Tanner Stokes. He’s usually at the barn every morning by 5:30 or 6. Which allows me to spend more time with my family and take the girls to school.
Do you have a routine while choring, if so what is it?
Yes we do. This changes throughout the year , but during lambing season we start with the lambing room, then go to the buck barn, then the nursery, and we finish up with the rest of the ewes.
What do you think has impacted the sheep industry the most within the past 10 years?
There are a lot of different ways to go with this, but I’m gonna say the ability to ship fresh semen and the advancement in AI and ET. I know those are things that have truly changed our program the most.
You have a week to go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
Wherever my girls want to go. Hopefully they would pick Australia or the Swiss Alps.
