look inside for… oregon sheep growers weigh in on twoplus...

April 2012 Vol. 28 No. 1

OREGON SHEEP GROWERS ASSOCIATION | SINCE 1895 | 503.364-5462 | 1270 CHEMEKETA ST. NE SALEM, OR 97301

Look inside for…

Page 2 2012 Event Calendar

Page 3 How Oregon Shepherd turns wool into building insulation

Page 4 Willamette Country Music Festival

Rules for 2012 photo contest

Page 5 Message from OSGA president

Page 6 All about "It Works for Me"

Continued on page 3

In 2011, the American Sheep Industry Association initiated a Let’s Grow with 2 Plus Program based on the premise that there are lower sheep and lamb inventories across the globe, an increase in domestic demand from non-traditional users, while the need for lamb meat and sheep producers continues to climb. To those ends, they established goals aimed at increasing production from existing flocks and encouraging new producers to join the industry.

GOAL 1: Encourage producers to increase the size of their operation by two ewes per flock or by two ewes per 100, by 2014.

GOAL 2: Encourage sheep producers to increase the average birthrate per ewe to two lambs per year.

GOAL 3: Encourage producers to increase the harvested lamb crop by 2 percent – taking it from 108 percent to 110 percent.

“I talked to my shearing contractor (who covers, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Nevada and Northern California), and was encouraged to hear him say that everyone on every ranch, has more sheep this year than they did last year,” Clint Krebs, Eastern Oregon sheep grower/ lamb feeder and chairman of the ASI twoPLUS Program said. The industry is going to change, and we are moving toward smaller flocks. The problem however, is that we need 10,000 with 50 head to make up for the large producers who for a number of reasons, are going out of business.

Don Gnos, who operates in the Willamette Valley and Margaret Magruder from Columbia County, both sited price of feed, lack of grazing land and predator problems as serious hurdles to meeting the program goals.

“It is certainly important to increase our inventory so we can maintain our infrastructure and it is the responsibility of every producer to make an effort to do that for the industry,” Magruder said. “ I’m trying my best to retain my two ewes per hundred head even with the challenges of the feed situation and predators.

Gnos, who sees the program as great in theory but better suited to smaller flocks than large ones, does see the importance of setting the high goals for the good of the industry as a whole.

Reed Anderson, OSGA past president and owner of Anderson Ranches in Brownsville, and Paul Lewis, OSGA 1st vice president who operates Lewis White Dorpers in Bonanza, both have had some major success with the program.

Oregon sheep growers weigh in on twoPLUS Campaign

2012 OSGA Executive Board

President ...................John M. Fine

1st Vice President ........ Paul Lewis

Treasure .....................Jim Lunders

Past President ......Reed Anderson

ASI Representative ... Pachy Burns

Plus Chairman of Oregon Sheep Commission

Regional Vice Presidents:Pat Manning ................ Brownsville

Pachy Burns ........................... Ione

Kathy Lewis .....................Bonanza

Mac Stewart ..................... Corvallis

Deanna Garrard ............ Hermiston

Martin Rowley ....................... Malin

The Oregon Sheep Groweris published by the

Oregon Sheep Growers Association1270 Chemeketa St NE

Salem, OR 97301Phone 503.364.5462

Basic membership is $50 per yearAdvertising rates available on request

Interim editorJan Jackson

Please visit the calendar page on OSGA’s web site: www.sheeporegon.com

To submit listings for the newsletter or web calendar,

send to:[email protected]

2012 Events Calendar May 18-20

Linn County Lamb & Wool Fair – “Wool Remember Ewe” – celebrating its 77th year in Scio, Oregon - a family event that features sheep shows, fi ber arts and crafts. Northwest Champion Sheep Dog Trials. More information at http://lambfair.org/

May 31 – June 3The Northwest Regional Spinners Association 2012 Annual Conference –“Spin with the Animals” - will be held at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, WA, from Thursday May 31st through Sunday June 3rd, 2012. For further information contact the 2012 conference committee: [email protected] or Beth Witters 360.452.8542.

June 273rd Douglas County Lamb Show & Barbeque at Douglas County Fairgrounds in Roseburg. Lamb Show, exhibits and Lamb BBQ Dinner. Lamb Show Coordinator, Kris VanHouten 541.580.9606.

June 22 – 24Black Sheep Gathering at the Lane County Fairgrounds in Eugene, Oregon – come share your passion for fi ber at the workshops and classes, the barns for sheep and goat shows, the trade show and fi ber arts exhibits and the Wheeler Pavilion with its hundreds of gorgeous fl eeces! More information at http://www.blacksheepgathering.org/

July 1Deadline to submit application for OSGA 2012-2013 Scholarship Award. Application and information on web site: www.sheeporegon.com.

July 20 – 21Washington State Sheep Producers Ram & Ewe Show/Sale in Moses Lake WA. Info: 509.888.3003 or www.wssp.org

July 1 - 8Art in the Vineyard celebration in Eugene’s Alton Baker Park - Don’t forget, Oregon Sheep Growers will be there – visit www.artandthevineyard.org

July 20 – 21Northwest Junior Sheep Expo open to young people from the Pacifi c Northwest. Offers educational programs, plus cash prizes. Classes for market lambs, prospect lambs and breeding sheep. Entries for feeder lambs, breeding sheep, educational exhibits due June 15. For info, contact Sarah Smith at 509.754.2011, ext 413 or email: [email protected]

August 17 – 19Willamette Country Music Festival (Oregon’s Largest) held at Anderson Ranches in Brownsville, Oregon (See story page 4) – for more information visit www.http://willamettecountrymusicfestival.com.

RAINIER, Ore. – Twelve years ago, when Margaret Magruder and Joel and Kay Pynch started looking for commercial uses for waste wool, they didn’t dream they would end up running a loose-fill insulation business. However, now into their third year, Oregon Shepherd manufactures and ships natural wool building insulation all over the United States to places as far away as New York, Florida, Alaska and Hawaii.

Their building, which sits by the Columbia River in West Rainier, serves as offices, showroom, processing plant, shipping facilities and raw wool storage.

Mill in Montague California and off sorts of wool from our own sheep as well as other growers who are able to put together enough at one time to make it worth shipping or picking up.

Oregon Shepherd in third year of making loose-fill sheep wool insulation

Prospective clients check out loose-fill wool building insulation in Oregon Shepher’s showroom.

Waste wool back from scouring plant in San Angelo Texas.

Margaret Magruder inspects an open tote of wool stored in the warehouse at Oregon Shepherd.

“Because no one else was doing the loose-fill, it’s been a trial and error enterprise,” Magruder said of their eclectic but functional collection of processing equipment. “We bought the wool chopping machine new, but the rest we just looked around and found what would make do. Joel was even able to turn an old cyclone he had in his barn into something to separate and filter the wool after we add the borax solution. It has definitely been a challenge to do everything the hard way.”

Magruder and Pynch buy card waste from Pendleton Woolen Mill’s Washougal plant, The Wool Gatherer Carding

“We expanded some 30 percent ourselves, which is not that big a deal, but I did sell some bred ewes, which I don’t usually do,” Anderson said. “Some were to people who already had sheep but others were brand new and I wanted to see them get going. Of course I told them that I hoped they would think about me when it came time to sell the lambs. I also bought 200 ewes for the mutton market and will breed them one more time before I let them go.”

Lewis, experimented by saving his last cutting of hay to flush his ewes on, increased his flock 20 to 30 percent.

Krebs, who sees a lot of new 20 – 50 flock size producers coming on board and numbers showing seventeen states already increasing their numbers, feels strongly that that’s what producers have to do.

- Jan Jackson

Continued from page 1Oregon sheep growers weigh in on twoPLUS Campaign

Continued on page 6

John Fine barbecuing lamb kabobs.

Peggy Fine promoting lamb samples.

We had a number of quality pictures entered in the photo contest this year and according to President John Fine, the photo contest chair (Peggy), is working on the possibility of getting a calendar made out of them in time for next year’s convention. So, now is the time for you to start carrying that camera.

2012 OSGA Photo Contest RulesPhotos must include sheep/goats and the photographer must be the one who enters them. Prizes will be awarded for first and second place in each category plus one overall winner.

Contest Categories:1) Action – any activity involving sheep/goats – shearing, lambing,

moving, showing.2) Scenic – sheep/goats in the outdoors (no people)3) People with sheep/goats4) Classic Moments – for those extra special, hard-to-duplicate shots.

BROWNSVILLE, Ore - Reed Anderson, along with members of the Oregon Sheep Growers and American Lamb Board, will be promoting lamb again at the 5th Annual Willamette Country Music Festival, set for August 17 – 19. The event will be held in an already harvested fescue field on Anderson’s Brownsville ranch.

“The first year the festival was held closer to town and it just didn’t work,” Anderson said. “Robyn and I decided we would hold it here for the opportunity to promote American grown lamb. We get the booth free and enough free tickets to get our buyers out and see what its all about. A lot of people will be trying lamb either for the first time or in a long time and maybe they will remember how good it tasted when they go to the market. Besides that, it is a lot of fun.”

Last year, volunteers prepared 300 pounds of barbecued lamb, cut in kabobs and served as lamb gyros (complete with sliced onions, tomatoes and tzatziki sauce), and offered free samples to people in the beer garden. The festival’s 1200 camping places sold out before the first of the year, but single and three-day passes are still available. Attendance for the three-day event is expected to max out at 15,000 people.

OSGA and America Lamb Board members, who haven’t yet volunteered to help with this fundraiser, may call John Fine at 541-673-0369. For information, including the entertainment schedule is available at www.willamettefestival.com. Questions can be directed to [email protected]

OSGA 2012 photo contest - start carrying that camera now

Basic Rules:1) Photos must be matted and read for display when submitted. Double

stick tape is recommended, so that matting can easily removed.2) Entry size must be 5 X 7 or 8 X 10, color or black-and-white prints.3) Photos become the property of OSGA. Photographers must sign a

release allowing OSGA to potentially use the photo for promotional purposes; photographer receives credit if photo is used.

4) No professional photographers.

Photo entry submitted during 2011 OSGA Convention in Sun River

OSGA to promote lamb at the 5th annual Willamette Country Music Festival August 17 – 19, 2012

I am amazed at how quickly time passes. It seem only a short time since

our annual convention in December. But in reality it has been four months. Time seems to move at such a rapid pace, especially as we get older. These past four months have been very eventful for our family and I hope the same for each of you.

As we begin the new year for each of us in this industry we still face many challenges and can be optimistic about our future. It appears that the price for our products will continue to be strong this year. This is, in part, a result of the stronger demand for American Lamb. It seem it is always easier to address our challenges when there is money in our pockets after the bills are paid. The issue of predator control, in light of the continued reduction in funding on the national, state and local level, will continue to adversely impact the industry this year.

President’s MessageBy John Fine, OSGA President

The theme of the 2011 annual meeting was “Profitability, Sustainability and Growth”. This set the stage for this year and becomes our challenge as an organization. At the convention we committed to continue our lamb promotion at the Willamette Country Music Festival August 17, 18, and 19, 2012. In addition, we will also participate in a lamb promotion at the Art in the Vineyard celebration in Eugene July 6, 7, and 8, 2012. Both of these events are an opportunity to promote lamb and also earn funds for the Oregon Sheep Growers. Many members signed up at the convention to participate in these events and we have developed an e-mail group of those members. If there are any others that would like to be involved please contact me in order to be included.

It is not too soon to begin planning for the next annual convention. If anyone has particular suggestions for program topics or convention sites, please contact me now so we have time to plan. We are always trying to organize the convention around the members needs.

It is my hope that the sun is shining and the grass is growing in your part of Oregon.

- John

ANDERSON RANCHES

U.S.D.A. Certified Naturally Grown Oregon Lamb

Reed & Robyn Anderson

About OSGAOregon Sheep Growers Association, dedicated to promote the growth and profitability of the sheep industry at both the state and national level, is a non-profit organization that has been in existence since 1895. OSGA elected officers and board members will represent the interests of all Oregon sheep producers before the media, the Oregon State Legislature, state regulatory agencies, associate agricultural organizations and the public.

For more information about Oregon Sheep Growers Association, call 503-364-5462,

Email [email protected] or visit www.sheeporegon.com

Let our Grower Owned Consignment Warehouse market your wool to the world!

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435-843-4284 Cell: 801-201-9706 Fax: 435-843-4286

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E-mail: [email protected]



Manager

435-843-4284 Cell: 801-201-9706 Fax: 435-843-4286





Manager

435-843-4284 Cell: 801-201-9706 Fax: 435-843-4286



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“We have growers that give us wool rather than throw it away, but we can buy it if they can put together several thousand pounds at a time,” Magruder said. “Before we begin processing, we send it to be washed in the scouring plant in San Angelo Texas. Once we get it back, we spray it with a borax solution to add pest control and increase its already natural flame resistance. In fact, we just heard from a customer in Bend who said a spark going up the chimney from his pellet stove caught the attic on fire and if he hadn’t had our wool insulation, he could not have saved his house. This particular customer used it in a remodel but we are also selling to standard and tiny house new builds. We also have a very popular 8 by 10 wall-in-a-box product that is very easy to install.

“In a day when we have to maximize and use every ounce we produce, we feel good about what we are doing. I have also gained a great deal of admiration for any product on the shelf because now I know only too well that they don’t get there easily.”

- Jan Jackson

Oregon Shepherd in third year of making loose-fill sheep wool insulationContinued from page 3

CUNNINGHAM SHEEP COMPANY

Cunningham Sheep & Land Company

This Works for Me The objective of This Works for Me, is for producers to share ideas of practices or procedures that work well for them. Ultimately, the goal is for one idea to spark another one, and so on.

Each entry should include a one page explanation of the idea including:

If possible, please bring copies of your entry, so that other attendees will be able to pick up a copy and take your idea home with them. If you wish to type up your entry and e-mail to the office, copies will be made available at the registration table.

Each contestant will be given time to present their idea during the convention and the winner will selected by the members. Past ideas have included ways to reduce the cost of dust bags for dusting cattle, how to keep your guard dogs from wandering onto the highway, or how to build portable panels.

In the past, we have received some great ideas from the This Works for Me contest, so get ready for this years competition.

- John Fine

Pasture Raised

No Antibiotics or Hormones

Kathleen Panner(541) 874-2618 [email protected]

Please thank Umpqua Valley Lamb for providing some of the

great Oregon Lamb for our Convention Meals!

–3

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