SHEEP

How Vocational Rehabilitation helped a rancher after he lost an arm

Jenny Schlecht — Mon, 27 Jan 2025 14:00:00 GMT

LINTON, N.D. — When Doug Bichler lost his right arm while getting ready to bale hay in 2017, there was one thing he knew: He wasn't going to stop ranching.

"Cattle have always been my passion, and so it wasn't really an option for me to give that up," he said.

Bichler lost his arm on June 26, 2017, when he grabbed at a piece of net wrap that had fallen off the roller and got his right hand caught between two rollers, while the baler belts were moving. After losing consciousness, he was able to wrap his arm to stop blood loss and call 911.

Since then, his life has changed immensely. He and his wife Maria have had four children. And due to his physical limitations, he had to change how he operates Bichler Simmentals, raising registered Simmental bulls and heifers, and Bichler Dorpers, raising Dorper sheep for seedstock and tablestock, including moving calving season and adjusting his breeding program.

While the changes Bichler made helped, it was a couple years after he lost his arm that he got involved with North Dakota Vocational Rehabilitation, a program that works with people to help find adaptations to keep them in their occupations or find new occupations better suited to their limitations. The tools and modifications added to his ranch from the program helped make his daily life easier and made it more possible for him to stay in ranching.

Elton Lassiter, vocational rehabilitation counselor and rural services coordinator for North Dakota, said the goal of vocational rehabilitation is to keep people working through problems, whether they are physical or mental. His job is to evaluate people's abilities and limitations and find ways to make things work for them in their careers or to help them find new careers in some cases. However, especially in the cases of farmers and ranchers, he'd prefer to keep people doing what they love.

"I'd rather work on the love of their life as far as what they want to do, if farming and ranching is what they want to do," he said. "Our deal is to keep them working as best as they can and provide the accommodations, the adaptations to do that."

Making the cows work for him

While Bichler knew he wanted to stay in ranching, he also knew running the ranch with one arm was going to mean doing things differently. Little things — like using a pitchfork in the barn during the cold calving season in February — were difficult or impossible.

"I guess my mindset overall was, how can these cows work for me? I've worked for them for half my life. I need to switch this around so they work for me now. And when I kind of accepted that mentality, then I was able to really think about what could work and how it could look. And, yeah, it's been fantastic," he said.

Bichler's calving season used to be in February, and he'd sell yearling bulls in February.

"We now calve predominantly in May and June, and have switched our sale to selling older bulls now in November," Bichler explained. "That has worked very well for us. I don't have to worry about cleaning barns anymore in the winter, or, you know, bringing cows in in the cold, and it's just it's helped me a lot."

He said his cattle are healthier and calving season is less stressful. The bulls he sells in November are 17 or 18 months old and more mature and ready for breeding season.

"Unless you're forced to make a change, it's really hard to change. And losing my arm really kind of changed my whole thought process," he said.

Bichler also used to artificially inseminate his own cows and custom AI for other ranchers. While he hasn't returned to that task, he has found ways around it while still advancing his herd genetics. His nephew Patrick works for Select Sires, AIing full time, so he AIs Bichler's sale heifers and some replacement heifers for his herd.

"But our cow herd, our best cows, we run with our herd bulls now, and then we actually do more embryo work, which we have a vet come in and do that," he said.

He also now has more ground custom seeded into row crops, so that cows can graze on the stubble in the fall, shortening the feeding season that requires many trips in and out of equipment. He switched to a different hydraulic chute, with easier to reach controls. And he now buys more of his hay rather than baling it himself.

But even with those kinds of changes, Bichler still had to struggle with the reality that most equipment isn't made with someone missing a right arm in mind. And that's when Vocational Rehabilitation came into play.

Modifications and improvements

Lassiter grew up in Washington, where his grandfather farmed and ranched, giving him a solid background in the needs of farmers and ranchers. He worked in recreation therapy for 30 years, with a primary specialty in community reintegration. In those roles, he could only provide information and direction.

"When I turned my career towards vocational rehab, I now am able to do assistance financially and with some expertise on what kind of adaptations we might need to do," he explained.

He starts out with an assessment, looking at how things operate on a farm or ranch and thinking of ways that could make something easier or better.

"It's a walk through. I just want to see what they're doing. What kind of equipment are they using? How are they getting in and out? How are they using that equipment in a barn or in the pens or whatever they're doing? If they have gates to get through, doors, do they have to get in and out of equipment? How many times? How hard is that? Do they have to have access to getting that equipment? I look at gates and anything that may be used. I look at four wheelers as well," he explained.

Neither Bichler nor Lassiter remembers how Bichler got involved in Vocational Rehabilitation. Oftentimes, a family member reaches out on behalf of someone who needs assistance, and that is very common for farmers and ranchers who don't necessarily like seeking help, Lassister said.

In the barn, Lassiter noticed that sliding doors were difficult for Bichler to open, so they replaced those with automatic overhead doors, including one with a custom-built hinged walk-through door. Tractor controls are set up on the right side, so they added a left-handed joystick to a tractor to make it easier for Bichler to operate. They added easier to open and close gate latches to the pens so that Bichler wouldn't have to manipulate chains around each gate as he works cows. They added some remote controlled gates from Schirado Inventions in Glen Ullin, North Dakota, to keep Bichler from having to climb in and out of the tractor while feeding. They got a lift to help get net wrap into his baler. And they added an extra step to a tractor to make it easier to get in and out.

"The other big one that I use every day is my four wheeler," Bichler said. "To just get a left handed throttle on the four wheeler — I have one four wheeler that pretty much get started every single day, and I run around and do chores and check stuff with it."

He recently realized how vital the left-handed joystick was when the tractor in which it was installed was in the shop. He found himself sore from contorting himself to run the tractor with the traditional controls.

"I didn't realize how big of an impact that had made, just on my physical well being, but I had to use a tractor that was not adapted for quite a while. And, yeah, it was a big adjustment again, to switch back to a right handed joystick. I can do it. It's just, it's not very much fun. So that was, that was huge," he said.

Asking for help

Lassiter said it's more common for him to work with livestock producers than farmers without livestock, because the livestock aspect adds so many hands-on elements. He doesn't get to help as many farmers or ranchers as he'd like to because so few people reach out for help. He knows there are more people out there who could use some of his information and assistance to make their daily lives easier.

"I'd be happy to visit with you, especially if you're not sure if it's something you need or want to do," he said. "I always say this: You've paid taxes for a long time. Please use those funds, because you deserve it. You work hard, and we can help you."

"We got to be tough to stay in this industry, because it's a tough business to be in, but at the same time, it's also OK to ask for some help. If you kind of see some things that are hard for you, there's nothing wrong with asking for help, and that was something that I was forced to accept," Bichler said. "But you don't have to wait for something bad to happen to ask for help."

The help isn't a one-time thing, either. Lassiter can make return visits. He and Bichler are discussing new technologies and adaptations that could continue to keep him ranching, long into the future.

Lassiter said North Dakota Vocational Rehabilitation office's number is 701-328-8800, but people can also call him directly at 701-934-2777. Visit https://www.hhs.nd.gov/vr for more information.

Other states have similar programs. Find more about Minnesota Vocational Rehabilitation Services at https://mn.gov/deed/job-seekers/disabilities, South Dakota Division of Rehabilitation Services at https://dhs.sd.gov/en/rehabilitation-services, Montana Vocational Rehabilitation and Blind Services at https://dphhs.mt.gov/detd/vocrehab and Iowa Vocational Rehabilitation Services at https://workforce.iowa.gov/vr.

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Center of the Nation Wool navigates a struggling wool market with declining sheep numbers

Ariana Schumacher — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 13:00:00 GMT

BELLE FOURCHE, S.D. — Nestled in the town of Belle Fourche lies the Center of the Nation Wool Warehouse.

This regional company supports wool producers in South Dakota, Montana, North Dakota, Idaho, Wyoming and Utah.

“Anywhere that there’s quality wool, we have a footprint,” said Larry Prager, CEO of Center of the Nation Wool.

The business was incorporated in 1984 by a group of local shepherds with a goal to market their wool together in hopes of gaining more traction in the marketplace. They have around 100 stockholders.

Center of the Nation Wool mostly sells the commodity for the producers, with the occasional order buying if the markets are active.

“Just generally, the wools come in on what we call consignment, and they might remain here for at least 30 days,” Prager said. “In some cases, they are going to store here for a while, if the market is inactive or if they choose to store their wool away for a better opportunity.”

In 2024, the company will have moved around 5 million pounds of wool through the facility. That accounts for about 20% of the United States wool supply.

Prager said that the wool market is largely overseas.

“We are clearly an export commodity,” he said. “If the machinery in the United States was running full bore at full capacity, we only have processing capacity for about half of the wool that we shear each spring and so the other half has to be exported.”

Markets are driven by textiles, fashion and economics.

Export wool markets are difficult when the United States has a strong dollar, or when political and economic events hit the marketplace, Prager said.

“Wool market, it’s been tough, and it’s been tough for a while,” he said.

The United States only produces about 1% to 2% of the world’s wool. He said ever since the pandemic, the textile markets, specifically wool, have struggled.

“Processing for wool, for all textiles really, the machinery is located in China primarily, a little bit in India,” Prager said. “So worldwide, our wools have to compete with wools from Australia, New Zealand, South America, South Africa, and that’s sometimes the difficult part.”

At Center of the Nation Wool, the wool is marketed to processors. Most of their wool ships to Chargeurs in Jamestown, South Carolina.

“They are a top maker, but they are also the key part of the supply chain where wools get processed that go into the U.S. military dress uniform fabrics,” Prager said. “As long as I’ve been around the industry here in western South Dakota, the military cloth order has been the backbone of everything that goes on here. We are going to supply about half of the wool for that particular order.”

For wool markets bounce back, Prager said higher consumer demand for wool products will be needed.

“When COVID came along, we can’t blame everything on COVID forever, we just can’t do that, but realistically people stopped going to the office, shoppers stopped shopping and that all happened at once,” he explained. “The sheep never stopped growing wool.”

Certain types of wool are struggling more than others.

“Reality is today a lot of the shorter types, some of the coarser types, wools that are poorly prepared perhaps, they are almost impossible to turn them into cash,” Prager said.

Sheep numbers have also gone down. Prager has been selling wool for about 30 years and he estimates numbers have fallen by at least half. That’s why the company started exploring opportunities for growth in other states.

“In order for us to maintain our volume, our customer support, we have expanded it into other areas that 30 years ago we just never did,” he said.

The number of processors has also declined.

“So every year, we become more and more dependent on export opportunities, which is not a bad thing really , but it’s not as easy as making a phone call to a friend that we can sell wool to here in the states,” Prager said.

However, Prager said in his company’s area, they are blessed to have strong genetics, a great environment and sheep owners that take pride producing quality wool.

“That’s the third part of this that’s so important because it makes a big difference where we can sell them, whether we can offer them internationally and compete with the best in the world or whether, you know, they are going to sit on the sidelines here and have a quality issue that we can’t overcome,” Prager said.

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Cloverleaf Grass Farm offers homegrown grass-fed products directly to consumers

Emily Beal — Mon, 24 Jun 2024 13:00:00 GMT

WADENA, Minn. — More and more Americans are looking to combat health problems by altering what they put on their plate and Dayle Reinke is no different. After having thyroid issues, Dayle Reinke decided to to change what she was putting on her family’s dinner table.

After trying it out for themselves, the Reinkes began raising and selling their own grass-fed meat and never looked back.

Gearing up for grass fed

Though Dayle Reinke was keen on the idea to sell grass fed products directly to consumers, her husband, Ivan, still needed some convincing.

“Dayle came to me with this idea that we should start raising grass fed beef, because at the time, we had just raised our calves and then sold them off the farm to people,” Ivan Reinke said. “She convinced me that we should do that route. And I said, ‘Well, where's the market for this?’ And she said, ‘Well, it's here.’ But, she had to show it to me.”

The couple did some experimenting and tried side-by-side comparisons of some conventional beef and some grass-fed beef. They wanted to make sure their product did not lose any of its quality and still taste like beef.

“We did not want our beef to taste like venison, you know, we didn't want some super lean junk,” Dayle Reinke said. “We actually preferred the grass-fed over the corn-fed beef that we tried. So it was a fun experiment. We haven't looked back. There's been a huge demand for it.”

The potential health benefits of grass-fed beef were the original reasons for the Reinkes' experiments. Grass-fed beef has a reputation as being leaner and healthier than meat from cattle raised on conventional diets that involve finishing with grains.

“My sister in law was having some other issues too,” Reinke said. “She and I were talking…and just with the health stuff that we were learning, we learned that grass fed and finished beef was a little bit better.”

As with any single component of nutrition, solid research is scarce on the health impacts of switching from conventional beef to grass-fed beef. Texas A&M, which has done several studies on the differences between conventional and grass-fed ground beef, found a give-and-take between the beef varieties. For instance, ground beef from grass-fed cattle grazing on native Texas pasture was slightly higher in Omega-3 fatty acids but slightly lower in oleic acid as well as higher in total saturated fat and trans-fat than ground beef from conventionally fed cattle. Other studies have shown fat content as more important to things like cholesterol than the diets of the cattle.

The Reinkes raise cattle, hogs and sheep on their grass pastures. They say the hogs have especially better flavor when they are able to dig and eat what they find in nature. It has also made their hogs healthier.

As for cattle, their herd mainly consists of Black Angus. When they made the switch over to grass-fed beef, the Reinkes went searching for a forage developed bull to bring into their herd. According to Ivan Reinke, they wanted an animal that would be fat from eating grass, which is a lower quality forage than the high starch forages that the bull would be getting if they were in a feedlot.

Environmental factors

Besides working on Cloverleaf Grass Farm, Ivan Reinke also works for the Minnesota office of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service. With the implementation of grass-fed animals on their farm, the Reinkes were also able to use Ivan’s knowledge about conservation and apply it to their operation.

The couple fenced their property and built a rotational grazing system. With their rotational grazing system, their grass has a chance to grow after the cattle have grazed it. They have also added diversity into their pastures, such as legumes, and are planning to add pollinators in as well.

“I have a passion for the land with water quality, wildlife habitat, growing grass, and forages. So matching that with rotational grazing was really what we wanted to do,” Ivan Reinke said. “By rotating them like that and producing forage with deep roots, we're creating better water quality, soil health, but stronger forage so that we won't have to tear it up and replant that.”

Dayle Reinke has a degree in animal science. Her and Ivan’s collegiate degrees have allowed them to excel in their grass-fed enterprise.

“Our education really marries well with what we're doing. And that was just a passion that we wanted to raise livestock and do rotational grazing on grass,” she said.

Cloverleaf Grass Farm’s soil is very sandy and was not very productive originally. Through their management practices, they have been able to turn their soil's health and productivity around.

“We raise grass, and the cattle are kind of a byproduct of the grass that we raise. And so it's been just neat,” Dayle Reinke said.

Knowing your farmer

Both Dayle and Ivan have been blown away with the demand their products have been met with. Dayle Reinke says the pandemic seeded a deep-rooted fear in many consumers. During this time of uncertainty in 2020, their inboxes were flooded with requests for their homegrown, grass-fed meat.

“Knowing their farmer is one of the biggest things our customers are passionate about,” she said.

Cloverleaf Grass Farm sells their products locally, but the meat can be delivered throughout the whole state of Minnesota. They even make trips down to the Twin Cities, where there is quite a demand for their products.

The Reinkes use three different processors for their products. Their pork processor uses organic spices and seasonings, and no nitrites. This has been a huge hit with their customers and something they are looking for.

“The demand and the relationships that we've been building have been really, really great. That we can help people and provide good food, healthy food for their families, something they know that they trust. That's been super,” Ivan Reinke said.

But, the relationships have not been one-sided.

“It's been a real pleasure getting to know our customers. We've developed some amazing friendships,” Dayle Reinke said.

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North Dakota man shears 1.2 million sheep in 13 countries and 27 states

Emily Beal — Mon, 15 Jan 2024 14:00:00 GMT

FORT RANSOM, N.D. — A large Romney sheep makes its way out of the chute and on to the shearing station, waiting for the sheep shearer to get started on its overgrown coat. As the shearer picks up the shears, the Romney relaxes, clearly relieved as the extra weight of his wool falls from his body. As the shears turn off, the sheep jumps up with excitement of his new found lightness and prances over to the other freshly sheared sheep.

It’s shearing day at Bear Creek Ranch. And for the man holding the shears, it's just one day in five decades of traveling the globe and releasing sheep from their heavy coats of wool.

Hilary Gietzen began his career as a shearer in high school in Glen Ullin, North Dakota, when he wasn’t able to find anyone to shear his own flock. After graduation, he attended a trade school and became a diesel mechanic. But he found himself missing the familiar buzz of the shears. Now 47 years later, his shears have taken him all over the world.

“I’ve sheared around the world, I've been to 23 countries and I’ve sheared in 13 of those 23 on six continents,” Gietzen said.

Gietzen had just got back from quite the adventure before shearing the Bear Creek Ranch sheep. He traveled to South Africa, Zimbabwe and Kenya. He had to see for himself if the rumors about the sheep industry in South Africa were true.

“I had heard that South Africa was doing very well with sheep production, and I never imagined that. So I had to go there on my own and see it. In the past New Zealand had the best sheep production, and Australia had the best wool,” Gietzen said. “When I went there I was surprised to see that South Africa is ahead of the rest of the world with production.”

Bear Creek Felting

When Teresa Perleberg’s daughter was turning eight, she asked for a lamb for her birthday. The pair learned how to knit and was interested in raising sheep to use their wool for their homemade projects. Little did Perleberg know that that birthday present would change the course of their ranch. Today, Bear Creek Ranch, in Fort Ransom, is home to around 300 sheep. While mostly are Romney, their flock does also have some California Variegated Mutant, Bluefaced Leicester, Cormo and Corriedale sheep.

The one little lamb that was purchased to use its wool was the foundation to Perleberg starting Bear Creek Felting in 2008. Bear Creek Felting sells needle felting kits, felt products, yarn and many other items. What makes Bear Creek Felting so unique is that it is the only known wool company that does it all, from lambing to shipping the wool products.

“I was selling needle felting kits and things online. I partnered with Dakota Fiber Mill in 2019. So now we have a fiber mill and we make different products with the wool. It goes straight from here in our barn to the Nome ��house where we have the fiber mill. Then it’s all processed, cleaned and the finished product there and goes out to the customers,” Perleberg said. “We call it the vertical wool company, because we have our hands on the wool from the beginning to the end.”

Bear Creek Ranch has been trying to grow the size of its flock. While doing so, they have kept more wethers around while their flock expands. Sometimes they keep the wethers up to three or four years due to their wool growing abilities compared to the ewes, whose stress impacts their wool production.

“(The wethers) have no stress in their lives other than to produce this beautiful wool for us. They get nice and big and they have so much nice wool,” Perleberg said.

On Dec. 8, Gietzen visited Bear Creek Ranch to shear 70 wethers that were to be sold after shearing.

After the sheep are sheared, the wool is placed on a table where it is picked through. The wool that is damaged is picked out and thrown to the side. The wool that passes the test is then bagged. On average, a ewe produces six to eight pounds of wool when sheared and a weather produces seven to ten pounds of wool.

Some people believe that shearing sheep is cruel, with groups such as PETA promoting anti-wool campaigns. But Perleberg says that simply isn’t true.

“I don’t know if they think we’re killing the sheep or we’re hurting them very badly by shearing them. It’s actually doing them a favor, they really love the feeling of getting rid of all that wool,” She said.

The man behind the shears

When it comes time to shear, Bear Creek Ranch knows who to call to get the job done. Gietzen has made a name for himself in the industry and is a sought after shearer.

“We’ve been working with Hilary Giutzen since 2006,” Perleberg said. “He does such a quality job and that’s really what we’re looking for. He’s so good with the sheep and gentle.”

Gietzen was primarily self taught in the art of shearing, but did receive advanced training in New Zealand where he was able to hone his craft. Following the training, he bounced between there and Australia — shears in tow.

Gietzen has headquarters in Minot and Fargo, making a big loop throughout the upper Midwest for his business. And though he has sheared in 27 states, Alaska included, home is his favorite.

“The people around Minot they do not, they will not shear their sheep until late March. That’s when they want to do it. That is my favorite time of the year because I'm home every night, for about five or six weeks,” Gietzen said.

Despite what most people think, Gietzen says there isn’t much of a shortage when it comes to shearers. The American Sheep Industry website confirms that, with a long list of shearers working in multiple or individual states. Gietzen says the only time of year he notices a shortage is in March and April, when many sheep producers want to get their flock sheared.

Gietzen is coming up on his fifth decade of being a shearer, and the job has begun to take a toll on his body. He notices it most in his knees and hips, but while studying in New Zealand he learned how to shear with less stress on the body — something he is thankful for now.

“I have every day documented where I sheared, how many sheep and how much I charged. That’s all documented and I kept doing it after high school … it’s about 1.2 million sheep,” Gietzen said. “Which to the best of my knowledge is more than any American has ever done.”

Gietzen doesn’t show any signs of slowing down soon. As for his next adventure? He has his shears set on Iceland and Spain.

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Hundreds of goats and sheep help conservation efforts at Sherburne County park

Trent Abrego — Wed, 20 Sep 2023 19:45:01 GMT

ZIMMERMAN, Minn. — In an effort to restore native prairie habitat at Grams Regional Park, two Sherburne County organizations have collaborated to receive a grant that has been used for a number of different restoration efforts.

That includes conservation grazing by 200 to 400 goats and sheep.

“(It’s) an organic method of preparing a site for native prairie restoration is conservation grazing," said Gina Hugo, parks coordinator for the Sherburne County Parks and Recreation Department. "So we, essentially, want the animals to wreck a pasture to help by eating it down to just the nub.

“They ate it right down to the soil and we did that three times now.”

The program focused on restoring and enhancing diverse native habitat while benefiting pollinators and insects.

The first grazing was in mid-August 2022 and that continued for a number of other instances, according to Hugo and Frances Gerdes, who served as the project organizer and planner with the Sherburne County Soil and Water Conservation District.

Most recently, those animals returned in the spring to trample in native seed that was installed and graze down any of the unwanted vegetation, according to Gerdes.

And, there’s a possibility that the goats and sheep will return next spring to open up the canopy and allow for further germination, Gerdes said.

While the prescribed burn, three conservation grazing sessions and seeding has been completed, the project will continue to develop.

“Prairies evolved over many, many years and they are always changing. They’re really dynamic and they always need that disturbance regime, and so that’s something we’ll continue to monitor,” Hugo said.

Benefits of grazing

Grazing is thought to be re-emerging, according to Hugo.

“(Grazing) is something that maybe used to be done before we had synthetic chemicals and before we had gas-powered cultivation. I think animals were probably used pretty regularly to eat down an area and then convert the vegetation type,” Gerdes said. “But, now it’s reemerging for areas that want to avoid chemical application and can’t do mechanical site prep.”

The park is highly used by people walking their dogs or children playing, Gerdes said.

“It’s just too steep of ground to work or mow or do anything with equipment. So this was a great way because goats and sheep are pretty agile. They can work steep slopes without any problems,” Gerdes said.

(We) want the animals to wreck a pasture to help by eating it down to just the nub.

Throughout the process, Hugo said they saw more benefit with sheep grazing as opposed to goats, because the former typically does a better job on grassy types of vegetation.

The animals used for conservation grazing were contracted by Minnesota Native Landscapes.

“Having an experienced herdsman or herds company is really valuable in knowing what kind of animals and what kind of densities to apply,” Hugo said.

Before the grazing took place first last summer, a prescribed fire burn was conducted in July of that year, to prevent bush and trees from overtaking the prairie and the buildup of dead vegetation that encourages weeds.

“Once a prairie is more established, we usually say that’s about three to five years. Then after that, some kind of disturbance regime happens … So a fire one year, grazing one year, maybe mowing one year and continuing on throughout the life of the prairie,” Hugo said.

Efforts aimed toward helping at-risk species

This past spring, planting took place as part of the project, with some of the seeds including leadplant, butterflyweed, wild lupine, asters and goldenrods.

When thinking about the seed mixes, Gerdes said they were intentional in choosing seeds that are beneficial to at-risk species. Such as the rusty-patched bumblebee, the first federally endangered species, Gerdes said.

“We know it is within Sherburne County, it has been identified in the Sand Dunes State Forest … So we know some specific species that it really likes,” Gerdes said.

Other species included the Uncas skipper, which is confined to a large complex of sand dunes restricted to an isolated population in Sherburne County, according to the Minnesota Department of Resources. To keep that butterfly, which is considered small with a robust body in the area, Gerdes said Hairy grama was planted.

“There’s a lot of thinking when you’re creating a seed mix. You really have to think about ‘OK, what kind of insects and wildlife do I want to attract?’ ” Gerdes said. “... So a lot of thought went into planning these seed mixes that are going to be very diverse and have flowers blooming really early in the spring, all the way to late in the fall.”

About the grant

The grant, a Habitat Enhancement Landscape Pilot, is a program focused on restoring and enhancing diverse native habitat on conservation lands and natural areas strategically located across Minnesota to address declining pollinators and other beneficial insects, according to the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources.

The grant was proposed to be used for site assessment, vegetation removal, seedbed preparation, seeding and planting, establishment and aftercare and long-term management.

“That’s kind of the one thing about the grant funding we received, they’re very interested in kind of bringing back these more organic methods because there’s a lot of research coming out about the negatives of using so much chemical herbicides,” Gerdes said. “We’re really lucky we are kind of able to experiment on using this type of method with this funding that we have available for us.”

Funding was made possible through an appropriation from the Environmental and Natural Resources Trust Fund.

Grams Regional Park is northeast of Zimmerman.

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North Dakota sheep producers overcome marketing obstacle

Emily Beal — Tue, 23 May 2023 10:30:00 GMT

TAPPEN, N.D. — For producers of any livestock, besides cattle, marketing their herd can be an issue in North Dakota. That’s why Brent and Barb Stroh have taken the matters into their own hands.

The Strohs lamb out around 750 ewes on their farm outside of Tappen, North Dakota. Their flock primarily consists of Dorsets, Hampshires and Suffolks. They farm small grains and corn on their acres. Along with their sheep, they calve out around 300 head of cattle. While they don’t have an issue marketing their cow herd, they work with a marketer company based in Wisconsin to market their lambs.

“Years ago we started doing it, there's just not a lot of places to market lambs and stuff like that, finish lambs. So we started working with this company back in the '80s,” Brent Stroh said. “To us, right now, in the sheep industry, the biggest thing is just marketing.”

The Strohs begin their lambing season in January. Not only do they market their own lambs, but they help market other sheep producer’s flocks as well. They have farmers come from all over the region. The Strohs ship off a load of lambs every two to three weeks. They’re typically finished out around 140-150 pounds.

“We pull lambs here, so we’ll probably market 3,000 to 4,000 lambs here a year,” Brent Stroh said.

Besides marketing, the Strohs have a hard time finding more ewes to add to their flock and oftentimes make the trek to Wyoming or southern South Dakota to bring up their numbers

“It’s hard to find the numbers, so you gotta go west to get those numbers,” Brent Stroh said.

While sheep may not be as popular as other species of livestock in the upper Midwest, the Strohs have seen an uptick with sheep popularity, especially in young people. Between starter flock programs, 4-H projects and FFA projects, the sheep population in the state is slowly rising.

Barb Stroh enjoys spending her time with the sheep, as she says it is easier for her to handle them compared to the cattle. She has also grown to love connecting with other sheep producers when they drop off their lambs at the Strohs' farm.

"You get a pretty good group. I like it because they're all living that same thing that you are. They understand everything that you're going through, whether it's good or bad. A fun group of people, it's kind of like a little sheep family I guess,” Barb Stroh said.

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Minnesota couple helps with finding a cure for Huntington's Disease with their special sheep

Emily Beal — Mon, 28 Nov 2022 11:30:00 GMT

MOORHEAD, Minn. — While thinking of livestock and agriculture, the phrase "food, fuel and fiber" is often used. However, Lynn and Jason Kotrbas’ flock of sheep are adding pharmacy to that list.

To the unsuspecting eye, the sheep look like typical barnyard animals while grazing from the pasture. But these sheep may be the answer to finding a cure for Huntington’s Disease and other neurological diseases.

The Kotrbas’ purchased land outside of Moorhead, Minnesota, and created Harvest Hope Farm in 2017. Their farm is a non-profit that focuses on two areas — offering summer camps to children and something more important: conducting research for Huntington’s Disease.

Lynn has a close connection to the neurological disease, and that has served as an inspiration to the family to help find a cure.

“Lynn's family had been affected with Huntington's Disease for a long time, and her mom and her sister both died when they were 49 years old. Upon purchasing the farm, we always knew we needed to do something more and something special with it,” Jason Kotrba said.

The pair’s niece shared an article on Facebook about how sheep were being used in research to find a cure for Huntington’s. They immediately knew they needed to be a part of the research. GlycoScience Research, based out of South Dakota, is the entity conducting the studies. Lynn wasted no time in reaching out to GlycoScience Research, but was turned away the first time. But she did not take no for an answer.

Harvest Hope Farm was given an original flock of 13 white-faced polypay sheep. This breed is known for producing extra sugar molecules, which can help those who are diagnosed with Huntington’s Disease and other neurological diseases.

“While all mammals make GM1, these sheep actually overproduce it. And why that's important is because certain people who have diseases like Huntington's Disease, they actually underproduce it. So their goal is, if we can harvest the over-production made by these sheep, we can use that molecule to help treat individuals with Huntington's, Parkinson's and other neurological diseases,” Kim Vonnahme said.

Vonnahme is the co-chair of the board for Harvest Hope Farm. She is also an adjunct professor at North Dakota State University and an animal scientist. She has been an integral part in the research side of things at Harvest Hope Farm. The excess sugar that has been harvested from the sheeps’ brains and spinal cords has stopped the effects of Huntington’s Disease in mice — a huge step forward in the fight against Huntington’s.

Their original flock of 13 pregnant polypays has grown close to 100. They lamb out their ewes on the farm each spring and hope their offspring carry the excess sugar molecules they are looking for.

“In certain instances where it has been tested in animal models, it can slow down, stop or reverse the effects of Huntington’s,” Vonnahme said. “Hopefully these sheep … will be picked up by someone to help us move to the next level.”

The next level would be moving towards a clinical trial and seeing if their efforts can help humans with neurological diseases, including Huntington’s.

Jason Kortba was never able to meet his mother-in-law due to her passing away from Huntington’s, but he did meet and get to know his sister-in-law well. The research they are a part of is in honor of both of the women. He hopes to continue to expand their flock and help with the research in any way they can.

“Our ultimate goal is to grow a herd large and substantial enough to be able to make a real difference in finding a cure for Huntington’s Disease,” Kotrba said.

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North Dakota brothers become shepherds through starter flock program

Emily Beal — Tue, 18 Oct 2022 10:30:00 GMT

MEDINA, N.D. — Cattle may dominate North Dakota's livestock industry, but North Dakota State University and the North Dakota Lamb and Wool Association are looking to add some diversity to the four-legged creatures in the state's pastures and barns.

For 14 years, NDSU Extension and the North Dakota Lamb and Wool Association have teamed up to help North Dakota youth get more involved in the sheep industry. They offer a starter flock program to youth ages 10 to 18 that acts as a loan to help recipients purchase 10 open Rambouillet ewes each. The recipient is responsible for paying back some of the loan, though not the full price.

“So the foundation of our North Dakota Lamb and Wool producers Starter Flock is truthfully getting young people involved and inspired in our industry. So first thing is we are able to provide that chance with repayment back of 70% of the value of those animals over a three year period,” explained Travis Hoffman, NDSU Extension sheep specialist.

This program allows those who may not have seen a future in the sheep industry to get an inside perspective and a chance to raise a flock of their own. Josh Moser was a 2022 starter flock recipient and said this was the perfect opportunity for him to get started in the industry.

“It was a really good way of starting off to have sheep,” he said. “It's a really good opportunity for a young person to be able to get started at a pretty cheap price in this market and you really learn a lot in all the classes you take in the program. They're always open for questions if you ever need to talk to them. So it's a pretty easy learning process and it's a great program to go through.”

The recipients are paired with a mentor to help them with any questions or issues they may have with their new flock. Classes are also offered about the species.

While this may have been Josh Moser’s first year in the program, he is no stranger to it. His brother, Jared Moser, received his own starter flock from the program a year prior. Now the pair have a flock of twenty-eight Rambouillet ewes which they breed to their cousin’s ram. They then sell some of the offspring right out of their barn.

“I had a few friends who were in the sheep industry, and it's been two years ago, I guess, since we got into it. The sheep market was pretty high and good; it was something to make money off of,” Jared Moser said.

Both brothers are in high school; Josh Moser is a senior and Jared Moser is a sophomore. The pair said they have learned lifelong lessons through the program, including time management skills, record keeping and money management.

It also opened up a new area of interest for Jared Moser: sheep shearing. He will be attending a sheep shearing seminar at Hettinger Research Center next month. While he isn’t sure he will be the one shearing his sheep next year, he thinks it is an important skill to learn now that he and his brother have their own flock.

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Norn Sisters Woolen Mill looks to better serve Minnesota's wool economy

Noah Fish — Mon, 09 May 2022 10:30:00 GMT

DUNDAS, Minn. ― The Norn Sisters include Alejandra Sanchez, Theresa Bentz and the mill they are trying to build to serve Minnesota shepherds.

Sanchez and Bentz are both farmers and fiber artists who formed a partnership last year in which they helped each other expand their flocks as well as their supply of natural dyes. The two also teach classes to educate others in the wool community. Over the past year, the duo has purchased over 2,500 pounds of raw wool to use with their current milling equipment.

The two shepherds are now co-owners of the Norn Sisters Woolen Mill, which would be the only mill in the United States to exclusively use natural dyes.

"We started producing roving for hand spinners and teaching classes, and once we saw there was such a huge demand for what we were doing, we decided to formalize our partnership and create the Norn Sisters Woolen Mill," said Sanchez at Keepsake Cidery in Dundas on May 1, where they launched a Kickstarter to fund the mill.

"For our launch party we wanted to give folks more of a hands-on experience into what we're doing," said Sanchez. "We had lambs out here for them to take pictures with, a silent auction featuring products from farms that are here in the Cannon River Valley, and also some hand knitted items that our students donated, then also a table where people can sow some die plant seeds."

The project raised over $20,000 of its $30,000 goal in the first two days of its campaign. 278 backers have pledged for a total of $34,625, as of May 8.

According to Bentz and Sanchez, the overall project will cost around $75,000, but the goal amount would allow them to put down a deposit for the equipment, cover transportation costs of the machinery and begin improvements on the current building where the mill will live.

Three sisters

"The Norn Sisters comes from Germanic mythology, and it's about the three sisters that weave the threads of humankind's fate," said Sanchez of the name of their mill. "One of them is the spinner, one of them is the weaver, and one of them cuts the threads."

With two of the sisters being Bentz and Sanchez, that leaves one more sister.

"We realized that the third sister is our mill," said Sanchez.

Bentz said what they need to produce an "end product of yarn" is a draw frame, spinner and skein winder.

"Those are the three pieces of equipment that we need, and I like to tell my farmer friends that it's as if we were buying three new tractors, because it's expensive equipment," said Bentz.

The shepherds turned to Kickstarter because Bentz said many grant programs through the U.S. Department of Agriculture or other ag outlets are reserved for those strictly in food production. She said that wool and textiles are often not recognized as agricultural products even though they very much are.

"A lot of agricultural grants look at this side of the sheep industry — the textile side — as just textiles and clothing manufacturing, even though we're not making clothing, we're just making yarn," said Bentz. "So we don't qualify for a lot of the ag value grants."

The current milling infrastructure in Minnesota and Wisconsin is composed mostly of cottage mills that process raw wool into yarn, said Bentz, and small mills are "few and far between". Most of them have a nine-month to one-year waiting list

"So you dangle your product, and all of your harvest, over an entire fiscal year, which is really hard," said Bentz.

Understanding Minnesota's wool economy

In 2019, Bentz pitched a plan to team up with Three Rivers Fibershed — a group working to develop regional fiber systems in Minnesota, and the University of Minnesota Extension Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships (RSDP), to launch a statewide project focused on mapping Minnesota’s sheep farming industry.

"We wanted to see what breeds of sheep are being grown in our state, and what people are doing with their wool," said Bentz.

The project showed there was a large diversity of breeds being raised in the state, but that most people who raise sheep in Minnesota raise smaller flocks.

Thirty nine different breeds of sheep are raised on farms in Minnesota, according to the report, for both wool and meat. Low financial reward, difficulty marketing and the cost of processing were described as the biggest barriers to shepherds selling wool.

"A lot of people don't have any way of processing their wool," said Bentz. "And they might not want to be the marketer, or might not want to get a website and sell their product. They would rather sell it to a mill that would turn it into a Minnesota branded item."

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Wolff's Suffolks takes lamb from pasture to pizza

Emily Beal — Sat, 07 May 2022 10:30:00 GMT

OAKES, N.D. — For 40 years, a flock of Suffolk sheep have grazed on pastures of the Wolff farm. The family is now in the third generation of raising the black-faced breed, and they've leaned into taking their products directly from pasture to plate — or pizza.

“I was a partner with my dad for many years. My dad is actually still alive, but my daughters bought his ewes out now. So we’ve been a family affair,” Ron Wolff said. “We’ve been raising Suffolk sheep this whole time, it’s kind of our passion. It’s a breed we’ve held on to.”

Ron Wolff is the second generation to tend to the flock of Suffolk and greatly enjoys the breed’s size and the stark contrast between their black heads and tan wool. Their flock encompasses 60 ewes that the Wolffs sell to 4-H members and other youth, as well as to fellow sheep breeders. Wolff enjoys working closely with the 4-H members who choose to show the Suffolk breed, as that is what he brought into the show arena during his 4-H years, as did his daughters. Now, the Wolff family takes their stock to national shows, such as The North American Livestock Expedition that takes place in Louisville, Kentucky each fall.

Wanting a way to expand their business, the Wolffs acquired their meat license from the state of North Dakota in order to sell their lamb directly to consumers. Their business venture proved to be extremely successful, as they now have about 40 head butchered each year to keep up with demand. Through this new avenue, the Wolffs have been able to sell all their products directly to consumers, businesses or other sheep enthusiasts.

“I am proud to say that we have not gone to the sale barn with lambs in the last three years,” Wolff said.

On the farm, there is a meat shed lined with freezers full of Wolff’s Suffolk meat. From ribs to leg of lamb steak, there are a multitude of choices for consumers. Ron Wolff was particularly surprised with some of the requests and best-sellers, such as lamb heart, which he now keeps in stock.

In addition to selling their meat off the farm, Ron and his wife make the trek to the Red River Farmers Market in Fargo every other weekend from June through October to sell to consumers. The market has proven to be a vital part of their meat venture growing, as it has allowed them to make many crucial connections.

“I met Ron at the farmers market and talked to him and Beth and thought they were really cool. They started bringing ground lamb for me, and we’ve tried a few other cuts for things,” said Casey Absey, the founder and owner of Blackbird Woodfire Pizza located in downtown Fargo.

Blackbird is known for its unique woodfired pizzas. The restaurant not only uses the Wolff’s lamb on select pizzas, but also uses the meat for appetizers as well.

“I think it’s important to use all you can from around here because we are such a rich farming community,” Absey said. “Most of the customers appreciate that it comes from Ron’s farm.”

In addition to Blackbird Woodfire, Wolff said a new Lebanese restaurant in Fargo is also using their lamb in their dishes. The Wolffs enjoy connecting with consumers during their weekends at the Red River Farmers Market, believing it is more important now more than ever to tell the story of agriculture, as many consumers are wanting to listen to the story.

“They like the fact they know where it all comes from,” Wolff said.

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