Merry Christmas from Crouch Dorsets - we hope that 2019 will be a prosperous one for the Dorset Breeders across the country! May the lambing barn be good to many, and the sale season allow us to reconnect with all of you!
Happy New Year!
With so much happening over the next week - we decided to get this Merry Christmas post done early! Our girls are loving the time in the barn, and will be there as soon as holiday parties are done! If you want to come see the lambs - let us know~! We have some exciting ones that we will be posting in the coming month! Merry Christmas from Crouch Dorsets - we hope that 2019 will be a prosperous one for the Dorset Breeders across the country! May the lambing barn be good to many, and the sale season allow us to reconnect with all of you! Happy New Year!
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How crazy to think it the First of November and we have not made any posts! Our summer was one to not easily forget, and we know our girls have appreciated it all! The hours in the truck - maybe not so much, but the memories they created ABSOLUTELY! The girls have been hard at work walking, training, and washing up the sheep for show. When you think about the hours of prep - sometimes one wonders why we do it. Here is why: - The patience gained - The lessons in training learned - Development of Work Ethic We have had an amazing summer and fall. The girls have created more experiences than ever and we believe that the sheep allow the girls to have opportunities that build them into better people! Summer highlights: Illinois State Fair 2018 Taylor had one for the books with "Auppie". Many asked her after winning the supreme ewe honors with Diamond - what she could do to improve. We heard one answer that blew us away! - Win with a homegrown lamb - well the pairing we made did that for her! Her profile and power says it all when she walks into the show ring! Then Crouch Dorsets went on to win the Flock Award at the open show - and we could not have been prouder of our fitter, breeder, and manager. The team effort showed very clearly when in the flock picture - each little girl had her own sheep! Proud is an understatement. We Loved experiencing this with the girls! NAILE 2018 Held some learning lessons for us - and proved that the time spent in the barn with family and friends is the real reason we do this! helping a young first time National exhibitor (Shelby) receive 2nd place honors with her slick fall ewe lamb made the girls smile! Going back for the open show and having Auppie place 2nd behind the National Champion - in our eyes is a great day! Then showing Maple - Poynter 17-33 to her best finish 3rd was a treat! The comments were greatly appreciated with what we felt like was a great set of sheep! We are proud of this families hard work, showmanship, and selection of Crouch 1716 at the Illinois Spring Dorset Sale. This girl has been great to work with for them, and we love the passion they have for the Fitted Polled Dorset Sheep! Brandon Youngberg from Andover, IL keep the show updates coming!
Upon returning home Crouch Dorsets would like to thank buyers and the contending bidders on the interest in our program. We hope for all the best our sheep find in their new programs ... and hope to see more than one in the show rings this summer and fall! We look forward to the updates and new friendships that these sheep have forged! Thank you
Our Highlights 1- Birthday Girl....9 year old Morgan Champion Ewe Crouch 1716 Spring Yearling Ewe Reserve Champion Ram Ruwe 15 “Rio” 1st place late Fall Ewe Lamb Crouch 1820 As we change gears and move into Show season we encourage the buyers to stay in contact! Best of Luck We have 6 entries headed to the Spring Illinois Dorset Show and Sale. We have 3 Fall ewe lambs, 2 yearling ewes, and a yearling buck that has some pretty great phenotypical traits. The fall ewe lambs were saved for this sale, and then negotiated on to the sale block with the girls. They each have their favorite in this pen. The yearlings compare very closely with our 1st Place yearling ewe at the Ohio Dorset Sale. Jeremy would be happy to talk sheep anytime this week. The barn is open in Maroa and the sheep are prepped and ready! Call Jeremy 217-620-0619
Take a look at the set of females being offered on the upcoming Purple Ribbon Farms Online Sale! Comments and pedigrees can be found on the Willoughby Sales page shortly. https://www.wlivestock.com/auction/361 Or Click on the Link to read more info on each of the Crouch Dorset online Sale Prospects. HERE ....and the Girls are loving all the work that it brings. This group has got to be one of largest, deepest sets of Fall ewe lambs we have raised in years. The quality goes all the way through the Octobers. We would keep more, but when you visit the Maroa site, you will agree these girls do not have barn space for all their favorites. So sale season, here we come! All of our major ewe families has something to offer! High tail sets, deep bodies, and and beautiful neck extension can be found throughout this set. It may not be the best picture - but the girls spent about 3 hours in the barn .... and everyone calmed right down. A few more times, and they might actually lead. We aim for little girl trained at our house!
They are pictured 1801 (Taylor's end) thru 1821(Morgan's end) Louisville Provided its own set of learning lessons for each of the girls. Some light hearted, some built character of the exact sort we hope as parents. The girls did showing together, independent, and managed to always support each other. Louisville also provided us with the realization that this was the last major National show with our “big girl”. The Crouch girls have learned, modeled, and embraced the lessons learned from Alex and we know that she will be around to watch the girls from the outside of the ring. (A little harder than being in the ring – she will soon find out)
Louisville allowed our girls the chance to compete in leadline (Bayla and Shyla). As well as individual Showmanship (Taylor, Morgan, Bayla, and Shyla) where Taylor was pulled out for Top Ten in her age bracket. The futurity results were announced – Bayla was 2nd Ewe Lamb with her “Mal” and Morgan won the National Futurity with “Jewels”. Bittersweet for some the end of the show careers of Jewels and Hayley – only to look forward to lambs next fall from them! We competed very well in the classes we had entries in. With 9 sheep present, we were in the top 5 7 times, and end won the Slick Fall Ewe Lamb Class with Crouch 1701 “Pearl”. We are proud of the work that takes, and the time the girls put into this family project! Alex took her Winter Ewe lamb Ruwe 11 “Connie” in on the winning State Flock and a 2nd place class finish and she will sell this spring at Ohio (Look for her pictures) "Stella" Crouch 1616 purchased at the Ohio Sale in March 2017, landed in the hands of an excellent showman! Congrats on a 2nd place Yearling Ewe Open Show, and 1st Place Junior Show Spring Yearling Ewe. This ewe has been exposed to lamb in the Spring and we are excited for this flock to grow! Congrats on a Great Summer and Fall Show season, and time will tell how she fairs at NAILE in November! Congratulations to Celine Sicard on a lot of hard work, and great management of this ewe!
Not normally what a Fall Ewe lamb gets to experience!
"Mal" is a Lobdell Futurity Lamb that does not disappoint. She has the height and length to make her stand out in her September Fall Ewe Lamb fitted Class. While at this County Show, 4 other dorset families call this county home, and all attend the State and National Dorset Shows. This girl has now been honored with Supreme Honors at Woodford County and the Fairbury Fair. GREAT JOB Bayla and MAL! |
Jeremy & CassieMarried in 2004, both grew up in Rural Central Illinois. Instilled with traditional values, we work to make our childrens lives full of love, learning and sheep. Archives
October 2022
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