Changing times lead to a
changing flock at Buckeye acres
By Matt ReeSe the couple started intensively raising,
In the past 50 years, the sheep industry showing and selling purebred Suffolks,
has changed dramatically. Though sheep and soon their Buckeye Acres lambs
have been valued since ancient times for were doing well at the national shows.
both their wool and their meat, the value The Van Wert County Suffolks gained
of wool has plummeted in recent decades national and international attention as a
as synthetic and competing fibers have sound source of valued breeding stock.
flooded the market. This huge change has Their four children helped a lot
required that sheep producers shift their around the farm, but as they went off to
focus away from wool to the more exclu- college, the Young’s labor source dried
sive production of meat. up and they started looking for sheep
Leading up to this tremendous market breeds that required a little less labor.
shift, Michael Piel, a livestock producer in “With the Suffolks, you have to stay
Ron and Carla Young have been raising Suffolks since the 1960s and have recently added Katahdin and Dorper
sheep to their flock to reduce workload and transition to grass from grain.
Maine, started looking into the develop- pretty close to the feed bucket,” Young
ment of a breed of hair sheep in the 1950s. said. “We were looking for something
Suffolk ewes that were not sold in an effort “I don’t know if it is because I’m older
With hair instead of wool, he sought to that would do better on grass. And even
to transform them from show type Suffolks or wiser, but I’m finding that is doesn’t
develop a breed that did not need shearing though my Suffolks are more medium
to a more user-friendly production animal. make sense to lamb in January when it is
and efficiently converted grass into meat. framed, they still take a lot of work.”
Through this process, the Youngs are also colder and feed needs are higher,” Young
After numerous crosses with domestic After talking with Parker more about
working to further the transition away said. “With the price of grain now, these
breeds and imported African hair sheep, the Katahdins, and doing some addition-
from grain to more pasture. animals are sustainable on grass. We want
Piel named his fertile, hair sheep with a al research, Young thought they were
The Youngs rotate between 60 acres of to be like the one-stop grocery store for
meat-type structure and a flocking instinct worth a try. The Youngs bought 23 bred
different pastures (including summer selling pure, registered breeding stock and
after Mt. Katahdin in Maine, and the Katahdin ewes in January 2001. 
annuals like turnips, and oats and winter top quality commercial lambs, with the
Katahdin breed was born. “I made myself a vow that when they
rye) that can be subdivided as necessary white Dorpers making more of a roaster-
These sheep soon gained renown for lambed, we’d let them do everything on
to maximize efficiency. type lamb.”
their efficiency on pasture, easy keeping their own because that is how they were
“In mid-August, we plant oats and Along with the sheep, Young manages
and parasite resistance, along with their advertised,” Young said. “And they were
turnips to use as forage from November about 1,000 acres of corn, soybeans,
lack of need for shearing and reputation as advertised. After a year or so, we went
through February,” Young said. “After wheat and hay, almost exclusively in
for being good mothers. Charles Parker at out to eat one night and talked about
the oats and turnips, we can move them long-term 100% no-till. This diverse crop
Ohio State University had been doing a selling the Suffolks, and then we sold
to stockpiled endophyte-free fescue and rotation, along with the annual forage
fair amount of research on the interesting them in three groups over two weeks.”
then rye. Last year, after a dry summer crops and no-till, have gone great lengths
breed’s possible application to Ohio flocks. With their early success with
and a cold winter, we had to put them in, to improve the farm’s soil.
“Just by accident, Charles Parker, who Katahdins, they also decided to try the
but we try to only supplement with “It is truly amazing how much that
grew up with my dad and uncle, told me white Dorper breed, and established a
round bales sparingly. The Katahdins has helped the soil,” Young said. “The
that he had worked with the Katahdin program in that breed in 2002.
and White Dorpers are naturals, as they rye and the turnips are especially good
breed a lot in terms of their development,” “The white-faced Dorpers are very
love forages. They eat a variety of for the soil.”
said Ron Young, from Van Wert County. efficient on grass and they have a heavier
legumes, grasses, oats and turnips The farm also maintains water quali-
“He kept telling me about their low main- carcass with a similar frame as the
throughout the year. As we develop the ty with filter strips and waterways to
tenance and ability to be good mothers.” Katahdins,” Young said. “Our Dorpers
more muscular production Suffolks, they reduce runoff through the Conservation
Young had been working with sheep, are a little larger than average.”
too enjoy all the forages.” Reserve Program and is enrolled in the
mostly Suffolks, since his FFA days in Now, in addition to 50 white Dorper
Along with switching to a pasture base, Conservation Security Program.
high school on his family’s farm. When ewes and 75 Katahdin ewes, Young contin-
the Buckeye Acres flock seeks to provide The Ohio Sheep Improvement
he was married to Carla in the mid-70s, ues to work with more than 20 of his
genetics that will perform equally on a for- Association has recognized the Youngs
age-based or grain-based program, and with the 2009 Environmental Steward
produce excellent carcasses from animals Award for their efforts in preserving
with high rates of gain, and a tender, mild- the land that supports a flock designed
flavored meat. The flock also has been in to meet the needs of an ever-changing
the voluntary scrapie program since 1995, lamb market.
DNA tested for RR/NN and can accom- For more information, visit
modate out-of-season breeding. www.buckeyeacres.com.
The Katahdins are low maintenance. These natural shedders require no shearing and no tail docking and have a Some of the Buckeye Acres hair sheep filter into this pasture on the Van Wert County farm.
high level of parasite resistance.
24 Environmental Stewards • Ohio’s Country Journal • July 2009
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