UK Sheep Tour July 17-27, 2013

Update February 20, 2013—All the seats have been filled. If you would like to be put on the waiting list, email Cheyenne at cmiller@premier1supplies.com.

This July 17-27, journey through unique, historic, and beautiful England and Wales with 35 other USA sheep producers. The trip includes:

Royal Welsh Show

A full day will be spent at the Royal Welsh Show—one of the largest and best-attended agricultural shows in Europe. Located in the heart of the beautiful Welsh countryside, the Show features an impressive display of pedigree and commercial livestock, farming practices and ancillary industries of Wales. 

Other stops and highlights

• 2 days in London, including an optional half-day guided tour of the city. 
• Visits to sheep farms near Oxford, Wiltshire and a Welsh Hill Farm.
• Sheep sale at Welshpool, Wales.
• The mysterious and ancient site of Stonehenge.
• A full day at the CLA Game Fair at Ragley Hall, which features traditional British “country sports.” 
• Hidcote Manor Garden in the Cotswold area.
• Free time to explore the old “Wool Town” of Cirencester and the historic town of Bath.
• Entrance and tour of the Brecon Wool Processing Center. 
• Guided tours of the city of London, Westminster Abbey and the Tower of London. 
• Shopping opportunities in Oxford, Cirencester, Bath and other quaint towns.

Price is $3150 per person (excludes airfare). 

For more information contact: 

Cheyenne Miller

(800) 282-6631

or (319) 653-9636

cmiller@premier1supplies.com

Lambing Season 2013

Carl dressed to the 9's (degrees that is) and finishing morning chores in the lambing barn.  

The weather of late has been hovering around a balmy 0°F in the morning to a sweltering 15°F in the afternoon. And lambing season is starting for us (funny how cold weather and lambing seem to coincide).

This year our experiment is using a former warehouse as a lambing barn. This new "barn" offers protection from the elements as well as the option of heat (a real treat). There are some kinks that need to be worked out: feeding, watering and ventilation.

For feeding, the farm guys have been busy building single-sided feeders (using our plans and panels of course). They're arranged to form an alleyway, which allows someone to walk down the center and drop feed to the ewes w/o the need to get into the pen (which is nice since many are carrying twins or triplets.

A bucket placed in a Premier single-sided feeder. The clip was replaced with a Premier bucket holder for added stability. 

Our normal lambing barn (which will still be used this year) has a PVC pipe that carries water the length of the lambing barn. The pipe has cut-outs (so the animals can drink) and flows continuously (so risk of freezing is reduced). A pipe will be installed in the "new" barn. Until then, ewes will be watered via buckets. Fortunately, there is a water hydrant and hose in the building so the guys won't have to haul individual buckets. The farm guys are experimenting with placing a water bucket (held in place with clips) in the feeder and at an angle. They're also trying different sizes and shapes (square vs round) to determine the optimal bucket for this setup.

There are some ventilation issues to work out—the building was not originally designed as a barn. Keeping livestock in the building will bring in considerable moisture. We'll have to be vigilant about clean bedding and getting clean air into the barn. We're planning on installing a vent pipe, it's just a matter of what size and where.

Before you build a fence…

For some folks it’s winter which means when they’re not enjoying chores in the icy wind, they’re inside by the fire thinking about their dream fence. But before they build, they need to take into account the following:

1. Will the fence be moved? If so, how often?

• Daily or weekly—Temporary or very portable design must be quick to install or remove. To eliminate the need for large end and corner posts, the fence strands, whether single, multiple or a mesh (netting) must be electrified and under minimal tension.
• Once per season—Semi-permanent can be an interim barrier until a more permanent fence is installed. This allows folks to field-test fence and gate locations to see what works best. It usually consists of electrified net or multiple electrified strands under low tension (supported by stronger posts than temporary fences). Will need more attention than permanent fences.
• Never moved—Permanent fences for boundary and subdivision fences for land that's owned by the user (and whose usage is not likely to change). Requires strong wood, steel or fiberglass posts which support high-tensile wires, woven wire, rope or wide tape (one or more strands are electrified). More reliable than other options but more $$ to install. May require a professional installer. 

2.  What is the fence’s location?

Is it flat? Or does it go over hills and ditches as well as around curves? Is it covered with brush, trees or open grass? Are the soils rocky, very soft, sandy or firm? The optimum fence design often hinges on the answers to these questions. 

Depending on the shape of the area to be fenced, extra posts will be needed at corners, curves and major directional changes. 

3. Is it a lane or corral fence?

These situations often force animals into contact with fences. Such fences need better visibility, high strength and if possible, no hot wires. 

4. Do the animals know the fence?

• Local animals and wildlife get to "know" a fence by appearance, site and "pain memory." If it's a strong or painful fence, they avoid it. 
• On the other hand new animals just off a truck/trailer often charge into permanent fences and straight through temporary or semi-permanent fences. That’s why strong, tall and visible permanent fences are essential for receiving corrals and feedlots. 
• Temporary fences that are not physically strong pose the greatest risk of escape to newly acquired animals. It pays to train them to it inside of a permanent fence. 

Do not keep animals of the same species on opposite sides of the fence. They will try to join their companions. Animals of different species (above) is perfectly acceptable. 

5. What specific animals need to be fenced in or out?—Always design and build the fence for the most difficult species. Some rules of thumb:

• Most sheep and goat fences will stop cattle. The inverse is not always true. 
• Fencing adult males (bulls, rams, stallions, boars and billies) in/out requires taller fences with closer wire/strand spacing and more powerful electric pulses. 
• Fences for mixed sizes (ewes with lambs, cows with calves) need more strands than uniform animal groups. 
• Certain breeds need better fences (e.g. flighty Romanov sheep, tall Columbia sheep, Chianina Cattle). 

6. Should you energize the fence? It usually pays to do this. Why?

• A hot strand has a zone of pain around it. So fewer strands are needed if one is energized. Both the material and the labor to install is reduced. 
• Energized fences last longer and require less maintenance—because animals do not crowd, rub or scratch on them. So the fence wires (including wires that are not energized) require less tension to do their job. Braces and corner posts will also last longer. 
• Animals are more surely contained and excluded during breeding and weaning. 
• A non-energized fence increases the risk of animal entanglement and possible death. It is extremely important that a fence is energized.

7. How keen will animals be to breach the fence line? Build for the worst case situation you can afford to do so. Situations below:

• Hunger. Starved animals will eventually challenge most fences. 
• Weaning. Strong physical barriers are needed to cope with separation. 
• Breeding. Libido induces all creatures to challenge rules (and fences). 
• Boredom. Animals in corrals, stalls and lots craze any form of entertainment. 
• Gateways and handling yards. Animals often push each other into fences when being moved about. 
• Goats. Without a doubt they are clever and creative escape artists. 
• Fear and fright. Predators or loud noises can cause prey species to run in terror straight into, under, over or through any fence, no matter the design (netting, hi-tensile or woven wire). 

8. How visible should a fence be?

It depends. Horses, deer and antelope move at high speed and have restricted color perception (compared to humans). They may not see small fence wires such as HT wire, MaxiShock or some polywires. So the may charge right into them. 

That's why it's wise to include rope or tape (both highly visible) in certain fences.

HT fences (such as the one above) are not easily visible to horses and are thus unsafe!

9. Are long dry periods common?

Electric fences typically rely upon soil moisture as a conductor. When the soil is dry or covered in dry snow, normal electric fences and low impedance energizers may not work. 

Solutions for this are:

• Use a wide impedance energizer. They’re less affected by dry soil. 
• Integrate earth-return wires (connected to the energizer's negative terminal) into the fence. Animals must touch two strands but it works well. 

Consult Premier if you have any questions regarding dry soil fencing.

Netting weighed down by freezing rain. 

10. Will heavy snow or ice occur? 

Enough ice can bring down the strongest power lines, so all fences are vulnerable. But some cope better than others. Are your animals likely to penetrate the fence before the ice melts.

11. What is the cost if the fence fails?

The high the potential cost (in time, money) of a failure, the more reliable the fence design should be. Examples:

• Along public highways. In some states the land owner is liable for damages to both vehicles and humans. So owners in these areas must build better fences to reduce risk. 
• Around stored feed. If animals gorge on grain, death may occur. 
• Protect high-value. e.g. crops, gardens, orchards or young tree plantings from deer. Protect poultry/sheep/goats from goats from dogs, coyotes, etc. 
• Fences with animals on both sides. Mix-ups are time consuming. They're very costly if the animals breed or spread disease. Neighborhood relations can be strained. Lawsuits may occur. 

To help determine the right fence for you, consult a Premier Fence Catalog (or request one) or talk to Premier directly. Our email is info@premier1supplies.com and our phone # is 1-800-282-6631.

Netting: single spike or double spike posts?

Single Spike—post stake consists of one spike (left post).
Double Spike—post stake consists of two spikes (right post).

Which one to use, and when:

Single spike is best used when netting is moved frequently or in dry/hard soils.

•  In dry soils it is often difficult to insert one (let alone two) stakes into the ground. Often there is a crack in the ground that a single stake can be inserted.
• The single spike enables the post to be quickly pulled out of the ground so the net can be reset.  
• Easy to take down and store. 

Double spike nets are best when the netting is not to be frequently moved, the ground is soft or the installer prefers a step-in post.

• The crosspiece on the double spike enables the post to be “stepped-in.” This action reduces the hand/arm strength needed to insert the post. 
• Do not pound on the stake with a hammer in order to insert it into the ground. It is not designed for this. 
• Added stability in loose soils. 
• Can be hard to pull out.
• Harder to take down and store (spikes are easy to tangle).

What is our experience with SS or DS? Many of the nets that we use on the farms are single spike nets. We frequently move netting (unless it is PermaNet) and have dry soils in the summer. So single spike nets are more practical for our fencing needs. 

My main experience with double spike occurred a summer ago while fencing a cattle pasture. I was attempting to install some double-spike netting shortly after a week of 100° heat and no rain for the last month. The ground was hard and dry and the posts refused to go into the ground. Frustrated, I went for my hammer and began to pound directly on the cross piece of the stake. The ground continued to resist. By the time I “finished”, the stakes were less than 3" into the ground and bent beyond usefulness (the stakes are meant to be stepped-in, not hit with a hammer). The proper move would have been to use either single spike posts or drill pilot holes for each stake. 

However, in the Spring when the ground is moist, I prefer to use double spikes for a semi-permanent poultry enclosure. The spikes provide added stability and step into the ground easily. Functionality depends on the specific fencing situation.

What do our customers prefer to use? Right now 2/3 of the ElectroNet that goes out our door is single spiked. However, double spike netting is becoming more and more popular and the gap between the two is shrinking. 

Cold Weather Shepherding tips

It’s December which means winter—in theory—will be here soon. Currently it is 66° in Washington, IA but that could change to 10° in an instant (after all, it is Iowa weather). Here are a few tips for dealing with the highly anticipated cold weather.

• Gordon Shelangoski (Premier product consultant and shepherd) utilizes molasses tubs as a supplement to his stockpiled forage. The added energy provides what the late season forage can't. Gordon can graze his ewes longer without having to provide stored feed. Purchasing a few tubs pencils out to being more cost efficient for Gordon than buying in hay. If you choose to try molasses tubs, make sure they are formulated for sheep specifically. Non-sheep specific tubs have high copper levels which leads to copper toxicity in sheep. 

• Make sure the water supply is winter ready. Add tank heaters and know your protocol for frozen tanks and hydrants. Water is especially important during late gestation and lactation.

• If you buy-in feed, make sure it is either on your farm or at least spoken for. Searching for hay in mid-winter is not going to be the most cost effective means of procuring feed.

• Machinery needs to be in good repair and ready to run in the winter. If you run a diesel, make sure to have winter blended fuel or at least a bottle of anti-gel additive. 

• Temporary fencing that will not be used during the winter needs to be picked up and stored. This reduces the chances of it being damaged by snow, ice and animals.

• Fences that will be in use throughout the winter need to be functional. Go through and remove overgrowth/fallen limbs that may reduce the strength of the pulse going through the netting. If you have a fence that can be modified into pos/neg, do so. This will allow the fence to function better with deep snow.

• If your winter plans involve lambing, make sure the lambing barn/area is cleaned and ready to handle sheep. Set up lambing jugs and pens ahead of time. 

• Make sure your lambing kit is ready. You do not want to be out of teats for bucket teat units when you have orphan lambs. Being prepared ahead of time saves a trip to town when you need to be treating a ewe or lamb. 

Lamb face salad? Why not?

When Stan travels and has lamb he usually shares his experiences with the folks at Premier and in the newsletter. I recently took a trip out East and had lamb for a meal. I thought I would share my experience.

Once the Equipment Catalog was off to the printers, I was able to take a break from writing and found the time to go to New York City. Part of the trip was to visit my sister and her family. But the main reason was to try some of the more unconventional foods available.

I was in my sister's apartment only a handful of minutes before I was out the door and on my way to find lunch. After a few miles on the subway, I walked up and out of the subterranean tunnels into a series of sights and smells I've never experienced. I had entered the heart of Chinatown.

The destination was Xi'an Famous Foods, home to a dish known as Spicy & Tingly Lamb Face Salad. I did some research prior to my visit and one of the recommended foods was lamb face salad. My inner foodie screamed for a challenge to my palate, so I gave in.

Spicy and Tingly Lamb Face Salad. It appears much more appetizing in person as the camera does not do it justice. 

The decision was quickly in jeopardy once I walked through the door. The wall across from the register contained photos of all the potential meals I could have. Lamb burgers, lamb soup, chicken and pork dishes galore adorned the wall. Finding more options than I could eat, I had trouble deciding to stick with the salad. Do I go with the salad or something else? I ordered the savory looking Spicy Cumin Lamb with Hand-Ripped noodles in soup. Yet again I debated my decision and asked to change my order to the lamb face salad. I paid, received my ticket number and sat at a long table at the back of the restaurant. Playing on the TV was a cooking show featuring lamb face salad as well as demonstrating the process of making hand-ripped noodles.

My number came up and I received not one but two entres. Through my inability to make a decision and ensuing miscommunication I had ordered both the soup and the salad (no breadsticks). So much the better as it turns out. I returned to the table and began relishing in the double order.

With chopsticks in hand I went for the salad. My taste buds first caught a taste of cilantro, but the heat soon kicked in. My lips tingled and my eyes watered. This cold salad packed a hidden whollop. I tried a piece of lamb. Oh my! The flavor was out of this world. Despite not being a conventional cut of meat, the face was quite good. It was not a lamb chop but after all it's not suppose to be. I would later look up the contents of the salad: head meat (hence face), chili oil, szechwan pepper corns, bean sprout, cucumbers, scallions, cilantro and a sauce mixture which includes soy sauce, vinegar and 30 mystery spices. I'm pretty sure 2 of the mystery spices were fire and brimstone, but they sure were good.

An unidentifiable piece of lamb. Quite tasty though. Forgive the resolution, camera phones do not always focus when requested. 

Onward to the soup. With my trusty chopsticks I tried to pull out a noodle. This thing did not want to be caught. I would grasp and it would slip. I tried angling my chopsticks, poking the noodle and leveraging with a spoon. Finally I found some traction and pulled. 6 inches of noodle came out, then a foot, 2 feet and still more. I may be embellishing but this noodle could have been used as a soggy yard stick.

I contemplated the best possible way to eat the noodle, use a chomp and slurp technique, stuff the whole thing into my mouth or put it back in the bowl and grasp it in the middle? I wasn't going to let go and try catching the noodle a second time. I did not want it to warn it's noodle friends about me.

Quite possibly the most flattering photo of myself. The noodle is doubled over but it's still touching the bowl (which itself was huge)! 

I finally bit the bullet and took a bite. Chomping, slurp, move the chopsticks down the noodle and repeat. This worked until the noodle released its defense mechanism, heat. And I thought the salad was hot. My mouth was consumed by the heat of a thousand suns. A wave of flame consumed my body.  Fire coursed over my tongue and down my throat. Blood rushed to my face in order to cool my flame laden body. I slurped the noodle and took a gasp of air. Wow! Absolutely worth the heat. I blinked through the tears to look at my sister, I was red faced and happy. I grabbed for my water only to realize I forgot to ask for a glass. Onto the salad to cool off. Whoops, that's just as hot. To the soup, no to the salad, soup, salad, soup, salad, noodle, lamb face, cucumber, they all ended in flavor.

Eventually the point came where I could not take another bite. I put the soup and salad into separate bowls for later consumption. My sister and I walked out Xi'an and into the Chinatown Ice Cream Factory which was conveniently located next door. The green tea ice cream cooled my mouth. What a meal! Though during and at the end I was wearing some of it. At some point the flailing noodles flicked soup droplets onto my shirt. Lesson learned? never wear a white shirt when eating the world's longest noodles.


So if you're in New York City and have a cantankerin' hankerin' for heat and lamb, find Xi'an's in Chinatown. You won't regret it, just be sure to order a water.

Breeding Season 2012

(photo) Two Katahdin rams demonstrating a Cross Your Heart Harness (left ram) and a Nylon Harness (right ram). These rams were put in with the ewes on Sept. 1.

Though this year’s lamb crop is still in the drylot, that doesn't mean Premier isn’t thinking about next year’s lambs. A few rams have been in with a select group of ewes since September 1st. We expect the ewes to start lambing around January 8th.

(photo) Moments before the rams are let out, Chloe the guard dog runs off to inform the ewes that the “boys are back in town.”

We are starting the breeding season in September instead of November because we have access to more indoor lambing space than in years past. We cleaned out a warehouse which had formally been a lambing barn. With the lambing barn returned back to its original purpose, we are now able to lamb more ewes indoors. This provides us with more space for lambing jugs, which we are more than happy to take advantage.

(photo) The rams eventually made up to the hill where the ewes were eagerly awaiting. 

The breeding season doesn't exactly start as soon as the rams walk into the pasture with the ewes. During the summer, we brought in several rams to use this breeding season. They will add fresh genetics to our hair flock. We also need to make sure that our other rams are in top condition before heading out to the pasture. Once in a ewe filled pasture, rams tend to think about things other than eating and maintaining condition.

(photo) A few days after turning the rams out with the ewes. The orange marks are from the marking harnesses and crayons, an efficient way to determine which ewes have been bred and which have not. 

While we're picking the rams and plumping them up, the ewes are on pasture once their lambs are weaned. Those that are on the leaner side are sorted for condition and given a weight gaining ration. Some are culled depending on age and condition. A month prior to lambing, ewes are flushed. This means they receive excellent nutrition to help their bodies be at peak fertility for breeding. This will provide us with more lambs during lambing season.

We bring the flock in once a week to check and see which ewes have been bred. We are able to determine this by using marking harnesses with crayons or raddle marker. Marks allow us to better determine when a ewe is expected to lamb. We switch the crayons each time they are brought in. A switch in color tells us which ewes were bred later and which ones were remarked.

Other happenings at Premier…

(photo) The crayon marks stayed on the ewes even after a thunderstorm (background) rolled through. 

The recent rains have rejuvenated our pastures. They have changed from dead brown hues to lush greens. On our North Farm we are strip grazing a grass/clover pasture. Every few days the shepherds set up a few additional rolls of ElectroNet and graze the ewes on a fresh strip of grass.

(photo) Strip grazing on the North Farm. Using ElectroNet to subdivide a large pasture so the flock makes efficient use of all the grass available. 

We're also getting a few of our feeder lambs ready for sale. We'll be weighing them to determine which lambs are finished. We will also be taking notes as to which ear tags are in the lambs ears. When the lambs were born, we put in tags denoting their sire types (Hamp, Suffolk, Siremax or home raised). This will tell us which sires produced the heaviest lambs.

(photo) After one week, the sheep were brought in and the tags of bred ewes were read and documented. The crayons on the harnesses were switched from orange to green. Harness were readjusted as they tend to loosen during the first day or two of use. 

It's catalog season! We've spent the last few months preparing our Equipment catalog. You should see it in your mailbox around the 3rd week of October. If you're not on our catalog request list, sign up here. It has many new items including drenchers, ear tags, scales, a sling for weighing ewes and even a new crook!

Hope the starting months of Fall are treating you and your flocks well.
-Premier