BRAD ROEDER from our president:

Hello Dorper Breeders,

I would like to start by talking about what an incredible run the Dorper breed has had over the last 20 years that I have been a part of. The Dorper / Hair sheep breeds now dominate the local sale barns, with the vast majority of these going to the ethnic markets. This is an excellent testament to the hardiness of the Dorper breed. We have also made incredible inroads into the show ring with a major presence in the youth and open show. I know the show ring can take animals in the wrong direction, but the youth experience and exposure to the breed has been a major plus.

The Society continues to make significant investments in bringing some of the best minds from South Africa to judge a portion of our major sales/shows, teach our Dorper courses, and inspect sheep. Hopefully, with the next round, we can certify more judges, as our list has become somewhat stagnant with Covid shutting down our schools. If we don’t get more judges certified over the next year or two, we will need to examine our courses and make some hard, and no doubt heated, discussions on the right path forward. Our national sale in Duncan, Oklahoma, brought in just under the million-dollar mark, thanks to all the quality sheep our breeders are letting go of. This also speaks highly of the demand for Dorper sheep across the country, with new breeders coming online weekly.

Please check out one of our wonderful shows or sales at Ft Worth in late January, The Western State Sale in late May in Reno, the Mid-American Sale in Duncan in mid-April, the Southern States Sale in Cookeville in mid-July, the Hill Country Sale in Fredericksburg in mid-September, NAILE in Nov or one of the many regional shows and sales around the country. At the shows and sales, you can visit with breeders, participate in youth events, and enjoy the fellowship of the Dorper Family.

Some of the things I want to see worked on are sales for more range-ready rams to help service our commercial producer, selection of internal parasite resistance through FECAL Egg counts, and highlighting our producers who are doing value-added by selling lamb cuts directly to consumers. All these things take time, manpower, and resources to develop, but I think are a necessity if we want to stay at the forefront of the breeds in the US.

The Dorper business is very diverse and has a lot of different avenues for profitability. It will be exciting to see where the Dorper breed will take us in the next 20 years.

Sincerely,

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