Ram’n Acres looks to breed ‘super model’ Hampshires

By TIM KING The Land Correspondent

MONTICELLO, Minn. — Rodney Scheller, of Ram’n Acres, has been raising Hampshire sheep since his parents bought their first five “Hamp” ewes in the early 1980s. At the time, his parents were switching from raising Black Angus cattle to Shorthorns.

“The farm they purchased their first Shorthorns from also raised Hampshire sheep,” Scheller said. “They ended up buying five ewes from them to keep the grass eaten down in a grove of trees, so they didn’t have to mow it. There are seven kids in our family and we all had chores around the farm. I was assigned the sheep chores. And the rest is history.“

Ram’n Acres now has a registered Hampshire flock of 60 brood ewes, 15 replacement ewe lambs, and seven rams.

“The goal of my program is to sell breeding and show stock,” Scheller said. “I select for fast growing, heavy muscled sheep with substantial bone and foot size that are structurally correct and sound on the move with good Hampshire breed characteristics.”

Scheller says he looks for sheep that have some flare and extension to their front end for good eye appeal.

Accomplishing all that is an on-going project which evolves with each lamb crop.

“I always say I’m breeding for super models; but the majority don’t make the cut,” he said. “So, many end up at a livestock yard like Zumbrota or Sioux Falls. I also sell between 10 to 20 lambs a year to individuals for their personal freezer.”

The livestock yard and freezer sales can sometimes bring a good price; but that’s not Scheller’s objective.

“The top end of the ewe lamb crop each year is either kept for replacement ewes or for breeding sales,” he said. “Additionally, I only keep the best one or two rams for breeding or selling.”

One of those rams won the Minnesota Hampshire Sheep Association’s Champion Ram award for 2021 and 2022, at the organization’s annual show at the Martin County Fairgrounds in Fairmont.

“He is a structurally correct ram that excels in breed characteristics,” Scheller, describing the prize winning ram, said. “He has a straight spine and extremely high dock set and wide hip shape. He has good extension up front and is smooth on the walk.”

It pays to look good if you don’t want to end up in somebody’s freezer. But you also have to provide results.

“My first lambs for the 2023 season are twin ewe lambs sired by him and are very impressive at this point,” Scheller, who is MHSA president this year, said. “I’m excited to see if he continues to stamp his pattern on his future offspring.”

Twins, such as those sired by the MHSA champion ram, are common amongst Hampshire mothers and, in the Ram’n acres flock, a few sets of triplets are born every year.

In addition to that two time winner, another prize-winning ram from the Ram’n Acres breeding program was Hercules.

“He was the 2015 Reserve Senior Champion at the National Sheep Show in Louisville, Ky. The show is also known as N.A.I.L.E or the North American International Livestock Exposition,” Scheller said.

Passing on the genes of those champion rams is vital to the long range success of Scheller’s breeding program. But the genes from a lamb’s mother are also important.

“There are a hand full of ewes I consider stud ewes that annually produce the best lambs. Their lambs have a greater chance of being chosen as a replacement female,” he said.

Scheller refers to those top ewes and rams as having good Hampshire breed characteristics. He says a correct Hampshire should have wool on their legs and head with a shorter ear length.

“They should also have a shorter and wider muzzle and a clean fleece with no black fiber,” he said. “Hamps are known for having a larger leg bone and foot size.”

“A winner has flare,” he says. “I say they have “The Look”.

See HAMPSHIRES, pg. 11