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2023 National Rambouillet Sale held in South Dakota

by Wyoming Livestock Roundup

The 2023 National Rambouillet Show and Sale and National Junior Show were held June 22-24 at the South Dakota State Fairgrounds in Huron, S.D. Consignors from multiple states made the trip to Huron to consign some of the top genetics in the country.

Overall, 78 total head sold for an average of $1,019.49 per head with registered buyers from North Carolina, Texas, North Dakota, Minnesota, Kentucky, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Ohio, Missouri, Wisconsin, South Carolina, Kansas, Wyoming, Illinois, Indiana, Pennsylvania and Mexico. 

Top-selling rams

Auctioneer Casey Humble of Mud Butte, S.D. got the sale rolling with the top-selling ram, lot 44, a horned yearling ram consigned by Chapman Rambouillets of Bison, S.D., which was named the 2023 National Champion Ram in the national show judged by Travis Hoffman of Fargo, N.D. 

When the gavel dropped, the ram sold at $4,800 to the Grotegut Family of Texas. 

The 2023 Reserve National Champion Ram was also a South Dakota ram, an early fall ram lamb consigned by Marshall Sheep Company of Arlington, S.D. This ram went east to O’Banion Farms of Ohio at $1,900.

Other top rams were Chapman Rambouillets’ lot 43, which went to Chance Porsborg of North Dakota at $2,400, while another Marshall Sheep Company ram went to O’Banion Farms for $2,000. 

Dew Drop Farms of Minnesota sold lot 78 to Regehr Sheep of South Dakota for $2,400, while Benz Rambouillet of Kansas sent lot 10 to Kentucky to Mike and Dianne Hellwig for $3,500.

Dew Drop Farms’ lot 79, an early fall ram lamb, found a new home in North Carolina with Vivian Stephenson, who picked him up at $2,200. 

Chapman Rambouillets sent a January ram lamb to Minnesota to G String Ranch for $1,800. 

One February ram lamb was consigned by Red Barn Family Farm of Minnesota, and he went south to Texas to Sadie and Addie Buffe at $1,000.

Top-selling females

In the female portion of the sale, the 2023 National Champion Ewe was lot 81, a yearling ewe consigned by Dew Drop Farms. She went east to Vivian Stephenson at $3,500. 

A North Dakota yearling ewe, consigned by Lynn Frey, was named 2023 Reserve National Champion, and she was purchased at $2,400 by Moriah Geiser of Minnesota.

A nice consignment of yearling ewes averaged $923, while three pairs of yearling ewes averaged $1,290 per pair.

In the ewe lamb portion of the sale, lot 13F, consigned by Benz Rambouillet of Kansas went to the Grotegut Family at $1,600, while Wyatt Leib picked up a Joslin Family ewe at $900.

Cade Parker of Texas picked up the top January ewe lamb at $1,725 from Chapman Rambouillets, while the Grotegut Family also secured a Chapman Rambouillets ewe at $1,700.

Allison Shipp of Missouri purchased a Borcher Sheep Company ewe out of Wyoming at $1,100, while also finding a Joslin Family ewe for $1,000. 

The January ewe lambs had a nice average of $1,015 per head.

The top February ewe lamb was consigned by Borcher, and she went to Sadie and Addie Buffe at $1,000. Three pairs of ewe lambs went to three separate buyers, with the Grotegut Family picking up the top pair at $2,600 per pair.

National Junior Rambouillet Show

Prior to the 2023 National Show and Sale, the 2023 National Junior Rambouillet Show was held with 42 junior exhibitors representing six different states. 

Oklahoma’s Wyatt Leib’s yearling ram was named National Junior Champion Ram, while Kasandra Knutson of South Dakota had the National Reserve Champion Ram. 

In the ewe division, Avery Walton of Texas took home the champion title, and August Anderson of South Dakota claimed reserve.

Along with the National Junior Show, youth competed in a sheep dress up contest, a poster contest and a cornhole tournament. 

For the adults, the annual Sheepherders Classic Golf Competition was held with a group from North Dakota taking the top spot in a putt off for the championship. 

New this year was a salsa contest, with Weier Farm of South Dakota taking the top spot.

In the 2023 National Fleece Show, Chapman Rambouillets had the Champion Ram Fleece, and Estelle Cook of Cook Sisters Rambouillets won the title of Champion Ewe Fleece.

At the annual meeting, Darin Bauck of Minnesota was named the new American Rambouillet Sheep Breeders Association (ARSBA) president of the board of directors, while Stephen Munz of Texas was elected as vice president. Russell Rossiter of California was elected to fill the board role Munz vacated. 

During the award presentations and annual junior fundraiser auction, $9,000 was raised for the Burk and Bernie Lattimore Scholarship Program. For 2023, Allison Shipp and Moriah Geiser of Minnesota were named as scholarship recipients. 

Topping off the annual banquet was the presentation of the ARSBA Legacy Award to Estelle Cook for her many years as a top producer and advocate for the Rambouillet breed.

The ARSBA wishes to thank all the hosts from both South Dakota and North Dakota for all of their hard work and dedication in putting together this year’s event. Special thanks goes to local hosts Burton and Laura Anderson of Highmore, S.D. who worked very hard over the past year to make the event so successful. 

In addition, a huge thank you goes out to Nina Steinmetz of Hot Springs, S.D. for all her work in putting together the activities for the junior exhibitors. 

The ARSBA was very fortunate to have a great set of corporate and individual sponsors from both the greater South Dakota area as well as other parts of the country that made for an outstanding week.

The 2024 National Rambouillet events will be held in Stephenville, Texas in June 2024.

ARSBA has been committed to producing the highest quality meat and fleece available in one breed of sheep. This article is courtesy of ARSBA.

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