Cannon River Suffolks

12/10/2022

A message from the Board of Directors of our Suffolk registry.

Many questions have arisen from the public announcement of the formation of a new Suffolk sheep association in the United States yesterday. We are saddened that this has come about, but we need to add some clarity to the public conversation that has arisen.

The Board of Directors of the United Suffolk Sheep Association voted 9-2 to put to membership vote the question of how sheep will be presented at the National Suffolk Show and the National Suffolk Sale, with any change voted in taking effect in 2024. The two options the membership will vote on are either no change OR to be exhibited with 30 days or less fleece. The decision to put this to a membership vote was based on historical and current feedback from the membership and customers calling for that to happen. Copies of all these documents in their entirety are being sent to the membership this month, and they can all also be found online here on the USSA website: https://suffolks.org/wp/2022/ussa-strategic-planning/

Additionally, the Board voted to respect the vote of the membership. As a membership-driven organization, we feel regardless of any individual board member sentiment; this decision deserves a vote of the entire eligible membership. It is their National Show and their National Sale; they should get to decide.

USSA believes in and celebrates the Suffolk’s role in the greater sheep industry. Whether it be roaming public lands in the west breeding white-faced ewes as the foundation of the American lamb industry, in midwestern farm flocks, as youth projects, or in the most esteemed show rings in the country, we believe in the future of the Suffolk breed. The Suffolk ram’s role as the terminal sire of choice is of the utmost importance for our breed and the industry. With that, we understand that regardless of how a Suffolk sheep is presented, they should be large framed, muscular, structurally correct and fast growing.

We have made a tremendous investment in the last year to better serve our members. We have implemented Digital Suffolk the most technologically advanced sheep registry and production record-keeping program in the United States. The use of this program is a free service to USSA members.

Also, regardless of the outcome of this vote, the United Suffolk Sheep Association will remain more than just a registry. We will continue to provide membership benefits that include educational webinars, moderate the online Suffolk Sheep Marketplace, facilitate the online communication platform, maintain an informative website, and publish a comprehensive membership directory. In addition, we will continue to have designated office staff to provide one-on-one membership support, have a physical presence at industry-wide events such as the American Lamb Summit and the American Sheep Industry’s Genetic Stakeholder Committee, as well as have access to all of the historical registry information for the entire Suffolk breed.

Any member of the Board of Directors would be happy to discuss any of this further. Their contact information can be found here: https://suffolks.org/directors.html

11/04/2022

Today was shearing day! About half the flock will lamb in December, the other half in April. The December ewes are clearly putting on pregnancy weight. We’ll separate them out in a couple weeks to feed a late gestation ration.

10/11/2022

We went to the National Ram Sale to sell rams and brought home this ram from Banner Butte Suffolks to use this fall. We like his numbers which will add pieces to our flock. Pwwt: 7.04; Pemd: 2.45 and Carcass Plus 171.16.

08/19/2022

This pen of two range rams will be one of our consignments at the National Ram Sale on October 8. This is a set of twin December rams (DOB 12/31/21), whose dam was sired by our Van D**e ram in 2019 (in our current profile pic).

08/15/2022

One of our lot consignments at the National Ram Sale in Heber City, Utah, on October 8 will be this pen of December ‘21 ram lambs. We’re happy to be offering this pen of solid rams, built with growth, bone and muscle.

08/15/2022

We have a new logo! Thanks to Brendan at Plaid Gorilla Design for our new farm logo.

06/06/2022

Check out our entries in the USSA sale. Bidding open today only!

06/01/2022

We are offering this ram lamb in the USSA online sale, Monday, June 6. DOB: 12/26/21. NSIP enrolled.

05/20/2022

Cannon River 2225. Born 12/26/21. Sired by “Dirt Road”, our sire purchased from Bar-Zel Suffolks. We plan to offer him for sale on the next USSA Suffolks on-line sale, June 6. NSIP ID 6901222021002225.

03/09/2022

In the middle of March lambing yesterday, I took a morning to move the January lambs out of the lambing barn and to a new spot. This morning I took a minute to appreciate how well January lambing went, and how the lambs are looking and growing.

03/06/2022

We really like the muscle and bone volume added to our January lambs this year, mostly sired by a Bar-Zel ram we bought with Jeremy Geske.

03/05/2022

We started our spring lambing this week; haven’t taken a lot of photos yet on account of being focused on the work, but this morning had some time to take some pictures between ewes lambing. Of course, there’s always one little rascal climbing all over his mom when she’s trying to catch a break.

02/03/2022

I’m not the best at taking pictures of lambs while I’m doing chores, but this young ram just wanted to be photographed when it was -5 inside the barn at chore time. I hope to offer him for sale in Spencer in July.

01/08/2022

Yes... inside the barn temp for us this morning was -10.

***BREAKING NEWS***
Due to the cold weather there will be NO farms or ranches closed. Each and every farmer/rancher will be out in the blistering cold, blowing wind tending their livestock. They will be praying for machinery to work, non frozen waterers and warm healthy animals.
If you know or love a farmer/rancher Or if you ate yesterday and plan to today, Thank and Pray for the farmer/rancher.

01/01/2022

We finished a couple days of winter lambing yesterday. Most of the ewes were AI’ed to one of two of our NSIP rams, so we are looking forward to offering some of these for sale at the Center of the Nation Sale and National Ram Sale in 2022.

10/09/2021

Lot 51 at the National Ram Sale, sells today!
Wwt: 3.8
Pwwt: 8.2
Carcass Plus: 141.9
Online bidding at: cci.live
Text or call with questions: 612-963-4629

10/03/2021

We turned rams out over the weekend. Using a home grown January ram for cleanup of some ewes that were bred for January 2022 lambs.
And have a home grown yearling to start off on the mature ewe flock.

08/04/2021

It’s been a busy week here; the rams get some time with the ewes for January lambs, and we’re making our second cutting of hay.

06/03/2021

05/24/2021

At a few weeks old, this ram lamb started standing out among the crowd. His ADG at weaning was 1.30 lbs/day, and his adjusted 60 day weight was 110. His NSIP ID is 6901222021002125. His dam’s sire was a ram we bought from Jim Van D**e, and his sire is Leonidas. He certainly has bone, muscle and growth in his pedigree. He’ll likely be available in a pen of range rams at the National Ram Sale in October.

05/19/2021

Spent some extra therapeutic time in the barn this morning, evaluating buck lambs for upcoming sales. Overall happy with the lamb crop this year. Here’s a Spencer sale candidate, NSIP ID 6901222021002108. Represents the balance we’re targeting in our breeding goals, and is top 20% in several of the data categories.

04/06/2021

One of my front running favorite buck lambs this year really wanted a picture on social media. Cannon River 2103, sired by Leonidas. NSIP ID 6901222021002103. Wwt 4.9; Pwwt 9.5; SRC 116.3; Pretty balanced statistically, and in the top 15% for those three statistics.

04/06/2021

Tail end of lambing season, this 2018 ewe had a nice set of twins during chore time. Lambing is so much less stressful on April mornings that are 50 degrees than when we began lambing 5 weeks ago with temps just climbing out of -20. Three ewes left to go, two are Leonidas daughter ewe lambs.

04/05/2021

Broke down lambing pens and mixing pens this weekend, made the creep feeder bigger. Got an adventurous set of lambs this year, and it didn’t take long for them to discover the new feeder.

03/26/2021

Our 2021 Leonidas sired lambs aren’t quite 30 days old yet but I do like the way they are shaping up. As much as I’d love to keep every single one as keeper ewes, I can’t. So we will have Leonidas sired ewe lambs (and buck lambs) available for purchase at weaning in mid May. If you’re interested, PM or text me.

03/21/2021

The Sunday of our third weekend of March lambing started with a nice set of Leonidas sired triplet ewe lambs from a MSU 4154 daughter. She had them on her own, and fed, and had them bunched into a corner by the time I got to the barn for morning check and chores. Also pictured here at two days old is a Leonidas sired buck lamb from a ewe out of Mint Gold 5253, a ram we used for our 2018 lamb crop.

03/13/2021

We’re half done with lambing this spring, but this old ewe and her twin lambs made me nostalgic today. Known simply as 7, no tags- just a torn ear from where the tag tore out. She eight years old this spring. She’s always been the first to the feed pail, and she always been a good ewe, and a good mother. She had huge healthy lambs a week ago (17 lb ram, and a 16 lb ewe). She been slow and arthritic since a few days before lambing. I’m afraid this might be her last spring. But clearly she’s attentive to her lambs, and raising a couple that will get make it to the keeper pen.

03/02/2021

Our spring lambing season started over the weekend, with a bit of a bumpy start (set of undersized lambs, old ewe with no milk, etc.). But last night these two first time ewes lambed unassisted; with vigorous lambs that were up and nursing without assistance, alleviating some of the lambing stress we were experiencing. The set of twins are ewe lambs sired by Leonidas and are promising keeper ewes. The Polypay ewe lamb is part of our executive plan to replace the commercial ewes in the flock with registered NSIP Polypay ewes.

01/04/2021

The January hoarfrost makes some amazing photo opportunities.

12/20/2020

The farm is quite peaceful early mornings in late December with a rising sun, no wind, moderate temperatures and barely any snow cover. The ewes are quite content eating, resting and waiting for lambing in March.

10/18/2020

Working on the once a year project of moving last year’s bedding pile while the flock chills under the rustic leaves of the oak trees waiting for their winter quarters to be cleaned and ready.

10/04/2020

Started breeding for March lambs this weekend. Excited to be using Leonidas on lease from Jeremy Geske again; we have kept so many replacement ewe lambs sired by him this will be the last fall we use him. His lambs have always been impressive.

09/29/2020

Fall colors are starting to make their appearance in our pasture and around the river. We’ve exposed some ewes for a week long lambing season in January, and we will put rams out next week to get the rest of the ewes bred for March lambs.

08/23/2020

Some of our ewes on late summer pasture. With temps in the 90s today, I think they’re hoping cooler temps will arrive soon.

08/03/2020

Simple things of country living... ewes in the pasture and fresh cut hay.

06/21/2020

Our 2020 NSIP Sale entry, Cannon River 2041, is 105 days old today. DOB 3/8/2020, birth weight 14 lbs. Actual weight 6/21/20 is 165 lbs. Sired by Culham & Stevens’ 1367 which we own jointly with Jeremy Geske. Dam was a ewe lamb sired by our Van D**e ram, which isn’t an NSIP ram. NSIP ID is 6901222020002041. I’ve always liked his bone, muscle, size, and rate of gain. His flaw? He tested QR at Condon 171, but if you’re breeding commercial ewes, he won’t disappoint.

06/20/2020

Yearling ram for sale. PM me for details.

06/07/2020

We appreciate your business, I expect him to do well for you. At 88 days old, he weighed 121 pounds, and had an ADG of 1.25 lbs/ day.

We are excited to add this guy CR2006RR to our flock. John Scott Cannon River Suffolk’s ewe bred to Geske JMG 1715 “Leonidas”. He will have his own set of ewes this fall.

06/07/2020

We do have assorted March born NSIP Suffolk Rams first sale. PM, Email, or call for availability and information. John 612-963-4629.