2018-2022 Review

 

2022 we stayed on the farm, and had a big year of sales.  See the buyers last few years tab; for lambing outcomes, see the health tab.   We had been preparing for Graeme’s retirement as of Sept 1, but some time before that it became apparent that the person we’d chosen to succeed him had sustained an injury that made it prudent to withdraw. Graeme graciously agreed to stay on another eight months after “retirement” on a slightly less than F/T basis while we reopened a search.  To make his life easier in early 2023, we ran the ewes with rams only for a short time, to abbreviate the lambing season.  In Feb 2023 we greeted nine lambs from seven ewes, with all three rams represented.

2021 was very quiet.  We did not go to any shows, had a nice time down on the farm. Lambing outcomes are shown elsewhere under the health tab.   Sales  of purebred breeding stock are listed under the buyers last few years tab. In fall 2022 we exposed ewes for only one cycle.  We wanted  to have fewer giving birth in the spring  to make life a little easier for Graeme.  He had been planning on retiring in September, but when a hitch came up he graciously agreed to stay through April on an almost full-time basis.

2020 was the plague year of covid 19.  There were almost no shows anywhere and scant interest in buying  sheep  except from those planning for the future.  Fortunately, Graeme and Paula were covidgilant ; so,  the essential Graeme never missed a day here.  One learning experience from this year of continuing climate breakdown was the time in July when a ewe lamb wasn’t eating, had a temp of 105.5.  She was still 104 next day after antimicrobial treatment.  Another one or two were off feed that day. They had high temps that didn’t respond to Rx either.  We checked every lamb in the group; they were all febrile, many over 104.  Most were behaving  normally.  Long story short, we decided they must be hyperthermic due to ambient temperatures.  Our shearer, Colin Siegmund, raced over to shear all the lambs.  Lambs’ temps were  normal next day.       Books say that sheep in full fleece should not suffer in hot weather  if  they have plenty of shade and plenty of water,  as ours did. This experience made us doubt that wisdom.  It was hotter than we’d realized.  Across the mid-Atlantic states July 2020 broke the 125-year record for average daily temperature.  The fleeces in July were of course of shorter staple length than they would have been later; on the other hand if they’d stayed on there would have been wool break.  We’ll plan to shear the 2021 lambs in late spring, anticipating another very hot summer.  The 2020 cohort is now off  schedule for  the  twice-a year shearing we usually do with al the sheep except over age one year.  They will be shorn in May.

 

Anchorage Farm  did not take sheep to the Maryland Sheep and  Wool Festival in 2019. after a run of twenty-five years with only  a year or two skipped.  Nor did we go to the Great Lakes Show and Sale, nor  the Big E nor  the NYS Sheep and Wool Festival, our former haunts.  All our purebred sales were from the farm, and are likely to be that way from now on.  We did sell fleeces at the NYSSWF.  Below is the text of  our ad in the Dec 2019 Romney Ramblings. 

                                                                      RECESSIVE-COLORED       WHITE        DOMINANT-COLORED

                                                                                 “We do not show anymore…….but our genetics sure do”

Congratulations to the following Romney breeders for their faith in our breeding program!

Pitchfork Ranch, Michigan:  Supreme White Ewe 2019 New York State Sheep & Wool Festival  w/ Anchorage Bloodlines 

Melissa Cunningham, Connecticut : Supreme Fleece 2019 Big E on a fleece from “Jake”  Supreme Ram at Goshen and Durham Fairs   Sire of “Jake” is Anchorage 1421B, recessively-colored

Courtney Lyman, Massachusetts: Lyman 1801—Best Natural-colored  Fleece 2018 NAILE Junior Show   Lyman 1802 was  Champion Natural- colored  Romney Ewe NEYSS & Sussex, NJ  These twin ewes are out of an Anchorage ewe.

Tabitha Westermann, New Jersey: Champion & Reserve  Champion Romney Ewe -2019 Sussex, NJ  4-H Show   Champion Romney Ram -2019 Sussex, NJ 4-H Show    These three  are all Anchorage breeding

Penny Freeman Kemp, Connecticut:  Anchorage Farm 1661 was Champion Ram and Best Fleeced  at 2019 New Jersey Sheep & Fiber Festival and  Champion Ram at local 4-H Show.

Kylee Cole, New York:  Anchorage 1664  Reserve Champion Natural Colored Longwool Ewe at Dutchess County Fair

 

2018

At the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival in May we sold two ewe lambs and a recessively-colored ram lamb through the  sale. In the white Romney  show   we had 3rd yearling ram and 3rd pair of yearling ewes. In the natural colored Romney show we had 2nd yearling ram, 1st and 6th yearling ewes (second pair); Junior ewe lambs 2nd and 3rd with 2nd pair of natural-colored ewe lambs.  Second flock.

It’s always a delight to hear about a second or third  generation of  sheep with some Anchorage background.  We heard from Misty Rose Farm (Allison Seyfert Streaker ) recently that at the Maryland State Fair Misty Rose had  Champion Ewe,  Reserve Champion Ewe, Champion Ram, and Best Fleece in the Natural Colored Long Wool show.  Allison wrote  that the  yearling ram and yearling ewe were sired by her Jordan (Anchorage 963B-11) and that the ewe lamb”Frankie,” who also had best fleece in class, is Anchorage 1591B-18 that she had bought at the MD S&W Festival  auction in May. Congratulations Allison and thanks for the shout-out.

Tabitha Westermann took her ewe lamb Lumi (Anchorage 1600-18) and ram lamb Winston (Anchorage 1568B-18) to The Garden State Sheep and Fiber Festival in September. Tabitha was Ch Junior showman.  Lumi was first ewe lamb in the long wool division and Winston 1st ram lamb in that division. Strong work all around and thanks to Tabitha and her family for sending the good news.

Norma Johnson took the recessively-colored ram lamb she got from us this year to the Washington County Fair where he was Ch natural-colored ram.  Thank you, Norma, for having the boldness to go toward recessive color.

 

In  2017  we did not go to Maryland,  because our truck could no longer pull.

At the  ARBA National Show (Garden State Sheep and Fiber Festival in September),  under judge Dr Geoff Ruppert,  we had the National Ch. white ewe  with our lamb Anchorage 1495-17. She is pictured  below.

Natl Ch ewe white Romney 2017

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                        

 

 

                      

Our white ram lamb 1514 -17 (pictured below ) was Res. National Ch.  white   ram and best -fleeced white Romney.  He, like the ewe lamb,   is by  Smiling Sheep 145.    Thanks,  Chapins,   for sending us  this outstanding ram.                                                                                                                                                                                                              Res Natl Ch white Romney ram and best-fleeced at National Show 2017                                                                                       .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These two lambs and their natural-colored  flockmates went  to  Rhinebeck  Oct 21. Here’s what happened:

Brief background for those not familiar with the Sheep Show at the New York State Sheep and Wool Festival.  It’s not organized by individual breeds.  Instead,  color (white or natural-colored) and wool type (“fine,” “medium” or “long”) define six separate shows that merge at the end in the selection of a supreme champion for each color and sex across the three divisions of wool type.  The “long” groups are usually the biggest in each color.  Romney, Lincoln, Border Leicester, Shetland and Cotswold are typically most numerous, with some years featuring Blue-faced Leicester, Teeswater,  NC Cheviots,  Wensleydale, and Karakul.    We bring only lambs to this show.

In 2017  NYSSWF show under judge Woody Gilson we had

  • Champion White Long Wool Ewe.  She was Anchorage 1495, who was also the 2017 ARBA National Ch. White  Ewe.
  • Reserve Champion White Long Wool Ram with Anchorage 1514, who was also the Reserve Champion ram of the 2017 ARBA National White show.
  • Anchorage 1485   was the  Champion Natural-colored Long Wool Ewe
  • Anchorage 1486  Champion Natural-colored Long Wool Ram then  Supreme Champion Natural-colored Ram (pictured below
  • Sup Ch Nat-colored ram
  •                 Supreme Champion  Natural-colored Ram  2017                     photo by Lauren Drum
    • In the Natural-colored Long Wool Division we also had First Pair of Ewe Lambs and First Pen of Three Lambs.

    In the NYS Bred Ewe and Ewe Lamb Sale we had Champion and Reserve Champion White Romney and the top-selling Romney Ewe

    The Festival has a fleece sale, with over 700 fleeces judged before the doors open in categories of color (White or natural-colored) and the judges’ eye-and-hand classification of wool type (fine, medium, long and primitive).  Fleeces are entered in the given name of the consignor, not a farm name.  In 2017,  Lizbeth Shafer had third in Natural-colored Medium (a Romney fleece) and third in White Long, while Stephen Shafer had first in White Long.

    Thank you, Graeme Stewart, our redoubtable manager!

 

In  2016  we only went to one show,  but take great satisfaction and pride in what young people did with sheep they had bought from us and the progeny of those sheep.

Phebe Alley

Anchorage 1314 natural colored (n/c) yearling ewe

        New England Youth Sheep Show (NEYSS) 4th N/C Yearling Ewe          

Anchorage 1422 white ewe lamb

       NYS Fair  open class 1st place Jr. Ewe Lamb and  Reserve Champion Ewe

Abigail Crisp

White ewe lamb out of ewe Anchorage 1007BW-11 Tw n/c (bought at       2015 NYS       Bred Ewe Sale) sired by Pitchfork Ranch 721 n/c

        Dutchess County Fair 4H 1st place Jr Ewe Lamb and Res. Ch. Ewe

        Dutchess County Fair open class Res. Ch. Romney Ewe and Best Headed Romney

Shelby Crisp

 Natural-colored ram lamb out of ewe  Anchorage 1007BW-11 Tw n/c (bought at 2015     NYS Bred Ewe Sale)

            Dutchess County Fair 4H Champion Natural-colored Ram

Melissa Cunningham-

Anchorage 1421-16BB, recessively colored (Adbl Aa)  ram lamb.

             NEYSS    3rd Intermediate Ram Lamb
            Terryville Fair (CT) Supreme Ram
            Goshen Fair (CT)     Res. Supreme Ram
            Durham Fair (CT)    Res. Ch. Romney Ram
            Portland Fair (CT)    Res. Supreme Ram

Mackenzie Joray

Anchorage 1353-15           
            Terryville Fair (CT) 1st Natural-colored yearling Romney ewe
            Goshen Fair (CT)     1st Natural-colored yearling Romney ewe
            Bethlehem Fair (CT)  1st Natural-colored yearling Romney ewe

Courtney Lyman

Anchorage F-1392 n/c Ewe lamb
              NEYSS 4th place ewe lamb
               Big E Junior Show 1st  Senior Ewe Lamb
               Woodstock Fair 1st Senior Ewe Lamb

               Natural-colored Romney Futurity winner

 
Josh Neumann

Anchorage -1351BB-15 n/c yearling ram
              Southern Adirondack Fiber Festival Junior Show Champion Ram 

               Southern Adirondack Fiber Festival Open Show  Res. Ch. Ram
Anchorage 1393 n/c ewe lamb

               Southern Adirondack Fiber Festival Best N/C Fleece both Jr. and Open Show
Penny Freeman

Home-bred ewe lamb out of  her Anchorage ewe  

              Terryville Fair (CT)  Supreme Ewe and Res. Ch. Fleece

Nate Trojanoski.

 Natural-colored  yearling ram out of AF-1180 (highest selling Romney ever at NYS Bred  Ewe and Ewe Lamb Sale 2013)  sired by  Pitchfork Ranch 721 n/c

                Durham Fair (CT) Supreme Champion  Ram

                NAILE Fleece Show Res. Ch. Natural Colored Fleece