Midland Family is South Dakota Sheep Growers Monthly Feature

The South Dakota Sheep Growers Association is starting a monthly feature on young sheep producer families!
February's feature is Shad and Jenna Finn from Midland, SD.
Shad and Jenna said the primary reason they got into the sheep business was their family needed an additional source of income to pay for health care costs. They decided to buy 80 2-4 year old ewes from Faith Livestock in 2008. They began with Rambouillet/Columbia ewes and since have been using Rambouillet bucks from Chapman's. This fall, they decided to introduce Targhee into the flock and purchased several Targhee bucks from John Beastrom. They want to increase the wool quality and meat, and believe the Targhee breed can offer that as they are a dual-purpose breed. They have a shed lambing operation and begin lambing April 1st.

We asked Finn's about what changes they had to make to their operation to have sheep and they added 1 or 2 wires to all the fences where they run sheep. They market lambs in Platte and Faith as they feel both auctions have competitive markets. They consign their wool to Center of the Nation Wool in Belle Fourche. Recently, Finn's have expanded to 200 head of ewes and plan to stay at the number into the future as that works best for their operation. When asked how they feel about the future of the sheep industry, Jenna and Shad believe the industry is strong and they are proud to be a part of it! They added some advice for young producers who are considering a sheep enterprise - "We would greatly encourage young producers to get into the sheep business. It's the perfect way to diversify your operation.”

The Pioneer Review

221 E. Oak Street
Philip, SD 57567
Telephone: (605) 859-2516
E Mail: ads@pioneer-review.com

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