SONORA — The Annual Ram Performance Test Field Day and Sale is set for March 18 at the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station here. The station is located between Sonora and Rocksprings on Hwy 55.
Approximately 219 Rambouillet rams are expected to complete this year’s test. The top 30 percent will be eligible for the field day’s sale. The animals offered for sale will be certified Rambouillet rams and non-registered rams meeting the certification standards.
“We have an excellent set of rams on test this year,” said Dr. Dan Waldron San Angelo-based Experiment Station researcher and the test’s coordinator. “Our numbers are up, indicating optimism in the sheep industry.
“We also have a few new breeders with some outstanding animals and genetics participating in this year’s test, which I am happy to see. These rams are from some of the world’s top flocks. Buying one or several should be a positive addition to any West Texas sheep operation.”
Participants are invited to inspect the rams and their performance data the day of the field day and sale. Lunch will be sponsored by the Sutton County 4-H Club from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. An educational program is scheduled after lunch prior to the sale. The program will feature an update from Rancher’s Lamb of Texas Manager Wayne Snyder, an update on current sheep breeding research, a report on the Pasture-to-Packer Program, an overview of the test, and the awarding of Certified Ram Certificates by the American Rambouillet Sheep Breeders Association.
The 2 p.m. sale of the performance tested rams concludes the day’s activities. Dr. Frank Craddock, Extension sheep and goat specialist at San Angelo, will direct the sale. Advance copies of the test data are available from Waldron.
For further information contact Waldron or Craddock at (915) 653-4576 or Don Spiller at (915) 387-3168.
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