Oregon Sheep Connection

01/06/2026

05/07/2025

A large barn with 170 pregnant ewes inside burned early Monday morning on a ranch near Wright, Wyoming. The rancher said the barn was fine at 4:30, then…

05/01/2025

🌟 Don't Miss Out! 🌟 Join us at the **2025 American Lamb Summit**! Register now to engage with industry leaders and 10+ sheep extension specialists as we explore new trends and opportunities to enhance the US sheep market. 🐑✨

📅 **2025 American Lamb Summit Event Highlights:**
- **Expert Moderators:** Dr. Phil Bass & Maggie O'Quinn lead discussions on aligning with consumer desires.
- **Pasture Walk with Woody Lane:** Get insights on forage and grazing. 🌱
- **Small Group Discussions:** Participate in tailored discussions on relevant topics.

📍 Location: University of Idaho
🍽️ Registration Fee: $150 (includes meals & transport)
💵 Young entrepreneur discount available!
🏨 Stay at the Best Western for $159/night.

👉 Don’t wait! Spaces are limited. Register today!


🔥 Ready to elevate your sheep industry knowledge and connections? Join us at the **2025 American Lamb Summit!** Learn from top experts and network with fellow sheep enthusiasts.

✨ Highlights:
- Moderated by industry leaders
- Hands-on experiences in the Meat Lab
- Small group debates on current topics

📌 **When:** July 23-25, 2025
📌 **Where:** University of Idaho
✅ **Registration Fee:** $150 (includes meals)
💡 Don’t miss the *young entrepreneur discount*!

👀 Hurry, register now! Limited spots available!

04/22/2025

THE JOHN PEAVEY LEGACY FUND STUDENT SCHOLARSHIP 2025

The Trailing of the Sheep Festival is pleased to announce the inaugural year of distribution of an annual scholarship in honor of John Peavey. With an application due date of May 31, 2025, the recipient of this scholarship will be awarded $500.00 for the 2025-2026 academic year. The recipient may use the funds for college or trade school related expenses including tuition, fees, housing, and books while pursuing a degree or certificate in the field of Agriculture.

An icon of the Sun Valley community, John actively kept up his work and fostered his passions until his passing in June of 2024, at the age of 90. While he had many impressive achievements throughout his life - as a family man, rancher, national agricultural advocate, and Idaho State Senator - the Trailing of the Sheep Festival was very special to him as it allowed him to share his love of the sheep, the land, and his many stories which helped educate and inspire both local residents and visitors from around the world.

We encourage any qualified student to apply and feel free to forward this to anyone who might be interested. We look forward to announcing the scholarship winner later this summer!

(Click the button below for more information including eligibility details, application form and more.)
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1ScL8c82VweaTgUeLjQUZrGgYV-ZomhYO_LKO8HoDM5E/viewform?blm_aid=22273&edit_requested=true

02/23/2025

🏆 San Angelo Reserve Champion 🏆
Cunningham ram shown by Parker Munz. Well done, Parker!

02/01/2025

Sheep have been intertwined with human livelihoods for over 11,000 years. As well as meat, their domestication led to humans being nourished by their protein-rich milk and clothed by warm, water-resistant fabrics made from their wool.

12/31/2024

This is what an early 20th Century traffic jam looked like in Redmond, Oregon. 🐑 Note the "traffic" being blocked at the end of the bridge. 😄
The flock in this image is crossing a bridge over the Deschutes River, likely in the the mid to late summer, based on the low water in the river. We'll leave the rest of the story to the experts:

From the A.R. Bowman Memorial Museum & Crook County Historical Society in Prineville, "Hundreds of thousands of sheep were raised in Central Oregon prior to the turn of the 20th century. A major operation of the sheep industry was shearing. Shearing operations typically began in May. Shearers were specialized laborers that traveled in crews of from eight to twelve. Each man could shear an average of 100 sheep a day.
The early shearers used hand shears that were sharpened on grindstones. The shear blades were so sharp that fleece could be cut by merely pushing the shears through the fleece. A typical shearer would earn six or seven cents per head of sheep sheared.
Shearing plants were established at central locations. Once the sheep were sheared the wool was packed into large canvas bags and sewn shut. The bags would then be loaded on wagons and shipped to the nearest rail line. After 1900 Shaniko became the world’s largest wool shipping railhead. A constant flow of wagons was driven to Shaniko and then shipped by rail mostly to eastern markets."

12/27/2024

12/27/2024

CACHE VALLEY VIRUS CAN BE DIFFICULT TO PREVENT IN SHEEP FLOCKS

Several recent cases of stillborn and aborted sheep fetuses have been linked to Cache Valley Virus. Mosquito-borne viruses are difficult to avoid, but one option is to alter the breeding schedule so that sheep are not in the early pregnancy period during the high-risk mosquito season.

https://www.producer.com/livestock/cache-valley-virus-can-be-difficult-to-prevent-in-sheep-flocks/

12/17/2024

Horse racing at the Oregon State Fair in Salem, Oregon, 1946
This photo shows horse racing at the race track at the State Fair in Salem in Marion County, Oregon, 1946. In 1861, the first Oregon State Fair was sponsored by the Oregon State Agricultural Society and the Oregon Fruit Growers Association and was held in Oregon City. The Fair has been held in Salem since 1862. [see OAG0572-575]