As I wait for our first ewe to lamb, I am contimplating all of the things I need to make this year successful.  There are the simple things like towels, tubing equipment, nutradrench, bottle and nipples, iodine, and vacines for the new babies.  The list seems to go on forever and this year I am just a tad bit more stressed about questioning if I have everything in place and ready to go.

One might ask why, since I have been lambing sheep out going on more than 30 years, however I am missing one essential component-my Mom.  Getting past the emotional fact this is my first lambing season without her there are still all of things she quietly did that I really did not pay mcuh attention to.  Case in point, Mom was always our pharmicist and supply precurement person in addition to the record keeper.  This has all become very apparent recently as I have had to make my own list of ewe due dates as well as wonder if I have all of the necessary supplies to pull off lambing out our handful of ewes this year.

So as I was pondering a subject for my post today, it hit me, why not ask my fellow sheep peeps on Oregon Sheep Connection to share their many years of combined knowledge about what they keep in their lambing season toolboxes.  It makes perfect sense as I have been seeing this happen on and off for a couple years on Facebook when friends are having stressful barn moments and choose to share with their friends.  It never fails there are a number of friends willing to pop up with solutions, hugs, and general moral support.

One of my favorite things in my tool box is a wonderful book given to me as a Crhistmas gift by fellow sheep peep and administrator Correy McAtee.  Call it self preservation on her part as I had taken over posession of her copy of the book for a number of years.  The book is called Managing Your Ewe and Her Newborn Lambs written by Laura Lawson.  For me it is has been litterally a lifesaver bringing a number of lambs back from the brink of death.

As I look towards closing this post, I am curious to see responses about what the different shepherds think are their most valuable lambing season tools.  Feel free to list two or three or even more, but just out of curiosity, what is in your lambing season toolbox?

I received an email from fellow shepherd and industry leader Margaret Magruder tonight.  I, like many others consider Margaret as a pioneer of our industry.  Not so much for her age, as she is rather young, but because she is an innovator and a leader.  Instead of following the trends, she is the one at the front of the path blazing the trail for the rest of us to follow and grow from her efforts.

I personally consider her an amazing leader, not only on our state front, but she is tremendously well-respected and loved by many across the nation.  Serving on almost every major sheep related board in our state during her career, Margaret has also used her talents to represent our fine state on a number of national boards and committees such as the American Lamb Board.  Her legacy on the industry is not only one of being a tremendous shepherd, but also that of being a beloved leader, mentor and an innovator.

As the co-owner of  Oregon Shepherd http://www.oregonshepherd.com/ , Magruder and her partner proudly developed and own an Oregon-based company producing environmentally friendly insulation from wool.  This in its own is enough to focus a whole post on, but it is the next innovative idea that came from this unique business that may come in handy right now for a number of shepherds in the throes of lambing.

It was at the Oregon Sheep Growers Convention this past December that Margaret debuted her latest idea—a lamb warming blanket made from her amazing felted wool products.  You can use this innovative and inexpensive product to keep your newborn lambs and goats warm and dry until they get on their feet.  With so many advantages to many traditional heating methods, this affordable little blanket just may be the key to keeping cash in your pocket in the long run.  For more information about these great blankets, check out the Oregon Sheep Connection “For Sale” Page.

While doing chores this evening I stopped to observe several flocks of geese making their nightly pilgrimage from their daily feeding grounds to the nearby pond.  Although this is not an uncommon winter sight and after years of watching this procession go by at chore time it rarely catches my attention.  However on this gray, blustery evening I had to stop and watch their intriguing behavior.

Maybe it was the wind gusts or maybe it was just indecision on the part of the leadership, but it seemed as if their group was trying to go in different directions and frankly not getting much of anywhere in the process.  As I stood their and pondered this unusual behavior I soon realized that their behavior was not much different than ours.  How you might ask?  Well the answer is actually quite simple.  We will go nowhere in the face of adversity if there is no clear-cut leadership and goals.

So as I watched our downy friends dance through the clouds I saw some amazing things happen.  First the smaller groups flying outside of formation naturally gravitated towards the larger groups in formation.  Once in formation the new additions seemed to rearrange the shape of the geese’s flight pattern into a new blob only to have it level out into a beautiful “v” shape quickly and efficiently.  Then as you could see the geese physically start to struggle with wind gusts the leaders would change altitude to ease the load of their flock.

As I watched these geese fly away towards the butte I realized the simple lessons we can easily apply to our flock.  First and foremost we need to bring our smaller groups/segments together to find a common goal to strengthen our industry.  We need to be one “Oregon Sheep Industry”.   By doing so it will spreadout our workload and give us a great constituency to get our word out.  Secondly our leadership needs to know where they are going and how to effectively absorb all of the different segments by realizing everyone involved brings a value to the industry.  Finally, in the face of adversity we must be flexible enough in our thinking to occasionally change course and still stick together as an industry.

Bottom line, by working together for a common cause we can make great strides!  Maybe it is time to take a lesson from fine feathered friends and get our flock into formation!  Are you game?

Okay Folks,

I am a bit behind and a bit out of creative forces as I make this post.  I have to admit Christmas break which could also be labeled as “Christmas hibernation” has taken its toll on my creative writing.  However I came across a post on our local television station that piqued my interest.

According to the story on the ktvz.com website http://www.ktvz.com/news/30093282/detail.html , hunters can now donate to predator control programs in their counties.

Although this may not particularly affect you personally there are several fellow shepherds that take a great hit to predators every year.  If you need face-to-face testimony or at least phone-to-phone testimony just let me know and I will hook you up with a name and number.

How can you help?  Pass on this story and website through social media!  It is quick, it is simple and best of all it is free!

Do your part and help out your fellow shepherds!   Get the word out to the people in your county that this is an important issue that needs their support.  If we don’t support our local programs we will eventually lose them!

I did my part by sharing it on Facebook.  I challenge you to do your part!