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A Publication of the Wisconsin Sheep Breeders Cooperative
Fall 2014 Volume 26, Number 4
A new look is coming to The Wisconsin Shepherd for the Winter 2015 issue
Badger Production Rudy Erickson Sale Sets Record The 2014 Badger Production Sale was held Sunday, September 21, at the Arlington Ag Research Station and featured sheep born and raised at University of Wisconsin’s Animal Science Sheep Unit. The sale offering of 45 ewe lambs and 6 rams averaged $450 per head, the highest per head average in the seven years of the sale. The sale is organized, run, and staffed by students from the University of WisconsinMadison as an opportunity to learn merchandising skills by marketing sheep from the purebred flocks of the Department of Animal Sciences. This year’s student organizers, Kortney Groeschl, Lisa Grulke, Douglas Lee, Beth Miller, Megan Mezera, Ashley Sendelbach, Samantha Toth and Emily Weaver were supervised by Todd Taylor, Manager of the Arlington Sheep Research and Teaching Unit (toddtaylor@wisc.edu); Bernie O’Rourke, Extension Livestock Youth Specialist (borourke2@ ansci.wisc.edu); and Dr. Dave See Record on Page 2
January 3, 1938 – October 2, 2014
The annual Badger Production Sale is organized, run and staffed by students from the University of Wisconsin-Madison as an opportunity to to obtain merchandising skills by marketing sheep from the purebred flocks of the Department of Animal Sciences. Front row, (l. to r.) Ashley Sendelbach, Emily Weaver, Samantha Toth, Douglas Lee, Lisa Grulke, Beth Miller, Kortney Groeschl, Megan Mezera. Back row, Derald Stronach (Animal Research Technician, Arlington Sheep Unit), Bob Johnson, Badger Auction Service, Todd taylpor (Arlington Sheep Unit Manager), Tom Murphy (Ph,D. Animal Sciences Graduate Student), Dave Thomas (Professor of Animal Sciences), Emily Petzel (Animal Sciences student and Arlington Sheep Unit student employee), Justin Taylor and Hayden Taylor. Members of the UW-Madison Vet School Small Ruminant Club also assisted with the sale.
Shepherd’s Auction: A Success Story
Wisconsin Secretary of Agriculture Ben Brancel opened the Shepherd's Auction at the Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival by announcing the 2014 Wisconsin Sheep Breeders Cooperative scholarship recipients, Robyn Wittkopf, of Pewaukee and Jessica Taylor, Arlington. The auction proceeds support the cooperative's youth education efforts and annual scholarships. Shown with Brancel (l.) is Robyn Wittkopf, and (l. auctioneer's stand) Tim Miller, Auction Coordinator and Bob Johnson, Badger Auction Service.
(Jefferson) The Wisconsin Sheep Breeders Co-op (WSBC) reports that the Shepherd’s Auction held at the recent Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival was a major success,
raising close to $7000 for youth and education activities. Tim Miller, Auction Coordinator and WSBC director, thanked auction contributors and buyers for their generous support, indicating that
an additional $3000 was brought in from the many items donated to the Silent Auction by Country Store and other festival vendors. Miller was enthusiastic at the generous response saying, “The monies earned from these two auctions allow the WSBC Board to reach even further and deeper, financially supporting youth and adults alike who are interested in the fiber arts and sustainable sheep production.” Over 120 buyers registered for the live auction which started off with a $100 “Free Bid” drawing, building enthusiasm under the gavel of auctioneer Bob Johnson of Badger Auction Service. Wisconsin Department of Agriculture Trade & Consumer Protection Secretary Ben Brancel kicked off the live auction with a presentation of the 2014 WSBC See Auction on Page 15
Rudolph A. Erickson, age 76, of Wilson, Wis., died at his home on Thursday, Oct. 2, 2014, after a short illness. A Memorial Funeral service for Rudy was held on Tuesday, October 7 at 11:00 a.m. at St Bridget’s Catholic Church, Wilson, Wisconsin, with burial in St. Bridget Catholic Church Cemetery. Rudy was born Jan. 3, 1938, to Rudolph W. and Dorothy L. (Heisterkamp) Erickson in Evergreen Township near Spooner, Wis. He graduated from Spooner High School in 1955 and enrolled at the University of Wisconsin-Madison at age 17, graduating in 1959 with a bachelor’s degree in animal science. He completed a Master’s Degree in animal science at UWMadison in 1969. Rudy was joined in marriage to Martha Ann Prem of Plain, Wis., on Feb. 20, 1960, at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey. He served as a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Signal Corps and was stationed at various Army bases, including Fort Knox, Kentucky. After being discharged in 1962, Rudy was employed as a fieldman for Central Livestock Association for 4 years, and later served as the interim UWExtension agriculture agent and the interim 4-H agent in Dunn County for 2 years. In 1969, he was hired as the farm manager of the UW-River Falls lab farms, a position he held for 27 years until his retirement in 1996. While at UW-River Falls, Rudy also held a part-time appointment as a UWExtension livestock specialist. In that role, he judged numerous
county fair livestock and carcass shows, taught sheep clinics around the state, was a sheep shearing instructor for many years, and judged state fair wool and shearing contests. Rudy had a life-long passion for sheep, starting when he was a member of the Evergreen Valley 4-H Club and later as a Spooner FFA member. During high school, he worked at the UW Spooner Agricultural Research Station when the first Targhee sheep were introduced into Wisconsin. After buying his own farm, Rudy purchased a flock of sheep, which included the two rams that he had helped unload at the Spooner railroad yard for the research station. Rudy continued raising sheep for more than 60 years, selling the last of his flock in the fall of 2010. Along with raising sheep, he had a herd of Polled Hereford cattle from the early 1960s to the present, along with having a few pigs, chickens, rabbits, geese, pheasants, cats and border collies. Over the years, Rudy was involved with the following sheep organizations, often serving as an officer or board member: National Targhee Sheep Association, Wisconsin Targhee Sheep Association, Wisconsin Columbia Sheep Association, Wisconsin Hampshire Sheep Association, Wisconsin Sheep Breeders Cooperative, Indianhead Sheep Association, and Mid-States Wool Cooperative. He also was active in the Wisconsin Cattlemen’s Association, Northern Wisconsin Beef Producers, Wisconsin Polled Hereford Association, See Erickson on Page 8