WWGA executive director shares excitement for the Wyoming State Ram Sale
It’s ram sale season in the West! This is no doubt one of my favorite times of the year. The weather starts to change, lambs are being shipped and sheep producers across the West are getting their rams dialed in for ram sale week in mid-September.
The Wyoming Wool Growers Association (WWGA) is excited to welcome producers to our 94th Annual Wyoming State Ram Sale on Sept. 13 in Douglas.
I am the new executive director for WWGA and would love to meet you there at my first Wyoming Ram Sale, the premier range ram sale in the West! I developed a love for range rams in North Dakota while assisting with the Dakota Ram Test and working with a commercial Rambouillet flock, both at the Hettinger Research Extension Center.
I fell more in love with range rams by attending ram sales. I don’t think there is anything quite like these events. Hundreds of quality rams in one location with some of the best people I know. In fact, I developed such a passion for ram development that I pursued a PhD focusing on it.
My doctoral research was on the nutritional effects on ram fertility; does what we feed rams pre-breeding affect their breeding ability? I conducted this research because it has some of the greatest economic impacts on both purebred and commercial sheep producers.
On the purebred side, we need to know how to properly and most effectively develop a ram to be purchased for breeding. On the commercial side, we need to know how to maintain the rams nutritionally for breeding and longevity.
Now more than ever, we need to emphasize selecting quality bucks on both sides of the equation – purebred and commercial. Selecting high-quality bucks with superior genetics will keep our industry competitive and progressive.
Wyoming has an amazing legacy in the range ram scene which will continue this year and for years to come. I encourage you to come to Douglas in September, catch up with some amazing sheep folks, listen to educational programming from University of Wyoming Sheep Extension and meet your WWGA board.
See ewe there!
Alison Crane, PhD
WWGA Executive Director
Casper
