What do you feel are some opportunities/strengths of the Suffolk Association/breed? The strength of our breed is best defined by the high growth rate terminal sires the Suffolk breeders produce. What do you feel are challenges the Suffolk Association/ Breed faces? I think the biggest challenge our breed faces is maintaining or increasing our membership and registrations. What advice would you give a new Suffolk breeder or junior member? Focus on the type of sheep you want to raise. Research the bloodlines of the breeding stock available and put together a program based on those genetics. What is your favorite lamb dish/recipe? Lamb shanks. Browned in a Dutch oven, then braised in dark beer with rosemary, onions and garlic. Jeremy Geske, Minnesota – District 3 How did you get started in the Suffolk business? When I was 9 years old, my parents signed me up for 4-H. My dad had a flock of registered Suffolk sheep. He took me out to the pen of replacement ewe lambs and told me to pick two for my 4-H project. My first choice was not a great pick. My second choice was his best ewe lamb, he was sitting on the fence watching me inspect the ewe lambs, and when I picked her, he almost fell off the fence. Luckily for me, she has a twin sister and dad let me have both (7908 and 7909 if my memory is correct). Each year in 4-H I got to pick 2 more ewe lambs (and keep any good daughters out of my own ewes) to add to my flock. By time I was done with 4-H and FFA, more than half our flock was in my name. Most of the ewes I currently own can be traced back to those ewes of my dad’s. What has your involvement been with the Suffolk Association(s) and the sheep industry? I’m in the middle of my second term on the USSA board and in my 3rd and final year as President. I am also the President of the MN Suffolk Association, and have been on that board for many years. I served more than 20 years on the board of the Minnesota Lamb & Wool Producers Association, including 2 years as President and several years as Secretary. I am serving my second term on the National Sheep Industry Improvement Center board, and was recently elected Chair. I have been an active member of the American Sheep Industry’s Legislative Action Committee and the Genetic Stakeholder Committee. I am the Suffolk Representative and a past President of the Minnesota Livestock Breeders Association. I have served many years as a MN State 4-H sheep show volunteer and also chair the Breeding Sheep portion of the MN Youth Livestock Expo. I currently represent the MN Sheep industry on a Solar Farm Grazing Task Force. What Suffolk breeders had the biggest impact on you (not your flock, but you), and why? Obviously, my dad (Mike Geske) was the Suffolk Breeder that had the biggest influence on me as a person and as a breeder. In addition, there are so many breeders that I consider dear friends that I’m hesitant to single out just a few as there are so many that
What Suffolk breeders had the biggest impact on you (not your flock, but you), and why? For over 40 years, Rollie Rosenboom was a close neighbor and friend of mine. During that time I grew to appreciate his passion to raise, promote and market Suffolk sheep. I spent a considerable amount of time in his barn and definitely learned a lot! What do you feel are some opportunities/strengths of the Suffolk Association/breed? Strengths - The diversity of the Suffolk breed provides for the opportunity to develop a product specific to the needs of an end user. Opportunities - Continue to develop programs and services that provide added benefits to a membership in the USSA. What do you feel are challenges the Suffolk Association/ Breed faces? The diversity of consumer demands in different regions of the country will continue to be a challenge. While much work still needs to be done, the new registry program will provide many of the production tools that will assist the producer in meeting those challenges. What advice would you give a new Suffolk breeder or junior member? Find an experienced sheep producer who is willing to serve as a mentor. Their experience may make the difference between long-term success or failure. If you could do one thing over in designing your breeding program, what would you do differently? Improve predictability by having a more targeted “genetic” selection approach when introducing new individuals into my flock. Too often, I selected animals that were phenotypically desirable but later failed to meet my performance expectations. What is your favorite lamb dish/recipe? Anything coming off a grill! Randy Hodges, Michigan – District 4 How did you get started in the Suffolk business? When I was around 7 or 8 years old, one of my older brothers and I decided to purchase some registered Suffolks for a 4-H project. The biggest challenge was finding ewes to purchase as there were not many breeders at that time, especially in south-east Nebraska, where we lived. What has your involvement been with the Suffolk Association(s) and the sheep industry? I have been a member of the NSSA an the USSA for almost 60 years. I am currently serving my 10th year as a USSA director. I have served as vice president for years and chaired numerous committees. I have also been active in the Michigan Suffolk Association and Michigan Sheep Producers Association. What Suffolk breeders had the biggest impact on you (not your flock, but you), and why? Harry Hart and Cliff Graff from Nebraska, Ansel Luxford from Montana, and Steve George from Ohio. All these breeders were very willing to give and advice and to sell quality animals to improve my breeding program.
deserve mentioning for various reasons. I guess the people that I truly spend the most time just talking Suffolk Sheep with over the past few decades would be folks like Dave Pearson, Rex Quam, Gayle Lucas, and John Scott. The road trips to look at sheep, the discussions at sales (generally with a tasty beverage) and the long phone calls are things I will always value. Sharing opinions and philosophies on raising good Suffolk sheep, and especially learning from each other. What do you feel are some opportunities/strengths of the Suffolk Association/breed? We have a tremendous opportunity as the only sheep breed association with a data-focused, state of the art registry software program that sets us apart from all other breeds. The breed in the lead is not just a slogan when it is backed by data. What do you feel are challenges the Suffolk Association/ Breed faces? I wish as breeders, regardless of the type of Suffolk we each prefer, that we could focus on what we have in common rather than what we disagree on. Those who are unable or unwilling to look past their own self-interests make it difficult for the association to move into the future. What advice would you give a new Suffolk breeder or junior member? Learn as much as you can from established breeders. Ask lots of questions. Figure out what your goals for your flock are first, then find breeding stock that will help you meet those goals. Also, when you find a good stud ram, even if you don’t need one - you should strongly consider buying him. If you could do one thing over in designing your breeding program, what would you do differently? I would have had a better plan for adding a well-connected NSIP ram to my flock much earlier than I did. I always had fast-growing sheep, but I didn’t have that direct in-flock comparison until the last few years. Incidentally, if any breeders want to get into NSIP and want to avoid the mistakes I made, please contact me, I’d be glad to help you. What is your favorite lamb dish/recipe? Rosemary & lime lamb chops. Put some lime juice in a shallow baking pan and set the lamb chops in the pan to marinade for a couple hours. Season with Greek Seasoning and Rosemary. Grill to a medium rare. Pair it with grilled zucchini (brush with olive oil, season with garlic salt and rosemary), grilled pineapple and your favorite red wine (my choice is Seghesio Zinfandel). Dennis Sorensen, Illinois – District 3 How did you get started in the Suffolk business? While growing up my parents primarily used Suffolk rams on their commercial ewe flock. So when I was old enough to join 4-H, I started raising what I was most familiar with. I have been raising Suffolks ever since. What has your involvement been with the Suffolk Association(s) and the sheep industry? In addition to the United Suffolk Sheep Association I am also a member of the Illinois Suffolk Breeders Association. I have been raising Suffolks for approximately 55 years.
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