The 4th Annual Badger Production Sale, held on Sunday, October 2 at the Arlington Agricultural Research Station of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, saw excellent prices on the offering of 72 ewe lambs and 5 ram lambs. Average sale price was $152/head greater than in 2010. The sale is organized and run by students at UW-Madison to merchandise sheep from the purebred flocks of the Department of Animal Sciences. The students are supervised by Todd Taylor, Manager of the Arlington Sheep Unit (toddtaylor@wisc.edu); Bernie O’Rourke, Extension Livestock Youth Specialist (borourke2@ansci.wisc.edu); and Dave Thomas, Professor of Sheep Management and Genetics (dlthomas@wisc.edu).

The high selling animal of the sale was a Hampshire ewe lamb purchased by Brandon Knutson, Clinton, WI for $650. Other high-selling Hampshire ewe lambs were purchased by Tony Schulze, Richland Center, WI for $600 and Ron Cook, Mechanicsville, IA for $550. The two Hampshire ram lambs were purchased by Ed Accola, Fall Creek, WI at $525 and $500.

Three Polypay ram lambs sold for $600 each to Jim Hanssen, Emery, SD; Garret Moenk, Jr., Monticello, IA; and Ron Cook, Mechanicsville, IA. Three Polypay ewe lambs shared the high price of $500 and went to Robert Allen, Merrimac, WI; Gordon Sammons, Geneseo, IL; and Bobby Hood, Buffalo, IL. The high selling pen of two Polypay ewe lambs was purchased by Rick Ruberg, Rushford, MN for $445 each, and Garret Moenk, Jr., Monticello, IA and Dale Patterson, Glen Haven, WI each purchased a pen of three Polypay ewe lambs for $425 each.

Jon Beastrom, Pierre, SD purchased all four Targhee ewe lambs with the highest among the group bringing  $550. The two Rambouillet ewe lambs each brought $400 and went to Maura Wieners, Burlington, WI and David Pine, Rio, WI. The two Rambooroola ewe lambs in the sale carrying the high prolificacy Booroola gene went to Tom Whetstone, Wilton, IA at $425 and $400. The high selling Rambooroola ewe without the Booroola gene was purchased by Mark Quistortt, West Union, MN for $350.

Volume buyers were Garret Moenk, Jr., Monticello, IA; Ed Accola, Fall Creek, WI; Ron Cook, Mechanicsville, IA; Gerfen Family Farms, Marion, OH; and Robert Allen, Merrimac, WI. Sheep sold to the states of Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Ohio, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Wisconsin.    

The number of animals sold and sale averages were:
3 Polypay ram lambs - $600
2 Hampshire ram lambs - $513
4 Targhee ewe lambs - $463
40 Polypay ewe lambs - $404
2 Rambouillet ewe lambs - $400
20 Hampshire ewe lambs - $396
6 Rambooroola ewe lambs - $329

77 head averaged $409, $31,525 total