I’ve been wanting to write more about local agriculture, and recently had the opportunity to attend the 100th Annual Cloverdale Ram Sale with my friend Sherry Mobley, a sheep and dairy goat breeder.
The Cloverdale Ram Sale is legendary, drawing sheep ranchers from Oregon, Nevada, Northern California, and the Central Valley to purchase top-quality breeding stock. Before the sale began, a lamb barbeque lunch was provided by grill master Greg Solberg. Greg works at the UC Extension Center in Hopland, which maintains a sheep breeding program and had several lots in the sale.
Auctioneer Rex Williams shared a brief history of the event, noting that it was originally a three-day celebration that included a baseball tournament. Prior to the auction, scholarships were awarded to three college agriculture students: Kallista Elkin received the Floyd Johnson Scholarship, and Angel Lopez and Kate Bruhn received the Cloverdale Ram Sale Committee Scholarships. The Best Consigner Award was presented to Jake Anderson of Harrisburg, Oregon.
Sherry explained the differences between the breeds showcased at the auction:
Dorsets, Suffolks and Hampshires are meat breeds with fibrous wool that is not used for weaving…