How We Started
In 1989 Bob Fields picked out five aged ewes for Jennifer Wampler to start her “club lamb” flock. Nobody in her family knew the anything about birthing and raising lambs so Jennifer decided to rely on experienced ewes themselves. She bred them to a ram lamb Bob Fields lent her. Thus began her FFA Supervised Occupational Experience at Valley View, Ohio, High School–and Wampler Suffolks. When Jennifer went to college, then graduate school then earned a Ph.D, sister Nancy Wampler and Dad held the fort.
All that time Bob Fields furnished the rams–and gave outstanding flock advice. It paid off. In the ’90’s Nancy Wampler showed many Wampler Suffolk wethers to top ten placings at the Ohio State Fair and at “Louisville” (the North American International Livestock Exposition.) At her county fair Nancy won every “Home Grown” market lamb class she entered. Seven years in a row Nancy’s Wampler Suffolk showmanship ewe earned Grand or Reserve Grand Champion County Junior Fair ewe. Rams from Bob Fields sired them all.
Where We Are Now
Right now Jennifer and Nancy both live off the farm which leaves Dad doing all the work. Besides shepherding jobs for Dad “all the work” means catching up building and fence repairs as well. At the moment “all the work” also limits Wampler Suffolks to 30 top quality unregistered Suffolk wether-style ewes running on the farm’s 23 acres of permanent pasture.
All Wampler ewes have excellent leg, length and volume. All Wampler ewes lamb as yearlings. All Wampler ewes milk well and “mother” well. All Wampler ewes stay in good condition and breed back while running on the farm’s 23 acres of permanent woods and pasture during the spring, summer and fall. All Wampler ewes do all these things to stay off the truck to the stockyards.
Where Are We Going?
BUT Wampler Suffolks mean to get better. Suffolks are unashamedly meat sheep.
As goals:
- Wampler Suffolks intend to improve the leg, length and volume of all their sheep.
- Wampler Suffolks intend to improve the rate of gain for both ram and ewe lambs.
- Wampler Suffolks intend to improve the carcass quality of all lambs slaughtered.
- Wampler Suffolks intend all their sheep DNA test RR for Scrapie and NN for “spider.”