The Story of Schulz Sheep Farm in Birnamwood, WI

I never would have gotten into livestock if it wasn’t for one of my elementary school buddy’s prodding me to join the local 4-H sheep club in the Rancho’s of Madera California; his persistence was due to him being the only boy in the club. Soon thereafter I began showing market lambs at our county fair every year with my sister Chelsea following once she was old enough. It was a fun experience to say the least. As our knowledge of sheep management grew, we wanted to continue to learn and began breeding Clun Forest sheep. Our projects consumed every usable space of my parents 2.5 acre lot. The Cluns were fun and a good beginners breed; however, due to the unpopularity of the Clun, we began breeding Suffolk\Hampshire crosses to produce our own show lambs. We had great success, with high-ranking lambs in the Bred and Fed class, as well as Rate of Gain awards at the Madera County Fair. Our attention to detail and passion for the show ring consistently awarded us Showmanship honors and Outstanding Sheep Exhibitor. In the spring of 2005, politics, the unrelenting heat, poor air quality and the lack of water in the California San Joaquin Valley drove my family and I back to my father’s birthplace, Wausau, Wisconsin. So that summer at the age of 16, I helped pack the family belongings as we headed northeast. Not forgetting the sheep, we boarded them at Fresno State University for breeding and safekeeping. After we decided on a home and got settled into high school, our breeding ewes were sent from Fresno State, gestating and ready to lamb that fall. As soon as they were unloaded off the trailer, our first ewe lambed on what is now Schulz Sheep Farm. The years of 4-H passed, as we continued to have outstanding success breeding and showing sheep at the Marathon County Fair of Central Wisconsin. After high school, 4-H ended and college began, shortly after the same was to be said for Chelsea. Our line of show lamb producing ewes were sold and the pastures in Hatley were vacant; however, that was not the end our experience with sheep. After my graduation from University of Wisconsin-River Falls with a BS in Animal Science, I yearned to have a few ewes and get back into producing lambs for the table. Now with my education and new views on animal welfare on the farm, I would not be returning to the ‘Club Lamb’ production of years past. I purchased 5 Targhee\Texel cross ewes from A-Z Farm in Oregon WI, a contact I received from my old professor and sheep mentor Dr. Gary Onan at UW-River Falls. What I was seeking was a ewe whom would breed late in the year, lamb on the green pastures of early summer, have remarkable lambing ease and mothering ability, all with little grain feeding and low personal labor. What I was seeking was found... My wife Abigail and I are slowly expanding by just a few replacement ewes per season and are currently looking for more pastureland to expand our passion of lamb production. This past season our lambs finished at 120lbs in just over four months; that’s a remarkable 1lb of growth per day just eating grass. We hope you will consider us before the next purchase of pasture lamb for your family’s table. My family and I will continue to strive to bring you local grown quality lambs at a respectable price for years to come. Our success only comes from God the provided of all this good.