2000-2001 SHEEP MANAGEMENT ETN SERIES THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON COOPERATIVE EXTENSION & DEPARTMENT OF ANIMAL SCIENCES

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Biographical Information

Dave Johnson, Vice-President Marketing, is in his fourth year with Equity Cooperative Livestock Sales Association and in charge of the lamb marketing program. Equity pools small lots of lambs from several producers and sells an average of over a load of fat lambs per week throughout the year in Wisconsin on behalf of their producer members. They also handle direct sales of lambs for individuals as well as producer groups throughout the Midwest and the West. Equity also has been involved with sourcing breeding ewes and feeder lambs for producers. In addition to his work with Equity, Dave, his wife, and children run approximately 250 commercial ewes in a rotational grazing system. Their goal is to market over 200 pounds of lamb per ewe per year with as few inputs as possible.

David Johnson Vice President Marketing
Equity Cooperative Livestock Sales Assn
E10890 Penny Lane
Baraboo, Wisconsin 53959
Office: 608-356-8311 x131
Mobile: 608-963-7231
Email:djohnson@equitycoop.com

Rita Kourlis Samuelson
As the American Wool Council's International Wool/Pelt Marketing Director, Rita manages the wool program, including quality improvement, international market development and responding to issues surrounding wool. She works with international customers of American wool products and has worked in the wool and retail industry for over 20 years. Rita joined the Council in 1983, bringing first-hand knowledge of wool and wool production and several years of retail, marketing, and management experience to the position. She is past president of Woolknit Associates and has a business degree with emphasis in marketing from the University of Denver.

Rita Kourlis Samuelson
International Wool/Pelt Marketing Director American Wool Council (A division of the American Sheep Industry Assoc.)
6911 South Yosemite Street Englewood, Colorado 80111
telephone (303) 771-3500 x29
fax (303) 771-8200
email - rita@sheepusa.org
website - "www.sheepusa.org"

Dan Guertin
Dan began raising sheep in 1994 with the express intent of establishing a sheep dairy farm. His original flock was purchased at the University of Minnesota Rosemount Experimental Station from Dr. Bill Boylan, one of the earliest pioneers in sheep dairying in the US. The flock consisted of 36 ewes and 4 ram lambs, with Rideau Arcott and Rideau Arcott x East Friesian (EF) breeding, and ranged in overall % EF genetics from 14% to 35%. For the first two years, a two-flock system was used in which lambs from the original flock were orphaned immediately at birth, raised on artificial milk replacer, and kept as a separate flock in order to establish an Ovine Progressive Pneumonia (OPP)-free flock. The original flock was dispersed after the second lambing, and annual testing of the OPP-free flock has confirmed the absence of OPP. Dan's current flock consists of 100 ewes containing 25% to 50% EF genetics. In 1995, Dan participated in an organizational meeting in Eau Claire, Wisconsin to explore interest in establishing a cooperative for marketing sheep milk. Dan participated on the steering committee that organized the formation of the Wisconsin Sheep Dairy Cooperative (WSDC) in 1996. Dan has been on the Board of Directors since 1996 and has been the President of the co-op for the past 2 years. Dan was recently reelected for a second two-year term as president of the WSDC. Dan and his wife, Alice, live in Stillwater, Minnesota.

Dan Guertin
Shepherd's Pride Farm
6380 Lake Elmo Ave.
Stillwater, MN 55082-8331
651-430-3732
Fax: 651-430-99285
shepride@mn.mediaone.net