Telling the story of agriculture is important, no matter the species, breed, or size of the operation. The success of agriculture is dependent on the whole community uniting as one to keep the core values and principles alive so the industry that so many know, and love will continue thriving for many years to come.

Davis Family Livestock, located in Platteville, Colo., are paving their own way in the sheep industry and are committed to keeping agriculture relevant for years to come. Growing up in different agricultural backgrounds, now joined as one team, Anne and Rob Davis have kept faith in agriculture at the center of all they do.

With the help of their two children, Maddie and Roy, the family has their sights set on producing high quality agricultural products and are using Valais Blacknose sheep as part of their vehicle to tell their unique agricultural story.

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Valais Blacknose sheep originated in the Valais region of the Swiss Alps and are known for their “cute” look enhanced by their predominately white body and black points. Their lovable characteristics are only accentuated by their extremely docile, seemingly dog-like behavior.

Determined to keep their prized possession amongst the Swiss people, Switzerland didn’t allow any Valais sheep to be taken out of the country.

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U.S. SHEEP FLOCKS

However, Switzerland broke their streak of not allowing the export of any Valais sheep, when the United Kingdom and New Zealand were able to acquire some of the sheep in 2014 and 2017. From there, several breeders throughout the nation, in conjunction with the United States Department of Agriculture, worked extremely hard to the import semen and embryos in hopes of beginning Valais Blacknose sheep flocks in the United States.

They made their grand entrance through a “frozen tundra” in 2017, which was an extremely tough process according to Anne, who loves sharing the hard work and dedication that was poured into their meek arrival. 

By now, 45% of the members in the Valais Blacknose Sheep Society or VBSS have one to five animals. So, the breed known for meat and wool in their country of origin, are helping others learn the importance of hard work and dedication through their role of wool and companionship here in the United States.

Today, the Davis family is a part of the over 600 breeders that are registered in the VBSS. Not only are they raising high quality animals for breeding stock and personal companion purposes but also are extremely involved in outreach events.

The Davis’s are members of groups like the Colorado Farm Bureau, the American Sheep Industry, the Valais Blacknose Sheep Society, where Anne is the secretary, and serve wholeheartedly each year at the National Western Stock Show in Denver.

Past their work in organizations, they also do plenty of outreach events with their local community from their farm. Each week they host a variety of groups ranging from schools to Bible studies — oftentimes showcasing most of their lamb crop during the Easter season.

JUDGING THE SHEEP

While they are continually striving for excellence in their mating decisions, Rob and Anne also encourage their children to reach for the stars. More recently, their daughter Maddie is preparing for a trip across the pond to learn how to properly evaluate these Valais Blacknose sheep. Ultimately, in hopes of becoming one of few people that is informed about how to properly judge the Valais sheep that are being raised here in the United States.

Not only, is the Davis family making significant contributions to the breed, but so is Rob Lyerla, an at-large board member for the VBSS and volunteer, serving as the registrar for the breed.

Giving continually of his time to ensure that all Valais Blacknose sheep are accounted for, Lyerla appreciates the value of technology in the agricultural industry, but specifically for the advancement of the breed.

In his work, Lyerla is leaving the society better than he found it. Through adopting a software system used in the United Kingdom, all records are online and allow producers to easily manage their flock.

Not only can a Valais producer pull up their entire flock information from the click of a button on their smart phone but can also quickly transfer ownership when another breeder purchases one of their animals — ensuring no documents are left behind and that all animals are accounted for.

But with technology, comes challenges, and not all producers are familiar with the online system.  Because of that, Lyerla has devoted much of his time to education. Before spring lambing season begins, he hosts Zoom calls to help producers familiarize themselves with the registering process —allowing for efficiency for not only the producer, but also Mr. Lyerla in his role. He hopes that through these mini-Zoom courses people will fully understand how to maximize their potential available in the registry.

All because of flocks of Valais Blacknose sheep, people are being developed, and the word of agriculture is being spread. If you would like to see these docile and adorable sheep in-person or are wanting to learn even more about the breed, feel free to contact Anne Davis through email at anne@davisfamilylivestock.com or check out their website: davisfamilylivesetock.com.