April 18, 2008 by fred.

We now have completed all the genetic testing and are making wether lamb decisions daily. The show lamb prospects we have available will compete at any level of competition. Due to our desire to send out some of the best show lamb prospects ever from our flock we have decided to wether many key ram lambs. The lambs range in age from mid-January to the 3rd week of February. Please evaluate our track record documented on our website and the type of lamb we produce. You will not be disappointed with the lambs we are offering. We invite you to make our farm a key stop on your search for your next show string great one.

Fred Knop

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March 9, 2008 by fred.

We have now posted a representative sample of our a few of our 2008 lambs. We should receive the first genetic test results back this week on some of the older lambs.

There are many more male lambs not featured in our sample photos that are just as industry appropriate as those we have featured. We hope you can stop by this spring to evaluate the entire lamb crop.

Please call us or e-mail us with your questions about specific sheep or your special show lamb requirements. We will do our best to be of assistance.

Fred Knop

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February 19, 2008 by fred.

We have decided to reduce our main brood ewe flock by about 30 mature females this year. This is not an easy decision and is primarily brought on by the desire to lessen the work load and to allow our flock to be managed by one person. Janine is now a medical transcriptionist and does not have the time to help Fred with the flock as in years past. Fred also deals with some medical issues which contribute to this decision.

We will identify these females in April and May. This may well be the most uniquely bred collection of Suffolk based females to sell in quite a few years anywhere. We plan to offer the females by private treaty and will price them on an individual basis. Our females have proven themselves over and over to work consistently with almost any club lamb based gene pool in the industry.

This decision will also necessitate the selling of a large group of the 2008 ewe lambs. They will also be offered by private treaty at the farm priced on an individual basis.

We hope you will consider the genetic merit of this offering. If you are planning to purchase some key females this year or to add genetic depth to your existing flock, then this set will without a doubt work for you.

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February 19, 2008 by fred.

The Fred Knop Family congratulates Weston Hill of Oklahoma and his family for feeding and showing Woody’s twin wether lamb brother to high honors at two major shows. Weston’s lamb placed 2nd in class to the eventual Grand Champion lamb at the 2007 American Royal. He also placed 2nd in class to the Champion Suffolk at the 2007 NAILE. Weston plans to exhibit his lamb this winter in Oklahoma. We wish Weston well with his project.

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January 15, 2008 by fred.

Congratulations to Tannehill Club lambs, OK, for raising the Reserve Grand Champion Market lamb at the 2007 Arkansas State Fair. The mother of this lamb was sired by Knop 4698–Leo–a Captain/Orange Tag/62 combination.

Ernie reports that the Leo daughters in his flock have produced many of his top lambs and that the combination of Knop genetics with the Hampshire influence in his flock has worked quite well. We wish Ernie continued success with his Leo daughters.

We used Leo’s twin brother Howard extensively for our 2008 lamb crop. We believe Howard’s ram lambs will work quite well for those of you who may have flocks with significant Hampshire influence.

We are pleased to announce that Burson Club Lambs of New Mexico purchased a key Steppin’ Up/Marx 4-06 ram lamb, Knop 5327, last spring to use in their flock of Hampshire influence. We also wish Burson’s well with the offspring of their Steppin’ Up son.

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January 15, 2008 by fred.

Our 2008 A.I. lambs are due around Jan. 17th and 18th. Additional information about the sires we used can be found in earlier blogs and under the sire tab on our website. Watch for additional blogs detailing these lambs and our natural service lambs as lambing progresses.

We believe that the 2008 lamb crop will be the strongest, most well-bred set we have ever produced. Be sure to make plans to stop by this spring. Consider adding a Knop Suffolk or Crossbred market lamb to your show string. Our linebred rams and females, available in this form nowhere else, will “nick” on almost all the currently popular club lamb derivatives in our industry. Our rams and females will add Suffolk phenotype, bone, correctness of feet and legs, muscle, length of body, growth, carcass merit, excellent hides, awesome maternal traits and milk production, and the ability to win in the show ring to your flock.

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November 5, 2007 by fred.

The Fred Knop Family congratulates Sarah Sell for an outstanding effort in feeding and exhibiting a wether lamb purchased from us, Knop 5364, at the 2007 AK-SAR-BEN Livestock Exhibition. The lamb placed 6th in the Division 5 class from 154 to 157 pounds.

We now can share the carcass data from the 2007 AK-SAR-BEN. Sarah’s lamb measured the largest loin eye–4.5 square inches, with the exception of one lamb weighing over 160 pounds with a .05 square inch larger loin, of all the lambs at the 2007 AK-SAR-BEN show–491 head–including the live Grand Champion, Res. Grand Champion, and all the Division champions and reserves. The 491 lambs at AK-SAR-BEN averaged 3.37 square inches of loin eye area and .2 inch of back fat. The Grand Champion placed 198th in the carcass evaluation with a 3.45 sq. inch loin and .2 back fat. The Res. Grand placed 229th in the carcass evaluation with a 3.50 sq. inch loin with .2 back fat.

Sarah’s lamb was sired by Steppin’ Up and the lamb’s mother was a Howard daughter. This lamb was born on Jan. 22. Sarah’s lamb placed 3rd in class 17 at the Iowa State Fair judged by Larry Mrozinski. Sarah’s lamb was also named the Grand Champion at the Harlan, Iowa jackpot show and the South East Warren FFA market lamb show. The Fred Knop Family is proud of placings like this because we firmly believe that show lambs should not only look good in the show ring but should also be held accountable for unadulturated eximious carcass merit.

We will soon post a list of the bred females we will offer this season. Many of them are bred to either Steppin’ Up or Step Ahead. If you are interested in producing sheep that will work for you in the lambing barn and gain high honors in the show ring and on the rail then we would encourage you to evaluate our offering. We plan to offer less than 12 bred females so call soon to reserve your selections.

Fred Knop

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September 10, 2007 by fred.

Congratulations to Jordan Beck and the Dave Beck family for a very successful show season. In addition to the Grand Champion Market lamb at the Great Lakes Expo mentioned in a previous blog, recent winners include the Beck bred and raised 1st place lightweight Suffolk at the Ohio State Fair sired by a Knop 4-06 x Omega bred ram, and damed by Knop 984, a 4-06 x Omega combination.

Another recent winner would include a young wether exhibited by Jordan Beck that was bred and raised by the Fred Knop Family sired by Step Ahead and whose mother is Knop 632, sired by the Knop stud ram “Blue Boy”. This lamb was the Lightweight Div. Champion at the Paulding Co. Ohio Jackpot Show. This lamb also placed 6th in the 120=122# crossbred class at the 2007 Ohio State Fair.

Watch our website Champion tab for photos soon.

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September 10, 2007 by fred.

Congratulations to Adam and Megan Lawing and the Craig Lawing Family for exhibiting the Grand Champion Market lamb at the 2007 North Carolina Mountain States Fair. This Lawing family bred and raised lamb was sired by Knop 5157. a Captain son. The lamb’s mother was sired by Knop 4882, a Captain son. The maternal grand-mother was a Knop-bred female sired by Jubilee.

The Lawing family won 4 maket lamb classes and 3 ewe lamb classes. Also two lambs raised and sold by the Lawing family won their market lamb classes.

Adam and Megan also won 3 commercial ewe lamb classes.

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July 11, 2007 by fred.

Congratulations to Sarah Sell and family for exhibiting the Grand Champion Market Lamb at the 2007 S.E. Warren County FFA NPCLA Show.  This Suffolk lamb was purchased from the Fred Knop Family flock.  His sire is Steppin’ Up and his dam is a Howard (Captain) x 561 daughter.  This was the first time this lamb has been exhibited.  We wish you well at the Iowa State Fair.

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