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Breeding a Tradition of Excellence

OGF Georgie Mae 2012 OGF Georgie Mae 2012 OGF Hector 2013 OGF Hector 2013

We are honored that for the 8th consecutive year an OGF yearling was selected for the Best Fleece in Show honors in the white longwool division at the 2013 MS&WF.

OGF Frederick Frederick's Fleece

We are particularly pleased that for the second time (2011) in the past four years an OGF ram was selected for the Supreme Champion Fleece award from over 1,200 sheep at the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival (MS&WF). Below is a summary of awards that OGF sheep have garnered in the past eight years.

 

2013 Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival (MS&WF)

2012 Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival (MS&WF)

2012 NY State Sheep & Wool Festival

2011 Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival (MS&WF)

2010 MS&WF

2009 MS&WF

2009 New York State Sheep & Wool Festival
& National Card Grading Exhibition

2008 MS&WF

2007 MS&WF

2006 MS&WF

What does it mean?

We are sometimes asked, how much weight should a prospective buyer give to the show record of an individual ewe or ram? The answer is simple. On a particular day, that individual animal was the best in the ring in the professional opinion of a judge. The results of one show are not necessarily a guarantee of quality breeding or superior genetics.

Cumulatively, over a period of years, show results can be a reliable predictor of a high probability of genetic replication. Simply stated, a flock that consistently places at or near the top of its classes, representing the professional opinion of many judges over many years (and thus successive generations of sheep), offers a much greater likelihood that the offspring from this flock will be the same high quality as the individual ram or ewes you are considering purchasing.

2010

OGF Sir Edmond Sir Edmund's Fleece

For an unprecedented fifth consecutive year (2006 – 2010), OGF received the Best Fleece in Show honors with OGF Sir Edmond at the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival (MS&WF). He was also named the white longwool Champion Ram.

In the fleece show, OGF received:

Continuing a Tradition of Excellence – 2009

OGF Leicester Longwools continued their tradition of excellence at two major fleece festivals in 2009. For the forth consecutive year one of our yearlings(OGF Dante)was selected as the Best Fleece in Show, white longwool, at the 2009 Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival (MS&WF). OGF Dante was also awarded Best Leicester Longwool Fleece at the New York State Sheep & Wool Festival.

Maryland Sheep and Wool 2009 Maryland Sheep and Wool 2009

Second National Leicester Longwool Card-Grading Exhibition at Rhinebeck, NY

OGF Dante, Darwin and Duncan received three of only five Blue Cards (Excellent) awarded to yearling rams & ewes at the 2nd National Leicester Longwool Card-Grading Exhibition at Rhinebeck, NY in October. Our two ewe lambs, OGF Eleanor and Emma were awarded a Blue Card (Excellent) and a Red Card (Good) respectively.

Each sheep was evaluated individually by the three judge panel - Lee Parson from England, Brenton Heazlewood from Australia and Dr. Sponenberg from Virginia Tech. Below OGF Duncan is evaluated for his Blue Card.

NY 2009

Perhaps the most exciting event for us at Rhinebeck was watching the First-Sunday Group use a white and two colored OGF fleeces to card, spin, and weave their way to a second place award in the Fleece-to-Shawl competition. OGF Dante and Darwin inspect the completed shawl, held by Bonnie Warwick, made from their spring fleeces.

finished

OGF Leicester Longwools Standout at
2008 Maryland Festival

OGF's Leicester Longwools received top honors at the 2008 MS&WF. We were honored to have one of our yearling rams, OGF Churchill, selected as the Supreme Champion Fleece at MS&WF. Dr. Michael Salisbury in announcing the judges’ selection for the Supreme Champion Fleece award said, "While there are many excellent fleeces here today representing the best of each breed, this was an easy decision for us. One fleece just stands out and is superior to all the others – the Leicester Longwool ram exhibited by Donna Larson from Old Gjerpen Farm.”

Championship Fleece MS& WF 2008 Awards Second National Leicester Longwool Card-Grading Exhibition at Rhinebeck, NY

If you are not familiar with the MS&WF, more than 1,200 wool-breed sheep, exhibited by approximately 200 breeders from around the country, compete for honors in 17 individual breed shows at the Festival. At the conclusion of each breed show one sheep is selected Best Fleece-in Show. At the conclusion of the Festival the 17 Best Fleece-in Show animals competed for the Supreme Champion Fleece award.

Other 2008 MS&WF Awards

We entered four Leicesters in the 2008 MS&WF. Competing in the White and Colored Longwool shows against 87 sheep representing 30 farms, OGF’s Leicester Longwools received six significant awards:

Champion Ram and Best Fleece-in Show – White Long Wool Churchill Fleece Churchill OGF "Churchill"

Champion Ewe – White Long Wool

Constance OGF "Constance"

Reserve Champion Ram – White Long Wool

Ram and Best in show fleece

Reserve Champion Ram and Best Fleece-in Show – Natural Colored Long Wool

Oscar "Oscar"

2008 was the third consecutive year that our Leicester Longwools were singled out for their superior fleeces at the MS&WF. OGF Annabelle (R 483) and OGF Lord Applebee (R 10214) received the Best Fleece-in Show awards for the White Long Wool shows in 2006 and 2007.

 
Lord Applebee "OGF Lord Applebee"
Best Fleece of Show
MS & WF 2007 
Annabell
MS& WF 2006
"OGF Annabelle"
Best Fleece of Show

Breeding for Quality

Our breeding for quality has been consistently recognized throughout our three years of showing Leicester Longwools.

In 2006, at the 33rd Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival, OGF Leicester Longwools competed for honors with 41 other long wools representing five breeds and 18 breeders. Dr. David Cook awarded OGF:

Albert and Annabell
MS & WF 2006
Reserve Champion Ram, "OGF Prince Albert"
Reserve Champion Ewe & Best Fleece of Show, "OGF Annabelle"

At the Shenandoah Valley Fiber Festival, competing with 25 breeds of sheep representing 18 farms, Dr. Geof Ruppert awarded OGF:

An OGF Leicester Longwool fleece was awarded "Best of Show" at the 2006 Virginia State Fair.

15th Anniversary

Card-Grading Exhibition

2005 Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival

OGF participated in the 15th Anniversary Celebration of the reintroduction of Leicester Longwool Sheep into the U.S. held at the 2005 MS&WF. The highlight of the Celebration was the "card grading" of the 35 Leicester Longwools exhibited by 13 LLSBA members. Three judges from New Zealand, England and Virginia Tech judged each animal against the breed standard and awarded either a blue card (Excellent), red card (Good), yellow card (Acceptable) or white card (Unacceptable). OGF was pleased to receive blue cards on both of its two ewes: CWL Freedom and CWL Liberty.

MF & WF

OGF regularly participates in these wool events:

We can deliver breeding stock to either of the above events.