To shepherd their flock to their highest potential, Danny and Dillon start with good genetics paired with a specific nutritional program. They utilize rotational grazing and feed haylage throughout the winter months. Additionally, they use Co-op 16% high-energy Sheep Feed (item #359) supplemented with Purina’s 10% high-fat mineral tub, both of which they purchase from Warren Farmers Cooperative.

“We’re pleased with the amount of muscling that the #359 puts on our sheep,” says Danny. “We think it’s an excellent value, and we’ve been competing — and winning — on a national level with it. We’ve used it for years, both as a grower-finisher for the lambs and to maintain the body condition of the brood ewes and stud rams. It’s a universal feed for the whole flock, and we’ve had good success with it.”

The Joneses offer the mineral tub free choice before breeding the rams and ewes, adds Dillon.

“It just helps to flush the ewes and gives them a little extra energy while adding a little body fat on them,” he explains. “They love it and will have it eaten within a week. The mineral is good for the in-between phase, when they don’t necessarily need feed, but they could use a little extra supplement.”

To complete the mineral package, Danny says they also feed Purina Sheep Mineral and use the formulation that contains ClariFly® to deter the emergence of flies during fly season. These three products — the 359, the mineral tub, and the sheep mineral — round out the nutritional needs of the flock.

Raising, feeding, and showing sheep is a common pastime for Danny. He started showing market lambs in 4-H, then switched to raising registered Suffolks in high school and selling them when he attended college. He continued his interest in showing sheep when he and Penny’s four kids became active in 4-H. In 2002, their three daughters, Dreama, Dana, Breanna, and son, Dillon, began showing sheep, and five years later, they bought their first Dorpers.

Since then, Dillon’s enthusiasm for sheep has grown. He studies their pedigrees and genetics and “has an excellent natural eye at selecting the best stock,” says Danny. Dillon has been asked to judge area sheep shows and has also become successful in the sheep-shearing business, taking it on as a full-time job.

“This is my 10th year to shear sheep,” says Dillon, who learned the skill from Doug Rathke of Minnesota, the national record holder for the most sheep shorn in a 24-hour period. “In a typical day, I’ll shear at least 100 sheep. My current record is 208 in 13 hours. In the fall, I might shear 600, whereas in the spring, I can shear anywhere from 1,500 to 2,000 a month.”

Dillon says shearing is a year-round job and serves many purposes. It helps to keep sheep and the barn cleaner and results in cooler animals that milk better and eat more. The Dorpers also breed easier without the heaviness of the wool.

Times have changed on the farm since it first began in the late 1940s, but family farming traditions continue. Dillon and his wife, Jazlyn, now have two boys of their own — four-year-old Brimlee and six-month-old Beckett — and Brimlee is already expressing interest in the local and national sheep shows. He can be seen in many show winners’ circle photos as he proudly holds the champion banners for Danny and Dillon. When the boys are eligible to participate in 4-H showing season, they’ll be well on their way to compete with whatever farming enterprise calls Narrow Gate Farm home.

For more information about Narrow Gate Farm, visit http://thenarrowgatefarm.com/. To learn more about Dorper sheep, visit https://dorpersheep.org/.