June 22, 2009 by fred.

The 2009 ram lambs are now ready for your inspection. The ram lambs are sired by Goldmine (Knop 5047), DeSpain 86 (a 3/4 brother x 3/4 sister mating being double bred CEO and and double bred Next Step) and and Marx 7007 (an LSU son of the Marcantel/Johnson (Ohio) Hampshire line). Please refer to our Feb. 4, 2009 blog for additional sire information.

These (2009) ram lambs bring together in a balanced way a combination of muscle, hip structure, correctness of feet and legs, bone, muscle and phenotypic design that meets the eye in a pleasing fashion. Coupling these traits with the predictability of our linebreding program combining the Mayer Hampshire line and the Crazyhorse Suffolk line will result in rams that will work for you in a predictable, consistent manner.

We invite you to stop by on your way to or from Sedalia or anytime you are planning to be in our area. Our rams continue to work well for our customers all across the country. We are convinced this unique set of rams will also work for you! The wether mates to these rams have scattered to some of the top show families in the United States. These rams are bred the same way as the wethers. We plan to post a few photos of the rams asap.

We may also offer some interest sales in a couple of our mature rams i.e. Woody, Knop 5678, and a really unique Howard son to name a few.

We hope to hear from you soon.

Sincerely,

Fred Knop

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April 7, 2009 by fred.

The Fred Knop Family welcomes and invites you to stop by in your travels to view our show lamb prospects during our Show Lamb Open House. The show lamb prospects have been identified and will be pre-priced for sale on a first come-first-serve basis. Our Open House will run from April 10 through April 19th and by appointment after that. We would appreciate a phone call in advance if you would like to view the lambs.

We have a deep set of both show wethers and show ewe lambs for sale that will compete anywhere under any judge as evidenced by our show track record. The lambs will be priced in a reasonable manner for all levels of desired competition.

We also have an outstanding set of intensively linebred ram lambs that bring our unique genetic package to the table. Our rams will “nick” in a consistent manner in your flock as evidenced by the winning lambs of our customers. You can share in their success. We are one of the only flocks in the U.S. which can offer linebred Crazyhorse Suffolk/Mayer Hampshire genetics. Stop by and take a look. You will see the difference!

We look forward to your visit.

Sincerely,

The Fred Knop Family

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March 18, 2009 by fred.

We now have about 75% of our male lambs tested to determine their status at Codon 171. There are many critical male lambs that tested QQ and they will be wethers. This is a tremendous opportunity for young showpersons seeking uniquely bred and phenotypically unique linebred Crazyhorse Suffolk/Mayer Hampshire wether lambs that will compete under any judge at any show.

Be sure to check out the details of our awards’ program. This is an opportunity for you to feed and show great genetics and to gain cash and credit compensation back.

We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Fred Knop

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March 18, 2009 by fred.

The Fred Knop Family is pleased to announce our new awards’ program offering cash and credit award amounts to young showpersons who choose to exhibit Knop show lambs. The reward amounts will range from $50.00 to $750.00 depending on the show and placings. The details of our awards’s program can be found on our homepage and our champions page under the 2009 Cash Award buttons.

Please call to ask about the cash award amounts for specific shows.

We look forward to your inquiry and visit. Our 2009 show lamb prospects are very interesting and await your inspection and selection.

Sincerely,

Fred Knop

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March 7, 2009 by fred.

Friends

I am pleased to report that the wonderful book entitled “The Basis of Linebreeding” is now back in print.

The book can be ordered from:

Jim Lents
25398 SW Coombs Road
Indiahoma, OK 73552

Domestic shipment of the book is $30 which includes shipping and handling costs.

International shipment of the book is $40 U.S. which also includes shipping and handling costs.

Please include payment with your order along with the name and postal address for the delivery point of the book(s). Personal checks or money orders are fine for domestic shipment. Payment for international addresses should be via International Money Order denominated in U.S. dollars and payable in the U.S.A. This type of money order can be purchased at most commercial banks in your country.

If you have a special request such as an inscription or an autograph, please include such request with your order.

We are pleased to pass this information along to all connoisseur’s of linebreeding. You will enjoy the unique approach to understanding linebreediing afforded by this practically written guide.

Fred Knop

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February 4, 2009 by fred.

We now have about 75% of our expected 2009 lambs. We are very excited about these young prospects as they represent the utilization of some popular and proven genetics that we would like to outline for you.

First, many of the lambs are sired by Marx 7007. This is the ram Mel Marx used as a ram lamb last year who was sired by the popular Marcantel Hampshire ram named LSU. The LSU ram has sired the Res.Grand Champion market lamb at OKC, the Grand at the GA National show plus many other champions and a son, 1135, sired the 2008 Grand Champion at San Antoinio. The 7007 lambs will meet your approval as they are jack-fronted, parallel in their lines, and massive in their hip design. The mother of 7007 was sired by Marx 2-32, used by Clint Cummings, and the maternal grandmother of this ram is the stud ewe–Marx 9-57–who, in turn, is the twin sister to the stud ram–Marx 9-56–that we used so successfully and whose influence is carried on through our stud rams, the Step Brothers and Woody. This female, Marx 9-57, is also the mother of our stud ram, Marx 4-06, who sired the Grand in Kansas City in 2005.

Another Hampshire ram used for this year’s lamb crop is DeSpain 86. This ram lamb was the class winning March crossbred ram lamb at Sedalia last year and was purchased by RSO. Roger and Sherry graciously allowed us to use the services of 86. His lambs look absolutely outstanding! 86 is a son of Larry DeSpain’s great Step Ahead ram, a Next Step son and his mother was sired by DeSpain 57, also a Next Step son. 86 is also a double-bred CEO as Next Step was sired by CEO and a double-bred Tex with Tex being found on both the paternal and maternal sides of his pedigree. To be accurate, 86’s paternal and maternal sires are at least 3/4 brothers. 86’s pedigree is loaded multiple times on both sides with outstanding rams such as Patent, Broker, 31, 411, Prime Time, Rupp and Stop Watch.

The 86 lambs all have super phenotypic design with the big hips and the alert, very extended front ends that everyone is seeking in their show lambs. They are also very correct on their feet and legs and move attractively in a balanced fashion.

As most of you know, we have an uniquely linebred ewe flock combining the Crazyhorse Suffolk gene pool with the Mayer Hampshire genetics. Many of our friends and customers have projected that our female base might be one of the most proficient, predictable flocks to combine with some out-of-flock Hampshire genetics. Based on the lamb development we see so far out of the 7007 LSU son and the DeSpain 86 ram lamb it looks like the combination is really working! It is interesting to note that both 7007 and 86 return, genetically speaking, to the very foundation of the Mayer Hampshire gene pool specifically the famous ram named Jackpot. Most of the really good Hampshire club lamb type sheep will have their foundation in the Jackpot/801/212 lineage. Bringing 7007 and 86 into our flock simply accentuates and concentrates the desirable attributes from the Jackpot line.

We also returned a ram to use that we raised named–Goldmine. Goldmine is a son of Marx 4-06 (mentioned above) whose mother is Knop 897 (deceased) who was an Omega x Alf (Granddaddy=Walking Tall) combination. Goldmine was used very successfully the last two years by the Dave Beck family of Ohio (be sure to check out their website). Based on two years of progeny in the Beck flock and the lambs we see here this spring sired by Goldmine we would project that Goldmine might well be one of the very few Suffolk-based rams anywhere that can be bred to about any gene pool with awesome results. The Goldmine lambs are balanced, have muscle, bone, correctness of feet and legs, are phenotypically attractive with great hip structure. A Goldmine sired lamb was Res. Champion Suffolk at the 2008 Ohio State Fair Open show. Goldmine also has sired many other champion lambs in various shows. There is no doubt that Goldmine and his sons are the type of sire that can be used on percentage Hamp type females to make the great crossbred show lambs. It is also interesting to note that Goldmine carries a significant degree of Mayer Hampshire genetics on his sire side. The Goldmine progeny will mostly classify Suffolk yet have that super-neat crossbred body style and more three dimensional muscle shape and touch than many Hamp type show lambs.

As always, your visit is welcome this spring. We believe this set of lambs is unique in the club lamb industry based on their genetics and could well go down as one of the best lamb crops we have ever raised here on the farm. Stop by–you be the judge!

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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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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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