Broadcaster Press 5 October 29, 2019 www.broadcasteronline.com 2019 South Dakota Master Lamb Producers Association Award Winners Announced BROOKINGS, S.D. Three families were named as 2019 South Dakota Master Lamb Producers during the South Dakota Master Lamb Producers Association awards program luncheon on September 28 in Spearfish. The luncheon took place as part of the 82nd Annual South Dakota Sheep Growers Association convention. The 2019 South Dakota Master Lamb Producers include the Craig and Deb Kukuchka Family of Belle Fourche, Van Dyke Suffolks – Jim Van Dyke Family of Wessington Springs, and Van Well Sheep LLC – Trevor and Travis Van Well and Family of Watertown. Craig and Deb Kukuchka Family – Belle Fourche, SD The Kukuchka family operates a livestock enterprise known as the “Bar 69 Ranch” consisting of 1,200 commercial Targhee ewes and an outstanding registered Angus cow herd. Their commercial range sheep flock has been developed over the past 25 years to excel in maternal traits and wool production. Genetic improvement for these economically important traits is attributed to ram selection based on EBV data. At auction, premium feeder lambs and replacement females offered by the “Bar 69 Ranch” frequently top the market. Van Dyke Suffolks – Jim Van Dyke Family – Wessington Springs, SD Over the past 30 years, 150 Miles And Counting: Wind Cave Celebrates Significant Milestone WIND CAVE NATIONAL PARK, S.D. – Wind Cave is celebrating its 150th mile of exploration with special talks and activities Saturday, November 2. Programs include hearing exploration stories from the actual explorers, including a first-hand account of being lost in the cave for 36 hours. “Throughout the day, talks will be given at the park’s visitor center telling the story of the cave’s exploration. These talks are free and begin at 8:30 a.m. with the last talk beginning at 3 p.m.,” said Park Superintendent Vidal Dávila. “A rare public display of a tracing of the map of the cave’s first systematic explorer, Alvin McDonald, will also be exhibited at 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.” The Black Hills Parks & Forest Association will have lunch available for purchase. While repairs are ongoing with the cave’s elevators, it is unknown if they will be fixed in time to open the cave for tours on that day. The event will conclude with a banquet at the Mueller Civic Center in Hot Springs. The keynote speaker is Rachel (Cox) Tso. As an 18-year old National Outdoor Leadership Student (NOLS) in 1989, she was lost in the cave for 36 hours, generating the largest search and rescue effort in the park’s history. Ms. Tso, now a documentary filmmaker, will show some of her upcoming film on the incident along with telling her story and how the experience changed her life. For a full schedule of events, and to purchase tickets for the banquet, visit: www.blackhillsparks.org and click on the Wind Cave partner tab or call 605-745-7020. Reservations for dinner are available through October 27 and cost $30 for adults. the Van Dyke Suffolk flock has become a nationallyrecognized source of superior Suffolk sheep genetics for both seedstock flocks and the commercial sheep industry. Currently their registered Suffolk sheep program consists of 180 mature ewes with the production focus on post-weaning growth performance, carcass merit and structural soundness. More than 100 Suffolk rams are sold annually. Elite Van Dyke stud rams can be found in purebred Suffolk breeding programs across the United States, yet the majority of the rams serve as a terminal cross in commercial sheep flocks located in the Midwest and western states. Over the past 25 years, Van Well Sheep, LLC has evolved into one of the largest sheep enterprises in the country. There are three primary components: a 7,000-head commercial white-faced ewe flock, lamb finishing and a public sheep buying station. Annually they handle more than 150,000 head of finished lambs representing nearly five percent of the domestic lamb harvest. Although the Van Well Sheep, LLC headquarters is located just a few miles from Watertown, the ewes graze in western South Dakota and North Dakota during the summer. Partnerships in lamb finishing can include producers throughout the region. Their unique large-scale sheep produc- tion and marketing model was created by the late Dion Van Well in the early 1990’s. After his passing in 2014, his sons, Trevor and Travis Van Well, have built on the original model resulting in even greater flock production efficiencies, improved facility utilization and expanded marketing options for finished lambs. Program sponsors include: Agri Tech of Brookings, Big Gain Feed Inc., Center of the Nation Wool, Inc. of Belle Fourche, Farm Credit Services of America of Pierre, Hamlin County Farmers Cooperative of Hayti, Hubbard Feeds, Menno Livestock, South Dakota Livestock Foundation, South Dakota Sheep Growers Association, Sioux Falls Regional Livestock of Worthing, Sisseton Livestock Auction, Inc., Sydell, Inc., St. Onge Livestock and Newell Sheep Yards, and Van Well Livestock, LLC. To learn more about the South Dakota Master Lamb Producers Association contact Dr. Jeff Held, Executive Secretary of the South Dakota Master Lamb Producers Association, Professor and SDSU Extension Sheep Specialist by email. Quality products, affordable prices! Call today, start tomorrow! 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