Donna and David Buskohl
Wyndmere
David and Donna Buskohl have become masters at finding ways to make their sheep feeding operation easier to run.
With three children and a 100,000-mile-a-year trucking business, that's a necessity.
"On a lot of the farms that I've seen, there's just too much manual labor," David says. "People just aren't happy spending all that time doing all that work. Our philosophy has been to put money back into our facilities to make them easier to use. If you don't, somewhere along the line, you're going to have to pay anyway."
The Buskohls were named North Dakota's 2000 Master Sheep Producers by the North Dakota Lamb and Wool Producers Association. They'll receive their award at the association's annual convention Saturday, Oct. 28, in Mandan. Their 4,000-head feedlot is located near Wyndmere.
"They really have done a good job of looking at all the little details that make things flow more smoothly," says Roger Haugen, North Dakota State University Extension sheep specialist.
Buskohl recalls the start of their operation 11 years ago when bucket feeding was the norm and lambs were caught individually for vaccinating. Now, after the first 30 days, trucks deliver
feed directly to feeders in the feedlot, and their handling system and chute allow them to vaccinate and worm 500 sheep an hour. Heaters and fans dry the sheep at shearing time and that, coupled with their handling system, allow their hired shearer can do most of his work without help.Donna worked as a dental hygenist for the first few years after they were married. David's family raised sheep as he was growing up, so when he and Donna began looking for a way to supplement his trucking income so that she could stay home with their children, sheep were a natural choice. In their first year, they fed 400 lambs. "We've maintained a pretty steady growth since then," he says.
Although livestock production can be a demanding family enterprise, Buskohl says it's been a good fit. Cody, 9, and Danielle, 7, are enthusiastic helpers, even when it means loading
sheep before church on Sunday morning. Another helper is on the way. Casey was born in July."Everybody in our family likes the sheep and they are the right size for the kids. The kids learn quite a bit by being involved," Buskohl says. The enterprise allows mixing some business with
pleasure. A sheep buying trip this summer included a family vacation in western North Dakota.He credits Donna with their success in sheep feeding. "If it weren't for her, we couldn't do this. She takes care of all the day-to-day details."
There are no sheep on the family's 17 acres during the summer. During the winter the family can feed about 1,800 sheep in total confinement with lots and shelter for the remaining sheep.
Buskohl says his biggest challenge is finding large lots of lambs to buy. "I can compete with anybody buying lambs, but it's tough to get out in the market when you have another job," he says. "There aren't that many lamb sales on Saturdays anymore, and when I take a day off from trucking, I have to come home with enough lambs to make it worthwhile."
In October, Buskohl took a new approach. He advertised in the Steele area and then spent a Saturday with his truck at the buying station there buying lambs. "I advertise what I'm paying
at what weights. There's a certified scale there with an operator who has no connection with me. The producers don't have to worry about shrink or commissions, and I think they appreciate that."He'll spend every other Saturday there in the coming weeks doing the same thing. He also buys lambs at his feedlot and takes inquiries from producers with just about any size flock.
Who the sheep are purchased from is the first information entered in the Buskohl's record-keeping system. He keeps track of feed conversion, death loss, weather, health and other factors that have an impact on production. Much of the information is tracked
on a white board in the family's utility room.Diets include mostly good quality corn and alfalfa. "They do an excellent job of feeding lambs," observes NDSU's Haugen. "They've created a very healthy environment for their sheep."
Buskohl is sold on top-quality feed. "We get our best feed-to-gain conversions with heavy corn. Cheap feeds, even at half the price, aren't worth it if your lambs aren't gaining or are losing
weight. We've found that using better quality, more expensive feed pays off in the end, and the same goes with vitamins and minerals."