Hannah Giaudrone

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HG Club Lambs
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Description of HG club lambs

HG club lambs is a business that WE personally would like to own one day. The main purpose of this
business would be to breed and producing show stock prospects for junior livestock exhibitors in Oklahoma
and the surrounding states. Along with breeding and producing show stock, HG club lambs would train
showman to properly show the lambs, create feed rations to help create a proper finish on all market
animals along with a ration to help stimulate the growth of muscle for all animals including breeding and
market livestock, we would also employ local college students majoring in agriculture and have a
background in showing livestock, along with also fitting and clipping at all major livestock shows and for an
extra charge all minor livestock shows such as jackpots. HG club lambs would be in the northern part of
Oklahoma near the Kansas border to allow for both Oklahoma and Kansas junior livestock showman could
be helped. HG club lambs would sell market animals, and all breeding livestock would be rented out to
junior livestock showman and then returned to HG club lambs at the end of show season. Lambs could also
be returned if there were significant health problems or other complaints that would deem the returning of
the animal. When hiring local students to work for this business their jobs would be to work with students
in the area on their showmanship skills. We would also have students travel with the business to all major
shows to help with last minute prep items, fitting, and clipping. Students could use this as an internship
opportunity, and it would allow for networking within the industry.

What and how much to produce we would produce

We would produce club lambs used in junior livestock exhibition. Specifically, WE would breed crossbred
lambs, and would breed for we theirs and ewe lambs. Breeding crossbred lambs allows for me as a
producer to breed for things such as muscle, structure, and performance without having to focus specific
breed characteristics. When crossbreeding we will take the terminal strengths of the Hampshire ram and
breed it with the maternal strengths of Dorset ewe to create a progeny that has both great terminal and
maternal strengths. This will be extremely helpful when wanting both ewes who will go on to create great
club wethers, and great club wethers. Choosing to produce both market and breeding stock allows for an
increase in output with little increase in input because of not needing to purchase sexed semen and being
able to grow the flock by also producing ewe s that could be used as recip ewes. Starting off with 5 ewe s
that we would breed to rams who have been genetically screened for Spyder, codon 171, and dwarfism
along with many other genetic conditions that could arise. We would breed each ewe with hoping to get a
lambing crop of 7 to 8 lambs (McGill). As my experience grows with in the club lamb industry, we can grow
my lambing base. Starting off with a low lambing crop allows for me as a producer to pay close attention to
the performance of my lamb crop along with providing support and other services to the families that
purchase the lambs. Another positive of starting off with a smaller lamb crop allows for me to take time and
truly finding the best rams for my ewe s that will produce the most growthy and productive progeny. With
having more time to focus on families that purchase my sheep; we can provide extra service to them such
as fitting, creating custom ration programs, and training on showmanship. We would also provide the
option for junior showman to rent ewe lambs as exhibition projects and after the major show they show at
the ewe would be returned
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to us. All this extra time spent with them would come with an added price because the time spent with
these families would cost money. we would provide different levels of service for different prices. Starting
off with If you just want to buy livestock from us would be the cheapest and would require pictures every
couple of we ewes and pictures from all livestock shows and if you rented an ewe, we expect it to be
returned to us or could be bought at an increased price. The next package would go on to be buying the
livestock from us and wanting us to create a feed ration for it. That would be an increased charge and
would require weekly photo updates, weekly weight check-ins, and biweekly visits by one of our team
members to make sure the lamb is growing the way we want it. The next package would be buying the
livestock for you, creating the feed ration, fitting, and clipping the lamb, and private showmanship lessons.
This would be the most expensive because it would require the most gas and time. This would require
families to send weekly photos, weekly weight check-ins, weekly videos of the showman working with the
animal, biweekly visits from a team member. We would provide a list of feeds to purchase and what
amount of each feed to give, we would provide a drench at each stock show, a medication regimen, and
finally all grooming needs.

Inputs and technology

We would require ten ewe s to start off with impressive pedigree. Starting off with ten ewe s allows for me
to grow a lamb base quickly without having to wait on one or two ewe s to produce lambs over many
breeding seasons. Having multiple ewes allows for me to have a wide variety of genetics; having a wide
variety of genetics makes picking lambs for junior exhibitors even more personable, because we would find
lambs that would be just the right fit for them and their flock. To have a successful operation we would
need to have the ability to artificially inseminate ewe s with different rams’ semen. Artificially inseminating
ewe s is very difficult because of the way their reproductive systems are shaped. Another difficulty of
artificially insemination is having semen. We would need semen from rams with an impressive pedigree’s
and who have been genetically screened for all genetic disorders. Semen is very expensive and can be a
financial risk. If the semen comes in the mail thawed or broken could set back my operation back weeks or
even months on breeding. Having semen shipped in from all over the country is a risk, and a part of that risk
is not knowing what the return on the investment will be. The sire could have had all the qualities we are
looking for and the dam the same, but the progeny could have some major issues. Along with semen and
the ability to AI. We need the facilities to the ewes, lambing pens, and enough acreage for both lambs and
ewes to exercise. With those facilities they would need to be equipped with water, ventilation, and
temperature control to allow for the best environment to be created for the ewe s during labor and for
lambs when they are born. When owning any type of animal, they need access to water, feed, and
veterinary care. This is no different in a club lamb operation and could possibly be even more expensive
because of the frequent restock and visits from veterinary care staff to make sure we are taking care of my
livestock on al l fronts. HG club lambs isn’t just a lambing operation it also provides services to fit, create
rations, and teach showmanship skills to the families we buy livestock for. With this part of the business
inputs, we would need are stands, sets of clippers, blowers, and fitting lights. These inputs would allow me
to fit all lambs perfectly. To provide this service to all the families we would work with we would need a
functioning truck and trailer to be able to haul lambs and equipment all over the country. To create a
clientele base HG club lambs would have an active social media and website. These two inputs are very
valuable and are low in financial cost. The opportunity costs outweigh the physical costs because of the
ability to reach potential customers all over the country. With having our own website would allow us to
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have online sales this even further our clientele base. All these inputs will allow HG club lambs to grow and
generate revenue. Increasing the time and effort we put into the outputs we produce, the likely hood of
consumer utility to increase. With increasing the number of inputs such as time, feed quality, and genetics
will generate the possibility of a greater output, well-structured and high preforming club lambs.

Impact of global economy, government policies and other economic issues

There are many other breeders in the country, and it is a privilege to have customers choose your operation
to find their next exhibition project. Competition between club lamb operations is normal and to be
expected but should not result in bad relationships with other operations. While competition can be viewed
in a bad light and can result in negative outcomes. Competition can be used in a positive and powerful way.
When looking for the right breeder families need to go with the breeder who aligns best with what they
want and how much they are willing to pay. Breeders can help each other out, for example, giving advice on
how to feed a struggling club lamb, advice on how to help an exhibitor with their showmanship, and the list
could go on. There is not perfect competition in the club industry; many breeders hear about new
technology, new rams, and new techniques before others. There is also problems with breeders who use
their connections and money to cheat and extort families and judges. The thing that sets HG club lambs
apart from other operations is that fact that we offer more than just the traditional selling of livestock. we
can fit and clip your lambs, create a proper feed ration to help your club lambs grow and have the
appropriate amount of finish, we will be able to provide training on how to show the animal, and we will be
always available to be able to provide the best care for both lamb and showman. Unperfect competition is
not the only thing that is negative about the breeding and show industry. Across the globe there is concerns
of showing livestock being a form of animal abuse and that it should not be done. In some cities it has
become illegal to show livestock such as in Los Angeles County. There are consumer groups that have
concerns or issues with my business. Groups such as Peta and other animal welfare groups spread
misinformation and false news to consumers which hurts not only the show industry but the agricultural
industry. There are government regulations such as properly taking care of animal waste, taking care of
animal health, along with market animals being safe to enter the processing system, and mandatory pricing
reports on all livestock. Regulations on antibiotics such as the veterinary feed directive and withdrawal
dates ensures that consumers are receiving a meat product that does not contain antibiotics. There are also
government regulations such as properly taking care of animal waste, taking care of animal health, along
with market animals being safe to enter the processing system, and mandatory pricing reports on all
livestock. Citations
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Work cited

Hahn, William. “Animal Policy & Regulatory Issues.” USDA ERS - Animal Policy & Regulatory Issues, 29
Apr. 2020, https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/animal-products/animal-policy-regulatory-issues/.

Medicine, Center for Veterinary. “FDA Regulation of Medicated Feed.” U.S. Food and Drug Administration,
FDA, 26 July 2021, https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/resources-you/fda-regulation-medicated-feed.

McGill, Mckenzie. Interview. Conducted by Hannah Giaudrone, 15 April 2022.