Tim Hearden/Capital Press.Wes Patton stands among Dorper ewes and lambs on his ranch in Orland, Calif., with his cattle in the background. The Dorper variety is growing in popularity among sheep producers.

By TIM HEARDEN

Capital Press

ORLAND, Calif. – Lifelong sheep producers Wes and Jane Patton believe they found the perfect variety for their 230-acre ranch here.

For a little over a decade, they’ve been breeding and selling white Dorper sheep, and they’ve built a clientele around the West of experienced producers and people looking to get into the sheep business.

“The one thing about this breed of sheep is that they’re very heat-tolerant, yet they also do well in cooler climates,” Wes Patton said.

“They don’t have to be sheared, which is a big plus for farmers these days because shearers are very rare,” Jane Patton said. “And they do well on grass. One of the buzzwords these days is grass-fed beef and lamb.”

First introduced into the United States in the 1990s, Dorpers – a cross between Dorset Horn and Blackhead Persian sheep that originated in South Africa – have been growing in popularity among producers looking for quality and efficiency.

They’re now third among varieties in the U.S. in terms of total sheep registered, Wes Patton said.

Each year, the Pattons and three breeders from Oregon put on a production sale at the fairgrounds in Red Bluff, Calif. Last year, more than 100 people attended, Wes Patton said. This year’s sale of rams, individual ewes and pens of ewes is set for July 21.

“It’s really the only sale … west of Missouri that has a substantial number of Dorpers,” Jane Patton said.

Prices for the animals vary, the Pattons said. For breeding stock, ewe lambs can start at $250 a head at weaning time, while rams can range from $300 to $2,000 a head.

“We bid $5,000 on a ram two weeks ago in Missouri and didn’t get him,” Jane Patton said.

The Dorper breed was developed by South African sheep farmers looking for an animal that would provide a higher quality meat that would sell in European markets and yet thrive in the country’s arid climate, according to the American Dorper Sheep Breeders Society’s website. The Dorper is now the second largest breed in South Africa with more than 10 million head, the website explained.

Dorpers either come with black markings or are entirely white, the latter of which are called white Dorpers.

In the United States, demand for Dorpers is high because drought conditions in Texas and elsewhere have forced producers to downsize, Jane Patton said. Dorpers weigh about 90 pounds, compared to about 150 pounds for other breeds, and can live on less feed, she said.

Dorpers shed their own winter coat in the spring, which saves on shearing costs. And market lambs have a mild-flavored meat that’s more tender because they’re finished on pasture, Wes Patton said.

“Many of our market animals end up in San Francisco Bay area restaurants,” he said. “Chefs love them.”

The Pattons, who also raise cattle, believe the potential for Dorpers is huge because of the natural-food and local-food movements, which value meat from grass-fed animals.

“We see with this breed a real potential for young people who want to get into the business as far as the natural, grass-fed, farmer’s market type of thing,” Jane Patton said. “Before, we’d not seen a lot of potential for (that type of) commercial thing.”

Online

Glenn Land Farm: http://www.glennlandfarm.com/

American Dorper Sheep Breeders Society: http://www.dorper.org/index.html