By JUDD WEIL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Sunflower Classic Show and Sale for sheep will be at the Kansas State Fairgrounds in Hutchinson on May 19 and May 20. The show and sale will focus on the sheep breeds, dorpers and white dorpers.
While the sale portion of the event has always been standard at the Kansas State Fairgrounds, 2023 is the first year for the show.
"Our national organization, which is the American Dorpers Breeders Society, had just a sale there [Kansas State Fairgrounds]," Freddy Rossouw, president of the Mid-American Dorper Breeders Association and event manager, said. "This year, the club, the Mid-American Dorper Breeders Association, that's a regional club, is taking it over and then we now decided to have it as a show and sale. This will be the first year as a show and sale, but it's the fourth year we've had the event there."
The Mid-American Dorper Breeders Association is a sponsor of the Sunflower Classic, with main sponsors EPM Farm out of Sweetwater, Oklahoma, and Deer Creek Dorpers out of Phillipsburg, Kansas.
The Sunflower Classic is divided into two days, the show on Friday and the sale on Saturday.
Friday will start with an open show at 11 a.m., with a youth show to follow into the evening.
A free complimentary dinner will be provided for anyone wanting to stay for a educational seminar.
"We have a South African Dorper breed inspector and judge, that is judging the show," Rossouw said. "He flew in from South Africa to judge this event."
The education seminar will be delivered by Ashley Phillips, amd will be about the selection of breeding stock.
According to Rossouw, the breed standard has five components.
"One is confirmation, then we have growth rate, we have fat distribution, we have color, and we have cover," Rossouw said. "Each animal gets evaluated by the breed standards on each one of those topics, and then they get typed according to the breed standard."
During the seminar, Phillips will use live dorpers to demonstrate and explain the the different type categories, and how the breed standards determine each type.
An open question and answer session will follow.
On Saturday, the sale will start at 11 a.m.
Prior to that, at 8 a.m., a complimentary breakfast will be served for those wanting to hear the seminar from the evening before.
All of the dorpers from the show day, will be on auction for the sale.
Not including youth show sheep, there are 108 animals consigned for the sale.
The minimum bid on registered animals will be $400. The minimum bid for commercial-grade females will be $250. Prices on the high end, could anywhere from $3,000 to $15,000 per animal.
"It just depends on who's buying, and what they want to pay," Rossouw said.
For more information, visit the Kansas Dorpers or the Mid-American Dorper Breeders Facebook groups.
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