12 CapitalPress.com Friday, May 7, 2021 Sheep: ‘This has been a social phenomenon’ of frozen embryos. Embryos are harder than semen to implant and cost $3,500 each, not counting importation and insurance expenses. But it was worth it, the Dal- lys say. Last month, their fi rst- ever Valais Blacknose pure- bred lambs were born in the U.S. Demand has been over- whelming, they say. Most buy- ers have not come from the commercial sheep community. That’s because Valais Blac- knose don’t have top-notch wool, milk or meat. They’re just really cute. “If someone wants to buy cuteness, I’ll set it to them,” said Martin Dally. He grinned. Dally calls the Valais “pas- ture puppies” and “lawn ornaments.” Joy Dally now spearheads an organization called the Val- ais Blacknose Sheep Society. The group, she said, already has more than 100 mem- bers, including two Oregon breeders who already have purebreds. “This has been a social phenomenon,” she said. Continued from Page 1 ‘In my blood’ Sierra Dawn McClain/Capital Press Joy Dally holds a box of wool. The fi ber side of the sheep business is called Shepherds Lane of Oregon. Sierra Dawn McClain/Capital Press Close-up of a Valais Blacknose purebred lamb. Joining forces Joy and Martin met in 2005 at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. She was look- ing for Wensleydale genetics to improve her fl ock’s fi ber; he was selling ram semen. “Wensleydales brought us together,” said Joy Dally. She had been raised on a cow dairy in New York state, but had devoted her life to sheep. The two married in 2007. From their Oregon base, the couple raised sheep, estab- lished relationships with breeders and import-export offi cials across Europe, Aus- tralia and New Zealand, and performed AI procedures. Joy Dally says they trav- eled the U.S. regularly, mak- ing stops from the West Coast to the East Coast and back — “an AI job here, delivering sheep there.” Martin Dally said he matches genetics not only to fl ocks but also to the environ- ment. For a farmer in a dry cli- mate, for example, he recom- mends breeds that originate from desert regions. Breeders nationwide say the Dallys have boosted their fl ocks’ genetics and the over- all industry. A wide impact Vogler, the Nevada sheep rancher, raises Merinos, a fi ne-wooled breed. When he wanted to improve his fl ock’s genetics, his state veterinar- ian suggested he contact the Dallys. “I couldn’t do big, cross- bred lambs,” said Vogler. “I had to have hardy, medi- um-sized sheep so the desert won’t eat ‘em like popcorn.” Merinos, originating from Spain and developed in Aus- tralia, fi t that niche. With the Dallys’ help, Vogler brought high-quality Austra- lian Merino genetics into his fl ock. His sheep now produce about 120,000 pounds of soft, fi ne wool annually, and Vogler estimates because of the improved genetics, he gets about $1.50 more per pound than his competitors. Another couple that has benefi ted from the Dal- lys’ work is Paul and Kathy Lewis, who raise about 700 breeding ewes near Bonanza, Ore. Like Vogler, the Lewises needed a breed suited to their dry environment. They chose White Dorpers, originating in South Africa, and Dally did their AI work. “(Martin and Joy) have done so much for us,” said Paul Lewis, 79. “There’s a huge need for the work they do.” Rebecca King, widely considered one of the breed- ers leading genetics improve- ment in the sheep dairy indus- try, has recently improved her California fl ock with imported Lacaune semen, a milk breed originating from France. Mar- tin Dally helped her get started. Barb and Geof Ruppert, Pennsylvania sheep ranchers, say the Dallys helped them improve the wool quality of their American Corridales with Australian genetics. the LAI procedure. Many farm-side factors also infl uence success rates, including animal health, the environment and how the ewes were managed prior to the procedure. “The AI technician is only one spoke in a big wheel,” said Martin Dally. Dally said he has attempted to train several veterinary stu- dents and others in LAI work, but few caught the vision. Several breeders said they wonder who will fi ll Dally’s shoes when he moves toward retirement. Although the Dallys no lon- ger travel as often for AI work, they’re not slowing down. The two seem happily chin-deep in their latest venture with Valais Blacknose genetics. “We certainly are grateful to them for helping us with our breeding program,” said Barb Ruppert. Mindy Mayer, an Idaho rancher, secured Kerry Hill semen from the Dallys. Kerry Hills are a heritage breed from the United Kingdom, white with distinct black markings around the eyes and mouth. Mayer now runs Kerry Hill Winery in Wilder, a popular agritourism destination where visitors drink wine while watching wool events, herding demonstrations and “sip and shear” events. “I couldn’t have done this without Martin and Joy,” Mayer said. “They’ve helped me, guided me — you know, really shared their knowledge.” Breeders say most heri- tage and specialty breeds in the U.S. today can be traced to Dally. Long-term vision In the future, the Dallys plan to focus on three areas: getting the Valais Blacknose well-established in the U.S., opening their farm to agritour- ism and expanding their wool business. Joy Dally said she’s always wanted more agritourism — to invite the community on edu- cational tours of a working sheep farm. “I’d love to get people out here,” she said. At this, Martin shook his head. “Don’t mind Martin. He’s curmudgeonly,” she said. “She’s so outgoing,” he returned, shrugging. They both laughed. The farm certainly looks a welcoming place for tour- ism. The property lies snug between rolling green hills in Lebanon. Approaching the farmhouse, which stands at the end of a long driveway, sheep graze on the right and a row of white birches fl anks the left. ‘A social phenomenon’ The Dallys saw Swiss Val- ais Blacknose sheep for the fi rst time in 2014. “It was love at fi rst sight,” said Joy Dally. The Dallys visited fl ocks across the United Kingdom, Scotland, Sweden, Denmark and Germany in 2015 and fi nally selected Valais rams from the UK in 2016. They imported their fi rst semen in 2017. Martin implanted the Val- ais Blacknose semen into Got- land, Teeswater and Scottish Blackface ewes as “founda- tion” breeds. The fi rst 50% cross-bred lambs were born in the U.S. in 2018. In 2019, 75% Valais lambs were born, and in 2020, 87.5% — a process called upgrading. Last summer, the cou- ple imported their fi rst batch Big shoes to fi ll There are few laparoscopic artifi cial insemination special- ists in the U.S. sheep industry today. Breeders say it takes a spe- cial kind of person: someone with intelligence, good hand- eye coordination, a love for sheep and vision for the work. LAI isn’t easy. “A lot of times, people think you can just pick up semen, put them in a suitcase overseas and come back. It’s a lot more complicated than that,” said Martin Dally. His work, he said, has sometimes been “frustrat- ing” — long travels, navigat- ing complex import proto- cols, catching the ewes in their estrus cycle and performing Celebrate your FFA graduate! Capital Press is giving you the opportunity to honor your FFA senior with an affordable ad that will run in the June 11th edition. These ads will be published in a special keepsake edition to celebrate our FFA seniors in the Northwest. Order your ad by Thursday, May 20 at 10am (PT) For $35, the ad includes: - Name, FFA Chapter, & Hometown 1.625” Call your Sales Rep Today! 3” Martin is a third-genera- tion rancher whose father and grandfather raised sheep near Dixon, Calif. “So, I had to do it, too,” he said, adding that it’s “in my blood.” He recalls, as a boy, eyeing a silver trophy at a California sheep show. “I always wanted to win that thing,” he said. He set out to breed the best sheep. He was always inter- ested in genetics, and once attempted to AI rats for an undergraduate project. After college, Dally got a job at the University of Cal- ifornia-Davis directing the sheep research programs at the Hopland Research and Extension Center. While at UC-Davis, Dally heard about a major research breakthrough. It was 1982, and Australian research- ers had developed a laparo- scopic insemination proce- dure that would revolutionize the sheep AI technique. For many years, breeders had considered AI of sheep impractical for three reasons. First, it was hard to detect the ewe’s estrus cycle, or “heat.” Second, it was impossible to freeze ram semen. Finally, a sheep’s anatom- ical structure makes pene- tration of the cervix nearly impossible. A series of research breakthroughs made it pos- sible to synchronize a ewe’s estrus cycle, freeze ram semen and use a lapa- roscope, a tiny instrument that is inserted directly into the uterus. AI in sheep sud- denly became practical, opening a world of genetic opportunity. Dally was eager to learn from the Australians, and in 1986, he became one of the earliest pioneers of sheep LAI in the U.S. Through the years, he further improved the technique. After a 25-year career at UC-Davis, he settled in Leba- non, Ore. STUDENT’S NAME Call 800-822-6789, or email adservices@capitalpress.com FFA Chapter City, State EMPOWERING PRODUCERS OF FOOD & FIBER capitalpress.com CoastalCountry.com S242959-1 S239643-1