Per the UK’s National Sheep Association:
“ Typical breeds: Welsh Mountain (several types), Swaledale, Scottish Blackface, Cheviots, Rough Fell, Dalesbred, Derbyshire Gritstone, Herdwick.

Traits: Hardy, thick-coated, able-bodied, excellent mothers, adapted to living in the harsh hill conditions.

Purpose: Pure-bred breeding stock. Surplus female lambs and wether lambs (castrated male) are sold as stores to upland/lowland farms to be fattened. Older ewes that have lambed several times are transferred to the milder climates of lower areas and crossed with longwool breeds to produce Mules and half-breds.

Where to find them: Mountain and hill areas that have harsh climates, a short grass-growing season, relatively poor quality of soil and long winters.”

The show’s purpose is to promote and celebrate the UK Hill Breeds: Scottish Blackface, North Country Cheviot, Border Cheviot, Welsh Mountain, and Herdwick.

Scotch Mules, Cheviot Mules, Bluefaced Leicester, and terminal sire breeds such as Suffolk and Texel will also have classes.

If you are not sure what is classified as a Hill breed in the UK, please reference HERE.

Most definitely!

Everyone is invited to come and enjoy the festivities!

Whether you’re a shepherd, local, or out-of-towner, we encourage you to come and have a fantastic time. Come see the sheep, watch the dogs run, and grab a bite to eat.

Admission charged at the gate, bring yourself and your family and learn a thing or two, and find a few perfect gifts at the vendor booths.

Register by clicking on any “Register” button, or by following this link HERE.

No sale or auction, however, we encourage private sales!

The North American Hill Sheep Show is an excellent meet-up place to buy/sell stock for the 2024 breeding season. Lambs will be weaned by show time, and winners show their worth!

Judges from the UK will be at the show! More details to follow as the show draws closer.

It is too early yet to post a tentative event schedule, but, stay tuned! There will be guest speakers and demonstrations, as well as sheep show classes, a stock dog trial, and vendor booths to explore!

Short answer: Yes.

Long Answer: For hill sheep breeds, BFLs, and terminal sire breeds, all sheep entered into the show need to be purebred and papered.

We understand that registration turn-around times are unpredictable. But, here is a heads up, and, the sooner you plan the better.

In the state of Michigan, out of state livestock need to be accompanied by a vet certified health certificate to transport, good for two weeks from the issue date.

Scrapie tags and animal identification tags need to be in place as well.

A vet will be on-site during the show.

Never fear, it’s the sheep that are being judged!

We understand that it can be unnerving to do something unfamiliar for the first time, we’ve been there! But, you will not be alone, and the focus is on the sheep! People will be there to help you along the way, just come and have a great time, you won’t regret it!

Welcome to Escanaba!

Hotels, inns, and cabin rentals galore, with plenty of fine and casual dining options.

Campsites at the UP State Fairgrounds are also available, along with food vendors onsite.

Complementary, discounted room rates are also in the works!

For now, just save the date and plan to come!

We are excited that YOU are excited!

You should be, you’re going to have a fantastic time!

We have been working behind the scenes to make this event so special for you, we pretty much have everything covered or in the works.

The biggest help?

Attendance and publicity-

Come, and spread the word!

We understand you probably have questions, we want to get those answered!

Reach out to us anytime via email at farm@pellspiepatch.com, or by telephone (906) 287-5041.