Lambing with a purpose

LONG PRAIRIE — What started out as a 4-H project for Delvin Durheim has led him to 60 years in the sheep industry.

“Our main objective is youth development,” Durheim said. “We wanted to give back to an organization that means a lot to us.”

Durheim and his wife, Debra, raise 80 ewes and a small herd of beef cattle south of Long Prairie. Every year, they sell and lease lambs to dozens of youths from across the country to show.

The Durheims get about 150 lambs yearly from their ewes, which are primarily raised for meat. While the couple is slowly downsizing their herd that used to consist of 100 or more ewes, they have no intentions of stopping anytime soon. They have both held full-time jobs in town but have retired from their respective careers while continuing to farm.

Many children cannot afford to buy a sheep of their own but still want to show through organizations like 4-H, so the Durheims lease one to anyone who is interested. The Durheims are active in the local and state agricultural industry, serving on multiple boards and committees, giving them connections to youth who are interested in agriculture.

For local youth, the Durheims will also trailer the sheep to area shows, explain how to show a sheep and pay the entry fee.

“It’s an encouragement for them to get into the agriculture industry,” Durheim said. “We need to keep encouraging them to get into some facet of agriculture.”

Durheim and Debra have four grown children who participated in 4-H, and they also have seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

“We’re really fortunate; all of our kids also became 4-H leaders,” Durheim said. “We’re trying to cut back so we can spend more time with our grandchildren and great-grandchildren.”

The Durheims are originally from southern Minnesota and moved to Todd County in 1977 when they bought a farm near Eagle Bend. In 1979, they moved to their current farm near Long Prairie. While living in Eagle Bend, the Durheim family joined the local 4-H club, Wykeham Willing Workers, and has continued to stay involved with that club ever since, despite moving to Long Prairie.

Over the years, the Durheims also got involved with the Todd County and Minnesota Farm Bureau boards, Minnesota Lamb & Wool Producers Association, Todd County Soybean Growers Association, Todd County Corn Growers Association as well as Minnesota 4-H, often attending all 12 days of the Minnesota State Fair.

Since the Durheims are not always home for every single birth during lambing season, they have installed cameras in the barn to monitor the herd at any moment. They also have a neighbor who checks on the ewes while they attend conventions and meetings.

Most births are single lambs and can go unassisted, but when there are twins or triplets, it is preferred to have assistance, Durheim said.

“We’ve had quite a few sets of twins (and) three sets of triplets so far this year,” he said. “We have access to view the live feed from the cameras from wherever we are.”

The Durheims lamb from January through March, which is spaced out due to capacity in the lambing barn. The sheep are sheared two weeks prior to lambing; otherwise, it would get too warm and humid in the lambing barn, and it makes it easier for the lamb to nurse from its mother. Lambs are with their mothers for eight weeks.

“We put jackets on every lamb, and we make sure that they nurse right away,” Durheim said.

Durheim learned from a farm publication to feed a small portion of the sheep’s hay in the morning, then to feed the majority of the hay and all the grain around 5:30 p.m. each evening, and the ewes will lamb during the daytime instead of at night.

“The rumen fills up; then, it goes to the other three stomachs, which takes pressure off the uterus, and then, they can lamb,” Durheim said. “I’ve been doing it this way for 50 years and never have to worry about lambing at night.”

Selecting rams with strong genetics is one of Durheim’s favorite aspects of sheep farming.

“I love the genetics side of it,” he said. “I plan two years out with the rams I am selecting.”

Whether it is helping youth learn about the sheep industry, participating on a board or tending the herd, Durheim is always looking toward the future of the agriculture industry.

“If I can get some child to come here (and) buy a sheep from me, then they turn around and get into the industry,” Durheim said. “That’s a win; that is my goal.”