From the Show Ring to the Grading Pen: How Our Focus Has Changed and Why We Are at Peace With That

Fred and I always stood on opposite sides of the show ring when our kids were showing. We never planned it that way. It just happened. We'd watch and communicate with our eyes, knowing in an instant when something was going well or when it wasn't. No words needed. Thirty years of showing will do that to you.

Today we raise fullblood Valais Blacknose sheep at Valais Blacknose of Lovers Lane in Northeast Ohio and the lessons from those show years shape everything we do. We've followed the growth of Valais Blacknose sheep shows and grading events across the United States closely and this fall we're stepping into that world ourselves for the first time with this breed.

We've shown sheep, hogs, steers, horses, and rabbits. Fred showed. I showed. Our kids showed. With ten years of showing before we had kids and with ten years between them in age that meant thirty years of showing. Thirty years of early mornings, long drives, barn smells, show clothes and that particular kind of nervous energy that never really goes away no matter how many times you walk into a ring.

Fred with Champion Market Lamb 1978

There are so many memories. Banners and trophies that confirmed hard work. Happy tears and hugs that came with a win you had worked months for. And just as many disappointments that taught our kids something a trophy

never could. How to lose gracefully. How to shake the hand of the person who beat you and mean it. How to walk out of that ring with your head up regardless of what the judge said, because you know personally the time and effort you put in that project

Those are life lessons that do not come from a classroom. The show ring gave them to us and we are grateful for every single one.

But Seasons Change

We are in our 60s now. We have earned the right to be honest about what we have the energy for and what we don't. The show ring takes everything you have. The hauling, the preparation, the days away from home, the politics that come with any competitive environment. We know that world inside and out and we have nothing left to prove in it.

What we do have is a deep desire to keep learning.

That is what brought us to Valais Blacknose sheep and that is what is taking us to Honeybrook Pennsylvania this October for the North American Valais Showcase.

Showing and Grading Are Not the Same Thing

Here's something worth understanding if you're new to this breed. In the show ring there are two very different classes. The class where the judge evaluates the animal. And the showmanship class where the judge evaluates the person showing the animal. A skilled showman can win showmanship regardless of the quality of the animal they're presenting. Those are two completely separate skills and both have value.

Grading Valais Blacknose sheep is different from both.

When your Valais Blacknose sheep is graded by a Swiss trained judge it's evaluated against the breed standard. Not against the animal next to it. Not based on how well you present it. Structure, markings, wool, conformation, all scored against a standard refined over centuries in the Swiss Alps.

There are no politics in a grading pen. There is just the sheep and the standard.

Why Grading Matters to Us Right Now

When you spend all of your time in your own barn and you're not regularly around other people's sheep you can lose your eye for comparison. You start to evaluate your animals through a lens of attachment rather than objectivity. You overthink them. You make excuses for them. Breeders call this barn blindness and every honest breeder will tell you it is real.

Grading is the cure for barn blindness.

Fred evaluating our Spring 2026 crop of lambs

We made a deliberate decision not to attend the Iowa National Show this year. Thirteen to fourteen hours of hauling each way is stressful for us as well as our sheep. Five days away from home. Unpredictable fall weather that could mean extreme heat or driving in rain with sheep on a trailer. At our age and at this stage of our lives that equation doesn't work for us. What does work is finding the right opportunity closer to home and doing it right.

Grading has always been part of our plan. We needed the right opportunity at the right time. The North American Valais Showcase in Pennsylvania is five hours from our farm in Northeast Ohio. Two days versus five days. That's the right call for us at this stage of our lives and for the wellbeing of our sheep.

We're not going to Pennsylvania to win anything. We're going to learn. We're going to find out where our breeding program is strong and where it needs to go next. We're going to let a Swiss trained judge tell us the truth about our sheep.

And we'll come back and share everything we learn.

Valais Blacknose Sheep Shows in the United States

We want to acknowledge something bigger than our own journey. Every show that opens its doors to Valais Blacknose sheep in the United States moves this breed forward and that matters to all of us raising these sheep.

USA National Valais Blacknose Sheep Show, Grading and Sale

October 1 through 3, 2026

Iowa State Fairgrounds, Des Moines, Iowa

usanationalvalaisblacknosesheepshow.com

Now in its fourth year this is the premier Valais Blacknose event in America. Over 200 sheep, Swiss trained judges, grading, educational workshops and a live sale. It is extraordinarily well organized and well represented. If you have never attended put it on your list. You will not see this many Valais Blacknose sheep in one place anywhere else in the country.

North American Valais Showcase, Grading and Show

October 10 and 11, 2026

Romano 4H Center,

1841 Horseshoe Pike, Honeybrook, Pennsylvania

northamericanvalaisshowcase.com

To our knowledge this is the first East Coast Valais Blacknose show to offer both grading and showing by Swiss standards. We are proud to be a sponsor of this event and excited to get our sheep graded here.

livestockexpo.org/sheep

North American International Livestock Exposition (NAILE)

November 2026

Louisville, Kentucky

One of the most prestigious livestock expositions in the country. NAILE includes Valais Blacknose sheep in its show program and brings this breed in front of one of the largest livestock audiences in America.

Regional, State and Local Shows

Valais Blacknose sheep are showing up in more places every year and that is something worth celebrating. Breed specific shows are growing but so is the presence of Valais Blacknose sheep at county fairs, state fairs, fiber festivals and regional agricultural shows across the country. The Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival and the West Coast Regional show at the Black Sheep Gathering in Oregon are two examples of how this breed is reaching beyond dedicated breed events. When a family walks through their county fair and sees a Valais Blacknose sheep for the first time that moment matters. That is how breeds grow. That is how new breeders and buyers find their way to this animal. Every show, every class, every ribbon at every level introduces Valais Blacknose sheep to someone who did not know they existed yesterday and that is good for all of us raising them.

Supporting the Shows That Support the Breed

Shows do not happen without sponsors and we believe every breeder who benefits from this breed growing in America has a responsibility to give back to that growth. Fred and I have sponsored multiple Valais Blacknose shows over the years and we are proud to be a sponsor of the North American Valais Showcase in Pennsylvania this fall.

Sponsorships keep entry fees manageable, support the educational components that make these events valuable and signal to organizers that the breeder community is invested in their success.

If you are in a position to sponsor a show, any show that supports this breed at any level, we encourage you to do it. These events are how Valais Blacknose sheep become known in America and they deserve our support.

A Word of Gratitude

We want to take a moment to acknowledge the people behind these shows because we know firsthand what it takes. Fred and I have served on committees, worked as advisors and spent years on the organizing side of livestock shows. The hours, the logistics, the problem solving, the emails at midnight, the decisions that never make everyone happy.

It is thankless work more often than it should be and it takes people who genuinely love the animal and the community more than they love their own convenience.

To everyone organizing and running Valais Blacknose shows across the United States, from the national level down to the local fair class, thank you. You are building something that matters. You are creating the platform that will shape this breed in America for generations to come. We do not take that lightly and we hope the breeder community never does either.

Questions We Hear Often

What is the difference between showing and grading Valais Blacknose sheep?

Showing places animals against each other competitively for ribbons and placings. Grading evaluates each animal individually against the Swiss breed standard using trained judges from Europe. A grading score tells you how your sheep measures up to the gold standard of the breed regardless of what other animals are in the ring that day.

Where are Valais Blacknose sheep shows held in the United States?

There are currently breed specific Valais Blacknose shows in Iowa, Pennsylvania, Oregon, and Kentucky as well as regional shows and fiber festivals with Valais Blacknose classes across the country. The USA National Valais Blacknose Sheep Show in Des Moines Iowa is the largest and most established event.

What is barn blindness in sheep breeding?

Barn blindness happens when a breeder spends so much time with their own animals that they lose the ability to evaluate them objectively. Without regular exposure to other flocks and outside evaluation it becomes easy to overlook faults or overestimate quality. Grading by an outside judge is one of the best tools a breeder has to correct for barn blindness.

Why is Swiss standard grading important for Valais Blacknose sheep in America?

The Valais Blacknose breed was developed over centuries in Switzerland and the Swiss breed standard is the definitive measure of quality for this breed worldwide. Having your sheep evaluated by judges trained in Switzerland ensures your breeding program is moving in the right direction and gives buyers a trusted and objective measure of quality.