Strathearl Farm is owned and operated by Irwin and Mary Jackson, and their two children, Andrea and Spencer. The flock consists of seventy breeding ewes, almost all of them being home raised. The consistent genetics of the flock had been built slowly over the past thirty years, by retaining top quality females from consistent ewe producing families. Two small groups of ewes have been added at times to introduce some new female family lines. Twelve different stud rams have been purchased over the years, all from the United States. Four rams came from Roger Nichols, Iowa, one from Charles Steere, Iowa, one from Brant Brewer, Indiana, two from Melvin Farms, Ohio, one from John Sponaugle, Virginia, two from George Bros. Ohio, one from K-J Sheep Company, Wyoming, and the latest from Darrel Gamble, California.Each one has been purposely selected to add specific traits to the flock. Numerous sons of these rams have been used as well. They have also been selected for certain traits and have always been out of top producing females within the flock. All the rams being used at this time have been DNA tested at Codon 171 for Scrapie resistance and they are all RR. All sheep being sold are carrying at least one R at Codon 171.The flock has been bred for big productive Suffolks combining many different traits. They are sound structured, deep ribbed, with a lot of natural thickness down the top. They have good bone with large skeletons that allow for optimum growth. The ewes are excellent milkers and consistently drop near two lambs per lambing. All of these attributes are combined into sheep that are also very stylish and eye appealing. Producing these kind of sheep that will go on and work in other flocks is the main goal at Strathearl Farm.Although the show ring is not the main priority Strathearl sheep have compiled an enviable show record at the Royal Winter Fair over the past five years. The winnings include Supreme Champion Flock three, one Supreme Champion Get of Sire, and Supreme Champion Ewe once. These are competing against all breeds.Also included is the Champion Suffolk ewe all five years, Champion Suffolk ram for four years and first Get of Sire and first Flock all five years. (The Champion Suffolk Ram the other year was sired by a ram from Strathearl Farm). Strathearl Farm has also showed at the US National Suffolk Show and had two animals place third as well as six others in the top ten.The Strathearl flock has been built with patience over time and has put together one of the finest flocks of working Suffolk ewes in North America. This is the "factory" that enables them to consistently produce winners in the barn and in the show ring for them and for many other satisfied customers.
