By Stephen Smoot
Hardy County leads in poultry. Hampshire boasts orchards full of fresh fruit. Cattle and corn remain king in many areas.
But Pendleton County reigns over Mountain State sheep and lamb production, with the county having approximately 4,100 of the state’s near 34,000 head. Pocahontas County has 3,300, while Greenbrier has 2,700 and Hampshire 2,300.
That is up from the previous year’s count, but historically the numbers have been much higher. In 1870, almost 10,000 sheep grazed Pendleton County hills, according to the United States Census Bureau. A decade prior, on the eve of the Civil War, the county boasted 14,143.
Because Pendleton County’s dominance in sheep and lamb raising, winning sheep and lamb titles at the Tri County Fair remains one of the top challenges for local youth. Ty Heavner and Katie Keyser, however, relied on their personal experience, as well as deep Pendleton County traditions of raising sheep, to take home coveted honors.
Heavner won “Champion” in both the market bred and owned market lamb and market lamb categories while Katie Keyser earned the “Reserve Champion” designation in the same contests. To make it a true family affair, younger siblings, Tia Heavner and Kallie Keyser, also had impressive showings.
All of the siblings competed in the middle weight market lamb category, but Ty, who turns 16 this month, and 14-year-old Katie’s entries earned awards over the entire field.
The Heavner and Keyser families draw deep from livestock and sheep traditions that have supported Pendleton County families and the local economy going back many generations. Travis and Teresa Heavner, parents of Ty and Tia, said, “A lot of that goes back to the fact that we’ve had sheep on our farm for some time.”
Travis Heavner’s family raised sheep going back to 1990 when his family moved from Franklin out to Deer Run. “We raised pet lambs,” he remembered.
Kami and Trey Keyser, parents of Katie and Kallie, also have a background in raising sheep. “Our stories are very similar,” said Kami Keyser, who added that “it’s a family tradition on both sides.”
“My family had sheep long before I was around,” said Trey Keyser, who hails from Virginia. He described his family’s holdings as “a fairly large commercial flock.” His parents, however, sold the flock when he went off to college.
His wife’s family also invested time and money into sheep. She recalled that “my uncle, granddad, and dad built a barn big enough for six ewes. Those came from the farm of Leroy Dunkle, which was special and showed the links that form in the Pendleton County sheep and lamb community. Kallie Keyser won an award named for the Dunkle family.
Both families had that experience of selling their sheep, making tough choices to set priorities as they built their families. Travis Heavner remembered that at the time “it was hard to take care of them all,” while Kami Keyser said, “There was just not as much time.”
The Heavners started buying again in 2006 and 2007 while the Keysers started re-establishing their flock in 2015. Travis Heavner said his family has “been in the barn since they were born.” Kami Keyser shared that it was special for her and her family to purchase sheep from the flock that they had sold to bring back the original bloodlines.
She said that “it’s emotional” and “remarkable” to get back sheep from the same lines. Her husband added that, practically, “the qualities of them, we know what they are.” Sheep with the same genetics can be expected to show similar characteristics, just as human families do.
Earning the highest of accolades in the most competitive environments requires tremendous dedication, work, and preparation. Both the Keyser and Heavner entries were bred and raised on their home farms. “In today’s industry, that means a lot,” noted Kami Keyser. It also means “there is no off-season when you raise your own sheep.” All year long, the lambs and sheep must be worked with. Already, the families are preparing ewes for next season.
That work starts at birth. Kami Keyser stated, “When it’s lambing season, all hands are on deck.” Countless tasks must be performed daily to keep the animals healthy and thriving while building bonds between animal and human. When necessary, as Kami Keyser says, “The whole family is in the barn. Their hands are getting dirty!”
For area youth involved in fair exhibiting, they generally participate at the traditional fairs and also “jackpot” shows. As Travis Heavner explained, jackpot shows equate to travel ball teams in sports. They provide extra experience that helps competitors in “the regular season,” which in this case means county, regional, and state fairs.
Those bonds become tight as the contestants show sheep in different events, then take care of them in between. Ty named his sheep Max and even ignored advice from his father, who urged him to show another sheep at the Tri-County Fair. Kami’s sheep took the name Andy into competition. Teresa Heavner shared that “every kid has their special lamb” and it’s not always certain whether the child chooses the animal or vice versa.
Sometimes attachment develops early. As Kami Keyser explained, “Katie picked this lamb before it was even born.”
Just as in all youth agriculture opportunities, including 4H and Future Farmers of America, raising and exhibiting animals brings a lot of growth to the exhibitor as well. “It teaches responsibility,” said Kami Keyser, who went on to say that children learn that “you can’t win it all and you can’t lose it all. You have to learn how to win graciously and lose graciously.”
The importance of this is heightened by the fact that, as Kami Keyser states, “This valley here has some of the best . . . talented showmen. Pendleton has really dominated.” Jessica Hoover, one of the West Virginia University Extension Agents for Pendleton County, said, “Pendleton County was really well-represented this week across all species.”
Teresa Heavner explained that the entire experience benefits those who participate. “It’s about the experience you have at the fair,” she said, adding that another important part lies in “the friendships you make” with others throughout the region and even the state.
They also each have bank accounts and make practical and business-like decisions on how to spend their money, based on what they learned in preparing for competitions. They also learn the basic skills needed to groom the lambs and sheep, prepare them for exhibiting, and also keep them in prime condition for competition.
Hard work paid off for the families. Katie Keyser won reserve champion market lamb, reserve champion bred and owned market lamb, medium weight reserve champion market lamb, premier sheep exhibitor, the shepherd award, and was master showmanship winner. She also won three second place, two third place, and one fifth place in the skill-a-thon.
Her little sister, Kallie, earned supreme champion ewe, champion bred and owned ewe, champion crossbred junior ewe, and fourth place overall intermediate sheep showman, as well as two first place and one third place skill-a-thon awards.
Ty Heavner earned grand champion market lamb, champion intermediate goat showman, and champion senior skill-a-thon. He also won champion bred and owned, champion middleweight, and third overall intermediate showman, as well as two first places and a second place in the skill-a-thon.
His younger sister, Tia, was class winner with her lamb, champion intermediate sheep showman, reserve champion junior show ewe lamb and reserve champion bred and owned, reserve champion intermediate goat showman, and fourth overall in the skill-a-thon, picking up two third places and a fourth place.
Of course, the accolades pale in comparison to the rewards of skills learned, experiences earned, and friendships created, all of which will stand them in good stead, wherever life’s journeys take them.
More results from the Tri-County Fair will be published in next week’s paper.
