This week's "Who's Who?" features Shelby Karr & Karr Club Lambs of Newhall, IA. We invite you to read our candid interview with the showman and breeder of the Grand Champion Market Lamb at 2011 Aksarben below and please continue to check back for our next edition of “Who's Who?".
 SHELBY KARR
How old are you and where do you go to school?
I will be 12 years old this month and am in 6th grade at Central Lutheran School in Newhall, IA.
What is your daily routine with your show lambs?
During the summer months my little sister and I try to handle our lambs at least once a day, which either consists of setting them up, walking them by hand or halter, or walking them on our walker. But once in a while we like to slip in a day when no work is done with them at all. Instead we just simply sit out in the pen and play with them getting to know their own personalities. Now that school has started my time working with the lambs has become much less due to homework and being active in volleyball. Leading up to the last couple weeks before Ak-Sar-Ben it wasn't uncommon for me to be out in the barn after 9:00 p.m. working with my 2 wethers.
Do you have any superstitions or routines before a show?
YES, I definitely have a superstition that goes with every show that I compete at. My Grandpa and Grandma Schanbacher gave me a pair of rhinestone sheep earrings for my birthday last year and I call them my "lucky" earrings. I don't leave home without them! I also have a routine of giving my lamb a little "pep talk" just before we enter the show ring.
How did it feel when the judge selected you as Grand Champion?
I was really surprised, but felt very proud of myself and what I had just accomplished. It also reminded me of a statement that my parents would always say after every show this year which was win or loose, we did it as a family!
KARR CLUB LAMBS
How does it feel to not only show but raise the Grand Champion at Ak-Sar-Ben?
To have had the opportunity to watch the lamb from birth, seeing it 3-4 times a day for 8 months and seeing your own child shake hands with the judge is the most rewarding experience any breeder and their family could ever hope for. None of this would have been possible for us however if it hadn't been for David Garrett allowing us to purchase the bred ewe private treaty back in December. Thank you David Garrett!
Tell us a little about the lamb that won Ak-Sar-Ben.
This lamb that we call "Lucky" has a story behind him a mile long. We had him for sale the entire time he was on his mom but he never got picked out of the crowd. 2 days after we took him to our county fair weigh-in he developed kidney stones. He was in a lot of pain for several weeks and our vet felt he would never survive, but consistently treated him day after day and he never gave up and that is how the name "Lucky" got started. We all began to get very attached from that point on. Due to this illness he then developed what seemed to be a chronic barn cough and due to the cough he would have a tendency to prolapse every once in a while. Mid July everything seemed to be moving forward for Lucky. He won Champion Market lamb at the Wyoming Open Show but then 10 days later broke out with the worst case of club lamb fungus we have ever had on our farm. We treated him daily but was unable to clear it up in time for our daughters first year at the Iowa State Fair. We were all heart-broken but Lucky never gave up and neither did we. He fought with everything he had until the very end. During some of the colder nights of September he again developed a cough but never lost his edge. We monitored him several times a day, treated him when needed, and knew his every move. Lucky has taught our family one of the best lessons you could ever teach your children and that is to never give up!!!
How many ewes do you run and what genetics are the backbones of your flock?
We run about 140 ewes that with an exception of a handful are all under 3 years old. About all of them go back to Cabaniss genetics. We bought the first buck off their place in '08 and '09, as well as adding the best ewes we could get our hands on ever since. We would be no where without the opportunities they provided for us, and we thank them for that and their friendship! The last two years we've added quite a few ewes and ewe lambs from David Garrett, which are also rich in Cabaniss breeding. We've also been able to acquire the pick of Tony Winfrey's ewe lambs the past 2 years (we know this was painful for Tony, but we thank him for a set to die for.) We are very proud of the set we've assembled. We've put an emphasis on following ewe lines that build muscular wethers that still carry themselves on the move. We want to raise lambs that don't require 3 tenths of fat to "look" muscular and be smooth down their topline (feed costs are high.) We also want to thank David Garrett. His bucks are giving us a unique product that we are extremely proud of, and are being well received by the public.
What is your favorite judge to watch? And what is the best lamb you have ever seen?
Kyle Smithwick. Best lamb we feel we have ever seen would be the Champion Suffolk at Louisville, which was shown by Marcus Williams and bred by Mike Stitzlein.
Where would you take your family on vacation if you could take them anywhere you wanted?
Alaska
Thank you and congratulations to Shelby Karr and Karr Club Lambs!
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