Herrig family continues decades-old 4-H lamb programs in Murray County despite loss of founder
By Mavis Fodness
Since 2002, Murray County 4-H’ers had access to quality and affordable sheep to show at the August county fair in Slayton.
That access came through the late Dave Herrig, who offered youth enrolled in the county’s sheep project the opportunity to purchase and raise lambs they would later show at the county fair. As part of the opportunity, he’d mentor the youth and their families on the proper care and how to prepare market sheep for the show.
The programs proved to be successful in removing cost barriers that often prevented 4-H’ers from owning and showing livestock.
When Dave died in May 2025, the programs’ futures were in jeopardy.
According to Kim Hause, Murray County Extension educator, organizers decided that the adopt a lamb and lottery lamb programs will continue in Dave’s memory.
“Any time you can remove barriers, that is a program worth investing time in,” she said. “Dave was great about calling the families and checking in, as well as making the rounds to get to know the 4-H youth.”
Adopt a lamb began in 2002 and is open to first- and second-year sheep project members who may not have had the ability or the know-how to obtain and care for sheep themselves.
Lottery lamb began almost seven years after the adopt a lamb program and is open to all sheep project members.
For both programs, lambs of similar in size and breeding were selected with the purchase price set at the current market rate. This year, the cost is $350 per head. In March, the 4-H’ers draw numbers to see which of the 70- to 80-pound lambs they would take home and raise for exhibit at the late August county sheep show.
In the 24 years since the inception of the adopt a lamb program, Hause estimated more than 100 youth have participated.
In recent years, however, the program averages five to eight new 4-H’ers to the sheep project.
“According to Dave, if there were five more kids who learned something about raising sheep each year and that, for him, was a win,” Hause said.
Dave did not build the two Murray County 4-H programs by himself. Son, Jake, shared his dad’s passion for raising and showing sheep.
Jake, a former Murray County 4-H’er himself, continues to organize the purchase of the black-face market lambs for both programs. He’s also stepped into his father’s shoes as a mentor.
“Because buying an animal is not even half the project,” Jake said. “It’s the way you feed them and train them that actually makes it successful.”
Jake knows first hand what can be achieved when the work is completed every day.
He was 10 when his mom, Jan, and his dad purchased the family’s first lambs in 1993. As a 4-H’er, Jake regularly exhibited as many as 24 sheep at the Murray County Fair each year until he aged out of the program nine years later.
“The master plan was, when I graduated, we would sell all the sheep then we’d use all that money for college,” Jake said. “But the year I graduated (high school), we built the new barn.”
The family business, Herrig Hamps and Southdowns, grew to showing and selling their home-grown sheep nationwide. Jake continues raising quality seed stock from a herd of 70 ewes on his acreage near Burbank, S.D.
The adopt a lamb and lottery lamb programs developed after sheep numbers began to decline after Jake graduated from 4-H. Jake’s continued involvement in the Murray County 4-H sheep project illustrates his dad’s lessons of hard work with home-grown sheep can leave lasting impacts with participants.
Troy and Brenda Wehking of Avoca had front-row seats to the Murray County program’s purpose to supply quality sheep at an affordable cost for 4-H’ers. Both of their daughters, Emma and Olivia, each spent 13 years in the sheep project as participants in the adopt a lamb and lottery lamb programs.
Brenda, a former Freeborn County 4-H’er and sheep judge, appreciated the Herrig family’s dedication to the sheep industry, especially when she was looking for livestock that her daughters could easily care for and show themselves.
The mentorship from the Herrig family has been priceless.
Their youngest daughter, Olivia, now a college sophomore, participated in her last sheep show in August 2025.
Brenda noticed how seriously her daughters embraced the work ethic Dave Herrig emphasized through his mentorship. Designating sheep care as a daily priority was not something busy high schoolers would often manage effectively.
However, the Wehking girls were very effective in establishing a routine that put the animals first.
“They spent a couple of hours, especially in the summer time, every single day with those lambs,” Brenda said. “Just knew the work ethic they had to put into it in order to have a good product for the fair.”
County fair judges noticed the Wehking girls’ hard work and rewarded their efforts raising a $350 lamb with the much coveted trips to the Minnesota State Fair. The Wehking girls’ trips to urban St. Paul provided life experiences beyond winning awards and ribbons, it was a chance to share their hard work and share with others an experience they also won’t soon forget.
“Their favorite thing was taking the lambs out on a halter and walking down the streets and having all the people gather around them and ask questions and pet a lamb for the first time ever in their lives,” Brenda said. “That’s what they loved.”
Since 2002, Murray County 4-H’ers had access to quality and affordable sheep to show at the August county fair in Slayton.
That access came through the late Dave Herrig, who offered youth enrolled in the county’s sheep project the opportunity to purchase and raise lambs they would later show at the county fair. As part of the opportunity, he’d mentor the youth and their families on the proper care and how to prepare market sheep for the show.
The programs proved to be successful in removing cost barriers that often prevented 4-H’ers from owning and showing livestock.
When Dave died in May 2025, the programs’ futures were in jeopardy.
According to Kim Hause, Murray County Extension educator, organizers decided that the adopt a lamb and lottery lamb programs will continue in Dave’s memory.
“Any time you can remove barriers, that is a program worth investing time in,” she said. “Dave was great about calling the families and checking in, as well as making the rounds to get to know the 4-H youth.”
Adopt a lamb began in 2002 and is open to first- and second-year sheep project members who may not have had the ability or the know-how to obtain and care for sheep themselves.
Lottery lamb began almost seven years after the adopt a lamb program and is open to all sheep project members.
For both programs, lambs of similar in size and breeding were selected with the purchase price set at the current market rate. This year, the cost is $350 per head. In March, the 4-H’ers draw numbers to see which of the 70- to 80-pound lambs they would take home and raise for exhibit at the late August county sheep show.
In the 24 years since the inception of the adopt a lamb program, Hause estimated more than 100 youth have participated.
In recent years, however, the program averages five to eight new 4-H’ers to the sheep project.
“According to Dave, if there were five more kids who learned something about raising sheep each year and that, for him, was a win,” Hause said.
Dave did not build the two Murray County 4-H programs by himself. Son, Jake, shared his dad’s passion for raising and showing sheep.
Jake, a former Murray County 4-H’er himself, continues to organize the purchase of the black-face market lambs for both programs. He’s also stepped into his father’s shoes as a mentor.
“Because buying an animal is not even half the project,” Jake said. “It’s the way you feed them and train them that actually makes it successful.”
Jake knows first hand what can be achieved when the work is completed every day.
He was 10 when his mom, Jan, and his dad purchased the family’s first lambs in 1993. As a 4-H’er, Jake regularly exhibited as many as 24 sheep at the Murray County Fair each year until he aged out of the program nine years later.
“The master plan was, when I graduated, we would sell all the sheep then we’d use all that money for college,” Jake said. “But the year I graduated (high school), we built the new barn.”
The family business, Herrig Hamps and Southdowns, grew to showing and selling their home-grown sheep nationwide. Jake continues raising quality seed stock from a herd of 70 ewes on his acreage near Burbank, S.D.
The adopt a lamb and lottery lamb programs developed after sheep numbers began to decline after Jake graduated from 4-H. Jake’s continued involvement in the Murray County 4-H sheep project illustrates his dad’s lessons of hard work with home-grown sheep can leave lasting impacts with participants.
Troy and Brenda Wehking of Avoca had front-row seats to the Murray County program’s purpose to supply quality sheep at an affordable cost for 4-H’ers. Both of their daughters, Emma and Olivia, each spent 13 years in the sheep project as participants in the adopt a lamb and lottery lamb programs.
Brenda, a former Freeborn County 4-H’er and sheep judge, appreciated the Herrig family’s dedication to the sheep industry, especially when she was looking for livestock that her daughters could easily care for and show themselves.
The mentorship from the Herrig family has been priceless.
Their youngest daughter, Olivia, now a college sophomore, participated in her last sheep show in August 2025.
Brenda noticed how seriously her daughters embraced the work ethic Dave Herrig emphasized through his mentorship. Designating sheep care as a daily priority was not something busy high schoolers would often manage effectively.
However, the Wehking girls were very effective in establishing a routine that put the animals first.
“They spent a couple of hours, especially in the summer time, every single day with those lambs,” Brenda said. “Just knew the work ethic they had to put into it in order to have a good product for the fair.”
County fair judges noticed the Wehking girls’ hard work and rewarded their efforts raising a $350 lamb with the much coveted trips to the Minnesota State Fair. The Wehking girls’ trips to urban St. Paul provided life experiences beyond winning awards and ribbons, it was a chance to share their hard work and share with others an experience they also won’t soon forget.
“Their favorite thing was taking the lambs out on a halter and walking down the streets and having all the people gather around them and ask questions and pet a lamb for the first time ever in their lives,” Brenda said. “That’s what they loved.”
