By Lynn Betts

What started as 4-H projects for their girls about 15 years ago soon became a part of everyday life for Kelly Keitzer, husband Bryan and their three daughters. An initial 10 ewes grew to a flock of 150, and showing lambs evolved to selling lambs to 4-H and FFA members eager to take high honors at county and state fairs and on the lamb show circuit.

“Our farming operation has been primarily corn and soybeans, and feeding hogs,” Kelly says. “But we wanted our girls to have the experience of raising livestock in 4-H. You think about bucket-bottle calves, but cattle get too big too soon, so we thought lambs would be a better option.”

Kelly grew up in Mediapolis and was never in 4-H as a girl, but she didn’t hesitate to jump in as a 4-H leader even before her girls got involved. Leadership in 4-H is something many of the women named Iowa Master Farm Homemakers have in common, including two of the four women being honored this year.

“We bought our first 10 ewes in 2003 from Perry and Lori Middlesworth at Fremont and are still working with them today,” Kelly says. “All three of our girls — Tayler, Kaci and Savannah — showed lambs. We didn’t know what we were getting into when we started, but we’ve been lucky. The Middlesworths have been great mentors to us.”

The Keitzers sell show lambs to other exhibitors, as well as produce market lambs. The family has about 200 lambs by June each year.

“It takes a good crew, especially in lambing season when we can have 25 to 30 ewes giving birth in a four- to five-day span,” Kelly says. “We have a remote camera and keep watch with our phones. I alert Bryan if there’s trouble, but I’ve pulled my share of lambs, dozens over the years. All the girls have, too; they’re not girly-girls.”

Kelly helps with the marking of sheep, as sometimes temporary identification is needed. She also helps with vaccinating, feeding and other chores. “I’m out there at least twice a day during lambing,” she says. Kelly keeps all the records for the flock, using a spreadsheet for financial records and an app on her phone called Herd Boss to keep the history on every animal.

The bulk of the lambs go to market at Kalona, but the bigger money comes from the two dozen or so lambs they sell as show lambs each year.

As they phase out of the lamb business, the Keitzers’ goal is to transition it to any of the girls who are interested. Kelly served on county fair committees for 4-H in Des Moines County, and Bryan served on the 4-H sheep committee for many years.