Koru Farm - korufarm

Welcome to 2013

Hello again to all our dog and wool friends. As spring approaches once again it is time to get the 2013 news started!

Shearing Day is now scheduled for March 16th (2013) beginning at 9 am. Visitors welcome! We are shearing most of our flock; about 40 lambs, yearlings and ewes. We will sell fleece at the farm that day! There are 100% Coopworth, Cormo, Shetland and Black Welsh Mountain this year in limited numbers. We are working at breeding great crosses for hand spinning and felting so be sure to consider picking up Blue Face Leicester crosses that include BFL/Cormo, BFL/Coopworth, BFL/Border Cheviot...among others.

Next down the line is Shepherd's Harvest, Minnesota's preeminent wool and fiber festival on Mother's Day weekend. We hope to bring our Black Welsh Mountain and Coopworth to the barn! Fleeces and roving available there. Dan and I are planning for another delightful stock dog demonstration with our border collies. Demos are all weekend.

When winter ends we pick up with "Herding 101 and Beyond". This training program began last fall and we know some folks eagerly awaiting the snow melt! Contact me at jb.reuter@gmail.com for further information.

The wonderful news for this year is our bringing Angie Driscoll here from Wales for a fall clinic and private lessons. As we are designating 2013 the "Year of the Brit" we hope to find a trainer for late spring as well. Angie is an experienced Trialer who competes at the International and World Trials. Since these are invitational events you can imagine her training abilities! There will be limited working spots so please get in touch now if you're interested.

The sun warms and the light grows longer every day. Looking forward to the coming year and reconnecting here!!

Spring!

The pace of life definitely picks up with the growing season. Our first OODA trial went really well, with Ellen Hood taking 1st Place in both the Novice and Ranch Compete categories. Congratulations Ellen! Kathy Kawalec received many compliments as our esteemed judge. Joe Kawalec and Dan ran the set out smoothly and everyone commented on the good sheep. Thanks go to JoAnna Yund for adding to our flock for the day. It went so well we may consider another trial in mid-August.

Now we're going full tilt into this coming weekend's Shepherd's Harvest Wool and Fiber Festival in Lake Elmo, MN. This year Janis took on the position of Events Chair. We are again putting on the stock dog herding demos both Saturday and Sunday. If you didn't make it down Saturday, it's a wonderful way to spend Mother's Day!

We will sell raw fleeces at the Shearing Pavilion again this year and have a nice collection from the April shearing. It's the 15th Anniversary and there are more vendors, competition judges and, well, more of everything! Janis is bringing her new wheel...will there be time to spin???

After the Festival we look forward to another lesson day and Herding Clinic with Kathy Kawalec. There is still space available in the clinic so sign up now!!

Two day clinic: 10 dog limit. June Sat 9th, Sun 10th $225.00

Lessons available Friday June 8th

Contact Janis at jb.reuter@gmail.com

Shearing Day!

A beautiful day for shearing and visiting. Yesterday dawned bright and warm, David and his son Jon arrived on time and ready to go. Both sheared this year, completing our 37 sheep in 3 hrs. including hoof trimming. Dan and helpers got the drenching and vaccines and released the now impatient sheep into the back pasture.

Looks like we've got 12 or so pregnant girls, due the very end of May. Due to our ram mishap we will be wintering over these litle ones. Ah well.

We actually got the afternoon to visit, I did a fustic wood and iron dye. Green wool to celebrate the spring.

Next on the schedule: Kathy Kawalec lessons (April 27th, 28th) and the first OODA Stock Dog Trial (April 28th). We can take a couple more Ranch/Pronovice runs in Compete nd Non compete. Two lesson spots available, Saturday 28th. Looks like good weather too!!

It'll be a DELIGHTFUL time!

OODA Trial Novice & Ranch/Pronovice April 29th

Novice Compete runs are full! HOWEVER - Ranch/Pronovice Compete runs still available. If not filled in the next couple of weeks these spaces will be available to Novice Compete runs so go ahead and send in your entry. After April 1st whichever run entry gets here will get the spot.

Non compete runs still available. Remember, if you plan on moving up this season to Ranch/Pronovice these non compete runs are great to see how you and your dog are working. The non compete run does not automatically bump you up a class.

The course has a 120 yd outrun, 40+ yd cross drive and gated pen. Shaping up into a great early season event!

Kathy Kawalec lessons April 27th & 28th: Filling up! Two lesson spots available, both on Saturday. There is some flexibility if you REALLY want a Friday lesson.

OODA Trial Novice & Ranch

The entries are coming in for the "Observe, Orient, Decide, Act" trial for folks new (or newer) to USBCHA style stockdog trials. Please get your entry in soon, especially for Novice Compete runs as this is filling up.

There is one spot left for a camping hook up.

Looking forward to a great time - especilly after lessons by Kathy Kawalec the two days before the trial!

Shearing Day!

April 14th is our 2012 Shearing Day. Hoping for a warm sunny one this year. Please feel free to stop by and watch, it is a busy fun day here. fleeces "fresh off the sheep" for sale. There will be Coopworth, white and colored; Cormo, white; Jacob x Coopworth, colored; Border Cheviot, white; BFLxCormo; BFLxRomney and a BFL ram fleece. There are 6 lamb fleeces as well as yearling ewes.

There are lots of activities led by our woollie friends! Shearing starts about 9 am.

Children welcome with their adults in tow.

Spring: Kathy Kawalwc lessons, OODA Trial and the Kathy Kawalec Clinic!

Kathy Kawalec here again for the 2012 season!

April 27th & 28th Private lessons $80/hr Please send check with preferred date and time to Janis Reuter 9531 253rd Ave NE Oxford Township MN 55079

Koru Farm OODA Trials 2012 Sunday April 29^th

Judge: Kathy Kawalec Start time: 9:00 am Please arrive by 8:30 am

Entry fees per run: Novice and Ranch compete $25.00

Novice and Ranch non-compete $20.00

See Entry form attachment

Sheep Herding Clinic & Lessons • June 8-9-10, 2012

Kathy Kawalec's Connected HerdingÔ

the Magic is the Partnership Ô

Are you ready to step out of the struggle and into the flow of success with your dog? Whether it’s training or competing in sports like herding, agility or rally, or simply in living every day life, a trusting partnership is key to magical success that expands to mastery! Connected Herding is all about building trust between a person and their dog. It’s a partnership that makes herding a fun adventure and it carries over to everything you and your dog do together.

Kathy’s mindful coaching will play to your best strengths and ensure a solid foundation of skills that build progressively and systematically, taking you farther than you dreamed possible. Whether you are a beginner or an expert...brand new to dogs or an experienced dog trainer, you and your dog will come away more connected, more successful and eager to master herding!

"Kathy, I recommend you to all my herding friends. Having been to sooo many clinics I realize there are numerous ways to train your dog. I have also learned there is no shortage of amazing handlers that can get your dogs to do amazing things. However not many of these great handlers have the ability to transfer their knowledge to you. I feel you have the unique ability to understand people and their dogs and transfer your knowledge to them. Thank you!!!"

Walking the Talk: For the past 15 years, Kathy and her students have earned placements, wins and advanced titles in all venues of sanctioned trials including AKC, ASCA, AHBA, USBCHA. The last year Kathy competed in AKC was a typical outing at the BCSA National Specialty: Kathy and her 2 dogs brought home 10 top 3 placements on A and B courses, including Firsts, High in Trial and a Silver Buckle for High Scoring BC in advanced B course. Her students have similar success, from started to advanced and on all types of courses.

In years since, Kathy has competed exclusively in USBCHA with many placements, wins, and high combined awards, including 2011 WWSDA Open Handler of the Year, 2010 LOLBCA Open Series Winner, 2010 Top 20 Finalist at the Bluegrass Classic, many times qualified for and competed in the National Sheepdog Finals including the Semi-Finals with Maya in 2010 and a year-end ranking of the 29th border collie in North America amongst many thousands.

Clinic Topic: Train and Handle Your Way to a Successful Partnership

Tuition: $225.00 per dog for two-day clinic. Lunch included.

Where: Koru Farm, Oxford Township, Minnesota

Dates: June 9-10, 2012 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM

Auditors: $65 each day

Optional: Private lessons on Friday, June 8th. Cost: $80/lesson

Clinic Limited to 10 Handler-Dog Teams. Your check and a completed entry form will hold your spot. Checks will be cashed on June 1st.

For more info:

Janis Reuter • korufarm.shutterfly.com • 612-600-4079 • jb.reuter@gmail.com

Attachments:

Trial Entry form

The autumn buzz!

Dogs:

All goes well on the training front. Kathy Kawalec lessons on the 5th & 6th of October included 6 students and 7 border collies! Everyone worked hard and the results are apparent! The sheep were in good form and both the west and east fields were in use for various work set-ups.

Tag took a 2nd place at the SOTN trial the next weekend; on the other run Shari took 2nd place. Bryn and I took a "retired" so I could work with her to get around the course. We made it ! including a successful pen.

We head to Illinois the first weekend of November for more lessons and a Ewesful Farm trial.

Woolly work:

Some new pics of recent projects going up! I've just finished carding a sweet bronze Coopworth with cream silk. The ewe-to-you woollens are a wonder.

There may be a "last minute" dye day if, as predicted, the weather heads into the 60s again next week. It'll get posted a couple of days in advance.

Sheep news:

Sheep sales have left us with one Coopworth ram lamb which we plan on keeping! In a couple of weeks we will put our lovely Blue Face Leicester ram on the Border Cheviots and the Coopworth. The Cheviot/BFL cross will (cross your fingers) produce a great mule sheep for both wool and sheep dog training.

Our current flock is proving that breeds, spaced timing with the dogs and a healthy lifestyle gives us what we need for any dogs; from beginner to Open working dogs. Hooray!!

Attachments:

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Kathy Kawalec lessons

October 6th Kathy will be here giving lessons! Hooray. It is very likely the last lesson day here until spring 2012. Call for availability 612 600 4079

Busy days!

Dog news!

Our puppy, Hamish, is growing up soooo fast. He is proving a quick learner and wants to know why he has to wait to go to sheep!

Kathy Kawalec's lessons are wonderful. Tag, Bryn and Kayza are all benefiting from their handlers learning how to behave! Lesson attendees show their appreciation by returning again and again.

We are off to Dancing Hearts/Ewesful Farm for a long weekend with a Novice trial at Ewesful Farm on Aug 12th.

And for those who asked, we "traded" putting on Working Fun Days for Clinic and lesson days over the summer with Kathy K. Apologies for not making this clear!

Woolly news:

Our last Dye Day (8/4) turned into quite a busy day. Two dye pots were going; madder & kamala and lily & goldenrod. Hopefully pics will arrive here sooner than later as there was some wonderful color from them. We also managed to shear the alpaca. One of our Woolly group, Patty, also accomplished some wet felting.

Sheep news:

We are putting up for sale some of our 2011 wethers for fiber lovers. We've got Coopworth and Cormo/Coopworth cross. We also have one breeder ram, a lovely Coopworth. Please respond here or email me at jb.reuter@gmail.com with interest/questions.

Attachments:

natural color Coopworth

white

July 2011 happenings...

OK, yes it's 55F, damp and windy. Summer is here (maybe).

Our June dye day was a blast and we will hold one in late July again.

We've got Kathy Kawalec heading here July 5th and again July 28th.

There is ONE lesson spot open on the morning of the 5th.

July 28th is open for 6 lessons. Sign up soon if you want a spot as Kathy is getting rather popular around here!

Contact: Janis jb.reuter@gmail.com

Cost: $75/hr

D/T: Thursday July 28th 8:00 - 5:00

This is right before the Upper Midwest SDT in Jordan, MN trial so plan on heading south from here for a great weekend! We are running Novice that evening at Silverwind Farm.

Kathy Kawalec Clinic...on the other side now

The clinic last weekend went so well. Seriously beyond all expectations, our group was wonderfully warm and friendly. The courtyard full of campers, border collies everywhere and full days of lessons and learning.

The dogs (of course) were patient with their handlers as we gained skill in handling them and the sheep. The 3 main groups of sheep behaved themselves. The weather was about perfect for a herding clinic; high 60s, a whisper of breeze and part cloudy. We spent all day out in the fields with a break for lunch and a group outing for dinner on Saturday.

Thanks to Kathy Kawalec leading the learning and Nancy always there helping we all benefited greatly. Everyone wants her back...asking for dates on the way out! This was the true test of positive experiences.

We are setting up a lesson day in early July and hopefully another at the end of July. Get your name on the list now as we are liable to fill with the folks that were here for the clinic!

Spring and the Kathy Kawalec Clinic!

We are enjoying the 27 lambs born in late April/early May! One ewe only did not take, giving Roger a 95% success rate. 100% of the lambs born are with us and thriving.

My first wool "dye day" is planned for Wednesday, June 8th. It has been slow to warm up consistently around here. My last issue of Wild Fibers contained a wonderful article on cochineal so that's going in the pot first!

In 9 days Kathy Kawalec will actually be here. We are so excited. With 2 fun trials run Dan & I are clear about what we need to know now. I am practicing slow movement with clear Lie Down that is to be followed (!) with Bryn and Kayza.

We've got one clinic slot available as well as 3 lesson spots so if you've been "hemmin' and hawin' sign up now!!!

Attachments:

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Shearing Day - 3rd Annual Event Saturday March 26th

Thanks to everyone who dropped by to visit, work, play with wool, pick up fleeces, spin, card and see the farm. We enjoyed the company of a lot of folks despite the cool weather. The sheep lost their coats to a full house!

The barn office and Woolly House were heated so warming up was easy. Jon and David Omann made a terrific shearing team. One piece fleece. Love it. Yes, the young girls (not humans, border collies) found their way to the west field where a herding demo was happening. If I were feeling better.......

Ooops. All the syringes found their way to the floor in an antiseptic puddle. Good timing, most of the sheep were vaccinated at that point.

Next year I sincerely hope I do NOT get a cold again.

Sheepdog Herding clinic with Kathy Kawalec June 10th-12th 2011

Kathy developed Connected Herding, a positive training method that is fun and effective. Shetrials 3 young Open dogs. Maya finished last season in the #40 spot in points standings (46 pts), made it into the semi-finals in Virginia and ended up being the 29th ranked dog in North America for the 09-10 season. She also made it into the double lift finals at the Bluegrass and earned several high-combined honors.

Join Kathy Kawalec for private lessons (June 10^th) and/or two days (June 11^th – 12^th) of positive herding training for you and your dog. Connected Herding^tm brings together the principles of positive motivation, respectful interaction with all animals and true partnership between shepherds and their dogs.

Price: $75/hr private lesson $195.00 two day clinic

Auditors $30 each day

Clinic Limited to 10 Handler-Dog Teams. Each team will have two sessions with Kathy each day. A light lunch will be included both days.

Your check and a complete list of services requested (lesson, clinic, hook up) will hold your spot in the clinic. Checks will be cashed on May 1st, after which refunds are not possible, unless the spot is filled from a waiting list.

There are 3 hook ups available for campers and the Woolly House is available with a queen bed, microwave, fridge & coffee maker. $20/night for any of the above.

For more information please contact:

Janis Reuter 612 600 4079 or email jb.reuter@gmail.com