Fruechte Family Dorsets is a flock of purebred Dorset sheep residing in Estelline, SD. Fruechte Family Dorsets was established in 1996 when three brothers formed a flock as a 4-H/FFA project. Since then the project has turned into a family affair. Our passion to raise functional, high quality sheep has driven us to the caliber we are at today.

                Growing up on a farm near Pipestone, MN; we three brothers were constantly around sheep.  Dad generally had around 300-500 commercial ewes on the farm for us to contribute free labor to. Growing up with a commercial flock taught us valuable lessons that are now embedded into our purebred flock. The first lesson we continue to value is that ewes need to take care of themselves and be as low maintenance as possible.  Ewes need to be able to go to pasture in the spring and come back in the winter in better condition.  They also need to be able to drop lambs and take care of them with as little assistance as possible. The other major lesson we learned was that a commercial flock is only profitable when inputs are diminished. With the majority of input costs being feed and labor, these are the two costs we strive to cut as much as possible. We have accomplished this by making our sheep more efficient feed to gain converters and less dependent on human interaction.  If we expect our rams and ewes to make our customers more money, our entire flock better be profitable.

                The toughest element to fit into this whole scenario is being able to be competitive when our sheep hit the show ring. We believe that the show industry is an important sector within the sheep industry.  It introduces new-comers to raising sheep and teaches lifelong values that today’s generation needs to learn. Because of this, we have bred in that added style show sheep need in order to be competitive. As long as style and size doesn’t become more important to us than structural correctness, maternal characteristics, and muscle; our flock will continue to meet our expectations. Trends and fads will come and go, but the consistency of Fruechte Family Dorsets producing functional high quality sheep will stay the same.

                Thank you for taking a look at our website and if you get near South Dakota make sure you stop in for a visit.