Who Knew?

Wisconsin Week’s Josh Orton finds answers to questions of campus interest posed by faculty and staff. We can’t promise to answer all questions submitted, but we’ll try to pick those most likely to be of interest to the largest number of readers. Send queries to wisweek@news.wisc.edu.

Q: The university used to have sheep and a shepherd. Is there still a flock and shepherd somewhere?

A: Yes. In fact, the first shepherd was hired around 1910. While some of the shepherd’s basic responsibilities are the same, most of the work in which the sheep are involved has changed completely.

Five have held the title of shepherd, but the first was Frank Kleinheinz, the son of a German farmer, who had a solid understanding of sheep herding and care. Soon after he came to Madison in the early 1900s, he started hanging around the agriculture campus. Impressed with his knowledge, faculty hired him and eventually bestowed Kleinheinz, who had no formal college education, with the title “professor of animal husbandry.”

Kleinheinz went on to write “Sheep Management, Breeds and Judging.” Rule No. 1: “Most of the failures in sheep husbandry may be attributed directly to carelessness on the part of the shepherd. For no breed of sheep will do well under the management of a shiftless man.”

Dave Thomas of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences says that as a general trend, the university’s work with sheep has obviously become much more intricately scientific since then. While Kleinheinz might have experimented with feeds, today’s work focuses on genetics and reproduction. And any shepherd working at a university today probably has a graduate degree.

Today, Todd Taylor is the shepherd, and the sheep have been moved to a farm off Highway 14. The flock of about 375 females mostly consists of four types of purebreds. Taylor says current research work with sheep includes fine-tuning artificial insemination and embryo transfer studies. In addition, he says animal sciences and agronomy staff study the flock. And the department frequently gives tours, talks and clinics for groups from across the state.

Even with all the science in today’s work, says Taylor, Kleinheinz’s concept of a gentle, reliable shepherd still applies. But the directory-listed title isn’t shepherd anymore. It’s the more administratively correct “research program manager.”

Thomas admits he still introduces Taylor as “our shepherd” in social situations.