Employee Feature: Ron Wolff
Nov 07, 2024
Drawings from his wife’s and daughter's daycare kids and pictures of his family’s national award-winning sheep line the walls of Ron Wolff’s office. He can tell you a story about every single one of those pictures and drawings if you ask him, but when you get the answer, you will quickly learn that for Ron, agriculture, raising sheep and supporting the next generation are extremely important to him.
The Oakes assistant manager started his career with Agtegra Cooperative as an applicator in 2001. Over the last 24 years, he has transitioned from managing the Hecla Corn Receiving facility to his position today. To Ron, supporting the location is his top priority, which has meant anything from renewing his applicator’s license and applying a couple thousand acres to filling in when dispatch has needed him.
“I do quite a bit of everything but nothing specifically,” Ron laughs.
“Quite a bit of everything” is no exaggeration.
Remember those sheep photos in his office? His family’s sheep flock adds another full-time “hobby,” as Ron puts it, to his life.
Ron and his wife of 40 years, Beth, operate Wolff’s Suffolks at their farm a few miles outside of Oakes. Their three adult daughters, Becca, Courtney and Tayler, have all been involved with the family’s sheep throughout their childhoods, with Tayler and Courtney currently investing in and assisting with daily operations of the flock themselves.
“It’s a pretty expensive hobby,” Ron laughs.
Ron has been involved in agriculture his whole life, having grown up on a farm and shown sheep and cattle in 4-H and FFA. His dad, having grown up with Suffolk and crossbred sheep, continued raising sheep while Ron was a young boy. As the years went on, the Suffolk breed soon became the only sheep in the flock.
Today, Wolff’s Suffolks maintains around 75 ewes year-round, with their best of the best hitting the show circuit.
Ron remembers the first time he sent a sheep to the North American International Livestock Exposition (NAILE) in Louisville, Kentucky. NAILE is often considered one of the most prestigious livestock shows in the country.
“A guy from Illinois offered to buy one of our ewes at the South Dakota State Fair and take her to Louisville,” Ron reminisces. “I can vividly remember sitting at the Hecla Corn Receiving Facility when I found out that she received reserve junior champion at the show.”
That ewe was only the beginning of a long line of success for Wolff’s Suffolks. The following year, the ewe’s full brother received national junior champion buck. Ron soon began taking more sheep to Louisville and other shows across the country. His goal, especially on the national level, remained consistent: make the top five in each class.
“Judges only talk about the top five over the microphone, and I wanted our sheep to get talked about,” says Ron. “People start noticing your sheep after that.”
At the 2021 NAILE, Wolff’s Suffolks received Champion Suffolk Pair of Ewe Lambs. This same pair of ewes went on to show at the 2022 event where they each won their respective classes and received the 2022 Champion Suffolk Pair of Yearling Ewes award. Ron cannot recall any other pair of ewes that have ever accomplished both awards like those two did.
But that is not the only award the 2022 NAILE brought for the Wolffs. In addition to exhibiting the Champion Fitted Suffolk Ewe with a ewe they raised, they were named Premier Exhibitor.
“That year was truly the culmination of everything for us,” says Ron.
NAILE is not the only show that the Wolff family has a long history of attending and succeeding at. Ron notes that he has been showing at the Brown County Fair in Aberdeen, South Dakota, for over 40 years, having hardly missed a year over those four decades.
“I have been showing sheep at the Brown County Fair since the time when the sheep were housed in the current beef barn,” Ron says.
Those who have walked by the open class sheep barn on Saturday afternoon of the Brown County Fair have likely heard Ron’s voice on a microphone a time or two before. Ron has been the announcer for the Brown County Lords and Ladies Lead for – in Ron’s words – forever.
Lords and Ladies Lead, otherwise known as “lamb lead” at many fairs, displays and promotes the sheep and wool industry. Contestants, who range in age from youth to adult, are evaluated on their wool-based outfit and the presentation of their sheep. During the contest, Ron reads a script that describes the contestant’s outfit and their sheep to the audience.
“Apparently I’m halfway entertaining, because they keep asking me back!” Ron says. “I can’t dress myself real well, but when you’re a house with only one male, you don’t dress yourself often.”
In addition to the Brown County Fair, Ron announces the lamb lead contest at both the North and South Dakota State Fairs.
Ron’s support of youth involvement in the sheep industry and agriculture in general can also be easily demonstrated by the daycare kids’ drawings hung up in his office. His wife’s and daughter’s daycare kids come out to see the sheep quite often, and he enjoys being able to teach them about the industry. Off the farm, Ron has been supporting 4-H and FFA programs for decades, having been a 4-H leader for over 20 years, receiving honorary chapter FFA degrees from two different high schools and supporting youth and collegiate livestock judging teams.
"I have had the pleasure of getting to know Ron over the past several years, and a few words come to mind when I think of him: integrity, leadership and hardworking. Ron has earned the respect of his colleagues and the community by paying homage to generations before him, all while leading and guiding the next generations. Ron has dedicated his life to agriculture and has passed that passion down to his own children and many other lives that he has touched," says Agtegra Oakes Location Manager Lee Bohling.
Supporting youth in the sheep industry was the main purpose in establishing Wollf’s Suffolks Annual Production Sale, which is held at their farm the last Sunday of April every year. The family will celebrate their 20th sale in 2024.
Ron carries the same pride he has in his sheep flock to his job at Agtegra and the relationships he has with customers.
“I treat their fields like my own – I take a lot of pride in taking care of our customers and their fields,” says Ron.
The cooperative system is something that Ron strongly values, providing him with a personal sense of responsibility to serve customers well.
“I don’t just put in hours; I have a responsibility to show up for our customers because what they do depends on us. We are making a difference on our farmers and the lives of those in our communities,” says Ron.
Whether it be building relationships with customers at Agtegra or Wolff’s Suffolks, Ron will always value the opportunities that both have provided him.
The Oakes assistant manager started his career with Agtegra Cooperative as an applicator in 2001. Over the last 24 years, he has transitioned from managing the Hecla Corn Receiving facility to his position today. To Ron, supporting the location is his top priority, which has meant anything from renewing his applicator’s license and applying a couple thousand acres to filling in when dispatch has needed him.
“I do quite a bit of everything but nothing specifically,” Ron laughs.
“Quite a bit of everything” is no exaggeration.
Remember those sheep photos in his office? His family’s sheep flock adds another full-time “hobby,” as Ron puts it, to his life.
Ron and his wife of 40 years, Beth, operate Wolff’s Suffolks at their farm a few miles outside of Oakes. Their three adult daughters, Becca, Courtney and Tayler, have all been involved with the family’s sheep throughout their childhoods, with Tayler and Courtney currently investing in and assisting with daily operations of the flock themselves.
“It’s a pretty expensive hobby,” Ron laughs.
Ron has been involved in agriculture his whole life, having grown up on a farm and shown sheep and cattle in 4-H and FFA. His dad, having grown up with Suffolk and crossbred sheep, continued raising sheep while Ron was a young boy. As the years went on, the Suffolk breed soon became the only sheep in the flock.
Today, Wolff’s Suffolks maintains around 75 ewes year-round, with their best of the best hitting the show circuit.
Ron remembers the first time he sent a sheep to the North American International Livestock Exposition (NAILE) in Louisville, Kentucky. NAILE is often considered one of the most prestigious livestock shows in the country.
“A guy from Illinois offered to buy one of our ewes at the South Dakota State Fair and take her to Louisville,” Ron reminisces. “I can vividly remember sitting at the Hecla Corn Receiving Facility when I found out that she received reserve junior champion at the show.”
That ewe was only the beginning of a long line of success for Wolff’s Suffolks. The following year, the ewe’s full brother received national junior champion buck. Ron soon began taking more sheep to Louisville and other shows across the country. His goal, especially on the national level, remained consistent: make the top five in each class.
“Judges only talk about the top five over the microphone, and I wanted our sheep to get talked about,” says Ron. “People start noticing your sheep after that.”
At the 2021 NAILE, Wolff’s Suffolks received Champion Suffolk Pair of Ewe Lambs. This same pair of ewes went on to show at the 2022 event where they each won their respective classes and received the 2022 Champion Suffolk Pair of Yearling Ewes award. Ron cannot recall any other pair of ewes that have ever accomplished both awards like those two did.
But that is not the only award the 2022 NAILE brought for the Wolffs. In addition to exhibiting the Champion Fitted Suffolk Ewe with a ewe they raised, they were named Premier Exhibitor.
“That year was truly the culmination of everything for us,” says Ron.
NAILE is not the only show that the Wolff family has a long history of attending and succeeding at. Ron notes that he has been showing at the Brown County Fair in Aberdeen, South Dakota, for over 40 years, having hardly missed a year over those four decades.
“I have been showing sheep at the Brown County Fair since the time when the sheep were housed in the current beef barn,” Ron says.
Those who have walked by the open class sheep barn on Saturday afternoon of the Brown County Fair have likely heard Ron’s voice on a microphone a time or two before. Ron has been the announcer for the Brown County Lords and Ladies Lead for – in Ron’s words – forever.
Lords and Ladies Lead, otherwise known as “lamb lead” at many fairs, displays and promotes the sheep and wool industry. Contestants, who range in age from youth to adult, are evaluated on their wool-based outfit and the presentation of their sheep. During the contest, Ron reads a script that describes the contestant’s outfit and their sheep to the audience.
“Apparently I’m halfway entertaining, because they keep asking me back!” Ron says. “I can’t dress myself real well, but when you’re a house with only one male, you don’t dress yourself often.”
In addition to the Brown County Fair, Ron announces the lamb lead contest at both the North and South Dakota State Fairs.
Ron’s support of youth involvement in the sheep industry and agriculture in general can also be easily demonstrated by the daycare kids’ drawings hung up in his office. His wife’s and daughter’s daycare kids come out to see the sheep quite often, and he enjoys being able to teach them about the industry. Off the farm, Ron has been supporting 4-H and FFA programs for decades, having been a 4-H leader for over 20 years, receiving honorary chapter FFA degrees from two different high schools and supporting youth and collegiate livestock judging teams.
"I have had the pleasure of getting to know Ron over the past several years, and a few words come to mind when I think of him: integrity, leadership and hardworking. Ron has earned the respect of his colleagues and the community by paying homage to generations before him, all while leading and guiding the next generations. Ron has dedicated his life to agriculture and has passed that passion down to his own children and many other lives that he has touched," says Agtegra Oakes Location Manager Lee Bohling.
Supporting youth in the sheep industry was the main purpose in establishing Wollf’s Suffolks Annual Production Sale, which is held at their farm the last Sunday of April every year. The family will celebrate their 20th sale in 2024.
Ron carries the same pride he has in his sheep flock to his job at Agtegra and the relationships he has with customers.
“I treat their fields like my own – I take a lot of pride in taking care of our customers and their fields,” says Ron.
The cooperative system is something that Ron strongly values, providing him with a personal sense of responsibility to serve customers well.
“I don’t just put in hours; I have a responsibility to show up for our customers because what they do depends on us. We are making a difference on our farmers and the lives of those in our communities,” says Ron.
Whether it be building relationships with customers at Agtegra or Wolff’s Suffolks, Ron will always value the opportunities that both have provided him.