Gavin Blonquist
Sheep Producer (UT)

For fifth-generation sheep producer Gavin Blonquist, building a better flock starts with better breeding decisions and the data to show those decisions are working.

Gavin grew up in the sheep business at Blonquist Brothers and Sons in Coalville, Utah. He developed an interest in genetics early, showing Suffolk sheep at county and state fairs and buying his first ewes as a young teenager. Today, that passion has evolved into a seedstock operation focused on producing Suffolk and Rambouillet sheep that can deliver measurable value to commercial producers.

A turning point came in 2016, when Blonquist Brothers and Sons began submitting performance records to the National Sheep Improvement Program (NSIP). NSIP gave Gavin a way to look beyond what he could see in the show ring or sale pen and more objectively evaluate his sheep’s genetic potential.

Using NSIP data, Gavin can select for economically important traits including growth, muscling, carcass value and maternal performance. Visual appraisal and structural soundness remain essential, but combining those observations with objective performance data gives him greater confidence that the genetics he selects will move his flock and his customers’ flocks in the right direction.

That is especially important for a seedstock producer. Every ram sold can influence dozens of lambs and shape another operation’s productivity for years. Selecting genetics based on measurable performance helps Gavin give commercial producers greater predictability and another tool to improve pounds of lamb produced, efficiency and ultimately profitability.

Over time, Gavin has seen how small, intentional breeding decisions can compound into meaningful genetic progress. NSIP records, combined with EID technology and improved weighing systems, allow Blonquist Brothers and Sons to track performance more accurately, identify superior animals and continually raise the bar for the next generation of sheep.

For Gavin, genetics is ultimately about continuous improvement. The goal isn’t simply to produce a better-looking sheep; it’s to produce animals that perform better for the people who depend on them.

He credits mentors, family members and fellow producers with helping him develop that philosophy and encourages other producers to take advantage of the same opportunities: build relationships, ask questions, collect meaningful data and use tools like NSIP to make more informed selection decisions.

For a family that has raised sheep for five generations, genetic improvement is also an investment in what comes next. Each generation has the opportunity to leave the flock more productive than they found it, and Gavin believes objective genetic selection can help ensure that progress continues for generations to come.