By NANCY VORIS
Indiana Correspondent

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — There is no denying the truth: Dale Huhnke has a thing for redheads. He was surrounded by them at the Indiana State Fair – but he wasn’t at the fair queen contest.

Huhnke was in the sheep barn Aug. 20 with his 10 head of sheep, along with 166 others of the same breed exhibited by 31 breeders from across the country. They were part of the 2010 National Tunis Sheep Show, featuring one of America’s oldest breeds of livestock known as the “redheads” of the sheep industry.

Tunis sheep stand out among breeds because of their tan- to cinnamon-colored heads and legs. But breeders are also drawn to their calm dispositions.

“They are very docile sheep,” Huhnke said. “That’s what we love and enjoy about the Tunis.”

Huhnke raises sheep with his neighbor, Linda Cook, who first heard about the Tunis and suggested they try raising them in 1998. But there were more reasons to raise them than just a sweet disposition. Producers find many benefits to the breed.

Because of their origin in the Sahara Desert region of Tunisia, heat does not affect the rams or the breeding cycle of the ewes. Ewes can breed any time of year, making them valuable for hothouse lamb production. Twinning is common, ewes are good milkers and lambs fatten rapidly.

Tunis are also noted for the fine flavor of their meat, with a long history of being a favored mutton. In the early 1800s, Tunis lambs were the most sought-after in the hothouse lamb markets around Philadelphia.

At a September 2008 lamb tasting contest of rare heritage breeds at Ayreshire Farms in Virginia, 90 food professionals, chefs, food writers and food connoisseurs tasted lamb legs braised without spices. Tunis came in second.

The Tunis is a small- to medium-sized sheep, with rams weighing around 150-175 pounds and ewes weighing 120-150 pounds. The wool is long and coarse. The ears are broad and drooping, and their characteristic broad, fat tails interfere with breeding and are normally cut.

Huhnke said the Tunis is gaining much attention, with lots of sales happening around the country. “We have some very aggressive breeders that are selling,” he said. “People are beginning to notice the Tunis, and love their disposition and fine taste.”

More than 200 head were entered for the national show, making it one of the largest shows on the circuit this year. Winners were:

•Overall Champion Ram, Uptown Farms, Matt and Kate Lambert, Missouri

•Overall Reserve Champion Ram, Bruns Tunis, John and Irene Bruns, Ohio

•Indiana Champion Ram, Gage Matthews, Lafayette, Ind.

•Indiana Reserve Champion Ram, Triangle Farms, Linda Cook and Dale Huhnke, Muncie, Ind.

•Overall Champion Ewe, Mom’s Tunis, Barbara Cassel, Virginia

•Overall Reserve Champion Ewe, Brown Family Tunis, Ohio

•Indiana Champion Ewe, Triangle Farms

•Indiana Reserve Champion Ewe, Gage Matthews

•Premier Exhibitor, Darling Tunis, Jim and Louise Dunham, Ohio

•Premier Indiana Exhibitor, Triangle Farms