www.hairsheep.org

Welcome to our new members! Yearly membership is $50, with lifetime membership at $500. If you have not paid your 2006 membership invoice, this will be your last newsletter, and you will be removed from our membership roll. We hope to have your continued support.

Inside:

Just a Note ………………………1

From the President……………….1

Marketing Calendar….…………...2

Meet the Director………...………2

LMS Co-Op News ………………2

Barbados Semen Available.....…...2

TSGRA Needs our Help…………4

Classified Ads……………… …...4

Board/Contact info……………….4

To become a Member.……….…...4

NAHSA Meeting Minutes ….……5

Greetings Sheep Raisers,

I hope most of you have had some rain. Our country has been through another tough one this year but the sheep have fared well for the most part. The North American Hair Sheep Association has seen some growth this year with new members and many of you renewing your memberships. Some have quizzed me on what their membership gets them. I’ve thought about this for some time. It occurred to me that those of us who started this organization have done a good job of working to set things in motion and get

research projects started and an organization up off the ground in short order. One thing that we have not done well is get the word out to everyone on the exciting things we’ve done and where we are heading. Here is some history on where we began. Originally named the Texas Hair Sheep Association, the organization was organized in April 2004 in Sterling City Texas. The board move quickly and received two grants and immediately began working on getting research done on both meat and hides. One grant was a matching grant from USDA and the other was a Sheep Center Grant. The USDA grant required us to match the total grant dollars with our time, money and lambs. The founding members are dedicated and put their money where their mouth is to get these research projects started. In the end we have found what we all knew to be true and that is that hair sheep produce quality meat and leather that will return a good profit to the producer. At our recent annual meeting in Hamilton, TX our guest speaker Dr. Charles Parker stated that the hair sheep skins are the most undervalued agriculture commodity in the United States. We know this, we have studied and proven this so where do we go from here? I believe the next step is to partner with the hair sheep breed associations and continue our work. We all have a common goal and that is to promote our quality products that result from our sheep. Myself and the board of directors stand ready to move forward and look to new projects to promote our meat and leather products. Input from members and nonmember alike is welcome and we encourage you to get involved. The North American Hair Sheep Association is open to anyone and we have members with all kinds of sheep and some without any sheep. You are invited to join by visiting our website www.hairsheep.org. We will be making plans for our meeting and sale for the fall of 2007 and we again hope to bring a large gathering of hair sheep producers together to trade sheep and ideas.

Dorper Regards,

Philip Glass

President NAHSA

• Dec 16-24 – Hanukkah

• Dec 31 – Eid al Adha

For more information go to:

www.interfaithcalendar.org

Alan McAnelly, D.V.M.

Alan McAnelly, D.V.M. owner of Hamilton Sheep Station, grew up with livestock, especially cattle and horses. At age 50, he started raising Boer goats, then adding hair sheep. His best results came when he began raising White Dorper, excellent stock for their low maintenance, hardiness, and growing ability. Over the past years, Hamilton Sheep Station has closed its flock. That, combined with vaccination, parasite management, and culling have eliminated problems with parasites and caseous lymphodemitis (known as C.I.). Hamilton Sheep Station is also enrolled in the Voluntary Scrapie Program. Alan also serves on the Board of the American Dorper Breeders’ Society.

After several months of not having a harvest plant for our lambs, we are working with a group of investors who plan to have a harvest plant open in early 2007 for goats and hair sheep. This group will custom process lambs, purchase live lambs from the Co-Op, and we will be able to retain the skins.

We also have an agreement with The University of Texas Pan American for a 4-6 month training program for the Co-Op. Funding for this is USDA Rural Development Funds. TDA and USDA have been involved in making this available. Watch for more news in our next newsletter as this progresses. If you are interested in joining the Co-Op, contact Clinton Hodges, Sterling City, Texas. Phone 325-378-3000.

            I am pleased to inform you that the Caribbean purebred/registered Barbados Blackbelly Sheep (BBS) semen is now available to be re-established into the USA from Trinidad and Tobago.  The Ministry of Agriculture in Trinidad and Tobago has just received approval from the USA/APHIS to export ovine and caprine semen into the USA. As you know, it is extremely difficult to get approval for small ruminants semen and live animals to enter the USA.  However, the Trinidad and Tobago Ministry built a new quarantine facility and conformed to all APHIS protocols and got approval.

            Please let me tell you a little about myself so that you can see where I am coming from and what destination I am heading to.

            I recently retired from the Maryland Department of Agriculture, where I was Chief of the Division of Marketing and Agricultural Development for 17 years.  I have been asked by the Ministry of Agriculture of Trinidad and Tobago to conduct a Marketing Feasibility Study to determine if there is a niche market among hair sheep farmers and breeders for the Caribbean purebred/registered BBS semen in the U.S. 

            As you know, both the BBS and West African Sheep (a sheep with genotype similar to the BBS) do have a number of attributes as hair sheep.  They are easy care breeds and they breed out of season, multiple births, and are highly disease resistant.  Several studies have indicated that there is an ethnic market for the lamb as well as the pelt to make gloves which are also in demand.

            Since 1905 the real purebred BB Sheep have not been imported regularly into the USA.  What we have in Trinidad and Tobago in particular and the Caribbean in general is the "real deal."  You cannot find these breeds with superior genetics and proven EPDs easily.

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            I would like to send you some pictures if you send me your mailing address.  I will be requesting some pictures from the Ministry of Agriculture, which I would send you also electronically but for now, I have some regular photos I can send.

            I am now looking for some companies et al to see if they want to handle the importation, distribution and marketing of the ovine semen.

         I am sure the Ministry of Agriculture will provide some initial funding to promote the product.

            The way I think that this initiative will work would be as follows:

            1.  Selection and identification of an importer/distributor

            2.  Develop a marketing promotion Campaign, i.e. "We want to re-establish in the US, the purebred (polled) Barbados Blackbelly Sheep (from the Caribbean)".

            3.  Although AI in sheep is limited, the Trinidad and Tobago Ministry of Agriculture has an AI expert Technician who has a 60% success pregnancy rate with his own technique without the use of laparoscopy.  The AI Technician will be touring the USA in the near future to demonstrate his skills to all breeders that are interested in having a demonstration.  

            4.  The semen will be shipped to the importer in quantities of 1,000 frozen straws or more ready for sale.  They have 28 rams in quarantine.

            5.  The farmers, ranchers, etc. will buy directly from the importer/distributor.

            6.  A sale price will be arranged and agreed upon between the supplier and importer.  This price will include tanks and liquid nitrogen to ship the semen to farmers etc. and also cost to the importer/distributor.

            7.  Marketing promotion will be supported and funded by the Ministry of Agriculture.  It would be my responsibility to seek out and identify buyers, and of course, there would be a website etc; ads in major publications, participation at major shows and conferences; coupled with the old and proven conventional way – by word of mouth.

            This is my current thinking on this matter, I am interested in exploring the above ideas with you and will look forward to hearing from about: 1) your reactions to the ideas I listed above; 2) your suggestions on the opportunities we might have in doing some business together; and 3) or if you have any additional suggestions for consideration.

Thanks very much, and the best to you. 

Errol Small

410-280-2927 (voice)

410-570-3795 (cell)

cgsmall@aol.com

Texas Sheep and Goat Raisers Association needs our help. By joining TSGRA, you can ensure the future of the voice of the sheep man in Washington. As the TSGRA is struggling with membership, now is our chance to have hair sheep representation and a voice for our association. For more information, go to www.tsgra.com

$25 Business card

$50 quarter page

$75 half page

$100 full page

percentage rams & ewe lambs

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Just send the following information and your membership fee of $50 to P.O. Box 993, Sterling City, TX 76951.

Name:

Address:

Phone:

Email:

Breeds & Numbers of Sheep:

Hamilton Meeting American Legion Hall

September 1, 2006 6:00 PM

Meal @ 6:00 pm Catered by Balinda McAnelly and paid for by NAHSA. Meal served included spaghetti with lamb meatballs. 34 members were in attendance: Roberta & Randy McCrea, Jacob & Timpy Tiemann, Scott & Mickey McGregor, Andy & Madeline Hovorak, Clarence & Genevieve Voigt, Maxie Jonas, Charles & Marcia Bachle, Monroe Schultz, Milton & Glen Stegemoller, Balinda & Alan McAnelly, Richard & Darla Funderburk, Clifford Sprayberry, David & Patricia McGee, Joyce & Clinton Hodges, Phillip & Jennifer Glass, John & Tina Hodge, Alto & Lillian Kahlden, Larry Thole, Juan M. Hernandez, and Dr. Joe David Ross. Also attending was guest speaker Dr. Charles Parker.

Vice President Jacob Tiemann called the meeting to order in the absence of President Art Roane. Art was called away because of a death in the family and our thoughts were with him.

Jacob recognized the Directors who were present at the meeting: Philip Glass, Clinton Hodges, Scott McGregor, Andy Hovorak, and Randy McCrea. Two of the directors’ (Clinton & Scott) terms are ending and we need to elect replacements. Clinton wishes not to serve again – has had a very busy year with fencing due to fire. He will be supportive of our organization but unwilling to serve as a Director.

A nominating committee of Clinton, Philip, and Jacob made the following nominations for the two Director spots: Scott McGregor to serve again and Alan McAnelly. Jacob asked for nominations from the floor – none were made. The two nominees were elected by acclamation.

Roberta McCrea gave the financial report. Current bank balance is $3239.54. Invoices were sent to all members for outstanding dues and $1400 has been collected in the past month. Written financial reports were given to all present board members. Members were asked to pay dues tonight or tomorrow if they have not already paid.

Philip Glass, sale chairman, reported that we had our own sale last year in San Angelo. Our sale here in Hamilton will return 1 ½% commission back to the Association for tomorrow’s sale. It is up to our members to encourage others to join NAHSA n order for us to gain sale income from our sales. We have a good relationship with the

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Hamilton Commission Company. There has been some confusion concerning the sale order. NAHSA members were supposed to sell before all others, but the registered cataloged sheep will sell first whether they are members or not. Philip just found out about this today. Madeline Hovorak questioned if we could "shop around" for another sale barn to host our sale. Philip said that we could, but that Hamilton has been a good venue for hair sheep. There are questions to be answered and we will discuss them with Hamilton Commission tomorrow.

Clinton Hodges gave a bio report on Dr. Charles Parker, our guest speaker for the seminar meeting scheduled for Saturday morning at 9:00 am. After giving a detailed report of his educational and research experience he said, "the bottom line is that he is a super nice guy and a friend to all sheep people."

Randy McCrea encouraged all our members to consider joining the Texas Sheep & Goat Raisers Assn. The two associations can work together for the good of both.

Jacob Tiemann reported that Scott McGregor represented our association last year at the TSGRA. Many walked out during his presentation. This year when Art Roane attended the response was much more favorable. TSGRA can help get support funding from Washington toward hair sheep.

Clinton Hodges reported a lot is going on in different places that some people don’t know about. A USDA experiment station in Nebraska with 3000 sheep in a research program is adding 1000 hair sheep to their research. USDA and private funding are supporting a 2-year leather institute skin research program involving hair sheep.

Andy Hovorak commented that without development and marketing of our meat that we are not making much progress. He felt that a lot of time and money was given to attend the Texas Restaurant Food Expo and not much has evolved since that time. We need to put more attention to finding a place for the meat and whole carcasses.

Jacob Tiemann reported that the Co-Op that has been formed to commit 25 sheep per year had a very favorable response to the meat served at the TX Rest. Food Expo. We served meatballs and leg of lamb. Many restaurants are wanting to serve our lamb on their menus. Some chains wanted to add lamburgers to their menus. Distribution seems to be the problem. Chains want us to guarantee large numbers before talking to us. We need a push to get this done, but what do we call our lamb to differentiate our meat from other lamb? It is a different flavor and we need name branding for recognition. Some examples of name branding are "Certified Angus Beef", "Buffalo Wild Wings", and "Talapia". Roberta McCrea suggested that assn members try to come up with a name for our meat.

Clinton reported that one thing in the ASI mill that will help a lot of organizations is that smaller kill plans will soon be allowed to sell into other states. We are currently overrun with imported lamb. He feels that Australia is controlling prices for wool & lamb.

Jacob reported that members should check with their insurance carriers about a new rangeland insurance. Basically you are buying a hedge against the rainfall amount. It works similar to crop insurance. It is only available in certain states and certain counties of Texas. Talk to your local insurance carrier and they can find out about it for you.

Joe David Ross talked about the National Animal ID program. There is a lot of emotion connected to this, and he feels like many people are hearing and repeating half-truths. He attended a meeting in Kansas City last week and feels much better about the program now. It looks like they are working out a practical solution. However, about 1/3 of all sheep are not registered in the scrapie program which has been mandatory since the Fall of 2001. He encouraged all members to contact their federal congressmen, especially the 4 TX congressmen who are on the Ag Commission. His suggestion was for all to learn about the program, try it for yourself, and see how it works for you. We are not that far behind other nations using it, and they seem to have all the same problems. The push for the program has slowed a bit because they want to be sure to get it right. It should be reasonable but flexible.

Jacob reported that all jr. livestock shows now require electronic ID’s on all species. As breeders we can eliminate scrapie by breeding against it. We can breed scrapie resistance.

Jacob motioned that we adjourn. Scott McGregor seconded. With no further business, the meeting adjourned.

Respectfully submitted,

Roberta McCrea Pg 5