A request for new members

[Bill Fosher]

Hi folks,

There have been quite a few new members recently, and I know some of you want to dive right in and start asking questions and helping your fellow sheep producers. That's great, and I hope you will, but please take a moment before you do to visit your profile page and include at least a general sense of where you are. It helps a great deal in understanding your questions (and answers) if we know whether you're writing from the perspective of New Brunswick or Tasmania, or somewhere in between.

[JulesPizz]

Hello and thank you for letting me join your forum. I am Julie Pizzolato and I live in beautiful (most of the time!) North Idaho where I reside with my husband and the animals that make up our small farm here. I raise American Black Belly Barbados specifically but do have Katahdin crosses and one pure Polypay ewe with crosses to the BBB with her and her offspring. We have one LGD (an Anatolian and Greaty Pyr cross 2 year old female) and I have raised pug dogs for nearly 15 years also. I raise geese, ducks, chickens, and have a group of 4 peafowl added last year. I am looking very forward to familiarizing myself with this forum and have some questions to pose that I hope can be related to with this group. Thank you again for allowing me to join. Jules Pizzolato

[ChristineMac]

Hi everyone,
Since it still says newcomer by my name I guess I am. My husband and I live on a small farm just south of Peace River Alberta Canada. We have 25 ewes (suffolk crosses of various sorts) and three old rams that keep the grass down behind the house. When I'm not on holidays and farming, I teach grade 4 at the nearest school. We've had sheep for 10 years now and am always learning something new. I also have 4 llamas, two great pyrs, one corgy border cross, a menagerie of cats and a few dozen chickens. My husband does not farm but helps out if need be and neither he nor I grew up on a farm.

[StockdogNewe Farm]

Hi,
I'm new to being a member but have gained quite a bit of knowledge by everyone here so decided it was high time I joined.
My name is Alise Dart and I live NW of Seward, NE. My husband Marty and I have a small flock of 56 Katahdin Sheep, 10 Swedish Blue Ducks, 3 adult working Border collies, 2-1 1/2 week old working BCs pups and 1 Australian Cattle Dog. I have been in ACDs for 28 years and Working BCs for almost 12 years. Besides our day jobs of owning a Commercial/Residential HVAC business, we lamb out in March, put up grass and alfalfa hay and I also trial when there is time.
I'm looking forward to being a part of this forum as I find it one of the best ones out there.
Alise Dart
StockdogNewe Farm

[Hoosiershepherd]

I am quite new here, having just joined this morning. My husband and I are lettuce growers in central Indiana. I bought my first four sheep, St. Croix/Katahdins, in May. The three ewes were bred in late April, and so we are expecting lambs any time. Our long-term goal is to grow a nice little hobby flock (perhaps 25 ewes and a couple of rams), for sale at market, and for our own use. I researched sheep for nearly a year before deciding on a breed, and we chose the St. Croix for ease and for mild meat. We are also raising very young children (a 2-year-old daughter and a 1-year-old daughter), so before I get into anything that requires shearing, I decided to go with as low-maintenance as possible. I wanted to get my feet wet with something a bit simpler to start. But now that I've had them for five months, and have fallen in love, I can't imagine not having sheep in the future. I think they are my animal, for sure. We are also very near a large ethnic Muslim community, and hope to fill a gap in the demand for lamb meat. Looking forward to chatting with all of you.

Deb
HoosierShepherd

[jbates]

Hi everyone
I'm from New Zealand hopefully home of the rugby world cup after this weekend!!!. I am a Agricultural consultant from the lower South Island of New Zealand and specialise in sheep management and breeding and manage a number of research projects as well.I also work with Lincoln University and manage the on farm part of their gene testing business based around gene tests for foot rot tolerance, lamb survival, scapie tolerance, muscling in Texel and Charolais and a couple of congenial diseases in Texel and Dorper sheep, world wide including a few clients in the US. I am also looking to move to California sometime over the next year for personal and possibly business reasons as well. So you may have to excuse me at first while I try and understand more about the American industry but i certainly hope I can add something to some of the interesting discussions you guys have as well and maybe give a kiwi perspective on some of the issues you face.

[Shayan]

Hi everyone--my name is Shayan. I'm currently in Loudoun County, VA, but I'll be moving out west to Fort Collins, Colorado for graduate studies in range science and management soon. I hope to connect with any producers out near Fort Collins, especially range producers. At present, I volunteer on a fiber (and meat) farm on weekends that has 20 or so Karakul ewes, and washes and spins fleeces from all over the Chesapeake watershed. Once I have a more stable living situation than grad school permits, I'd like to have Karakuls as well. I know a bit about sheep production practices in the Middle East (mostly Iran) and I'm trying to learn more, so if anyone has questions about that I'd be happy to answer as best I can. Otherwise, I look forward to learning all I can while here and hopefully connecting with some range producers in northern CO or southern Wyoming.

Thank you and I look forward to meeting you all!

[Carolinagirl]

Good morning everyone! I am a small sheep producer in South Carolina. I have two small herds.....Katahdins and registered Barbados Blackbelly Sheep. I also have two 7 month Anatolian Shepherd pups that will be LGDs some day. The sheep are terrified of them so we are working through that. The dogs are wonderful watch dogs at this point, not missing a thing at night. I adore these pups! I will soo be breeding my sheep for the first time. Spring lambs will be a lot of fun. I am looking forward to learning the ropes from everone here. Thanks!

Cindy Coombs
Lugoff, SC

[Cat The Shepherd]

Hello everyone. By way of introduction, I'm Cat Urbigkit, one of the new owners of The Shepherd magazine. I'm a western Wyoming sheep producer (commercial operation) and book author. We also raise livestock guardian dogs and use guardian burros. I'm not sure how often I'll be checking in, but it's nice to be here, regardless. I'd be happy to answer any questions about the magazine and its future.

[Rocky]

Hello all, my name is Rocky as is my site handle. I live in southern Alberta, Canada, small town called Patricia, closest city of any size Brooks and about an hour and half drive from Calgary, home of the Calgary Stampede or as they claim "The Greatest Outdoor Show On Earth". I live with my wife Lenora or Lenny as she perfers. We have around 70 ewes, mostly Rambouillet that we breed to two Suffolks rams. We lamb usually mid March to early April. We also have 1 Lhama, named Lola, a Australian Shepard Collie cross named Brandy and a 8 week old Blue Healer Collie cross named Ginger, numerous cat and about a dozen chickens who shall remain nameless. We have 117 acres that we use for pasture and haying and some grain farming. I have read post by other for some time and have learned much and will most likely just continue to lurk in the back ground but thought I should introduce myself as I may from time to time comment or post if I feel my limmited knowledge may help someone or more likely have a particular question that I need help with concernning my flock. Thanks for letting me be part of your forum. Rocky.

[pax]

HI, I'm Celia. I'm not really new but I have been applying for direction right to the head shepherd

I live in Ithaca, NY (the finger Lakes region) and have Katahdins. I am not really a production shepherd but I like to keep to good workman-like standards with any animals.
I have a few ponies, and five Border Collies, and think I need to add an LGD, so that's the next forum I'll be diving into.

Good morning, one and all!

[Donatas]

Hi all am new here.
I am from Lithuania in Europe. My name Donatas Merkys. I am 28 years old. Our family have small ~36 acres farm. We have 18 ewes and about 30 lambs. Other animals in our farm are ~50 Hen, ~50 1 month old chickens, 80 japanese quail and some rabbits. Farming for me are hobby. Workdays I work in Public Library Computer enginer in my city.
Sorry for my not very good english, but I learning

[Katie Morgan]

I'm new here, thank you for letting me join! I raise registered Katahdins on pasture (I have about 50 ewes, and plan to grow still), along with small herd of Guernsey dairy goats, a few chickens, Great Pyrs to keep everyone safe, and a big garden, all on 26 acres in Indiana (My parents own the farm, I do the rest). I've kept records for NSIP last year and this year, and I'm ready to dive in! I look forward to chatting with everyone here!

Katie
p.s. just noticed that I'm the 700th member... sweet

[Shellsheep66]

Another new member!

I'm currently owned by 4 sheep and will be picking up a couple more this Friday. Currently I'm interested in haired sheep with the more exotic look. I have a Ram who thinks he is a dog and is very friendly which is Soay and Corsican mix, two Corsican ewes, and then I discovered Jacob sheep and feel in love with their spots, horns, and interesting personalities! So Jacobs are my next addition.

Right now it's just a hobby, but I could see this turning into a more full time flock. I've learned a lot by following this board so I decided to join.

I look forward to chatting with everyone and learning even more about my crew!

[DorperShepherdess]

Thank you for the approval to join this board!

My name is Sarah and I am still a relative "newb" to raising sheep, having only had them for about 2 1/2 years now. I got them to work my border collie on and then decided I really liked them! I raise dorpers, both commercial and have just this past year started expanding into registered stock too.

We live in north texas and also raise cattle and keep afew horses that we use for hobby riding and showing.

We are active in promoting the dorper in our area and my son does show some of them in the junior breeding shows.

I am looking forward to meeting other shepherds and learning!

Sarah