Here is a registration tip for our members. As the Owner-of-the-Dam-at-Time-of-Lambing (ODTL), you are the only person who can register the lambs. If you sell those lambs when they are unregistered, including Birth Notified only, the buyer cannot register the lambs, and hence cannot transfer them to their own flock.
This is because you, as the ODTL, are the only person with the knowledge of the lambs’ correct dam
and sire. You have the judgement to evaluate whether that lamb meets the breed standard for registration and your own farm standards. Once these lambs are registered, you are the only person who can transfer the lambs to the buyer using Grassroots, which is the most convenient method.
Once a lamb is Birth Notified, you can register and transfer at the same time, paying two transaction fees; one for the registration and one for the transfer. Make sure you know the correct name and address for the buyer and their membership number if they have one. As the seller, you can determine if the fees are built into the price of the animal, if you wish to charge the buyer for the transactions separately, or if you will cover the registration and/or transfer.
You can still use the old system of mailing in paper registration and transfer applications along with payment, or giving a signed registration document to the buyer to send it in. However, it’s more difficult and more likely to result in delays than doing the registration and transfer online using Grassroots.
Registering St. Croix sheep is critical to the growth of the breed, and to maintaining the full gene pool of
the breed. Be part of the registration chain that keeps the St. Croix breed growing and thriving!