News Archives - Page 2 of 3 - St. Croix Hair Sheep Breeders

Genetics Project Update

Posted on August 9, 2024 by Tara Seltz

The SCHSB Genetic Fingerprint Project is complete! The findings of the research were presented via the “St. Croix Sheep Genetics: Discoveries and Possibilities” webinar in February of 2024. The project was led by the SCHSB Board of Directors, Dr. Brenda Murdoch from the University of Idaho, and Dr. Phil Sponenberg, Technical Program Director for The Livestock Conservancy. The work confirmed that the St. Croix breed clusters distinctly and separately from all other hair sheep breeds. Therefore, it is possible to employ genetic testing to identify the breed. Additional molecular testing revealed that the sample pool of St. Croix sheep was genetically diverse and free from common genetic diseases. This is good news and a great start!

Genetics Committee

A Genetics committee consisting of Board members (Lori Marion, Crystal Criswell, Amy Wheeler) and volunteer association members (Scottie Greene, Jovi Larson, Matt Marlowe, Tara Seltz) held several meetings. The committee considered the best usage of genetic technology to protect genetic diversity in the breed and position producers for future success.

Some of the ideas considered were as follows:

Develop a program using the current DNA profile to allow readmission of ‘purebred but unregistered St. Croix sheep’ into the registry using a careful vetting process along with acceptable DNA testing.
Increase the confidence of the St. Croix DNA profile by testing known crossbreds against it.
Obtain samples from untested populations of St. Croix sheep to ensure adequate representation of the breed to the best of our ability.
Invite the University of the Virgin Islands to test known purebred sheep from the island to compare against the U.S. mainland flock.
Evaluate Virgin Island sheep for possible importation of semen and/or embryos to broaden and deepen the genetic pool of our breed.
Continue to actively seek research opportunities involving St. Croix sheep

The next steps will be to compile a final report of the project and begin careful exploration of the ideas generated by the genetics committee. All considerations are subject to board approval.

Committee Chair Appointed to Board of Directors

Tara Seltz, who has been a member of SCHSB for 2018, played an active role in the Genetics Committee. The SCHSB Board of Directors voted to appoint her as a Director to fill one of the open seats and to Chair the Genetics Committee for the remainder of the project. Please contact Tara Seltz with any questions, concerns, or if you would like to participate in the project.

SCHSB Promotional Materials Available

Posted on August 2, 2024August 2, 2024 by Treasurer Treasurer

The St. Croix Hair Sheep Breeders board of directors has updated our promotional materials. We have three vinyl banners ( 6 ft x 2.5 ft), brochures, and business cards. We intend to use these items to promote the breed and our organization at a variety of events such as hair sheep sales, livestock shows, farming and homesteading workshops, 4H or FFA events, and forage/grazing seminars.

Please use this form to borrow a banner and to obtain copies of the brochure and business card for use at events. We require that within the 30 days after the event, members submit photos of themselves in the booth, a brief description of the event, and return the banner in good condition to a director. SCHSB will cover the cost of shipment both ways.

Members can request up to five copies of the brochure for farm use by sending an email or calling us at 458-240-3499. We hope these promotional materials will help to spread the word about our sheep and our organization.

Weaning & Sales

Posted on July 30, 2024 by Amy Wheeler

At Hollow Hills Ranch, this is the system we use for weaning and sales of our Hair Sheep.

Weaning & Castration Times

We typically breed for lambs to start on a New or Full moon in late December/January. Additionally, we wean on a full moon in April/May. Lambs are roughly 100-115 days at the oldest when we wean.

Castration of ram lambs, that don’t make the cut the first round, happens usually a month before weaning on a full moon. In fact, we castrate at this time so we don’t stress the lambs and moms out so much in one day.

When you castrate and wean on a full moon, the blood and milk flow is reduced during the subsequent waning moon. As a result you have less issues with mastitis or infection.

Weaning day 2024

Post Weaning (Ewes)

After weaning, the mama ewes are locked in a low grass barnyard area with low quality hay to dry up. We watch closely for signs of mastitis and bring them in once every few days to feel udders for heat or other signs of problems. Usually after a couple weeks of this, the ewes are ready to go back out to pasture.

They move from the barnyard out to the open ewe pastures. Here they get back into condition and are reunited with the yearling ewes kept from the year before. The ewes will stay out there until breeding season comes around again.

Post Weaning & Sales (Lambs)

Lambs weaned from their dams will be kept in the barn for a few days to get over their “trauma”. They are sorted into the following groups after a couple days:

keeper ewe lambs
breeding stock ewe lambs for sale
breeding stock ram lambs for sale
market wether and ewe lambs for sale.

Anything for sale, we contact people on the waiting list to get them sold as soon as possible. Left over ewe and wether lambs go out with our keeper ewe lambs in pasture. Left over ram lambs end up out with our breeding rams in their pasture.

We do a final evaluation in late summer. Any lambs not making the cut to keep around, will be sold at auction. We try to do this in late summer/early fall after breeding season has finished.

There you have our process for weaning & sales at Hollow Hills Ranch!

For More Info:

If you would like to read the rest of this article, please go to Hollow Hills Ranch!

2024 International Heritage Breeds Week – May 19-25

Posted on May 20, 2024May 20, 2024 by Treasurer Treasurer

Every year during the third week of May is the International Heritage Breeds Week. The annual event’s purpose is to raise awareness about endangered heritage breeds of livestock and poultry. We encourage St. Croix sheep breeders and enthusiasts to spread the word in their networks about our sheep and to maintain registrations on qualifying sheep online using Grassroots or by mail with paper forms.

Conservation Status of St. Croix Sheep

According to the 2024 Conservation Priority List, St. Croix sheep are in the Watch (W) category. The Watch list includes breeds with less than 2,500 annual registrations in the U.S.and an estimated global population less than 10,000. The Livestock Conservancy (TLC) bases this decision on the number of sheep registered and alive in our registry records and that of other St. Croix registries.

In 2023, our members registered 1,080 new animals. If numbers continue to grow, it is possible that our breed will graduate to the Recovering (R) category. Breeds on the Recovering list still need monitoring and remain on TLC’s Conservation Priority List (CPL). Once a breed graduates from the Priority List, it might not eligible for support or monitoring by TLC. Learn more about how TLC’s CPL is determined.

The Livestock Conservancy: A Resource for St. Croix Hair Sheep Breeders

Our members have opportunities to benefit from TLC’s efforts. TLC members receive their quarterly newsletter and annual breed directory. There are many educational posts on their site. You can download and print the Heritage Sheep for Niche Production brochure to hand out to potential customers or at special events. The TLC store offers a variety of useful books and promotional items. Perhaps most helpful to producers are the Microgrants, open for application around June-August each year.

What You Can Do

SCHSB members can participate by sharing information about Heritage Breeds Week. Talk to people about the role St. Croix sheep have in maintaining biodiversity, ensuring adequate adaptation to environmental pressures, and avoiding over-reliance on chemical dewormers. Be sure to help your customers who are buying breeding stock understand the importance of membership and registering quality offspring so that pedigrees can be tracked and genetics preserved.

February is National Sheep Month

Posted on January 23, 2024January 23, 2024 by Treasurer Treasurer

Celebrate National Sheep Month with us this February! Also called National Lamb Lovers Month, this is a time to celebrate all the great things about sheep and lamb! In addition to our St. Croix Genetics: Discoveries & Possibilities webinar, we will celebrate with two activities for our members.

Discounted In-coming Transfers for SCHSIA Sheep in February

Our organization is dedicated to preserving the St. Croix breed. Above all, we must ensure genetic diversity. We strongly encourage our members to maintain registrations of their SCHSB-registered animals. However, we also want to make it easy for members to transfer in SCHSIA animals. Throughout February 2024, members can transfer in SCHSIA-registered sheep for $5.00. Just mention this promotion when you work with our registrar so that we can invoice you correctly.

National Sheep Month Photo Contest

We encourage member involvement with our organization and would love to feature photos of your flock on our website and social media. To participate, submit your winter or Valentine’s Day themed photos of your St. Croix hair sheep by February 29. The member(s) who submit winning photos will earn one year’s membership OR three free registrations. Photos must be submitted as jpeg or png files, taken in landscape format, and must feature SCHSB registered St. Croix. Upon submission, full usage rights are granted to SCHSB.

Other Ways to Celebrate

Be sure to follow The Livestock Conservancy and the American Lamb Board on Facebook. They post a variety of sheep-related information throughout the month. The Livestock Conservancy often features real sheep producers throughout the month. The American Lamb Board posts lots of delicious lamb recipes that you can use at home and share with your customers.

Membership Opens to Non-USA Residents of Other Countries

Posted on January 20, 2024 by Treasurer Treasurer

For some time, there has been some ambiguity regarding membership for non-USA residents. While our bylaws did not forbid it, they also did not specifically allow it. Over the past few months, a few Canadian residents have inquired about the issue.

The board of directors met on January 8th and approved to update our bylaws to specifically allow non-USA residents to join St. Croix Hair Sheep Breeders and enjoy all the benefits of membership. However, because we are a U.S.A. based organization, we determined it was best to limit leadership positions on the board to U.S. citizens. Please review the updated bylaws with changes in blue font.

It has taken a bit of time to work out the details with the Livestock Conservancy (TLC) as they manage all our registration processes now. TLC will send electronic documents to members outside the U.S.A. in lieu of paper documents due to increased postage costs. Non-USA resident members have the option to pay for postage to receive paper documents if they prefer.

This is an exciting development for our organization, and helps to position us in a manner that continues to preserve and promote the breed.

2024 Board of Directors Changes & Vacancies

Posted on January 9, 2024January 18, 2024 by Treasurer Treasurer

There have been several changes to our Board of Directors this year. Change can be hard, but is necessary and unavoidable in every organization. Each January, the Board of Directors elects the year’s officers. This year, Beth Hall resigned from her position as secretary and director. We will miss her, but we understand that sometimes we all need a break. Beth has been a member of the board and our secretary for several years, and we are grateful for her service.

Amy Wheeler, of Hollow Hills Ranch in Oregon, agreed to serve as an appointed director through the end of 2024. We hope she will choose to run for election to serve 2025-2029. Amy has been an active member of SCHSB since 2007. She brings a historical understanding and unique perspective since she enjoys breeding St. Croix with color. We are lucky to have her.

Officer Elections

Officer elections took place on January 8. Your 2024 officers and directors are:

President – Jason Webster
Vice President & Interim Secretary – Lori Marion
Treasurer – Crystal Criswell
Directors – Elizabeth Hernandez, Tamara Lambdin-Abney, and Amy Wheeler

Join the Board to Fill Vacancies for 2024

We invite our members to volunteer to serve as an appointed Director for 2024 to fill our two vacant seats. The board meets on the second Monday of every month at 7:00pm Eastern. Meetings generally last one to two hours and are held virtually using Google Meet. Current projects include: the genetics study, creating SCHSB merchandise, posting articles on our website, the annual meeting, advertising and promotion, and developing educational and mentoring materials for new members. If you are interested in serving, please contact us and plan to join us at our next meeting on February 12th. We would love to have you!

Next Election Cycle for 2025-2029 Board of Directors

Thinking ahead, several of our board members’ terms expire at the end of 2024. While we hope they choose to run for re-election, we welcome nominations for new candidates who will bring fresh ideas. Nominations are due by October 1, 2024, the election will take place in December, and elected directors begin serving January 2025. If you have questions or wish to nominate someone, please contact us.

St. Croix Sheep Genetics Webinar

Posted on January 9, 2024February 22, 2024 by Treasurer Treasurer

Discoveries & Possibilities

Join us for this exciting St. Croix Sheep Genetics webinar with Dr. Brenda Murdoch and Dr. Phil Sponenberg to learn what we have discovered about our sheeps’ genetics and how that information might be used to help preserve and promote the breed. If you are interested in St. Croix Sheep genetics, you don’t want to miss this webinar.

When: Tuesday, February 20, 7:00pm Eastern

Where: via Zoom

Cost: FREE

Webinar Description

Examining and understanding the genetic relationship of sampled St. Croix sheep
Testing for known Mendelian inherited traits and diseases in sampled St. Croix sheep
How to define the breed historically and genetically
How the Island and Mainland populations can interact
The significance of variation such as color and horns
Challenges in conservation and selection for production

St. Croix Sheep Genetics Committee

The St. Croix Sheep Genetics webinar will serve as the Kickoff Event for our new SCHSB Genetics Committee (SGC). At the end of the presentation, we will schedule the first SGC meeting. We would like to thank those who have volunteered to serve as committee members as we explore how our organization might use these discoveries and possibilities to further our mission of preserving and promoting the breed. Our committee includes three Directors and four general members.

Directors – Lori Marion (OR), Crystal Criswell (OH), and Amy Wheeler (OR)

General Members – Tara Seltz (MN), Matt Marlowe (VA), Jovi Larson (VA), and Scottie Greene (TN).

Webinar Recording

Did you miss it? No problem! You can watch the recording.

2023 Annual Meeting was a Success!

Posted on October 29, 2023October 29, 2023 by Treasurer Treasurer

The 2023 Annual Meeting for St. Croix Hair Sheep Breeders was held on October 28th. Twenty-two (22) members attended. All but one director participated. We are very pleased with the turnout!

Your Board of Directors has been very busy this year and we were excited to share a recap of our activities, a financial report, and current projects. Jaye Ray from The Livestock Conservancy, who is our new registrar, provided a full demonstration of how to use the Grassroots System to manage your flock. We spent the last portion of the meeting in a Question & Answer Session with Jaye and the Board of Directors.

Meeting Content

Welcome & Introductions
Annual Reports
- Growth of SCHSB
- Fiscal Report
- Genetics Project
- Rebranding Project
- Registrar Change
- Plans for 2024
Introduction to Grassroots Developer, Libby Henson
Demonstration of Grassroots System by Jaye Ray from The Livestock Conservancy
Question & Answer Session

2023 Annual Meeting Video

If you missed it, don’t worry! We recorded the entire Annual Meeting so that all our members can view it at their convenience. Make sure you subscribe to our YouTube channel, too!

Meeting Slide Presentation

For those who only want to view the slide deck, feel free to download it here.

If you have any questions or would like to become more involved in SCHSB’s board activities, please contact us.

Genetics Project Update: Analysis Complete

Posted on October 5, 2023June 3, 2024 by Lori Marion

The SCHSB Directors have worked for over year on a Genetics Project for the breed. We partnered with Dr. Brenda Murdoch at the University of Idaho. She worked to determine if St. Croix sheep can be differentiated from other breeds using genetic testing. Dr. Murdoch further evaluated if both medium-density (60K) and low-density (Flock54) marker panels would generate equally valid results.

The Process

Fifteen (15) SCHSB members from across the country volunteered to obtain tissue samples from their sheep. They selected sheep that represent a variety of bloodlines and phenotypes (shedding, color, muscling, size, fast growth, slow growth, scurs, behavior, eye color, etc.). Several of the sheep express color to varying degrees. It was important to include this variety to ensure that the data collected adequately represents the breed as a whole.

In all, we sent 90 samples to Dr. Murdoch. Of those, 78 were analyzed and some late-arriving samples will be added soon. Dr. Murdoch’s team obtained genotype data from the 78 St. Croix sheep samples using both the 60K and Flock54 marker panels. The team compared our sheeps’ genotypes to those of three other hair breeds (Katahdin, Dorper, Barbados Blackbelly) and several wool breeds (Suffolk, Rambouillet, Targhee, Polypay, Suffolk x Texel, Targhee x Polypay, and wool sheep from the Sheep Discovery Center).

Figure 1 - 60K PCA Plot — *Figure 1 – 60K PCA Plot*

Figure 2 - Flock54 PCA Plot — *Figure 2 – Flock54 PCA Plot*

The Findings

Both the medium-density (60K – see Figure 1) and low-density (Flock54 – see Figure 2) panels produced results that clearly clustered St. Croix sheep (the black dots) in such a way that they can be differentiated from other breeds. Barbados Blackbelly sheep (the dark orange dots) clustered closest, but still exhibit clear separation from the St. Croix sheep in this sample. Dr. Murdoch is confident that both panels can be used to confirm the genetic conformity of a sheep believed to be a St. Croix. There may be some individual Barbados Blackbelly or St. Croix sheep that are so genetically similar that the Flock54 panel may not be adequate without additional statistical analysis.

Next Steps for the Genetics Project

The SCHSB Directors have formed a Genetics Committee to discuss how we will use these findings to meet our central mission; preserving the breed. The committee includes members who participated in the project and expressed an interest in serving. We will consult with experts in genetics and breed conservation.

The Genetics Committee will meet to explore options and make recommendations to the SCHSB Board of Directors. We will consult with the experts throughout the process. The Board will schedule a webinar early in 2024 to help all members fully understand the information.

We encourage members to ask questions and share your thoughts on this matter by contacting us.