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Tag: Grassroots

How to Record a Breeding Certificate

Posted on November 17, 2023November 17, 2023 by Treasurer Treasurer
How to Record a Breeding Certificate

Members need to record a breeding certificate when they sell bred ewes or use their ram to cover ewes owned by another member. If you’re not sure when to use this form, refer to the registry rules. While you can use the paper form to do this, the Grassroots system makes it much simpler. This post will provide instructions for recording a breeding certificate online.

Step by Step Instructions to Record a Breeding Certificate

  1. Log on to Grassroots
  2. Hover your mouse over the pancake stack in the upper right corner of the window.
  3. Click Service Certificates.
  4. Select the ram that covered ewes that you do not own.
  5. Enter the dates the ram was with the ewes.
  6. Click the orange Next button in the lower right corner of the window.
  7. Search for the owner of the ewes using their name or member number.
  8. Click on the applicable owner.
  9. Select the ewes that your ram covered by ticking the box(es).
  10. Click the orange Next button in the lower right corner of the window.
  11. Confirm that the list is correct, then click the orange Submit button in the lower right corner of the window.
  12. Retain a copy of the Service (Breeding) Certificate that automatically downloads to your computer for your records.

That’s it! You don’t need to mail anything and the Breeding Certificate is recorded with the registrar. You can watch the video below for a walk-through of the process.

Posted in FAQ, Using Grassroots Tagged breeding certificate, Grassroots

How to Get the Grassroots Mobile App

Posted on October 26, 2023January 23, 2024 by Treasurer Treasurer
How to Get the Grassroots Mobile App

Did you know you can get a Mobile App for Grassroots? Yes! You can finally manage your flock while you’re on the go. Now you can do everything while you’re in the barn with newborns, loading stock for the auction, or making observations out on the pasture.

The app is packed with powerful tools to manage your animal data through your phone. You’ll be able to do all these tasks while sitting on the tailgate or standing next to the lambing pen:   

  • See animal information, view full pedigrees  and show results.
  • Log births, report deaths, record sales, flag animals for sale
  • Add images and select those you wish to appear in the new Grassroots Online Registry
  • Keep notes on individual animals or groups of animals
  • Update all of this to  your breed registry on the go 

Download the App

Grassroots collects a subscription fee of $18.99 per year.

  • Android
  • Apple

Follow the Step-by-Step Directions

After you install the app, be sure to refer to these directions. Your username and password on the initial sign-in are NOT the same as what you use to log in to the Grassroots website. This little technicality really stumps lots of folks, so remember that!

Once you’re all set up, you can get started right away. If you have questions, please contact us.

Posted in FAQ, Using Grassroots Tagged app, Grassroots, mobile, mobile app

How to Record Sheep Deaths in Grassroots

Posted on October 21, 2023January 23, 2024 by Treasurer Treasurer
How to Record Sheep Deaths in Grassroots

This article will teach you how to record deaths of sheep on the Grassroots system. This process is very easy to do. It’s important to clear out sheep that have died or been butchered. Doing so means that you will have an accurate list of sheep available. This makes it much easier to select sheep for breeding, to list for sale, or to perform a check mate. Don’t worry, those sheep will not disappear from the database. You can still find them using the search feature, and they will appear in the pedigrees of their offspring.

Also, keeping your flock list up to date makes it possible for SCHSB to get a more accurate estimate of the number of active sheep in our database. This is extremely important to ensure that the population isn’t falling to levels that would demand further conservation efforts.

The good news is that it’s super easy to record sheep deaths. Spend a little time reviewing your records and then clean up your flock list!

Steps to record sheep deaths:

  1. Log in to the Grassroots System.
  2. Click the pancake stack on the upper right corner of your dashboard.
  3. Click Deaths.
  4. Tick the box next to any sheep that is deceased.
  5. Click the orange Next button.
  6. Check your list, then click the orange Submit button.

That’s it! If you need help, contact us. Please note that it can take up to 14 days for processing, during which time those deceased sheep may seem to be invisible. We promise, they are still there!

Here is a video that walks you through recording deaths:

Learn how to use all the features of the Grassroots System by attending our Annual Meeting on October 28th, or by subscribing to our YouTube channel and watching the How to Use the SCHSB Registry System playlist.

Posted in FAQ, Using Grassroots Tagged deaths, Grassroots, records, registrar

How to Birth-Notify Your Lambs

Posted on October 20, 2023January 23, 2024 by Treasurer Treasurer
How to Birth-Notify Your Lambs

This article will teach you how to record you lambs, a process called birth-notify, on the Grassroots system. This is a new process for us, because our old system only allowed us to record lambs when we registered them. Most of us probably record birth information for our lambs when they are born or soon after using a notebook, spreadsheet, or software. We decide later which ones to register, and in our old system, this is when we would finally go to the computer.

The birth-notify feature allows our members to record this information in the system with no transaction fee, rather than on paper, in a spreadsheet, or in separate software. Members can still decide later which lambs to register and then pay the fees. You can also register and transfer simultaneously.

While members can still follow the same procedure of only entering the lambs you’ve decided to register, there are several benefits to recording all lambs, even those left unregistered. First, you can tag those birth-notified sheep for sale in the system, so you can sell them as unregistered if desired, and their pedigrees are still visible and searchable. Second, by recording all lambs, your ewes’ production records will be more accurate, and you can easily share them with potential customers. Finally, by recording lambs earlier, you are less likely to mix up lambs later. That means you avoid parentage issues.

The good news is that it’s super easy to birth-notify your sheep and it’s a free benefit for our members. If you have lambs on the ground now, you should get started now!

Steps to birth-notify your lambs:

  1. Log in to the Grassroots System.
  2. Click the pancake stack on the upper right corner of your dashboard.
  3. Click Births.
  4. Fill in the birth information (date of birth, conception type, number born, etc.).
  5. Select the sire and dam from your flock, or search for them in the system if they are owned by another member. If you rented a ram or purchased bred ewes, you must send in a breeding certificate before you can register the lambs.
  6. Decide if you want to log all births from this lambing or not. You are not required to do so, but we recommend that you do.
  7. Click the orange Next button.
  8. Fill in the information for each lamb you wish to birth-notify. All fields are required except Alt. No., Individual Name, Weight, and Scrapie. We strongly suggest you include an accurate weight if known.
  9. Select the transaction you wish to use. You can Notify for free, register for $8.00, or register & transfer for $16.00.
  10. Click the orange Add To List button.
  11. Check your list, then click the orange Next button.
  12. Tick box to acknowledge the declaration statement, then click the orange Submit button.
  13. If you chose to only notify lambs, you are done!
  14. If you chose to register any lambs, select your method of payment. We strongly suggest you use Paypal to complete payment immediately.

That’s it! If you need help, contact us. Please note that it can take up to 14 days for your birth-notified lambs to appear in your list of sheep.

Here is a video that walks you through birth-notifying your lambs:

Learn how to use all the features of the Grassroots System by attending our Annual Meeting on October 28th, or by subscribing to our YouTube channel and watching the How to Use the SCHSB Registry System playlist.

Posted in FAQ, Using Grassroots Tagged birth-notify, births, Grassroots, lambing, records, registration

How to List Sheep for Sale on Grassroots

Posted on October 19, 2023January 23, 2024 by Treasurer Treasurer
How to List Sheep for Sale on Grassroots

This article will teach you how to list sheep for sale on the Grassroots system. This process replaces the old “Classifieds” section of our website. We all know how useful it is to list our sheep for sale in a place where people are looking specifically for St. Croix sheep. SCHSB’s new registry system offers even more functionality, because potential buyers can look at the pedigrees of the specific sheep you are offering for sale.

The good news is that it’s super easy to list sheep for sale and it’s a free benefit for our members. If you have sheep you want to sell, you should follow these steps right now!

Steps to list sheep for sale:

  1. Log in to the Grassroots System.
  2. Click the pancake stack on the upper right corner of your dashboard.
  3. Click Flag Animals for Sale/Hire/AI.
  4. Tick the box in the Sale column for each animal you wish to sell.
  5. Click the orange Next button.
  6. Check your list, then click the orange Submit button.

That’s it! If you need help, contact us.

Here is a video that walks you through listing your sheep for sale:

Learn how to use all the features of the Grassroots System by attending our Annual Meeting on October 28th, or by subscribing to our YouTube channel and watching the How to Use the SCHSB Registry System playlist.

Posted in FAQ, Using Grassroots Tagged Grassroots, registry, sale, selling sheep

How to Help People Find Your Farm on Grassroots

Posted on October 19, 2023January 23, 2024 by Treasurer Treasurer
How to Help People Find Your Farm on Grassroots

This article will teach you how to help people find your farm on the Grassroots system. When the system went live, member information was set to private. Unfortunately, that makes it hard for people to find and contact breeders. We all know how useful this feature is. It’s like free advertising to people looking for our St. Croix sheep.

The good news is that it’s super easy to update your Data Protection settings. You should do it right now! You will be sure to sell your sheep much easier if you allow people to see at least some of your contact information.

Steps to help people find your farm:

  1. Log in to the Grassroots System.
  2. Click the orange Manage button.
  3. Confirm that all your contact information is correct. If not, please update it.
  4. Click the dropdown in the Data Protection field.
  5. Select the amount of data you want to be visible. If you don’t want to allow people to see everything, you should at least allow them to see an email, website address, or phone number. Otherwise, they won’t know how to contact you.
  6. If you need help, contact us.

Here is a video that walks you through helping people find your farm:

Learn how to use all the features of the Grassroots System by attending our Annual Meeting on October 28th, or by subscribing to our YouTube channel and watching the How to Use the SCHSB Registry System playlist.

Posted in FAQ, Using Grassroots Tagged data protection, Grassroots, privacy, registry

2023 Virtual Annual Meeting

Posted on October 4, 2023October 4, 2023 by Treasurer Treasurer
2023 Virtual Annual Meeting

Members, please join us for the 2023 Annual Meeting on October 28th at 7:00pm Eastern via Zoom.

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

Meeting Agenda

  • 7:00pm – Welcome & Introductions
  • 7:10pm – Annual Reports
  • 8:00pm – Demonstration of Grassroots System
  • 8:30pm – Question & Answer Session

Register Now for the Meeting

Please register to attend the annual meeting. Registration is free. Have your member identification number handy. If you aren’t sure what that is, please contact us. After you register, you will receive an email with the link to join the meeting online. Please log in at least 5 minutes early to make sure you have no technical difficulties.

The meeting will be recorded and shared so that if you are unable to attend, you can still access the information.

Register Now

Posted in Annual Meetings, News Tagged Grassroots, meeting

Welcome to the New Face of SCHSB

Posted on September 30, 2023October 1, 2023 by Treasurer Treasurer
Welcome to the New Face of SCHSB

Your SCHSB Board of Directors has been hard at work these last few months to create a new face for the organization. We have a new registrar, logo, website, forms, phone number, and social media channel.

New Registrar & Updated Forms

When GLM announced they will be closing at the end of 2023, the Board had to work quickly to find a new service provider. We are pleased to announce that we selected The Livestock Conservancy (TLC) as our new registrar. TLC uses the Grassroots Systems software and supports to manage all our data. 

Members will receive packets in the mail and via email within the next 14 days with instructions for logging onto and using the Grassroots system, and copies of all our updated forms. You will notice that the board increased membership dues to $25 and registrations/transfers to $8. These increases are necessary for the financial stability of the organization.

Face Lift for the Website

The Board has discussed updating the website for at least two years. Because our web admin would need to update all our links to the registry and adjust several related pages, the Board decided it was time to move forward with a new website. We secured services with Dream Catcher Connect in Charleston, WV, who will now serve as our web admin. The new site is clean, modern, easy to navigate on mobile devices, and will include timely news and events.

Fresh Logo

We also felt that this was the perfect time to update our logo. We chose to do this for several reasons. First, doing so will help people more easily discern between SCHSB and SCHSIA. The two logos were very similar and this added to confusion about which organization was which. Second, our previous logo was outdated. It was time to create something that is fresh and more adaptable to various uses. Finally, we could find no high-resolution version of the old logo, which prevented us from creating various print products, such as banners, shirts, posters, etc.

We feel the new logo is an excellent representation of our organization. It highlights our breed’s majestic ram while honoring the maternal traits our ewes offer that are the backbone of the breed. The colors signify the unique, American history of the breed.

New Ways to Communicate with Us

We have obtained a permanent, official phone number for SCHSB. That number is (458) 240-3499. Callers are asked to state their name before being routed to our secretary or designee. The secretary can access any voicemails you leave and can also interact with you via text message using the same number.

Finally, we have created a X (Twitter) profile for SCHSB. If you use X (Twitter), we hope that you will find us @SCHSBInc and follow our channel for news and updates. Our community of breeders has always engaged in lively discussions about our sheep, and it’s important that we facilitate communication on multiple platforms.

Posted in News Tagged forms, Grassroots, Livestock Conservancy, logo, phone, registrar, website

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St. Croix Hair Sheep Breeders

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