Quarterly Newsletter of Katahdin Hair Sheep International

Volume 15, Number 4

www.KHSI.org

The Katahdin

Hairald

Inside

Fall 2003

Larry Weeks, KHSI President,

Virginia

I want to thank TomSettlemire, Richard Brzozowski,and their group for being thehosts for the annual conference.Not only did Tom have to dealwith Marilyn’s failing health butthe day before the conference wasto start a severe wind storm camethrough Maine. This storm de-stroyed the two large tents thathad been set up for the sheep andpresentations. The Pineland staffand Tom’s committee pulled outthe stops to make arrangementsfor an exciting conference. I feelthis was one of the best confer-ences not only because of theknowledge gained but during dis-cussions many differing viewswere expressed without anyonetaking offense.

As you can see from the elec-tion results I have been re-electedto serve as president. I want tothank Sharon Schaefer, Jim Mor-gan and Teresa Maurer for work-ing with me this year to get meup to speed. The current boardof directors has been busy layingthe foundation for next year.KHSI is entering a new era. Withthe passing of Barbara Piel andretirement of Charles Brown thelinks to the beginnings of theKatahdin breed are fading.

Also disappearing is the visionMichael and Barbara founded forthe breed. There were many dis-

cussions at the annual meeting inMaine concerning where we wantthe breed to go and what roleKHSI should play. In the next fewmonths committees will be dis-cussing issues such as a name orslogan change, Katahdins and theshow ring, commercial Katahdinflocks, and the role that regionalassociations have with KHSI justto name a few. With the passingof Donna Watkins and PamArmitage-Sword who were bothstrong supporters and promotersof Katahdin Sheep and KHSI,there is a need for breeders tovolunteer to serve on committeesand the board of directors.

You will be seeing more in thenext couple months about com-mittees and their work. If you areinterested in helping please feelfree to contact a committee mem-ber, operations or myself. Withmoney in the budget for confer-ence calls for committees, e-mailand the new web page comingonline, the goal of improvingcommunication is attainable.

These are exciting times to bea Katahdin breeder. Just a fewyears ago when we went to sheepmeetings and told people weraised Katahdin they would turnand walk away. Today peoplelook for us at sheep meetings.When we started raisingKatahdin in 1990 they were anobscure novelty breed. Now weare 4th in registrations and grow-ing.

In closing I encourage every-one to read the newsletter, visitthe web page and become in-volved in promoting KHSI andKatahdin sheep.

Thanks and best wishes for anew year!

President’s Corner

President’s Corner ............................. 1Katahdin Breeders Meet in Maine .... 2Ordering Articles from Maine .......... 2Annual Gathering Report .................. 3NSIP Breeders Group Publish Trait-Leading Sires ..................................... 4Sheep Handbook Available ............... 4Looking Over the Fence .................... 5KHSI Financial Report ....................... 6Note about Display Ads ..................... 6KHSI Annual Meeting ........................ 7Mississippi for 2004 Meeting ............ 8Board Elections, Officers,Thanks .... 8Meet the New Board Members .......... 9Jordan New Canadian Rep ................ 9Insert: Advertising ................ 9A & 9BWelcome New Members .................. 10Remembrance for Pam Sword ........ 11Marilyn Settlemire Memorial ........... 11Composting of Dead Sheep ............ 12Silent Auction Benefits KHSI .......... 13KHSI Website Update ...................... 14Thanks to Nancy Case ..................... 14Scrapie Resistant Codon Frequencies........................................................... 15Operations Notes ............................. 15Katahdin-Specific Weight AdjustmentFactors Available .............................. 16Classified Ads .................................. 17KHSI Member’s Guide ..................... 18

The Katahdin Hairald • www.KHSI.orgPage 2 Fall 2003

Richard Brzozowski

University of Maine Cooperative Extension Service

The last time KHSI membership met in Maine for their annualgathering was ten years ago when the Piel Farm of Abbott Villagehosted the meeting. This past October the meeting site was about100 miles south at a beautiful site called Pineland Farms in NewGloucester. Participants came from all over the country for the four-day event. On the first day, many enjoyed the scenery of the bright,fall foliage, a cruise of Casco Bay and a delicious traditional lobsterbake at the site of the North East Katahdin Hair Sheep Research Project.

The second day included a full schedule of practical workshopslead by professors, veterinarians and other experts at the Sheep Sym-posium. Wool and hair sheep producers were invited to take part insessions that focused on genetics, health, monitoring internal para-sites, record keeping, and marketing to ethnic communities. Theyalso were able to interact with a professional meat cutter who ad-dressed meat quality and a veterinarian who performed a sheepnecropsy (post mortem). That evening, the group gathered for awonderful lamb banquet prepared by the Pineland chef followed bya concert by the group Schooner Fare for sing-a-longs and traditionalNew England tunes. Over 125 people took part in the day’s events.

The third day was filled with presentations, discussions and inter-active sessions that focused on the exhibition and sale of Katahdins,fecal egg counts, eye blood color monitoring of parasites, hair coatcertification, and the business meeting of KHSI members. The cel-ebration continued to the evening with a menu of Katahdin lamb,Katahdin potatoes and a meal fit for royalty. A special time of honor-ing Pamela Armitage Sword and Mrs. Barbara Piel climaxed the day.

The energy level of participants continued through to Sundaymorning as more than 30 people took part in a farm tour of theKatahdin flock at Pineland Farms (a part of the research flock) and amost interesting and informative stop at North Star Farm in Windhamwhere they met Phil and Lisa Webster, nationally recognized breed-ers of Montadales and Cheviots. They viewed the sheep flocks, fa-cilities, and equipment and discussed topics such as cultural prac-tices, feeds, marketing, sales and exhibiting sheep. Tour participantsgained several useful ideas.

The planning committee members were honored to host the 2003KHSI Annual Gathering and are grateful to all participants and spon-sors for making this a memorable experience for all. Conferenceproceedings are available for those who were unable to attend. Formore information please see ordering info in separate article, or con-tact Richard Brzozowski at rbrz@umext.maine.edu.

These proceedings, boundin a loose-leaf notebook, con-tain practical articles from allof the speakers at the confer-ence held in October, 2003 aspart of the KHSI Annual Gath-ering in New Gloucester,Maine. The proceedings willbe a useful reference for youand your sheep operation inthe months ahead.

The list of topics includes:Bio-security - Your Responsi-bility as a Farmer Visiting An-other Farm; Producing & Sell-ing Sheep to the Ethnic/Reli-gious Meat Markets; SheepGenetics 101; PerformanceStandards for ExhibitingSheep; Lamb Meat QualityEvaluation; Lamb Cuts andHow to Cook Them; MakeYour Meal Special withAmerican Lamb; Sheep Prod-ucts Find Many Uses; LambRecipes; Sheep Necropsy;

What Does NSIP Do? HowDoes NSIP Work? Designinga Proactive Health Programfor Your Flock; Monitoring In-ternal Parasites in Sheep.

Order forms may be re-quested from KHSI Opera-tions 479-444-8441 orkhsint@earthlink.net. ORyou may send a check madeout to UMCE for $20.00 percopy to the following address:Katahdin Proceedings-UMCE; PO Box 9300; Port-land, ME 04104-9300. Be surethat you include your currentand complete mailing addressand phone number.

Katahdin Breeders Meet in MaineOrdering Info for

Articles from Maine

Meeting Talks

Call us!479-444-8441

Enclosed in this newsletter is the 2004 Renewal Form. (If it is missing, call479-444-8441 to get another one sent.) Please make sure you send it inwith your annual dues by no later than January 31st to stay in good stand-ing as a member. Also, be sure to list any changes in your address, phonenumber or email that you may have had over the past year. Many thanks!

RENEWALS ARE DUE!

The Katahdin Hairald • www.KHSI.org Page 3Fall 2003

Annual Gathering Report: October 16-19, 2003

Kay Cloyd, KHSI Director, Kentucky

Autumn in Maine was the set-ting for the Katahdin Hair SheepInternational annual gathering.Approximately 125 Katahdinbreeders from all over the UnitedStates and Canada participated inthe event that took place atPineland Farms in NewGlouchester. Dr. Tom Settlemire,Professor of Biology at BowdinCollege and Dr.RichardJ.Brzozowski, University ofMaine Cooperative Extension,hosted this outstanding four dayconference.

High quality, pertinent semi-nars, combined with hands on ac-tivities were presented by spe-cialists and experts in the fieldsof sheep genetics, parasite resis-tance, anatomy and physiology,health and maintenance, market-ing and even techniques of butch-ering. Throughout the conferencethe emphasis was on genetics: theuse of genetics to improve flockhealth and production, to de-velop parasite resistance and tomake the show ring more mean-ingful.

Dr. Settlemire and Dr.Brzozowski are co-directors ofthe Northeast Katahdin HairSheep Project, a current researchproject supported by USDA-SARE. The project is designed tofocus on the benefits of theKatahdin (mothering, lean car-cass, easy lambers,etc.) while in-creasing frame and muscle andimproving parasite resistance.One of its major goals has beento identify Katahdins that aremore genetically resistant toparasite infections, (specificallyHaemonchus contortus orbarberpole worm). One methodthat they use for monitoringparasite infection is theFAMACHA Anemia Guide. This

procedure is done by exposingthe inner membrane of thesheep’s lower eyelid and compar-ing it to a card that has 5 varyingshades of red to white indicatingthe hemoglobin level in the blood.Many of us have used eye mem-brane color to determine the needfor worming, but this system pro-vides a color chart which indicatesdegree of infection when com-pared to the exposed eye mem-brane of the sheep. One advan-tage of this test is that animals canbe checked individually andwormed only if needed. It alsoenables monitoring those animalsthat have more natural resistance.By identifying and culling the lessresistant animals the project nowhas a group of animals that re-quire little or no worming. Sev-eral young rams from the projectflock were on hand for our view-ing. These rams were one to twoyears old and had never beenwormed.

Members participated in ahands on workshop to learn howto use the FAMACHA cards andreceived their own cards. In an-other workshop the McMasterfecal egg count system was dem-onstrated. Eyelid color and fecalegg count monitoring used cor-rectly and consistently can greatlyreduce the need for expensivewhole flock worming.

In Sheep Genetics 101 Dr.Charles Parker, spoke about us-ing practical genetics as a tool toimprove flock productivity. Par-ticipants learned about effectiveselection and breeding systemsfor use on the farm. Keeping goodrecords is the key to making anyimprovement program work. Inanother seminar he spoke aboutthe need to have PerformanceStandards for Exhibiting Sheep.

With the growing popularity ofthe Katahdin breed, it is inevitablethat exhibition will follow. Heemphasized that we as producersneed to set the standard of exhi-bition for the breed now. To avoidthe pitfalls of breeding for “show”we must continue to value prac-tical genetic/ performance data aswell as phenotypic quality in ourbreed selection criteria. Breedingjust for the biggest or best look-ing is not the direction we wantto go. Dr. Parker presented a pre-liminary format that could be de-veloped and sanctioned by theassociation that would include agreater emphasis on practical ge-netic/performance in judging. Acommittee has been selected towork on this and will have a re-port in the months to come.

Dr. James Morgan presentedthe first Katahdin Sire Summaryreport based on cross-flock per-formance evaluation from theKatahdin NSIP Breeders Group.The 15 top sires listed wereranked by the NSIP (Nationalsheep Improvement Program)based on evaluation of recordsfrom 22 Katahdin flocks from theUSA and Canada. He was quickto point out that performanceevaluations are great tools thatcan be used to select superior ge-netics and improve our flocks butthey should be used wisely be-cause they can also be used to thedetriment of good breeding.Single trait selection, particularlyselecting for the biggest, has ru-ined many livestock breeds, suchas cattle that cannot calve on theirown or chickens that are so topheavy they cannot walk. Whilemany potential buyers look forthe biggest, it is the job of allKatahdin breeders to keep in

Continued on page 4

The Katahdin Hairald • www.KHSI.orgPage 4 Fall 2003

mind the need for balanced genet-ics. In other words, selectionsshould be based on a combinationof traits that produce good geneticprogress and animals that pro-duce high quality meat. We don’twant large growthy lines thatdon’t have enough milk to raisetwo lambs and/or have little orno parasite resistance.

Dr. Michael Opitz, DVM didan on-site sheep necropsy with adiscussion of sheep anatomy andorgan function. This was a rareopportunity to learn about sheepanatomy and many took advan-tage of it. Other sessions in-cluded selling sheep to the ethnicpopulation with Dr. SusanSchoenian from the WesternMaryland Research and Educa-

tion Center and Dr. Sandy L.Bushmich, DVM, MS from Uni-versity of Connecticut with man-agement techniques to preventdisease introduction on the farm.

Just for fun, many of us par-ticipated in a boat ride aroundgreater Casco Bay, walking tourof historic Portland and/or wentshopping at nearby Freeport,home of LLBean. At the end ofthe day we were treated to a won-derful Maine lobster bake at thefarm of Brad and Sue Ray, ofBuxton, Maine, home farm to theNortheast Katahdin Hair SheepProject. We were able to see theresearch flock and discuss withthose involved the work that isgoing on with the project. Thenext evening, after a delicious

Annual Gathering Report, continued from page 3

Jim Morgan

Katahdin NSIP Data Coordinator

The Katahdin NSIP (NationalSheep Improvement Perfor-mance) Breeders after 3 years ofconcerted effort are pleased topublish leading sires for fourtraits: 60 day Weaning Weight,120 day Post-Weaning Weight, 60day Maternal Milk and 60 dayMaternal Milk+Growth Index.Rams are ranked by their EPDs(expected progeny differences)for each of these traits.

So far, 22 flocks have contrib-uted records to this effort and in2003, 16 flocks submitted data.Several more flocks will be join-ing the effort in 2004. After up-dating with this year’s data, theentire Katahdin NSIP databasenow contains valid records on3990 60-day weaning weights,1196 120-day weaning weights,1952 post-weaning (60- to 120-day) gains, and 2990 litter sizes.The average number of lambs

lamb dinner at Pinelands we weretreated to a concert by SchoonerFare, a folk group that was notonly very entertaining and funnybut also educated us about thelocal people and their customs.The conference ended on Sundaywith tours of the Pineland farm’ssheep flock and the Webster farmin Windham.

Many thanks to Dr. Settlemireand Dr. Brzozowski and all whowere involved with time and ef-fort and funding to make thisgathering the tremendous successthat it was. It was a great learn-ing experience for all involved.Participants came home withpractical knowledge and tech-niques that can be put to use onthe farm.

Katahdin NSIP Breeders Group

Publish Trait-Leading Sires

born for a 3-6 year old Katahdinewe is 2.1 lambs/litter. This is asubstantial number of records.

To be ranked, rams needed tohave on average a) 20+ lambsraised in the same contemporarygroup with 20+ lambs of at leastone other ram, b) to have had atleast 10 daughters who haveraised lambs in valid contempo-rary groups and c) to be geneti-cally connected to rams in flocksof other Katahdin NSIP breeders.This provides a minimal level ofaccuracy so that performance isnot based on a few records but onseveral lambs from each rankedsire.

The top fifteen rams for eachof the four traits have been pub-lished and are available by con-tacting Jim Morgan, 479-444-6075;jlmm@earthlink.net or 18235Wildlife Rd, Fayetteville, AR72701. Work on publishing theseresults to a website is underway.Please email, call or write for yourcopies.

Sheep Handbook-

New Edition

Available

The 7th Edition of theSheep Production Handbookis now available from severalsources. This is well worth theprice of $49.95US plus ship-ping-it is a large book packedfull of information on topicssuch as breeding and selec-tion, forages, handling, health,marketing, nutrition and mar-keting.

To order directly fromASI (American SheepIndustry Association)call 303-771-3500 exten-sion 32 from 7am-3 pmMountain time.

Several of the sheep supplycompanies carry the booksuch as Premier, Mid-WestSheep & Wool Supply, Pip-estone Veterinary Catalog.

The Katahdin Hairald • www.KHSI.org Page 5Fall 2003

A FEW OBSERVATIONSABOUT THE MEETING

• Great Program-excellent facili-ties, timely topics and wonder-ful entertainment—SchoonerFare on Friday night was a spe-cial musical treat.

• Arrangers—Tom and Dick dida great job and organized agreat crew of helpers Brad andSue Ray and the Maine SheepBreeders Association membersand University of Mainestaff—A GREAT TEAM!

• And the FOOD—it was won-derful—I did miss the ME’LLTstew—Maine(ME) lamb(L)and lobster(L) tail(T) stew(S)—a surf and turf dish thatMELLTS in your mouth!!

IS KHSI TOPPING OUT??DON’T LET IT HAPPEN!

• Katahdins have been the fast-est growing breed during the1990’s

• In 2002, KHSI was 4th in breedregistrations!! (31 breeds in-cluded)

• Have registrations peaked??Numbers of registrations havedropped slightly over the lastcouple of years, and breedersneed to understand the factorsbehind this and come up withnew strategies to keep registra-tions and the organizationgrowing and quality of sheephigh.

Looking Over the Fence

Notes from the Closing Talk by Dr Charles Parker

2003 KHSI Annual Gathering

October 18, 2003 at Pinelands Conference Center, Maine

Editors Note: We really appreciated boththe praise and the warnings in Dr.Parkers’ remarks and thought it wasimportant to share them with all themembers. The following is a brief out-line of the points presented by Dr Parkeras he praised, challenged and set goalsfor Katahdin breeders.

Continued on page 6

• Special program participation-Katahdin breeders are partici-pating in these important pro-gramsa) Scrapie Certification. Pro-gram—36% of U.S. KHSIbreeders (115) are in, onlySuffolks have more enrolled(400)b) NSIP—16 Katahdin flocks—across flock evaluation andEPD’s, are the top technologyfor enhancing genetic im-provement.

• Katahdin sheep research—atmore institutions than for anyother breed ever.

• Jim Morgan’s efforts should berecognized-he has benefitedKHSI breeders by staying con-nected to institutions via hisNSIP and breed research coop-eration. The U.S. Sheep Revolution is

“HAIR”, and KATAHDINS, “thebreed whose time has come!” areleading the way!

PIEL VISION—• began 46 years ago• Barbara Piel carried the vision

forward for the Katahdin breed,assisted by the able manage-ment of Charlie Brown.

• The Piel Dream for KHSI was“to know each other, share in-formation, and work together toimprove and promoteKatahdins.” (quote from B. Piel)

RE-AFFIRMATION OF THEPIEL DREAM—

• Continued development/im-provement of the breed intothe 21st century. Barbara Pielfelt strongly that you should,“leave things better than youfound them.”

• That improvement processneeds to evolve with time andbe responsive to customers’wants/needs and technology.

TOP OF THE MIND ISSUES• Breed potential is GREAT! and

biologically speaking, UNEX-PLORED

• KATAHDINS—the premiermaternal breed of the 21st cen-tury—adaptable, easy man-aged-a “farmer friendly”—practical field sheep.

• Improving/Merchandising—GOAL—”programs toachieve/equate market valuewith utility (genetic) value asdetermined by seedstock buy-ers” Parker, WSWC, NZ, 2001.

• Recognizing CustomerWants/Needs - Customerswant:

a) Documented lines ofKatahdins (sheep) that are ge-netically superior for parasitetolerance

b) Genetic Insurance for scrapieprevention- select for scrapieresistance sheep (codons 136/171)

c) Use NSIP/EPD’s to increaseand document performanceof economically importanttraits.

d) To do: select for Katahdinsthat are foot rot tolerant—thetechnology is here!

PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT-FUTURE GOALS FOR

KATAHDIN BREEDERSa) Adequate/acceptable size/

muscling/carcass value.b) Explore/Develop the skin

market-it has the potential

The Katahdin Hairald • www.KHSI.orgPage 6 Fall 2003

monetary value to be the‘third” lamb for a ewe produc-ing twins! The value receivedfor hair sheep skin leathercould become a significantsource of income.

c) Assess the eating qualities ofKatahdin market lambs—es-pecially flavor and tender-ness. Promote research todetermine if Katahdins havesuperior taste or nutritionalqualities.

d) Market Development—inter-national markets are there forthe “getting” but take effortand networking-considerworking with USLGE, FAS,and USDA/APHIS.

EXHIBITS/SHOWS• State Fair & other agricultural

agri events-NEEDS: promo-tional/educational materials todisplay with animals.

• Advancing your breed withINNOVATION—InformationTechnology—IT’s time hascome!!

• Approaches to work on: De-velop standards for SANC-TIONED KHSI EXHIBITS. In-sure via performance thatquality sheep are exhibited atsuch events and sales. Adver-tise via the KHSI web site.Consider accepting mail bidsvia cyberspace. Make “IT” (in-formation technology) use in-novative for Katahdins andstand out among all thebreeds—head the class with21st century innovation. Thisissue is at a critical attentionneed status for KHSI.

• Assess how to reach out to theyouth in an educationally en-riched way. Establish educa-tion/recognition activities. For

Looking over the Fence, continued from page 5

example, the 2003 KHSI Desti-nation Maine Youth Scholar-ship—12 to 18 years of age—was a great start.

MAKING IT HAPPEN—• KHSI’s budget is very limiting!

Your budget should be doublethe current level to continuebreed development/improve-ment, promotion and marketexpansion.

• Need to profile your member-ship. Recognize the profes-sional talent that exists. Defineprograms and issues that needadvanced, then ORGANIZEthe people and resourceswithin the membership to goforward.

• Grants are available—but ittakes more staff to address andassist in grant identificationand preparing proposals—

Approved Actuals ApprovedBudget Projected Budget2003 2003 2004

RevenueMemberships, Registrations 45,000 45,514 45,000Other 1,000 809 1,580 Note 1Totals 46,000 46,323 46,580

ExpenseRegistry 16,500 15,341 16,900Operations 7,500 7,875 8,000Can, Mx Reps 135 50 100Ads, Web, Promo 5,000 4,060 5,000Bank Charges 15 0 15Insurance 1,650 1,763 1,940Items for sale 400 309 400Office Supplies 1550 1,607 1,600Postage 3500 3,817 3,800Printing, Copying 3,000 3,185 3,200Prof Services 400 400 400Phone 3,750 3,088 3,100Reimbursements 1,500 2,229 1,000Annual Mtg 500 500 500Records Security 100 100 100Committee Expenses 500 500 500Subscriptions 0 25 25

46,000 44,849 46,580

Note 1: this category includes bank interest, promotions sales, inspection reim-bursements from breeders,ad & web sales

KHSI Financial Report18-Oct-03

Due to requests from memberswho would like to feature moreinformation about their sheep andtheir farm, the KHSI Board hasasked Operations to offer new adoptions. We now can offer insertspace for ads, which can beemailed to us camera ready (in.jpg, .psd, or .tif format). If youdon’t have a way to make yourown ads, Gail Hardy ofXpressions (who currently doesthe layout of the Katahdin Hairald)has offered to build your ad foryou for $25/full page ad, $18/halfpage ad, and $15/quarter pagead. She can be reached at 479-824-3809 or xpress@pgtc.com.

Display ad rates (cameraready) are: • $30 for ¼ page • $55for ½ page • $100 for full page

Please call or email Operationsif you would like to place a dis-play ad: 479-444-8441 orkhsint@earthlink.net.

Note about

Display Ads

The Katahdin Hairald • www.KHSI.org Page 7Fall 2003

Attendees: Jeff & Kathy Bielek(OH), Mike & Linda Bradley (PA),Richard Brzozowski (ME), Char-lotte Burley (ME), Bill & KayCloyd (KY), Carolyn Cook (MO),Robert & Richard Elliott (TX),Harry Fisher (PA), Doug & LauraFortmeyer (KS), Richard Gilbert(OH), Dean & Naomi Hawkins(OH), Sue Ingram (MO), EdMartsolf (AR), Teresa Maurer &Jim Morgan (AR), Katie Morgan(IN), Brad, Linda, Mattie & SamNeunzig (WA) Linda O’Brien(MD), Carsten Pank (NY),Charles Parker (OH), Charles &Rita Pearson (TX), BlanchePerkins (IN), ), Jeff White & PamPost (VT), Barbara Pugh (NC),Imogene Ray (MO), Bruce &Wendy Reinemann (ME), SusanSchoenian (MD), Tom Settlemire(ME), Ken & Lilae Shope (PA),Ted & Pat Sienkiewicz (VA),Clarence Smart (NC), DonnaStonebeck (PA), John & MarianStromquist (IL), Jim andDoreenVan Vleet (NY) Doug &Taunya Webster (IA), Larry &Lisa Weeks (VA), Martha Wiegers(MO), Sherrie Wiygul (MS).

NOTE: If you attended themembership meeting, but don’tsee your name, it was probablybecause you forgot to sign in dur-ing the membership meeting. LetKHSI Operations know, and we’llbe glad to add your name to thefinal record of the meeting.

The meeting was called to orderthe afternoon of Oct. 18 by PresidentLarry Weeks.

I. It was decided that a momentof remembrance for the latePam Armitage-Sword and

Minutes of the KHSI Annual Meeting

Saturday, October 18, 2003

Pinelands Conference Center; New Gloucester, Maine

Submitted by Sherrie Wiygul

Barbara Piel would be heldduring the banquet to followthe annual meeting.

II. The agenda was reviewed; nochanges were made.

III. Old Business—Lisa Weeksmoved and members votedyea to accept the minutes ofthe 2002 annual meeting.

IV. New business followed:A. Larry Weeks gave the

President’s Report. Hementioned that boardmembers had communi-cated via conference callsand email throughout theyear. He reported thatboard members were com-mitted to growth of the or-ganization and an inten-tion to include commercialbreeders in the organiza-tion. An enhanced websitewill soon be available.Identifying individuals tolead inspector training is agoal of KHSI for the com-ing year. Darlene Jordanwill become the CanadianKHSI representative. Therole of the Mexican repre-sentative is being evalu-ated.

B. Teresa Maurer gave the2003 financial report. $500appropriated for the VisionCommittee will be used forall committee work. It isestimated that the pro-jected expenses will be$44,849, under the $46,000estimated for 2003. LauraFortmeyer moved that thebudget be accepted and itwas unanimously.Regarding the projected2004 budget of $46,580, TedSienkiewicz moved for ac-

ceptance and the member-ship voted aye.

C. Ed Martsolf gave the Reg-istry report which showeda trend of decreased regis-trations and recordations.In the future the Registrywill break out registrationsand recordations sepa-rately in the report.

D. Teresa Maurer gave theOperations report. Re-ported were accomplish-ments (phone and emailcontacts, information pack-ets sent out, ads placed inpublications, developmentof a website with breederspages, increased use of thenewsletter via email, coor-dination of inspections,promotion displays,thenewsletter and election bal-lots, communication withregional groups, updatingand extension of the mem-bership database, supportof the annual meeting, andtreasury duties). She askedfor feedback from mem-bers.

E. A powerpoint presentationby Sherrie Wiygul centeredon the 2004 KHSI meetingto be held in MississippiOctober 7-9.

F. Regarding the 2005 KHSImeeting, Brad and LindaNeunzig have suggestedmeeting at their farm inWashington. Other bidswill be requested inHairald.

G. Those who have not casttheir Board of Director bal-lots by mail were asked toturn them in.

Continued on page 8

The Katahdin Hairald • www.KHSI.orgPage 8 Fall 2003

H. Committee reports fol-lowed:1. Jim Morgan of the Pro-

motions committee dis-cussed the website/breeders pages that willsoon be available atabout $50 a year. Othertopics covered were paidads in the newsletter, arequest to accept thenewsletter by email tosave money, the place-ment of ads in severalprint publications, andthe intention to pick anew slogan for KHSI.

2. Laura Fortmeyer gavethe report for the BreedImprovement commit-tee. She discussed per-formance evaluation bymeans of NSIP, givingcontinued thought toupgrading, dissemina-tion of current researchaffecting our breed, andidentifying the scrapieresistance gene.

3. Linda Neunzig men-tioned the Katahdinshow at Sedalia andasked for feedback from

members about the newshow format featured atthis Maine meeting.

4. Following the committeereports, breakout ses-sions of committeemembers and interestedKHSI members tookplace. Items suggestedduring these sessionsincluded a contest for anew slogan with free adspace for first and sec-ond place winners.

There was no additionalnew business.

V. Election of officers followed.A. Elected to three-year posi-

tions were Barbara Pughand Kay Cloyd. LarryWeeks was elected to atwo-year position and Ri-chard Gilbert was electedto a one-year position.

B. Laura Fortmeyer movedthat the ballots be de-stroyed and the member-ship so voted.

C. Clarence Smart moved themeeting be adjourned andthe membership voted todo so.

Minutes of the KHSI Annual Meeting, continued from page 7

Sherrie Wiygul, Mississippi

Les and Amanda Jordan, Glenn and Sherrie Wiygul, and membersof SCKA (Southcentral Katahdin Hair Sheep Association) will host the2004 KHSI Annual Meeting on October 7-9, 2004 near McComb, Mis-sissippi in Pike County. The site is 70 miles from Baton Rouge, LA, 75miles from Jackson, MS, and 85 miles from New Orleans, LA which allhave service by major airlines, and McComb is served by the Amtraktrain. The Pike County Fairgrounds will provide meeting rooms, andfacilities for the KHSI annual meeting, private sheep sales and inspec-tor training. Lodging is available at many motels in the McComb area,and Percy Quinn State Park has camping facilities.

Sessions are planned on ruminant nutrition, management of grass-lands, parasite management, and carcass evaluation. Space for appro-priate vendors will be available, and we welcome your suggestions forvendors or companies to contact. A tour of a local processing plant,and an optional trip to New Orleans will also be offered. Additionaldetails will be available in later issues of the Hairald, and on the KHSIwebsite at: www.KHSI.org.

Come South to Mississippi for 2004 KHSI Meeting!

Mail and in-person ballotswere counted at the October 18membership meeting in Maine.We welcome back Larry Weeks(VA) as a returning board mem-ber, as well as 3 new board mem-bers: Kay Cloyd (KY), RichardGilbert (OH) and Barbara Pugh(NC). We offer many thanks forthe hard work of Sharon Schaeferand Sherrie Wiygul, who haveserved their full terms. We aregrateful for the extra time andenergy they put in as KHSI offic-ers-Sharon as President, andSherrie as Secretary.

Following the KHSI member-ship meeting, the KHSI Board de-cided on the following officers for2004:

President - Larry WeeksVice President - Linda NeunzigSecretary - Barbara PughTreasurer - Robert Elliott.Updated contact information

for all board members can befound in the Members Guide inthis issue.

Board of Director

Elections, Officers

and Thanks

Have you beenwanting to let over500 KHSI membersknow about your

sheep?

There is away!

Purchase a displayad for the KHSI

Newsletter.

See more details on page 6

White Post FarmJohn and Steve Stromquist

10956 Freeport Rd. • Durand, IL 61024 • 815-629-2159

All sheep

are DNA

tested

MCD Big-Time COR 0-80

2.5 year wt. 274 lbs. QR

MCD Pace-Setter, COR 3-08, 7 mo., wt. 124 lbs. QR

Country Oak Ranch

Mark & Sara DennisNew Iberia, LA • 337-364-0422 • denn907@bellsouth.net

Katahdin Hair SheepSuperior Genetic Breeding Stock

We would be honored for you

to visit our website

www.countryoakranch.com

©20

03 J

ohn

Str

omqu

ist

©2003 Mark Dennis

©2003 Mark Dennis

Trefoil Farm KatahdinsOUR INTRODUCTION TO KATAHDINSIn April of 2000 my wife and I decided to retire from a medium size (600 cows) dairy partnership with our son, andto breed meat sheep that need no shearing, as a retirement project. The following month we attended “Hair SheepDay 2000,” a hair sheep symposium at the Virginia State University, at which Dr. Charles Parker was the keynotespeaker, and KHSI Secretary Treasurer, David Sweeney spoke about the history and current status of the Katahdinbreed. We had arrived at this hair sheep symposium with a serious interest in the Dorper breed; until May of 2000we thought “Katahdins” were potatoes. We saw our first Katahdin sheep at the Virginia State University ResearchFarm — and they compared well to the Dorpers we had seen before.

Back from Virginia, we took a trip North, and visited three Katahdin breeders in Canada. A few weeks later, wecombined a vacation trip to the rocky coast of Northern Maine with a visit to the place of origin of the Katahdin breed,the Piel Farm in North-Central Maine — and we liked what we saw.

A CONDENSED HISTORY OF THE KATAHDIN BREEDKatahdins are a relatively young, highly adaptable, and very prolific hair sheep breed. This American breed wasstarted in the nineteen fifties by the late Michael Piel, when he began to cross Caribbean hair sheep with various woolbreeds. His objective was to develop a meat sheep (single purpose) breed that needed no shearing. Michael Piel hadnamed his new breed after Maine’s highest mountain, which rises at a distance of about fifty miles to the North-Eastof the Piel Farm — Mt. Katahdin.

After Michael Piel’s untimely death in 1976, the development of the Katahdin breed was continued at the Piel Farmby his widow, Barbara Piel, and Piel Farm General Manager, Charles Brown. It was also continued at various otherfarms, since Michael Piel had already started to share his new breed with other interested breeders. In 1985,Katahdin Hair Sheep International (KHSI) was founded and a registry started. Within the following one and a halfdecades, KHSI grew into the fifth largest sheep registry in America. There are approximately as many Katahdin sheepin Canada as in the USA.

PIEL FARM BREEDING CONTINUEDOn our second visit to the Piel Farm, in late summer of 2000, we learned that, due to Mrs. Piel’s advancing age, thePiel Farm operations were scheduled to be closed by the fall of the next year. Spring of 2001 was to be the lastlambing season at the Piel Farm. It was probably a matter of coming to the right place at the right time — wepurchased seventy-five ewe lambs, nearly the entire ewe lamb crop of that year, from the Piel Farm. In the followingyear (2001) we bought an additional fifty-one ewe lambs from the Piel Farm. We also bought a total of five youngrams (3 born in 2000 and 2 in 2001). Selection of these rams was exclusively based on Piel Farm production recordsand on bloodlines, so as to make it possible to continue the Piel Farm breeding for at least the next two generationswithout inbreeding. When I arrived at the Piel Farm to pick up the last load of sheep, I sadly noticed a realtor’s shingleat the entrance to the Piel Farm.

With the last purchase from the Piel Farm, we had closed our ewe flock. For the near future we have committedTREFOIL FARM to continue the Piel Farm breeding, with an additional selection emphasis on internal parasite toler-ance. We also want to maintain what Katahdins are and are not — efficient forage converters and not show ringsheep. If, in breeding Katahdins, Barbara Piel and Charles Brown were making genetic progress, as I firmly believethey did, then we were fortunate to bring the latest editions of Piel Farm genetics to TREFOIL FARM.

Carsten J. PankTrefoil Farm/Sprakers, NY 12166/(518) 673-5859

The Katahdin Hairald • www.KHSI.org Page 9Fall 2003

Kay Cloyd and her husbandBill manage a flock of 25 ewes ontheir 24 acre farm near Lexington,Kentucky. She has been secretaryof the Kentucky Sheep and WoolProducers for 3 years, which hasgiven her valuable knowledge ofthe sheep industry. That experi-ence also put her in contact withmany breeders as well as re-searchers at the University ofKentucky. She has been a mem-ber of KHSI for 5 years, and aninspector for 3 years and has regu-larly promoted Katahdins, espe-cially at the North American In-ternational Livestock Expo(NAILE) for the last 4 years. Hergoal is to produce good qualitybreeding stock and she is inter-ested in selecting for scrapie re-sistant genes. Three years ago sheintroduced Canadian geneticswith the intent of increasingframe size and muscling. “I seemy service on the board as a greatopportunity to reach hundreds ofsheep breeders and spread theword about our breed”.

After starting a pasture poul-try business 10 years ago, Rich-ard Gilbert discovered six yearsago that sheep suited him and hissoutheastern Ohio farm. He cur-rently has a flock of 50 ewes, in-cluding a growing number of re-corded ewes, 3 registered rams,and 4 newly purchased registeredewe lambs. His orientation is asa grazier, selecting for perfor-mance on forage and motheringability to permit lambing on pas-ture in the spring. He feels thatthe Katahdin is an excellent ma-ternal ewe, moderately prolific

and an easy keeper. He partici-pates in the NSIP (National SheepImprovement Program) forKatahdins and feels that it can bea powerful tool in identifying andselecting superior sheep that canthen be spread to raise the over-all level of the Katahdin breed.“Parasite resistance will becomeincreasingly important and docu-mented resistance should becomea selling point for the breed ingeneral. It can set the Katahdinapart.”

Barbara Pugh, from Pittsboro,North Carolina, has 24 years ofexperience with sheep, includingdirect marketing of meat at a re-tail level. Their location near met-ropolitan areas allowed her towork with other sheep producersto maintain a year round supplyof butcher lambs to meet the lo-cal demand. She and her hus-band began with wooled sheep,and tried Katahdins out of curi-osity. Now their 75 ewe flock ispredominantly Katahdins. Shehas worked for many years withthe North Carolina Sheep Produc-ers Association and the VirginiaSheep Federation, and has gottento know a lot of producers aroundthe southeast. “The sheep indus-try needs a year round supply ofhealthy, lean lambs that suit con-sumer demand and provides aprofit to us as farmers. Katahdinshave a place in this picture andwe need to bring it into clearerfocus for commercial sheep pro-ducers. Registered breeders needto be sure to provide what thecommercial breeder needs.”

Meet the New Board Members

The Board of Directors ispleased to announce that DarleneJordan has been appointed as Ca-nadian Representative for KHSI.In 2004, her name and numberwill appear in KHSI ads in publi-cations that reach Canadiansheep breeders, so that she cananswer questions and send outinformation about the breed andthe organization. Darlene willalso help serve as a liaison be-tween Canadian Katahdin breed-ers and the Board.

Darlene and her husbandRandy live on their farm south ofRaymore, Saskatchewan, stayingbusy with more than 200Katahdin ewes, their dog and aguardian llama. We’re proud tosay that 146 of their ewes areKHSI registered. They begantheir Katahdin operation in 1993,and Darlene became a permanentinspector in 1999 when KHSI metin High River, Alberta. She says,“I have shared in many of the joysand trials that other producershave experienced these pastyears, and I am looking forwardto assisting others and KHSI.”

Darlene can be emailed atran.dar@sasktel.net or phoned at306-746-4361, and you can writeher at: Box 309, Raymore,Saskatchewan, S0A 3J0.

Darlene Jordan

Appointed as New

Canadian Rep

The KHSI Board has announced that it will be accepting proposals for the 2005 KHSI Meet-ing site. To submit ideas for meeting location, just email a short letter of interest to:khsint@earthlink.net or send to: KHSI Operations, PO Box 778, Fayetteville, AR 72702.We are also happy to talk to you about your idea at 479-444-8441. You may also requestsome background materials that we have on hosting an annual meeting by calling or emailingus. Deadline for submission is March 1, 2004.

2005Meeting

SiteNeeded!

Renew yourmembership by

January 31st

The Katahdin Hairald • www.KHSI.orgPage 10 Fall 2003

Darren & Pete Neels .........................................................................................................................AlbertaFrank & Rosaline Wasowicz ...........................................................................................................AlbertaGreg Marshall ............................................................................................................................Nova ScotiaRoger D Comstock ........................................................................................................................ AlabamaLauren, Josephine & Laurie Lauing............................................................................................ AlabamaJeff & Lisa Huntington ................................................................................................................. ArkansasFred & Larisse Mullens ................................................................................................................ ArkansasJoAnne & Dayman Beams.......................................................................................................... CaliforniaJanis Lubker .................................................................................................................................. CaliforniaJane Sommers ............................................................................................................................... CaliforniaElaine Vogt.................................................................................................................................... CaliforniaCarol Postley ..................................................................................................................................... FloridaNeil Parker .......................................................................................................................................... IllinoisGlenn N Yoder ................................................................................................................................... IllinoisPhyllis A Warman ........................................................................................................................... IndianaMarcia King-Brink ................................................................................................................................ IowaCheryl & David Saunders ................................................................................................................... IowaScott R & Sharron A Long ............................................................................................................... KansasThomas Murphy ........................................................................................................................... KentuckyGrady & Carolyn Poor ................................................................................................................. KentuckyHansel Scott ................................................................................................................................... KentuckyInga Stephens ................................................................................................................................ KentuckyRichard Durousseau .................................................................................................................... LouisianaHilliard “Bob” Smith ................................................................................................................... LouisianaElvin Soileau ................................................................................................................................. LouisianaRich & Connie Morrison.............................................................................................................. MichiganRick Maierhoffer & Bill Byram .................................................................................................... MissouriSam & Amy Niederhelm .............................................................................................................. MissouriJeff, Tammy, Ben & Dan Vemmer .............................................................................................. MissouriDwayne & Sue Watson ................................................................................................................. MissouriBrenda & Jim Sheets ..................................................................................................................... NebraskaMichael & Philippa Katz.............................................................................................................New YorkSteve Modlin ........................................................................................................................ North CarolinaGary Scott Winter ............................................................................................................... North CarolinaFrank Stahl ............................................................................................................................................. OhioDebra Janes Blake ............................................................................................................................ OregonBarbara Griffin.................................................................................................................................. OregonLauren Henry & Roland Sonnenburg .......................................................................................... OregonRick & Jennifer Barefoot ....................................................................................................... PennsylvaniaD.Wayne & Carol Strout ...................................................................................................... PennsylvaniaElizabeth Utting ..................................................................................................................... PennsylvaniaMrs Joni Ferris; William & Vivian Wentling ..................................................................... PennsylvaniaPage-Wald Exotics .................................................................................................................South DakotaChris Wilson .................................................................................................................................TennesseeDennis & Elena Anderson .................................................................................................................. TexasRandy & Paula Ayers ......................................................................................................................... TexasLarry Holamon..................................................................................................................................... TexasJimmy & Alice Josey............................................................................................................................Texas

Welcome New Members – July through November, 2003

Continued on page 11

The Katahdin Hairald • www.KHSI.org Page 11Fall 2003

Welcome New Members, continued from page 10Charles & Rita Pearson ....................................................................................................................... TexasGaylin Ratliff ........................................................................................................................................ TexasGilbert Wright ...................................................................................................................................... TexasJim & Deb McKenna....................................................................................................................... VirginiaBillie M Lemmel ....................................................................................................................... WashingtonJean & Eric Lindholm .............................................................................................................. WashingtonDave Woodhouse .................................................................................................................... WashingtonJudith & Joseph Dondlinger ..................................................................................................... WisconsinArnold Studnicka........................................................................................................................ Wisconsin

Teresa Maurer and Jim Morgan

With great sadness, we learnedthat KHSI Board Member, PamelaArmitage Sword, passed awayfrom a brain tumor on September25, 2003. She was an active mem-ber of KHSI since 1996 andbrought to us a very positive atti-tude, a deep love for herKatahdins and a desire to worktogether for the common good ofall. Pam was among the first toinitiate movement of qualityKatahdins across the US-Canadaborder. In addition to serving assecretary for the board and doinga great job representing KHSI inCanada, she showed patience andperseverance in chairing a recentcommittee to revise the KHSI by-laws. One of our good memoriesof Pam, was standing in the lobbyof the hotel in Mexico last yearand hearing her break into song-her voice was a special talentalong with her sheep breedingskills. Linda Neunzig gave sucha wonderful picture of her visit toPam in the summer, describinghow Pam was still enjoying singalongs and laughing and havinga great time with her visitors.

Pam’s husband Ian plans tocontinue her vision, which she de-scribed once in these words: “I

Remembrance for Pam Sword

believe we are standing on thethreshold of an exciting growthperiod for Katahdin sheep. Ithink that if we can offer highquality, good-sized sheep, inter-est will only grow. I do see fur-ther opportunities for cross-bor-der marketing and mutual coop-eration for the benefit of KHSIbreeders. Katahdin breeders, re-gardless of where they reside,what other associations they be-long to, or whether they are apurebred or commercial opera-tion. If we work as a unit, with acommon goal of promoting highquality Katahdins, the opportuni-ties in the future for all breederswould seem to be endless.”

If you wish to remember Pamin a special way, two organiza-tions have been selected as pos-sible recipients of memorial do-nations.

1. Red Deer Hospice SocietyD3617 - 50th AvenueRed Deer, AlbertaT4N 3Y5

2. STARS (helicopter-ambulanceservice)1441 Aviation Park, NEBox 570Calgary, ABT2E 8M7

Editor’s Note: These excerpts areprinted in tribute and thanks for the workthat Tom and Marilyn Settlemire con-tributed to the KHSI Annual Meetingand to the shepherds of Maine.

Marilyn Louise Settlemire, 66,died October 25, 2003 at BrunswickHospital after a long struggle withPulmonary Fibrous, an auto im-mune disease of the lung. She wasborn in Lima Ohio, and marriedTom in 1960. They lived in Ohio andNorth Carolina before coming toMaine in 1969, where she and herfamily ran a vegetable and sheepfarm in Brunswick since 1971. Shewas a nursery school teacher inBrunswick for 23 years — workingat both the Recreation Center Pre-school and Learning Land NurserySchool. In 1977, she was a memberof the group that founded theBrunswick Farmer’s Market Asso-ciation. For many years she mar-keted lamb produced on the familyfarm at both the downtown marketand Crystal Springs Farm and en-joyed spending her Tuesdays witha wool spinning group.

The Marilyn L. Settlemire Schol-arship Fund is being created in herhonor to provide opportunities forchildren with need to attend a localpreschool. Contribution to the fundmay be to: The Marilyn L. SettlemireScholarship Fund, Fleet Bank,Maine Street, Brunswick, Maine04011.

Marilyn Settlemire

Memorial

Registry: edmartsolf@lakewebs.net

The Katahdin Hairald • www.KHSI.orgPage 12 Fall 2003

(Editor’s note - Over the past severalyears rendering companies and manylocal processing plants have forced sheepfarmers to dispose of their own deadsheep, lambs and lamb processing wastes.This is due to the “potential” presenceof the scrapie prion in sheep carcasses.The KHSI Hairald strongly suggeststhat each sheep owner check for legalregulations for composting and dispos-ing of carcasses in their states/provincesand counties. These differ andcomposting is not an option in all lo-calities).

The composting of dead ani-mals, even large cows and hogs,has increased in recent years.More than a few Universities havedone research and have or havehad demonstration compostingfacilities. Check with your localextension agents and universitiesfor suggestions for your specificclimate and government regula-tions. Good composting proce-dures will kill disease organisms(viruses and bacteria and coc-cidia) and make the resulting or-ganic matter safe for putting onpastures, gardens and fields.

There are three resources thatI would like to draw attention.The article by David Greene andthe website photos produced byDr Irwin would work well to-gether. For a more in-depth treat-ment you can order a copy of theComposting Animal publicationfrom NRAES (see below for infor-mation).A)David Greene’s article is ex-

cerpted from the MarylandSmall Ruminant Website http://www.sheepandgoat.com/ -The specific location of DavidGreene’s article is http://www.sheepandgoat.com/ar-ticles/compostsheep.html(Text of article below).

Composting of Dead Sheep

Compiled by Jim Morgan

B) A website produced byLyndon N. Irwin, PhD, Profes-sor of Animal Science, South-west Missouri State Universityhas several photos that cantake you step by step throughthe process of building andusing a sheep composting pile.h t t p : / / a g . s m s u . e d u /compost.html

C) Also an excellent publicationavailable from The NaturalResource, Agriculture, and En-gineering Service (NRAES),Cooperative Extension inCornell, NY. The website urlthat describes this field guideis http://www.nraes.org/pub-lications/nraes114.html. TheField Guide to On-FarmComposting, NRAES-114, isavailable for $14.00 per copyplus shipping and handlingfrom NRAES, Cooperative Ex-tension, PO Box 4557, Ithaca,New York 14852-4557. Ship-ping and handling for onecopy is $4.25 within the conti-nental United States. NewYork residents, add 8.25% salestax (calculated on both the costof publications and the ship-ping and handling charges.) Ifordering more than one bookor if ordering from outside theUnited States, contact NRAESfor shipping rates and possiblequantity discounts. Ordersfrom outside the United Statesmust be prepaid in U.S. funds.All major credit cards are ac-cepted, and checks should bemade payable to NRAES. Formore information or a freepublication catalog, contactNRAES by phone at (607) 255-7654, by fax at (607) 254-8770,or by e-mail at nraes@cornell.edu. To learn more about

NRAES, browse through theirentire catalog, and order bookson-line, visit their web site atwww.nraes.org.

“Composting dead sheep”by David L. Greene,

County Extension Director,

Maryland (retired)

Since renderers no longer pickup and dispose of sheep, produc-ers have few options in the dis-posal of sheep and sheep prod-ucts. Because of the concerns overgroundwater pollution, buryingsheep is not practical or recom-mended in most cases. Incinera-tion is the best alternative, but isvery costly, therefore not verypractical for small and mid-sizesheep producers.

Composting is a recycling pro-cess where bacteria and fungi de-compose organic material in anaerobic (oxygen present) environ-ment. Organic wastes, in this casedead sheep, are transformed bybacteria into a soil-like materialsimilar to humus.

The composting process gen-erally occurs in two stages: pri-mary and secondary. During theprimary stage, a higher rate ofbiological activity results in rapidcomposting and higher tempera-tures in the bin. Conversely, thesecondary stage has lower bio-logical activity resulting in lowertemperatures.

In composting, the materialmix is very important. The mixrequires the proper balance of car-bon and nitrogen. When this bal-ance occurs along with adequatelevels of air and water, thecomposting process results innearly complete disposal of deadsheep with little odor and run-off.A carbon to nitrogen ratio of 25

Continued on page 13

The Katahdin Hairald • www.KHSI.org Page 13Fall 2003

to 1 is best, with the sheep sup-plying most of the nitrogen.

The concentration of oxygen inthe mixture is very important. Airis trapped in the material used forcomposting. As the bacteria mul-tiply, oxygen is used up and ad-ditional oxygen must be re-sup-plied for the composting processto be successful. Turning or mix-ing the pile after the process slowsdown will add oxygen and helpit to restart the composting pro-cess.

The carbon source is also veryimportant in allowing air penetra-tion and holding moisture in thepile. Green (undried) sawdust hasbeen the carbon source of choicein large animal composting.Wood chips will work also, butmore attention must be given tomonitoring the pile to be certainthe correct moisture is present, aschips tend to dry out faster thansawdust. To encourage bacterialgrowth and rapid composting,the mixture must be 50-60 percentmoisture. If a handful feels moist,but no water can be squeezedfrom it, the mixture is probablyokay.

Monitoring the process with athree foot composting thermom-eter (which can be purchased inmost garden supply stores) willshow if the pile is heating upproperly. When the temperatureof the pile declines below 100? F,adding water and stirring to pro-vide oxygen should cause the pileto heat up again. When tempera-tures remain above 130? F forthree consecutive days, disease-causing pathogens within the pilewill be destroyed.

After the composting processhas completed, usually in 6-8weeks for active composting and15 to 20 weeks for inactive, the

material can be spread over pas-tures and crop fields. A good timeto clean out the composter iswhen the manure is hauled fromthe barn. A manure spreader doesa good job of breaking up someof the larger bones that may notbe fully decomposed.

How to Get started? Usuallyonly one bin will be needed formost flocks under 25 to 30 ewes.Bins should be at least six (6)square feet and possibly eight (8)square feet for larger breeds. Donot build bins larger than neces-sary since larger bins requiremore carbon material (sawdust,chips, manure etc.). The boardson the sides of the bin shouldhave gaps of one-half to three-fourths inches for proper airflow.Bins should be located close tobuildings and a water source, butnot in direct contact with theflock. A roof over the bins is rec-ommended, but is not necessaryif a tarp can be used during peri-ods of excessive rainfall.

Larger flocks will require twobins. Dead lambs, afterbirth, ormaterial returned from the butch-ering process can all becomposted by this method aswell.

Begin with at least one (1) footof sawdust in the bin before plac-ing in the dead animal. Situate thecarcass so that at least a foot ofcarbon material (sawdust in thiscase) is between the animal andthe bin sides. Cover the carcasswith one and a half feet of mate-rial and monitor every few days.Recent research has indicated thata 120 lb. carcass will require abouttwelve (12) cubic feet of sawdust.

Personal experience over thelast four years has shown this pro-cess works well, is a labor saver,is low in cost, has little odor, does

Composting of Dead Sheep, continued from page 12

not promote the growth of fliesor other annoying insects and isenvironmentally friendly.

For more information, contactNRAES (www.nraes.org or 607/255-7654) to purchase “FieldGuide to On-Farm Composting”for $14.)

The ram was very generouslydonated by Vaughn & NaomiJohnson, Pinto Ranch, Livingston,MT. You can view the ram andhis information at the SCKAwebsite, www.hair-sheep.com.All money received will be usedby the SouthCentral KatahdinHair Sheep Association to helpfinance the 2004 KHSI AnnualMeeting in Southern Mississippi.Vaughn & Naomi have been us-ing Canadian ram lines on theirhay and forage ranch. The larg-est ram used to sire many of theirsheep was “Goliath” whoweighed 360 pounds. Go placeyour bid today!! If you don’t haveweb access, call or write a postalletter to Operations and we willconfidentially place your bid foryou.

Silent Auction

for Ram Benefits

2004 KHSI

Annual Meeting

Sign up for anElectronic version

of theKatahdin Hairald

khsint@earthlink.net

The Katahdin Hairald • www.KHSI.orgPage 14 Fall 2003

We in the Operations Officeand the KHSI Board would liketo acknowledge all of NancyCase’s work on the KHSI websitefrom 1998-2003. This positionwas basically volunteer. She wasresponsible for maintaining, con-tracting for service and updatingthe KHSI site. Without Nancy’sefforts, KHSI would not have hada website. Thanks Nancy!! TheKHSI website has helped sellquite a few sheep over the yearsand helped provide informationto prospective and new KatahdinOwners. You can personallythank Nancy Case at 573-657-9297or PO Box 87, Hartsburg, MO65039 or agworld@case-agworld.com . We haven’t quite let her goyet as she still helping with a fewparts of the website (e.g. SheepWanted/For Sale Site) during thetransition.

The KHSI Website has under-gone a revision. The first part isworking well and we invite youto visit. There are still two mainprojects left to finish on this roundof the website revision. www.khsi.org

HOW CAN YOU USE THENEW WEBSITE? The member-ship list is now searchable. Youcan go to the website and searchfor a current member by prefix,farm name, state, sheep for sale,SFCP, NSIP participation,WCFHP or any of several otherpossibilities.a) For example, you may have

heard that John & Jane Doehave Katahdins for sale, butyou don’t know what state.The website can now help youout.

b) You want to see how manyflocks in Illinois have sheep forsale and are in the SFCP pro-gram.

c) A buyer wants to find all theflocks that have sheep for ex-port in Alberta or in Nebraska.For all of the above cases, you

or prospective buyers can nowsearch at the website. If you don’thave access to the web, you cancall the Operations Office and askus to help or ask a fellow breederwith internet access to check foryou. We see this list as a greatasset for linking buyers with sell-ers.

HOW CAN YOU USE THENEW WEBSITE IN THE FU-TURE?

We need to publish severalpictures to the new website. Ourgoal is to change these frequently.So, if you would like to have apicture of your sheep at thewebsite, send us your pictures bymail or by email. We look for-ward to receiving pictures andmaking the website more attrac-

tive and more exciting for pro-spective buyers.

We have also have started onthe Breeder’s Pages. TheBreeder’s Pages will function asmini-websites for KHSI membersand will be located at the KHSIsite. First, they will be designedso that they load quickly and buy-ers can quickly move throughseveral pages and view severalflocks. Each page will have a stan-dard template with room for a)four pictures, b) farm/ranchname & contact information, c)three text boxes for i) breedingand/or management objectives,ii) sheep for sale information, anda iii) table for breeding animal in-formation. Start collecting yourpictures. This site will be ready byJanuary 1, 2004 and will cost $50/year. KHSI members will be ableto update their pages and changeswill be placed to the web within aweek of submission. Memberswill be able to submit changesthemselves and change sheep forsale information frequently aswell. There will be step by stepinstructions that will make it easyfor all of us who have yet to takethe step to publish information toa website.

Comprehensive prefix list atthe website. There have beennumerous requests for a list ofprefixes so that members canidentify the breeders of the ani-mals on their five generationpedigrees of their registeredKatahdins. The goal will be tohave list each prefix registeredwith the KHSI Registry with thename of the breeder and thestate/province their farm/ranchis/was in. We plan to update thislist quarterly. (NOTE: This fea-ture will not be up until early in2004—keep visiting the site towatch for this feature).

The KHSI Operations Officewould like to thank all that havehelped with the development ofthis project over the past fewyears. A few key comments fromseveral people have really helpedtake this to a new level. Amongmany who helped us, we wouldespecially like to thank DaveSweeney (NC), Sue Ingram (MO),Glenn Wiygul (MS), LauraFortmeyer (KS) and Nancy Case(MO). Several others have con-tributed with ideas, inspirationand corrections as well, KayCloyd (KY), Richard Gilbert (OH),Mark Dennis (LA), CharlesParker (OH), and Barbara Pugh(NC).

KHSI Website Update

A Big Thanks to

Nancy Case for

All of Her Work

on the Website

The Katahdin Hairald • www.KHSI.org Page 15Fall 2003

Proper Address for Registration Papers, etc: Please make sureyou send your registration papers, transfers and dues to: KHSIRegistry, 1039 Winrock Drive, Morrilton, AR 72110. We have beenseeing an increase in the number of people sending these thingsto Operations here in Fayetteville. While we do send them on tothe Registry right away, it does mean an additional postal maildelay.

Renewals are Due No Later Than Jan 31: Several people haverequested reminders on when dues are required each year, so here’sa review. Dues pay for one calendar year of KHSI membershipfrom January to December. Dues are due by January 31 of theyear you are paying for. This is the best deal for you! If you paylater in the year, you will still only be paid up through December,and you will lose valuable months of exposure on the breeders listand website. Here is a tip for customers that you have in the fall:if they join as NEW members anytime between October-Decem-ber, they get those months PLUS a full year of membership thenext year.

Who Writes the Newsletter? We received this as a recent ques-tion and thought that other members might be wondering. Theanswer is that “WE DO AND YOU DO”. What we mean is thatwe (Teresa and Jim) write many of the articles for the newsletter,and Teresa edits all of them. Whenever an article has no namelisted, that means that we have written them. But YOU can take aturn-each issue you will see that members do contribute and weENCOURAGE that. It’s not hard-if you have an idea, you can callor email Operations and we will help you through. Our membersespecially love to hear about what is happening on each others’farms They also like to read about production or marketing tips,approaches to selecting good sheep, and how you solved prob-lems on your farm.

Operations Notes

Jim Morgan and Teresa Maurer

In the Spring 2003 issue of theHairald, the Breed ImprovementCommittee requested that anyKatahdin breeders who had donesome codon 171 testing of theiranimals report their results sothey could be pooled to help as-sess the frequency of Q’s and R’sin the Katahdin population. Datawas collected from 17breeders and institutionsfor 388 sheep with the re-sults as shown.

In reviewing the resultswith genetic researchers, the takehome message is that absence ofany reported cases of scrapie inKatahdins is most likely due tolack of exposure to sheep withscrapie. Katahdin breedersshould not assume that the lackof scrapie in the breed is due toany innate resistance ofKatahdins to scrapie (see notebelow). Breeders should be awareof the risks for the breed.

KHSI is following scrapiepolicy in the US and Canada withthe hope of keeping membersalert for any new changes in regu-lations. At this point, the BreedImprovement Committee doesnot see a need to recommend thatKHSI members increase selectionfor R at codon 171. But it is recog-nized that import/export restric-tions and future regulations forsheep transport between prov-inces and states could make theknowledge and presence of RRand QR sheep in Katahdins a veryhigh priority. There is increasedrisk for breeders who commingletheir Katahdins with breeds ofsheep with higher incidences ofscrapie and for breeders who sellsheep to flocks that comminglebreeds that have scrapie. Select-ing for RR sheep may also be used

Scrapie Resistant Codon Frequencies:

of Q & R at codon 171

report from the KHSI Breed Improvement Committee

as a tool and promotion to in-crease the value of Katahdins.

Note from Kreg Leymaster,PhD on Q & R Frequencies inKatahdins, USDA-ARS MeatAnimal Research Center in ClayCenter, Nebraska.

Genetic variation at codon 171of the prion gene has been asso-

ciated with susceptibility to natu-ral scrapie in several breeds ofsheep. The R allele (amino acidarginine) is associated with in-creased scrapie resistance,whereas the Q allele (amino acidglutamine) is associated with in-creased susceptibility to the infec-tious disease scrapie. When ex-

posed to the disease, QQsheep may become in-fected, whereas QR andQQ QR RR Total Q R

No. animals 139 201 48 388 61.7% 38.3%________________________________________________________

Continued on page 16

The Katahdin Hairald • www.KHSI.orgPage 16 Fall 2003

RR sheep are considered resistantwith few exceptions. In the ab-sence of exposure to the disease,sheep will not become afflictedregardless of their genotype (QQ,QR, or RR). Therefore, the lackof afflicted sheep does not neces-sarily indicate genetic resistancein a flock or breed, which seemsto be the case for Katahdin.

The reported frequency of theresistant R allele in Katahdins(38.3%) implies that at least 50%

Scrapie Resistant Codon Frequencies, cont’d from page 15

Have you wondered how tolegitimately compare the growthrate of a single ewe lamb raisedby a yearling to a twin ram lambraised by 4 year old ewe? Theability to make adjustments toweight data so that you can com-pare has been around for a longtime. Now we have adjustmentfactors that are specific for theKatahdin breed, derived fromthousands of records submittedby Katahdin breeders through theNational Sheep ImprovementProgram (NSIP).

These adjustment factors allowthe breeder to adjust pre-weaningweights for age of ewe, sex oflamb, number born and numberraised, so that the performance/growth rate of lambs from differ-ent ewes can be comparedirregardless of sex of lamb, age ofewe or number raised. Since theage of each lamb is slightly dif-ferent when weighing, one mustalso adjust each lamb weight to astandard age. The following for-mulas are taken from AmericanSheep Industry SID Sheep Pro-duction Handbook and are basi-

Katahdin-Specific Weight Adjustment Factors Available

Report from the KHSI Breed Improvement Committee

cally the same as those used inother countries.

The process for adjusting theweights of your lambs to a stan-dard is below. It is a two step pro-cess.A) First you need to adjust for the

age (in days) at weighing.You don’t have to weigh alllambs exactly at 50 or 60 days

of age. You can weigh themall on the same day and thenadjust to your standard age.For example if you weighyour lambs and they range inage from 45-75 days, you canadjust all to 50 days or 60days.

B) The second step is to applythe adjustment factor that cor-

of Katahdin rams and ewesshould be either QR or RR (geneti-cally resistant). Producers can in-crease the frequency of R by ini-tially using only rams that are ei-ther QR or RR. This practice willincrease R, eventually allowingproducers to use only RR ramsand leading to fixation of the fa-vorable allele in Katahdin with-out limiting the genetic base of thebreed.

rects all lambs to the samestandard, no matter if they area triplet, twin or a single orborn to a 4 year old or a 1 yearold ewe. The example pro-vided below is a 60-dayweight for a twin ewe lambraised by a 1 year old ewe.The adjustment factor is takenfrom the table on page 17.

The KHSI Breed ImprovementCommittee would like to thankthe Katahdin NSIP breeders forproviding the data and to DaveNotter, PhD and his lab at Vir-ginia Tech for calculating adjust-ment factors specific for the Ka-tahdin breed.

Contact Operations for a display ad to show off your sheep.479-444-8441 or khsint@earthlink.net

A ewe lamb weighed at age 66 days; born and raised a twin to ayearling ewe. Weighed 45 lbs. Birth weight 7.5 lbs

Adjusting for age of ewe, number born and raised and sex of lamb. Use1.49 for a twin Katahdin ewe lamb born to a yearling ewe. From the tableat the end of the article, scan the first row (yearling ewe (1) raising a ewelamb) and go to the column “2-2” (twin born – twin raised) and you find1.49. The 1.49 is multiplied by the “age adjusted wt” to get the 60 dayadjusted weaning weight.

60 day adj wt = 42.1 X 1.49 = 62.7 lbs

Age adjusted wt = 45 – 7.566

60 7.5 = 42.1 lbsX +[ ]

Age adjusted wt =actual wt – birth wtage when weighed

Adjustment age Birth WtX +[ ]

The Katahdin Hairald • www.KHSI.org Page 17Fall 2003

Katahdin-Specific Weight Adjustment Factors Available, continued from page 16

Alabama -

Registered Katahdin andKatahdinxWhite Dorper lambsfor sale, born Feb 2003. RogerComstock, 962 County Rd 94,Bridgeport, AL 35740; daytime-256-495-2407; evenings 256-495-2307. Email at rccom@bellsouth.net

Arkansas -

Registered and commercial Ramsand Ewes of different lines avail-able.. SFCP (Scrapie Flock Certi-fication Program). These includethree 2001, five 2002 and seven2003 rams. Registered and com-mercial ewes bred for 2004 in-

clude ten 2002 ewes and thirty-five 2003 ewe lambs. 501-893-6158-ph/fx or jovc@earthlink.net, Mary Van Anrooy of ClintonAR (near Little Rock)

Iowa -

Bred ewes: 1 to 10 bred ewes.Assorted ages, lambs to 5 yearsold. All are enrolled in the NSIPand have a SCRAPIE Date ofMay 2000. All are due to lambMid March and there is a choiceof 2 different sire line. ContactSteven Bull, North Central Iowa(641)454-3097 or email atangus50456@yahoo.com. Checkout web page at http://www.

redbarnkatahdins.250x.com$275.00 each or all ten for 2500.00.

Illinois -

Ewe lambs: 26 Jan-Feb bornKatahdin ewe lambs for sale. Reg-isterable. Reasonably priced.West-central Illinois. PatrickBrokaw family, pbbrokaw@hcil.net. 309-924-1510,Stronghurst, IL

Kentucky -

Ram lambs, certified RR at codon171. Born March-May 2003. Allsires and dams registered andhave A coats. Kay Cloyd, Lexing-

Continued on page 19

In compliance with the KHSI Board of Directors policy, sheep for sale advertised by members in the Hairaldmust be Katahdins or Katahdin crosses. Ads for the next issue are due January 15th to Operations: 479-444-8441or khsint@earthlink.net.

Classified Ads

Type of Birth-Rearing

Sex of Lamb Ewe Age 1-1 1-2 2-1 2-2 3-1 3-2 3-3

Ewe 1 1.17 1.43 1.31 1.49 1.35 1.60 1.81

Lamb 2 1.03 1.23 1.13 1.27 1.17 1.30 1.45

3-6 1.00 1.14 1.05 1.17 1.08 1.23 1.38

7+ 1.01 1.20 1.10 1.23 1.13 1.25 1.44

Ram 1 1.06 1.30 1.19 1.36 1.23 1.46 1.65

Lamb 2 0.94 1.12 1.03 1.16 1.06 1.18 1.32

3-6 0.91 1.04 0.96 1.06 0.98 1.12 1.26

7+ 0.92 1.09 1.00 1.12 1.03 1.14 1.31

Wether 1 1.12 1.37 1.26 1.43 1.30 1.54 1.74

Lamb 2 0.99 1.18 1.08 1.22 1.12 1.25 1.39

3-6 0.96 1.09 1.01 1.12 1.04 1.18 1.32

7+ 0.97 1.15 1.06 1.18 1.08 1.20 1.38

____________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Multiplicative Factors to Adjust Katahdin Weaning Weights forType of Birth and Rearing and Ewe Age

Adult (3-6 yr old) ewes rearing single ewe lambs are the base (1.00)

SHEEP FOR SALESHEEP FOR SALESHEEP FOR SALE

KHSI Member’s Guide

The Katahdin Hairald is the official publication of Katahdin Hair Sheep International, whose purposes are to:• register individual Katahdin sheep and record performance• maintain the distinct identity of the Katahdin breed• assist in promotion and marketing• encourage research and development related to the breed

2004 Board of Directors

President: Larry Weeks, lweeks@cfw.com, 540-943-2346, VirginiaVice President: Linda Neunzig, ninetyfarms@aol.com, 360-435-9304, WashingtonSecretary: Barbara Pugh, bpugh1601@earthlink.net, 919-542-4164, North CarolinaTreasurer: Robert Elliott, rancherob@aol.com, 979-567-9895, TexasDirector: Martha Wiegers, mwiegers@coin.org, 660-248-3537, MissouriDirector: Kay Cloyd, kaycloyd@cs.com, 859-254-2840, KentuckyDirector: Richard Gilbert, gilbert@ohio.edu, 740-698-6042, Ohio

Honorary: Charles Brown, Piel Farm, cwbiii@kynd.com, 207-876-4430Honorary: Charles Parker, cfparker@aglaia.net, 614-459-9270, Ohio

Canada Representative: Darlene Jordan, ran.dar@sk.sympatico.ca, 306-746-4361Mexico Representative: Dr. Javier Lara, ranchoayj@yahoo.com.mx, 52-442-214-3727

KHSI Operations:

• Jim Morgan and Teresa Maurer; PO Box 778; Fayetteville, AR 72702-0778Phone and FAX: 479-444-8441; khsint@earthlink.net

• Contact Operations for the following:- Request inspections before May 15- Information packets sent to public- Forms for: breed history, breed standards, membership, renewal, BLANK animal registration forms

and instructions, other KHSI information- Address changes or other corrections on printed list or Web- Brochures (20 free per member per year; additional at cost) & promotional items- Information on members with sheep for sale, anyone wanting to buy sheep- Articles, ads, and comments to be published in the Katahdin Hairald- Volunteer for KHSI Committees- Annual meeting information

• Office Hours (Central time): Monday mornings 8-11 am, and Monday and Tuesday evenings 7-10pm. Calls on other evenings after sunset or anytime on the weekends will be answered personallywhenever possible.

• Answering machine, FAX and email: available for messages 24 hours per day.

KHSI Registry:

• Ed Martsolf; 1039 Winrock Drive; Morrilton, AR 72110Phone and FAX: 501-727-5659; edmartsolf@lakewebs.net

• Contact the Registry for the following:- All questions about registration, recording, transferring, upgrading procedures- Send the following to the Registry:

> Completed membership and renewal applications> Renewal and new membership dues> Completed forms for registering, transferring, recording Katahdins

• Office Hours (Central time): Monday through Friday 9 am- 5pm. Answering machine and FAX acces-sible 24 hours.

KHSI Committees: (Call 479-444-8441 to volunteer!)Breed Improvement, Breeder Education, Promotions, Show Guidelines

The Katahdin Hairald • www.KHSI.org Page 19Fall 2003

Classified Ads, cont’d.

Roger Mauney of Gastonia, NCwants 100 Commercial and Reg-istered Katahdin Ewes. Groupsof 20 or more ewes will work. Call803-927-6607 (w) or 704-861-8735(h)

CM Connelly of Alamo, TNwants 20-30 head of commercialKatahdin ewes. He has a buyingradius of 150 miles of Memphis,TN. 901-734-6004.

Prem Ramcharan of Florida islooking for 100 good quality com-mercial Katahdin ewes and 4 reg-istered Katahdin rams. He willbuy in lots of 25 ewes. Prem islocated half-way between Ocala &Tampa, FL. 813-494-8036.

KHSIc/o Teresa Maurer & Jim MorganP. O. Box 778Fayetteville, AR 72702-0778479-444-8441

ton, Kentucky. 859-254-2840, oremail: Kaycloyd@cs.com

Ohio -

Ewes: Flock of 30 registeredewes, 3 1/2 years old andyounger. Some commercial ewelambs available. We practice pas-ture lambing. Samuel M. Yoder,2386 CR 200, Dundee, Ohio44624.

Pennsylvania -

Registered Katahdin Ram. Born3/5/01. White, polled. Enrolledin SFCP. $250. Gary LaBuda,Marietta, PA 717-575-9207.Email: glabuda@earthlink.net

Continued from page 17

SHEEP FOR SALE GUARDIAN OR WORK

DOGS FOR SALE

SHEEP WANTED

Registered Australian Shepherdfemale for sale. Red bi, veryflashy, working bloodlines(Hangin Tree and Slash V). 22months old. Also Blue Merle fe-male 1 year old, same mom anddad. Asking 500.00 each, no train-ing, but both want to work.Rhonda Kelmer 251-446-7587.Atmore, Alabama. Email to:ricochetaussies@yahoo.com

Send address & web correctionsto Khsint@ earthlink.net

orP. O. Box 778, Fayetteville, AR

72702