NEWSLETTER Issue 1

Romney Breeders Society

Spring Newsletter 2018

LOVEJOY PARTNERSHIP LAMBING OPEN DAY- 15.4.18 IN THIS ISSUE Shows and Events- Young Romney Breeders- New members welcome – Romney Tweed- merchandise – Lamb recipe- Facebook and website update- volunteering- AGM- Show preparation day-Lambing open day- Congratulations

With Lambing underway- We often forget the ewes AGM Making wise choices for the importance and tend to focus on You are invited to the Breed? the rams, as we always pay st 121 Romney Sheep Breeders By now for some of you lambing through our wallet for them. Society - Annual General will be started and a new chapter In a conversationIssue with Datean Meeting at The Orchard room, begins with your new progeny. traditonal breeder they explained Conningbrook Hotel, Ashford, Selection of lambs for breeding the ewe is one of the most Kent TN24 9QR can be earlier than you think? important tools you have. Her On 26 April 2018 at 8 pm Birth weights and DLWG can be genetic traits past on to females Refreshments will be made iinfluential in the choices of your and so what influence does the available progeny or is it the visual traits of ram have? We have to think An opportunity to meet up with tthe sheep giving the right traits tto about what are our aims for the members socially and to find out carry on the selected bloodline. breed ? Are our breeding rams what is happening within the Has the ram you used clicked with and ewes for the commercial society and discuss important the ewes? – some do and some market or for the registered matters of interest. don’t ! Some breeders when market. This can have an Membership renewal Nomination making their choices keep influence in what we breed and forms will have been sent with this everything and some breeders do how our flocks image turns out. letter so don’t forget to renew as not. I know as soon as the lambs This is just food for thought Do we you will miss out on all the are about a week or so old if I will need to think about all heading in Romney Society Activities keep them or not, but then I may the same direction? get one that I will Umm! and Ahh! Lets hope we do not have many Pre AGM Council meeting about-Once in a while one will cuckoo lambs in our flocks this 26 April meeting 7pm catch me out! year!

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for the sale of the breed- if you of our breed to spark an interest would like any leaflets to hand out and its great to network with contact the secretary – All of the likeminded people whether South East Region shows have international or local visitors. Trophies and special prizes for the Theres lots of opportunity to go best Romneys These are the and look around the event as well. major shows If you would like to help please 26 May 2018 contact me and let me know by th Heathfield and District agricultural the 30 June-Please……. show (entries close 3rd April) . 7/8/9 June 2018 Congratulations to Romney ‘How to prepare your Romney South of England Show Ardingly Marsh for the show season’ Entries Close 13 April online) Well done to the Boulden family- Are you interested in learning the 6/7/8 July 2018 Kent county Kristina Boulden made the finals traditional skill of turning a Show Detling Check website for of The Taste of Kent Awards- Romney sheep out for the show Enties Our own special classes for Don’t forget they have fine ring? Romneys selection of Products available for West Country Members Show tthat special gift List- 17-19 May Devon County 30 May -2 June Bath and west 7-9 June Royal Cornwall One day Shows 14 July Liskeard 25 July Yealampton This is how they do it in 26 July Launceston the USA! - Not sure? 28 July Mid devon We will be running a Showing 29 July Totnes workshop in May so check out the 30 July woolsery website and facebook for more 1 August North devon details on how to book 2 August Honiton Events and shows 9 August Okehampton Romney Tweed Coming Up 23 August Holsworthy Do you know about Romney tweed? Follow the link to the Welsh and Border members website- it’s amazing! Show list 15-17 June Three Counties www.romneytweed.co.uk 23-26 July Royal Welsh Show Young Breeder lambs

Your Society needs you? Is there anyone who would like to join me in talking to visitors about the breed at the NSA sheep events this year? Dates for your diary are NSA Sheep Event 18th July Worcester and NSA South Robbie Woods first lambs of Shows Sheep 8th September Ardingly the year Why don’t you do some showing Sussex. this year and get your Romneys It is really interesting talking to out there! It’s a great shop window visitors and expressing the merits NEWSLETTER | Issue 1 3

farmers handful pine nuts Same for green olives de-stoned and roughly Facebook Page Merchandise chopped-1 lemon zest and juice -sea salt freshly ground black pepper olive Don’t forget to access our Don’t forget your compulsory polo oil -2 onions carrots celery peeled and Facebook page for Romney news shirt to look good at this year’s roughly chopped -1 bottle of red wine- and events! show season! Large pinch of plain flour-1 litre or vegetable stock Romney sheep UK Makes a perfect Birthday present Method Just contact me for prices and sizing to place an order Preheat your oven to 200ºC/400ºF/gas 6. YFC lambs Place lamb upside down on a board Are there any members who and slice carefully down the to the leg would like to donate any lambs bone to make a pouch Stuffing-using this year for YFC? a processor whizz, the parsley and rosemary leaves and place in a bowl Two lambs would be a good place then whizz the pine nuts and ciabatta for them to start and they can add in a bowl containing the herbs, show them at the Kent show or lemon, salt and pepper mingle with perhaps at Ashford show. hands and then stuff the pouch tie with string drizzle with Olive oil. Prep If you would like to Donate please your onion carrot and celery roughly contact me so they can be chop and place the lamb on top of the allocated to a YFC even of your veg. Roast for 30 minutes and then choice and you can get reports start to baste in red wine every 15 back on how they are doing. minutes or so till the meat is cooked to how you like it. Take the leg out to Website advertisements This would be a good place to rest, take the fat off sieve the veg and start young people to obtain an juices into a pan of the stock, add a Many of you will have placed an interest in our breed for the future glass of red wine the flour simmer to advert on our website but it could make a gravy. Yummy! be time to refresh and update Spring Lamb Recipe your advertisement- the power of Useful Links and websites advertising is strong on the Stuffed leg of lamb website with many recent http://www.nadis.org.uk/ Ingredients enquires coming from it- If you A great site for your Parasite send a advert to me with a cheque for £15 to the RSBS this forecasts will be sent to uploaded until you http://beefandlamb.ahdb.org.uk/ change your advert or update your advert A technically informative site Welcome to new members and old Welcome to the following new members we hope to see you at future events throughout the year Pat Alston and Jim Lukehurst Whole leg of Romney lamb- A bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley -1 farmers handful of fresh rosemary-A chunk of ciabatta torn into pieces-1 Where from? Only in NZ! NEWSLETTER | Issue 1 4

Society forms Thank you again to the generous offer of sponsorship this year from A cry for help! Last Notes from the secretary Barkers Animal Health Please can you use the official It’s been a busy over the last few society forms for registration of months with lambing and the white your sheep. We receive so fluffy stuff to hinder our jobs every many pieces of paper it makes day and now rain again will the it difficult to translate when Beast from the East stop us? making up the flock book. We receive many different styles of

Well! There has been plenty of big paper work which is then like lambs for me this lambing season, A family run business who translating hieroglyphics and with grass growing well -on into caters for all needs. this can take time. We have December. Also at Ashford Market on a received very interesting Ewes were in great condition Tuesday Barkers Animal paperwork!. throughout the gestation, rations Health Ltd, Unit 6 Cedar Trade Not quite ‘fag papers’ were adapted to suit C/S, just two Park Wimborne BH21 7SD - weeks prior to lambing and they 01202 861343 Well done to those who send in were out all day and in at night legible information it speeds up until their due date. Lambing the process so much- Gripe seemed to drag out and it was a Events and trips over. real waiting game. Talking to other farmers it seems this has been the Would any members be The forms can be easily trend for the year. interested in a trip and tour of photocopied if you have larger Shepherd Neame Brewery, numbers to be registered and My only problems seem to be the Faversham this Summer? these are also available on our number of ram lambs born (a sigh web site too! of relief and cheers went up when If you are interested there a ewe lamb is born. Dystocia several options available for I am looking forward to seeing reared its head literally a few times visitor such as Private Tours more Romney sheep with a little bit of rope burn on two, with tasting for around £12 per registered this year with new but happy with the lambs. The person for 8-14 people. members coming on board creating different bloodlines white stuff threw out DLWGs for a I will send out information in week, but the lambs are really the summer newsletter of a putting on condition now with a date and time so book early as Best wishes and good peep of grass coming through. spaces will be limited. luck for the show No doubt you will all be in the season middle of lambing and we need some sun to dry up the ground fed Julie Lukehurst up with wellies and leggings and lambs up to their knees in mud Secretary Next Jobs- shear the show sheep mob- 07538938425 and drench a few lambs! [email protected]

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