American Teeswater Sheep Association Board of Directors President/District 4: Laurie Ball-Gisch Newsletter Fall 2017 Vice President/District 3: Andy Fulks Registrar/Member at Large: Heather Carter Secretary/District 1: Staci Holtby District 2: Linda Gilkey Treasurer: Gale Johnson Presidents Address Laurie Ball-Gisch Here in Michigan as I write this, we are blessed with beautiful autumn weather. With warm temperatures and rain, the grasses are rejuvenated and so the sheep can graze fields longer, delaying the need to put hay out. It is the time of year when we need to make decisions regarding the flock. What lambs stand out as excellent examples of our Teeswater breed? Do we know the standard for our breed? Which lambs showed great vigor and health in spite of the pressures of summer heat and parasite pressure? Which lambs exhibit the traits we ourselves value in the animals that we keep? Those sheep that fall below our own standards for our flock, should not be sold as registered breeding stock. If they are, it will not only weaken our reputation as responsible breeders, but will also weaken the reputation of the breed as a whole. If somebody purchases stock from us that show failure to thrive, failure to adapt, and failure to produce, then our breed is given a bad reputation. This should not be so! We need to put out the best representatives of our breed for others to be successful with the Teeswater sheep they purchase. This is a critical component to preservation of the breed. Are we facing challenges with moving our breed forward? Yes, because it is a rare breed, and because we face a lack of new genetics due to political decisions out of our control. What we do have control over are the animals on our own farms. We have an organization, the ATSA, that is devoted to preserving and promoting this beautiful breed of sheep. How involved have you been with the association? We have the option to choose to be proactive, cooperative breeders or to be apathetic, competitive grumblers. Genetic issues can be overcome amongst dedicated breeders who choose to cooperate rather than compete with each other. Phil Sponenberg has written a book called “Managing Breeds for a Secure Future” that has practical genetic and breeding strategies, and I would encourage all of us to read and study this book. Presidents Address Continued Laurie Ball-Gisch Some of our biggest hurdles include the fact that we are often so far away from each other, that we do not have the chance to form a trusting relationship which is more easily formed face-to-face. Yes, transporting animals back and forth involves research, time and money, but it is all do-able if we are committed to preserving the breed. I would encourage all of us to ask ourselves some hard questions such as: 1) how much time and effort am I willing to put into moving the Teeswater breed forward into the future? 2) am I willing to reach out to form relationships with fellow breeders so that our combined genetics can benefit each of our farms? 3) am I will to trade breeding stock with fellow breeders to advance our genetic base? 4) am I willing to participate in the conference call meetings our Board is conducting? (All members are invited to listen in and give the Board their input); 5) am I willing to use my own personal talents and time to work on projects with the Board that will promote the breed? 6) am I willing to look at my flock objectively, rather than emotionally, so that my choices of breeding stock are strong, healthy and productive examples of the breed that drew me to raising Teeswater sheep in the first place? These are questions I am asking myself as well and I pray that together we can all find a place of peace within ourselves when it comes to raising our Teeswater sheep. Board of Directors Current Business Welcome The Board would like to extend a “Warm Welcome” to our newest members: Sandra Waddell Carol Rochester Floya Hawkins Veronica Worthington Website The association is getting a new and upgraded website. We plan to have the “face page” up by the annual membership meeting. Please contact your district representative if you have ideas or requests. If you have photos you would like to share for the web design please email them to either [email protected] or [email protected] Credit will be given to the owner. New Policy To preserve the genetic integrity of animals granted purebred American Teeswater status the Board is instituting a policy for additional restrictions for all animals receiving a UK flock book number to be considered as a 100% Teeswater in the ATSA. Prior to entry into the ATSA Flock Book as a 100% Teeswater, animals must have 5 generations of unbroken ATSA “Registered” stock (excluding foundation & recorded categories), no colored parents, codon verification to satisfy bylaw guidelines, DNA parentage verification and photographs/video showing the animal(s) meet(s) the breed standard. This criteria must be presented to the ATSA Board of Directors for verification that the animal(s) submitted meet(s) the ATSA Breed and registry standards, prior to being given 100% Teeswater status in the ATSA Flock Book. Proposed Bylaw Amendments 1) Currently the Board must annually approve the use of foundation rams for F1 crosses and the use of QR Rams in a given year for any breeding, including F1 crosses. With the continued lack of semen, the board is proposing that the bylaws be amended to automatically enact the use of these animals until 2027, at which time it can be re-evaluated. 2) The Board is proposing that the new policy listed above regarding progeny entered into the UK Flock Book become a permanent part of our Bylaws. Watch for you Ballot! Membership 2017 Annual Membership Meeting Scheduled for Oct 16, 2017 Time: 4 pm Pacific Daylight Time, 5 pm Mountain Daylight Time, 6 pm Central Daylight Time, 7 pm Eastern Daylight Time. The conference call can be accessed at: Dial (515) 739-1542 Access #: 314735 **Note: meetings will be recorded for transcription purposes All members are welcome and encouraged to attend and participate! Elections Seven Yes votes for Cheri Parker in District 4 (East Coast). Seven Yes votes for Linda Gilkey in District 2 (Midwest). The Board will vote on officer positions at the upcoming Annual Board Meeting (following the Annnual Membership Meeting). We would propose that Michigan, being a swing state, would remove itself from Distict 4 and rejoin District 3. We are excited to announce we have a winner in District 4! Welcome Cheri Parker!! Heather Carter is beginning her move to Alabama and will be joining Linda Gilkey as a representative for District 2! District 1: West Coast (Green) Rep: Staci Holtby thru 2018 District 2: Midwest (Blue) Reps: Heather Carter thru 2018 & Linda Gilkey thru 2020 District 3: Lake region states (Red) Rep: Laurie Ball-Gisch thru 2019 District 4: East Coast (Purple) Rep: Cheri Parker thru 2020 The Board would like to Thank Andy Fulks for his time and service to the association! Registrar Notes Heather Carter Email [email protected] The Registrar has moved to Alabama… The most expedient way to obtain registration papers is to email papers to the registrar. You can send a check to the treasurer or submit payment via Paypal. The Scio address will still reach her until further notice! Preserving Teeswater Genetics and moving toward Purebred… The past year has resulted in some keen disappointments with regard to multiple attempts to get animals qualified for semen import from the UK. Between changes in the DEFRA / USDA APHIS protocols and animals failing testing protocols due to the endemic Schmallenberg’s virus, it seems unlikely that any semen will be available for several years. While several committed breeders continue to work to get viable animals collected it has brought several critical issues to the forefront for the Association. Specifically, the need to be extremely diligent in selecting and culling for appropriate type. While the Teeswater continues to enjoy unparalleled popularity in the hand spinning market, that same popularity is also resulting in a number of registered animals being diverted into unregistered fiber flocks and a large amount of fiber being promoted as Teeswater that doesn’t really have representative Teeswater type. It is an important part of the Associations mission to promote and protect the breed and educate members and consumers alike about what makes up a true Teeswater animal and fleece. While the myriad of fiber animals and crossbreds certainly have value, without careful and dedicated preservation, there will be no purebred population to go back to. To support these initiatives the Association is encouraging breeders to consider the National Sheep Improvement Program (NSIP) to gather data and assist breeders in making ram selections. Additionally, the Association is exploring several alternatives to assist breeders in collecting and sharing genetics for outstanding ATSA registered rams to continue to refine US genetic pools. We encourage interested parties to contact their respective representatives as we work to preserve this breed and continue to improve animals until additional outcross genetics from the UK become available. Rack Cards Some breeders have expressed interest in updated ATSA rack cards. We need a “mascot” for our cards… We are calling for fabulous photos of your favorite Teeswater sheep, raw fiber, yarn etc. Please submit photos that you would permit the association to use for rack cards and/or website development (of course we will give you credit).