CHIEF SHEPHERD'S MESSAGE

Greetings!

As your newly elected President, I have been pondering the direction I would like the FBA to take under my leadership.  In this time of uncertainty and unstable markets, it seems that we need to get back to the basics - to answer the following questions: What unique attributes can our breed offer the sheep industry?  What  makes Finnsheep special?

 I decided to review the FBA Constitution in hopes of finding some direction.  Under Article III, General Purpose and Objectives, the direction of the FBA is  set for us:

1) To register and maintain pedigree identification of Finnish Landrace, hereinafter called Finnsheep, ewes and rams.
2) To register and maintain pedigree identification of first cross and backcross progeny having one purebred Finnsheep parent.
3) To record lambing performance of registered ewes and encourage use of performance records for further improvement of Finnsheep.
4) To encourage and support breeding research to discover how Finnsheep can be used most effectively in crossbreeding to improve efficiency of commercial lamb production.
5) To continuously improve and promote Finnsheep in the interests of more profitable sheep enterprises.

 In these times of limited sales it is tempting for us as breeders to grab onto any market that has the potential to make us some money.  It is easy for us to lose sight of our objectives and start giving our potential customers what they want without considering what the main attributes of this breed are.  But I am afraid if we try to produce what we feel our customers are looking for in the short term, we very possibly can lose the very characteristics that make our breed special for the long term.  And then, what do we have?  A homogenized breed that offers some advantages to the sheep industry but excels at none.

I personally do not believe this is the direction we want to take with our breed. This is the very reason that the original Board of Directors opted to restrict us from showing our sheep.  Our breed is about performance - period. This does not  mean that we should not sell wool, for example.  It simply implies that we should always consider performance first and select for these traits above and beyond any other trait. These are the characteristics that we need to promote.  Everything else is secondary to this.

 It seems to me that where we have fallen down in recent years is in our lack of focus on performance.  How many of us are trying to demonstrate how our Finsheep contribute to crossbreeding programs?  Finnsheep as purebred stock probably will cease to exist in this country except in the hands of a few breeders who love the breed and choose to keep them as a hobby flock.  I believe we need to consider at all times how our breed of sheep can contribute to the commercial industry.  Long term, this is where our future and our income lie. If we can't demonstrate the attributes of our breed within the commercial framework, I don't believe Finnsheep will have much of a future.  This is some of the problem we are experiencing now as breeders.  Too many of us are raising purebred Finns with the hopes of selling breeding stock to potential buyers.  But with what objectives?

 The time has come to get back to the basics - to show producers what our breed can do for them by increasing lambing percentages and raising triplets unassisted. This is where we, as producers bonded together for a common cause, can make a difference with our breed.  Let's get back to the basics and take a renewed look ourselves!

So in the dawn of the 21st century, let's get at it.  Let's review our own flock goals and see what changes we can make to get back to promoting Finnsheep to the commercial market.  Therein lies the future and survival of our breed. As your new President, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Grant Blackburn, our retiring President for two terms, for all his hard work on behalf of the FBA.  Grant did a lot of work both publicly in promoting our association and behind the scenes in taking care of paperwork and logistics that were very time consuming!  Thanks, Grant, for a job well done.

I would also like to thank Elizabeth Luke, our Secretary, who puts in quite a few hours on behalf of the organization and who has volunteered to continue with her position.  Kudos and thanks also go to Grace Hatton, our newsletter editor, for producing a great newsletter in a timely and cost-efficient manner!  Thanks to both of you.

Now it is with great pleasure that I announce the Board of Directors' approval of the motion to adopt a health protocol for our breed.  Dr. Paul Hunter has been instrumental in developing and marketing this protocol for several years.  As we are all well aware, health issues are becoming more and more critical to us as  sheep producers.  The Board believes that it is essential for us to develop a flock  health plan for our flocks.  This plan can be individualized so that each producer can choose an area or areas to focus on at a given time. The protocol being put forth is one that can be adapted to any producer's flock plan.  Completion of the protocol is something that all of us can strive for, but recognition will be given to  each specific area as we work to insure our customers that our flocks are healthy.  Please see Dr. Paul Hunter's health protocol entitled "Progressive Sheep Breeder's Society" in ST 42, Fall 99, on our new health resolution.

Sandy