The BLU board met by teleconference meeting on August 27th at 7PM EDT. 5 board members were in attendance, as well the as Sect/Treas. Unable to attend due to prior commitments were Paul Genge and Kat Bierkens.
The minutes of the previous meeting in April will be approved by a poll. The current balance in the treasury is $8,756.35, with an additional $29.80 in the Paypal account. There are currently 77 members, of which 5 are Canadian. A note from the Bloomsburg PA fair was read, thanking the association for its contribution to the BFL show classes.
The bylaws & standards committee has been contacted by one of our members, requesting that the so called “silver” BFLs that are currently registered as “black patterned” be given their own code on the pedigree so that interested breeders can track this color pattern. The committee is hard at work on a draft of this proposal, including photographs so that members can identify and differentiate this color from black pattern will be drawn up and presented to the board for its approval.
The media committee announced that the web designer had just completed work on the new website. The commiittee will be working on tweaking the site, and when complete, will present the site to the board for its comments.
The genetics taskforce has been in contact with some traditional type BFL breeders in the UK who are willing to have rams collected for export to the US in the fall of 2020. This is good news for the continued progress of our breed.
The national show committee intends to attend the Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival in September to get a better idea of the show venue for the 2020 National BFL show.
There was a brief discussion on how to continue promoting BFLs as viable commercial sheep. This will be continued at subsequent meetings. It was pointed out the the breed is thriving in a wide variety of climates here in the states, from coastal Florida to the Rocky mountains.
The upcoming board election was discussed, with suggestions for members to approach to run. Positions up for election are Vice-President and 2 directors. All current paid adult members are eligible, with bios due by October 25th. Only adult members whose dues are paid by October 1st are eligible to vote.