Bluefaced Leicester Union

In Leicesters, blue is finer!

Bluefaced Leicester

  • New Youth BFL Breeder

    by Kathleen Davidson In January Maggie Hoffman 14, became a new BFL breeder, buying a bred ewe and a yearling ewe from Potosi Farm. Maggie had no experience with sheep but was confident with her decision to become a shepherd. When it was time for her ewe to lamb, Maggie was excited and ready for…

  • President’s notes on Board meeting held April 27, 2011

    The board met by teleconference the afternoon of Wednesday, April 27th. Several items were discussed. The secretary gave an update on the website and how it is operating. There have been a few glitches in the way the membership list and the calendar of events programs are working, but overall the board is very pleased…

  • Fiber Processing Surprises and Lessons Learned

    By Kathleen Davidson To a shepherd, homegrown fiber is priceless so sending it off to be processed can be stressful, to say the least. All the effort in growing and harvesting our wool should be reflected in the perfect processed product. But sometimes the returned product doesn’t meet our expectations. What went wrong? Hopefully I…

  • To AI or not to AI? That is The Question! By Robina Koenig

    By Robina Koenig, Tumble Creek Farm As one crop of lambs arrives, I plan next year’s breedings and ponder this very topic. Should I use AI again this fall or wait until next year? How good are my current rams? These and other questions pile up as I make preliminary decisions for my flock. There…

  • New BFL show opportunity in Michigan

    Member Robin Ryan would like to let the membership know that the Lenawee County Fair in Adrian, MI has added BFL classes to their breed show this year. The fair begins July 24th and is located in Adrian, MI. Says Robin, “It is a fun fair and we all have a great time. We had…

  • Buying Trouble with New Sheep – All about CL, OPP and Johnes by Heather Landin

    Three diseases that have become frighteningly prevalent in the US sheep flock are little understood by the average shepherd. All three of these diseases are slow to show symptoms, are contagious before they are detected, and will significantly shorten the life of your ewes and otherwise lower their productivity. CL is contagious to humans and…

  • Littledale Farm makes good use of the 3-tier breeding system

    BLU Associate members, Graham and Margaret Phillipson make good use of the traditional UK 3-tier breeding system on their Littledale Farm in Richland Center, Wisconsin. Click on the link below to read an interview with Graham. Sheep Industry News article: UK Breeding System Gains Popularity with Some U.S. Producers by Becky Talley Also visit the…

  • Estimated Breeding Values (EBVs) for our newly imported rams

    By Lisa Rodenfels, Jared Lloyd and Kristen Barndt If you would like to see EBV charts on some of the latest imported UK rams, please go to the IMPORTED RAMS page (under BREED INFO, and BFL RAMS). Links to the EBV charts for most of the 2010 imported sires are at the bottom of each…

  • News From New England… from Joan Chapin

    In spite of back-to-back snow “bombs” in January that resulted in building losses around the area, New England sheep and wool folks are looking forward – to several planned activities that signal spring. Connecticut Sheep Breeders and the University of Connecticut College of Agriculture will hold its Blue Ribbon Sheep Forum on February 19, 2011,…

  • 2010 Flock Book to be available on the BLU website

    Work has begun on the 2010 Flock Book. After much discussion, the Board has decided this year that we will now offer the flock book electronically on the BLU website. This will save BLU quite a bit of money, as printing services, paper and postage are getting more expensive with each passing year. The 2010…