President’s message – Page 2 – Bluefaced Leicester Sheep

President’s notes on Board meeting held August 6, 2014

Posted on August 7, 2014 by uarct in Association Info

The board met by teleconference the evening of Wednesday, August 6th. The treasurer submitted the financial reports for the year to date through June 2014, and the board approved it. You will find the report posted to the BLU website. The treasurer reported that our current bank, Bank of America, has been purchased by Huntington Bank.
Kris Barndt presented the minutes from the previous meeting in February. They were approved as written.

The 2014 BFL National show committee representative, Margaret VanCamp, reported on final preparations for the event. The sheep show, which has 62 entries, is at the Michigan Fiber Festival in Allegan, MI on Saturday, August 16th. The festival runs from the 15th to the 17th. There is also a fleece and a skein competition. BLU has some special educational sessions planned during the festival. Information on the event is posted on the BLU website and Facebook pages. There will be a banquet on Saturday evening, and all BLU members will be able to sell items at the BLU display booth in the sheep barn during the festival.

The genetics taskforce reported that there has been no contact from USDA since the last meeting. At that time, the USDA official stated that an agreement on protocol to allow importation of ovine semen from the UK to the US was imminent. The protocol for bovine semen has long since been adopted. Since this still has not happened for sheep producers, BLU now takes the position of contacting our US representatives to ask for help in moving the process along. Members are also encouraged to push their state and local sheep organizations to press for the protocol to be adopted so that semen can once again be imported from the UK.

The upcoming 2014 election was discussed, and the schedule of deadlines reviewed. The positions of president, as well as that of 3 board positions are up for election, with all 4 current members being term limited out of office. Annette Boose has agreed to be the election supervisor again this year, and will be handing the printing, mailing, and counting of ballots. Please consider running for the board. A postcard with a call for resumes as well as the schedule of the election will be mailed out in the next few weeks. The deadline to submit a resume will be October 25th.

ASR, our registrar, had sent a letter to the board, requesting input on suggestions to improve their registry software, since they are working on an upgrade of their system. Several ideas, including an online searchable database, and the ability to register sheep online were discussed. Lisa will email all the suggestions to ASR. The deadline to comment is August 15th and members are encouraged to send suggestions to Lisa to forward to ASR. Our current contract with ASR is up for renewal in November of this year.

Since our current secretary will be leaving office, and our current treasurer has expressed the desire to resign, the board has appointed Lisa Rodenfels as the new secretary/treasurer. She will assume these responsibilities as of January 1, 2015. This position is not a board position, and serves at the pleasure of the board. It is reappointed each year. Lisa will be working with our current secretary and treasurer to make the transition as smooth as possible.

The board welcomes comments and concerns from members. Please contact any board member to have your issue addressed during quarterly meetings. The next scheduled meeting of the board is in midOctober.

President’s notes on Board meeting held February 17, 2014

Posted on February 20, 2014 by uarct in Association Info

The board met by teleconference the evening of Monday, February 17th. The treasurer submitted the financial report for the 2013 year, and the board approved it. You will find the report posted to the BLU website. The proposed budget for 2014 was discussed and tabled until a few more expense details are available Over the last 4 years, the board has been spending less than what has been collected in dues, registrations and transfers, and so the organization is on firm financial footing.

Kris Barndt presented the minutes from the previous meeting in January of 2013. A postcard reminding members of the deadline for paying 2014 dues will be mailed out.

The BFL National show committee reported on its progress. Margaret VanCamp is heading up the local show committee, and submitted a list of items the committee will need to work on. The show is at the Michigan Fiber Festival in Allegan, MI on Saturday, August 16^th. The festival runs from the 15^th to the 17^th. She is looking into hotel rooms, and a banquet site. There is a need for volunteers to help plan the event, and for award sponsors. information will be posted to the BLU website, Facebook page, and advertised over the next few weeks.

The genetics taskforce reported that the semen that was collected 2 years ago is still in storage at Inovis. Dr Hull from USDA states that negotiations are taking place between the EU and the US state department to work out an agreement to allow sheep semen importation to commence. The taskforce will be following up with USDA to be sure that our concerns are voiced, and the process progresses. In the mean time, there are still several straws of semen available from several UK rams that were collected a few years ago. It was a consensus on the board that in their flocks, they still have plenty of genetic diversity to take advantage of while waiting for the new semen to be released for shipment to the US. Interested breeders can contact any board member for information on procuring straws from the currently available rams.

A list of fiber festivals and sheep publications where BLU has advertised in the past was discussed. There is room in the budget for more advertising, so members are encouraged to approach the board with events they attend as exhibitors or vendors. A llama group which is meeting in Ohio in August has requested that BLU provide a speaker to present our marketing program. Margaret VanCamp has volunteered to speak at this event. This is a great opportunity to reach out to other fiber producers which we have not worked with in the past.

The 2013 election was discussed, and possible solutions to its omission were suggested. The board will decide on a course of action over the next few weeks.

The contract between BLU and American Sheep Registries, who handles the BFL registry records and issues pedigree forms comes up for renewal in November. The board discussed, and as there have been no complaints about the work ASR has done in recent years, will likely sign a new agreement later this year.

A special thanks to Robina Koenig for her work in overseeing the 2013 Fiber Testing Program. The board is pleased that the samples submitted from several flocks all over the US fall within the breed standard, and that we can with certainty provide this information in BLU promotional literature. A complete report and explanation of the program can be found in a recent post on the BLU website.

President’s notes on Board meeting held August 21, 2012

Posted on August 23, 2012 by uarct in Association Info

The board met by teleconference the evening of Tuesday, August 21st.

A treasurer’s report for the period of January to July, 2012 was submitted for the board’s approval.

Secretary Kris Barndt presented the minutes from the previous meeting in June. She also reported on her progress with the 2010-11 Flockbooks. She will be posting the 2008, 2009, and 2010 versions on the website immediately, and will finish and post the 2011 book within a week. The board discussed the possibility of replacing the flockbook with an on-line, searchable database. There are several options to consider. A basic version would have a have a higher initial cost, and in the long run, save money over the cost of the flockbook. It would also make more information available to the membership, making it more useful to research pedigrees. There will be more discussion on this topic in future meetings.

There was a brief discussion of possible venues for the 2014 show. Show proposals will be due by the January 2013 board meeting, so the membership needs to be reminded to work on these proposals. There is a proposal form available on the BLU website.

The Bylaws & Standards committee chair, Margaret VanCamp reported that she has received the charter renewal form, and will complete the form and submit it to the treasurer for payment.

The genetics taskforce reported on the progress in getting several new rams that have been collected into the US for our membership’s use. There is a problem with the company that does the collection work that is being looked into by USDA.

Three requests for advertising in different show venues have been received recently from members. Fiber festivals in New Jersey and New Hampshire, as well as an ad in the Black Sheep Newsletter have been requested. The board approved all three ads.

The upcoming election was discussed. The deadline to submit resumes for the position of President or for 3 board seats is October 25^th. A postcard reminding the membership of the upcoming election was mailed in July. Reminders will be posted on the website and on the BFL chat lists in the weeks leading up to the deadline.

The next scheduled meeting of the board will be in November.

President’s notes on Board meeting held June 12, 2012

Posted on June 13, 2012 by uarct in Association Info

The board met by teleconference the evening of Tuesday, June 12th. Our new treasurer, Cindy Cieciwa, reported that a new checking account has been opened, and submitted a treasurer’s report for the period of January to May, 2012.
Secretary Kris Barndt presented the minutes from the previous meeting in February. She also reported on her progress with the 2010-11 Flockbook. There is still a bit of work to be done, but she plans to have both years ready to post on the website within a week. She is also working on updating the membership list on the website. There are a few new members, and some of the existing members need their “paid through” date updated.
National Show Chair Robina Koenig led a discussion of the recent national show with the board. A financial report has been submitted, showing a profit of $45.08 from the show. These funds will be set aside to be used toward the expenses of the 2014 show. There was a brief discussion of possible venues for the 2014 show. Show proposals will be due by the January 2013 board meeting, so the membership needs to be reminded to work on these proposals.
The Bylaws & Standards committee chair, Margaret VanCamp had been approached by several members concerning the need to clarify what show category BFLs fall into; medium wool or longwool. After reviewing the existing breed standards, as well as other publications provided by BLU, it was decided that the informational tri-fold flyer available for reprint on the website needs to have the wording from the standards added to the section on wool. In the mean time, members who show BFLs might want to have the breed standards in hand should this question come up at shows where BFLs are entered. The flyer will be corrected as soon as possible.
Jolene Vezzetti, membership chair, reported that she has gotten a list of new members from the secretary and will verify that welcome packets have been mailed to all. After a discussion, it was decided that the treasurer should report paid memberships with the treasurer’s report so that the board will be aware of members status.
The genetics taskforce reported on the progress in getting several new rams that have been collected into the US for our membership’s use. There is a problem with the company that does the collection work that is being looked into by USDA.
The upcoming election was discussed. A postcard reminding members of the schedule of election, as well as requesting resumes for the positions of president, and 3 board members should be mailed out by the end of the month. Annette Boose is willing to handle the mailing and counting of ballots again, and the board agreed that she should continue to do this.
The next scheduled meeting of the board is on August 8th.

President’s notes on Board meeting held February 15, 2012

Posted on February 16, 2012 by uarct in Association Info

The board met by teleconference the evening of Wednesday, February 15th. Our new treasurer, Cindy Cieciwa, was able to join us for the first part of the meeting. The proposed budget for 2012 was reviewed. The board is pleased with our progress toward building up fund reserves while still providing needed services to our membership. The need for a new checking account with a bank near both the treasurer and the president was discussed.

Kris Barndt presented the minutes from the previous meeting in November. She also discussed the need to make some changes to the website and forms to reflect the new treasurer, and to help remind the members to mail their membership dues directly to Associated Sheep Registries. A postcard reminding members of the deadline for paying 2012 dues has been mailed out.

The BFL National show committee reported on its progress. Trophies & ribbons have been ordered, the hotel has been reserved, a banquet has been arranged for. The sheep show entry forms are nearly ready for publication, and the yarn, fleece, fiber arts, and photography contest forms are ready, as well. They will be posted to the BLU website, Facebook page, and advertized in the next few days.

The genetics taskforce had several items to report. All six of the most recent imported rams have been correctly entered into the ASR registry database, and new certificates issued at no charge. Heather Landin has agreed to oversee the import process for the future to assure that BLU policy is followed, and the required paperwork is filed completely and correctly before new rams are entered into the system. The next ram to be entered will be Myfyrian Blue Dragon, who was imported by our Canadian members this past summer. Jared Lloyd reported on the progress in getting several new rams that have been collected into the US for our membership’s use. There is a problem with the company that does the collection work that is being looked into by USDA. It is hoped that it will be quickly resolved.

A committee has been formed to work on filing for non-profit status 501(c)(5) with the IRS. Anyone with experience in this process would be welcomed onto this committee.

The upcoming Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival was discussed. Jolene Vezzetti will help organize an informal gathering of BLU members and others interested in BFLs during the lunch break in the sheep show arena on Saturday.

A request to support the Michigan Fiberfest in Allegan, MI was considered by the board, and it was decided to make a donation. BLU will be recognized in their catalog as well as listed on a banner in the showring. As a reminder, if any members attend festivals, shows, etc., with sheep or fiber, please contact the board to request that BLU advertizes or supports the show in some way. One of the functions of BLU is to promote the breed, and we’d like to do that as much as possible.

The next scheduled meeting of the board is on April 25th.

President’s notes on board meeting held November 16, 2011

Posted on December 2, 2011 by uarct in Association Info

On November 16th, the BLU board met by teleconference. The treasurer’s report and the minutes from the August 10th meeting were approved.

Our treasurer, Becky Utecht, is not running for a second term on the board, and does not wish to continue as BLU treasurer. So the board will be looking for someone from the membership to fill this position.

The flockbook was discussed. Since it is very time consuming for the secretary to produce on a voluntary basis, and to pay someone to do it would be a substantial expense, the board would like to find out just how important it is to the membership. To this end, the president and secretary will work on a set of questions to find out if the cost is justified and if the membership uses the flockbook, or might prefer the information in a different format. A survey will be set up for the membership in the next few months.

The national show committee updated the board on its progress. The committee is meeting at the fairgrounds in Wooster on Friday, November 18th to look at the facility and discuss how best to use it for demonstrations and the fleece/fiber competition. They will also make arrangements for hotel and banquet facilities.

The board voted to extend the contract on the website. They are very happy with the look and content of the website, and how it is maintained.

An issue with the way that American Sheep Registry is handling the registration of UK ram semen into our breed registry was discussed. It was decided that the Genetics Taskforce committee should appoint someone to oversee this process. Policy will be re-written to have the information already required for semen registry to be looked over by the committee to assure that all paperwork is in order before it is submitted to ASR, and then re-checked to be certain it has been entered correctly to ensure pedigrees are correct and the integrity of the registry is maintained.

A brief meeting is planned for December to welcome new board member(s). Two topics that will be discussed will be the open treasurer’s position and approval of the 2012 budget.
If there are concerns from the membership that the board

President’s notes on board meeting held August 10th, 2011

Posted on August 11, 2011 by uarct in Association Info

On August 10th, the BLU board met by teleconference. The treasurer’s report and the minutes from the April 27th meeting were approved.

The national show committee will meet formally at the Wool Gathering in Ohio in September. In the mean time, a restaurant for the banquet, and a hotel has agreed to block a number of rooms for BFL breeders attending the show. The committee has begun accepting sponsors for show class awards. A special fiber program is being developed, and should be ready to announce after the September meeting.

The flockbook is nearly ready for publication. It should be posted to the website in .pdf format by the end of August, where BLU members will be able to access it to download and/or print a copy.

A decision to file for nonprofit status with the IRS was reached, and the paperwork is to be filled out and submitted.

The board went over the upcoming election schedule, and decided which positions will be up for election this fall. Since this is the first election since this board took office, it is the board’s responsibility to arrange for staggered terms. The positions of vice president and 2 board members will be elected this fall; and president and the remaining 3 board members will be voted on in 2012. A notice of call for resumes for the 3 positions up for re-election is to be posted on the BLU website, and there will also be a postcard mailed to all current members. The deadline to submit resumes in order to be put on the ballot has been set for October 25th.

The next scheduled board meeting will be November 16th. BLU members are encouraged to contact any board member with ideas or concerns that the board should address.

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

Posted on April 29, 2011 by uarct in Association Info

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 with the new site.

It is the goal of the president to have between 3-5 new entries to the home page blog each month. So far, several members have volunteered to write articles for the blog, so this goal has been met. My thanks to everyone who has volunteered – keep those ideas coming!

There are still some 2010 BLU members who have not renewed their memberships for 2011. Although this year the official grace period of 60 days was extended, those people will now be removed from the on-line membership list, and will not receive their flockbook information until the 2011 dues are paid.

The BFL National show committee reports that several subcommittees have formed and have been working on plans for the 2012 show. As a reminder, the show is in Ohio, at the Great Lakes Fiber Show in Wooster on Memorial Day weekend. It was suggested that a class for “breeders choice” be added to the sheep show as a fun award.

Secretary Kris Barndt is working, organizing the information provided from our registrar, ASR, and hopes to have the electronic version of the 2010 Flockbook available to our membership by the end of May.

A committee has been formed to work on filing for non-profit status with the IRS. Anyone with experience in this process would be welcomed onto this committee.

The upcoming Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival was discussed. Jolene Vezzetti and her family will have a display for BLU in their pens in the barn. She will also help organize an informal gathering of BLU members and others interested in BFLs during the lunch break in the sheep show arena on Saturday.

The board decided to order another BLU banner so that the one we have does not need to be shipped back and forth across the country.

Some of the board positions will be up for re-election this coming fall. Robina Koenig has agreed to be the election committee chairperson. Watch for more information later this summer, and for a call for resumes of members interested in running for these board positions.

The next scheduled meeting of the board is on July 27th.

President’s notes on the BLU board January 19 meeting

Posted on January 26, 2011 by uarct in Association Info, Events, News, Shows

The BLU board has a year under its belt, having met a total of seven times during 2010. Many things have been accomplished, and 2011 opens with lots of new ideas to work on. The association is on firm footing financially, showing an increase in its treasury during 2010. During 2010, a set of bylaws were formally adopted by the board, and committees were formed to oversee projects. The third national show was held in Oregon during the Black Sheep Gathering, and was well attended. A quarterly newsletter, BLUPrint, was established, with several members contributing to articles throughout the year. The website was updated and revamped, and will continue to be improved upon. Two banners were designed and made available to the membership to use at their local events to promote BFLs. A formal procedure for proposals for the 2012 national show was adopted.

A new year brings new opportunities. The board has already met for its opening meeting in January, reviewing the financial situation and budgeting for 2011. It went over proposals for the 2012 National Show venue, and made its selection. The show will be held in Wooster, Ohio during the Great Lakes Fiber Show. Banner Sales holds a show and sale during this festival, and BFL breeders will have the opportunity to enter their sheep in the Banner sale if they so choose. The board kicked off the 2011 membership drive. Current members will be receiving a postcard in the mail soon, reminding all that 2011 dues need to be paid before the March 1st deadline. Don’t be late and risk missing out on the benefits that membership in BLU provides!