In 2019, the board decided to add an advisory position from our youth membership. A letter went out to all our current youth members, and from that request, one of our youth stepped up to fill that position. Please welcome Kieran Van Horsen from Oregon to this new position! Kieran will attend board meetings, sits on the Youth Committee, and represents our youth at other events as well.

About Kieran:

Hello, my name is Kieran Van Horsen and I am 19 years old as of this October.  I believe that I will bring a unique perspective to the title and do my best to fulfill my duties.

I have owned BFL’s since 2013 and have loved every second of it. I exhibit them every year at the Black Sheep Gathering in Oregon, as well as at the Oregon State Fair and many other fiber-centric festivals with the intent of promotion and education of the breed. I fully believe in the youth programs associated with the breed as I have been an active youth participant/breeder since I bought my first ram lamb from Liongate Farm in 2014. I am currently a student in the Welding program at a local college, and I am active in the agricultural community by working at my families sheep ranch as well as working for a local seed farmer and renting my BFL sheep out for pasture control to neighbors and grass seed farmers. I am also doing LAI and am wanting to import BFL Semen as my program continues to grow.  I acquired some more straws and fully intend on doing LAI with 3 “new-to-me” rams this coming year.

I would love to be a part of the board in order to share ideas I have for promoting this all-purpose breed and bringing more breeders together as we already have so many awesome people who are a part of BLU.

If you would like to apply to become a youth board advisor, please download this application.