The Southdown is one of the oldest purebred sheep breeds in the world. The breed originated centuries ago in the hills of Sussex, England, long know as the “Downs.”The early Southdown was noted for some important qualities for which they have since become especially famous, they had a good leg, and their meat was excellent,… Continue Reading
In the 1840s in the hills of Shropshire, England, progressive sheep breeders began to cross the native black-faced sheep with improved Southdown, Leicester, and Cotswold sheep to develop a medium sized, dual- purpose breed that became known as Shropshires. Shropshires were first imported in 1855 into the United States and in 1884 the American Shropshire Registry… Continue Reading
The American Romney is a product of English, and more recently, New Zealand blood lines, which have enhanced the progress of the breed, and helped maintain a diverse gene pool within North America. The first purebred natural colored Romneys were registered by the Association in 1972 by Morris Culver of Curtin, Oregon. In the last… Continue Reading
Rambouillets are large sized, rugged and long-lived with a strong flocking instinct. For many years, the Rambouillet has been known as the profit “cornerstone” of the U.S. sheep industry. They are raised in a range of climate conditions from the scarce brush area of Texas to the extreme cold winters of Minnesota. The ability of… Continue Reading
The Polypay breed was born out of frustration and a dream. Long-time Idaho sheep man Reed Hulet was frustrated with the production of his family’s 600 Idaho range ewes. They needed more productive sheep to make a profit. His dream –to develop a more prolific, better milking and mothering breed of range and farm combination… Continue Reading
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NSIP is proud to offer the American Sheep Industry with news and resources to help them make better decisions about their flocks. Learn more by visiting our NSIP Resources Page or from these links. • NSIP Board of Directors Continue Reading
EBVs are science-based, industry-tested measurements of heritable traits that can be tracked and measured. For those familiar with Expected Progeny Differences (EPDs) used in cattle, EBVs are very similar. EPDs denotes the breeding value of an individual animal’s progeny whereas EBVs denote the value of the individual animal. More simply, EBVs equal EPDs times two. Continue Reading