BFLBA - NAMSS Online Auction - Place Your Bids!

Welcome to the BFLBA - NAMSS Online Auction! Our auction features Bluefaced Leicester and other sheep related items. Click here to access the auction site.

Whether you're looking for actual livestock or a gift for a fiber enthusiast, the auction will no doubt be a great way to buy BFL/sheep related items!

Proceeds from this fundraiser will help defray the cost of a UK judge at next month's 2nd Annual Mule Sheep & Bluefaced Leicester Progeny Show, and the 1st ~ Great Lakes Bluefaced Leicester Show at the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival. The show will feature the UK judge, John Stott, President UK-BFLSBA.

The opportunity to have the president of the UK-BFLSBA judge our Mules & BFLs will greatly benefit so many areas--the U.S. BFL breeders and the surrounding communities where the BFLs and grass fed genetics play a role. John Stott's experience, insight, and knowledge of the breed will allow breeders to further promote the awareness and advancement of the Bluefaced Leicester sheep.

Place your bids!

Thank you for your support!

New: UK ~ BFLSBA Website

The UK ~ Bluefaced Leicester Sheep Breeders' Association has just launched its redesigned website. The layout and format is user friendly and vibrant, with plenty of colored photos of sharp Bluefaced Leicesters and Mules.

Check it out at: http://www.blueleicester.co.uk

Press Release: Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival

The 2nd Annual ~ NAMSS
Mule Sheep & Bluefaced Leicester Progeny Show

The North American Mule Sheep Society (NAMSS) will be hosting the second annual ~ Mule Sheep & Bluefaced Leicester Progeny Show held in conjunction with the Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival in Jefferson, Wisconsin on September 11th - 13th, 2009.

The NAMSS will be coordinating its Mule Sheep & Bluefaced Leicester Progeny Show along with the Bluefaced Leicester Breeders Association's (BFLBA) 1st Great Lakes ~ Bluefaced Leicester Show. The judge presiding over both the Mule Show classes as well as the Bluefaced Leicester classes will be John Stott the newly elected president of the UK's Bluefaced Leicester Sheep Breeders' Association. John has also agreed to do several educational presentations highlighting the Mule ewe and the Bluefaced Leicester. The NAMSS's Mule Sheep Show and the BFLBA's Great Lakes ~ Bluefaced Leicester Show will be an excellent opportunity to showcase the hardy and prolific commercial Mule ewe, and the 3-tier breeding scheme, as an economically sound choice for grass fed lamb production too.

The NAMSS and BFLBA would like to thank the UK- BFLSBA for their generous contribution in providing us once again with our guest breeder-judge; and for their continued support of our efforts here in the States promoting Mule's, Bluefaced Leicester's, and the Three- Tier Breeding Scheme.

A BIT ABOUT OUR 2009 JUDGE:

John Stott and his family live on and work 'LAUND FARM' which is located in Chipping, Preston, Lancashire, UK. Laund Farm is a 500 acre family farm, which runs approximately 700 hill sheep mainly Swaledales and Beulah Speckled Face producing 400 Mules that are sold each year, plus a 400 ewe Freisland flock for their sheep milking enterprise, and around 30 suckler cows and 20 pedigree Simmental, as well as John's 50 pedigreed Bluefaced Leicesters. On June 3rd 2009, the Stott's and Laund Farm was the host location for NORTH SHEEP '09'. North Sheep is a biennial event run by the UK's National Sheep Association (NSA) an organization which represents UK sheep breeders. North Sheep is an industry event which brings together agricultural companies, sheep farmers and agricultural experts for a day. North Sheep '09' attracted over 9,000 visitors and 250 trade stands from across the sheep sector. Around 100 foreign delegates also flocked to the event which showcased Britain’s 70-plus sheep breeds. We look forward to meeting John and his wife, Christine, in September.

Champion Penrith Sale 2008
John Stott 'LAUND'
photo courtesy of Wayne Hutchinson 'Farm-Images.co.uk'

2nd Annual NAMSS Mule Sheep & Bluefaced Leicester Progeny Show

North American Mule Sheep Society

Mule Sheep
&
Bluefaced Leicester Progeny Show

In conjunction with the:
Wisconsin
Sheep & Wool
Festival

September 11 - 13, 2009

Jefferson Fair Park
Jefferson, Wisconsin

Stratified Three-Tier Breeding System
Sheep Breed Displays
Hill & Upland Ewe Breeds, Maternal Crossing Sire, Terminal Sire Breeds

NAMSS Mule Sheep Show
Judge: John Stott, President UK-BFLSBA
LAUND FARM, Chipping, Preston, Lancashire, UK
Sunday ~ September 13th, 2009
At 10:00 AM

Educational Presentation

Selecting Ewes for the Three-Tier System
John Stott 'Laund Farm" Lancashire, UK
Sunday at 1:30 PM

www.mulesheep.blogspot.com
www.MuleSheep.com

The UK Mule

The UK - Bluefaced Leicester Sheep Breeders' Association has been working on a project for about the last year that pertains to the Mule ewe. With the increased use of the Bluefaced Leicester as a crossing sire on a wide variety of breeds, it has become necessary to encompass the mules under one broad title, thus the formation of the educational & promotional group: The UK Mule.

The UK Mule website is already up and running and can be accessed at: http://www.ukmules.co.uk/

The "UK Mules" will have its' "coming out" debut with their new stand and promotional information on June 3rd at the UK's NSA ~ North Sheep '09' event that will be held at the host 'LAUND FARM'.

You might recognize the Laund Farm and the name John Stott, who will be our guest judge for the 2009 NAMSS Mule Sheep & Bluefaced Leicester Progeny Show, as well as the Great Lakes ~ Bluefaced Leicester Show, John is also the incoming president of the UK- BFLSBA.

An over achieving Clun Forest Ewe

This Clun Forest ewe is one to go into the record books as 'prolific'.

On the morning of April 3rd, 2009, her owner, Juliann, went out to the barn to find that the ewe "Alice" had already lambed.

Not one, not two, not three, not four, but five Clun Mules, three ram lambs and two ewe lambs. So far the lambs are all doing well, several are being bottle supplemented, and a few are nursing off their mother. The mom is slowly recovering, she has needed some medication for a rear leg pain- paralysis, and also calcium injections from the five month strain on her system.
This is Juliann's first year producing Clun Mules and she started out in a big way.

Well done Juilann and "Alice" of course.
To read more about "Alice" and the quintuplet Clun Mules you can visit Juliann's blog at: www.littlecountryacres.blogspot.com

History of the Bluefaced Leicester

This booklet was published in the UK for the Bluefaced Leicester Sheep Breeders' Association,
and is made available for purchase here in the States to USA breeders and enthusiasts.
It takes an in-depth look at the history of the Bluefaced Leicester starting with Robert Bakewell's work in 1700's. The Bluefaced Leicesters selection and development for use as a crossing sire to produce Mule progeny, documented with many black & white photos of the breed from as early as 1909.

You can order a copy of
'The Bluefaced Leicester ~ A History of the Breed'
by sending your email request to: beechtrfrm@aol.com
The cost of the booklet w/ shipping (in the USA) is $ 23

CLASSIFIED ADS: February

NAMSS Members Classified Ads.

LITTLEDALE FARM
For Sale: We have a group of 11 Scotch Mule yearling ewes available. For more details visit: www.littledalefarm.com, or send enquiries to: littledalefarm@apmt.com

MULEFLOCK
For Sale: Clun & North Country Mule ewes, yearling and adult. Also taking reservations for 2009 lambs. For more information visit: muleflock.com, muleflock.blogspot.com. Contact: muleflock@aol.com

BEECHTREE FARM
For Sale: Bluefaced Leicester ewes and rams, white & natural colored, yearling and older. With possible delivery to MSWF. For a complete list enquire at: beechtrfrm@aol.com, or visit: beechtreefarm.blogspot.com, beechtreefarm.com.

NAMSS Educational Display

The NAMSS display table as photographed at the recent
Michigan Sheep Breeders Assoc. ~ Shepherds Weekend

I finally have a good picture of our North American Mule Sheep Society display table after all these years!
Many thanks to Bill Duffield of 'Codan Suffolks', ONT, Canada for the photo.

The table was located just outside the lecture room doors so everyone attending the MSBA event stopped by to look it over and picked up items for further reading, as evidenced by the fact that the materials had to be replenished several times.

One of the lectures given by Dr. Thomas talked about utilzing a 3-way cross (aka ~ 3-Tier breeding system) for commercial sheep production. So having the NAMSS Mule Sheep display right outside in the hallway helped get the message across about utilizing the 3-Tier Breeding System for grass fed lamb production.

The display contains issues of the 'Mule Sheep News' (present & past), the 3-Tier informative trifold, copies of our 'members list', as well as a NAMSS membership application form.

There were also several display folders:

~ One that covered the Eblex system for selecting breeding stock and grading carcasses for optimum returns.

~ Another one was Mark Lelli's presentation talk on the 3-Tier system and how to utilize the Bluefaced Leicester.

~ The third one contains copies of some of the recent articles and publications from national and international newsletters and magazines about the NAMSS and Mule Sheep.

For more in-depth information about the 3-Tier System you can visit the NAMSS website at:

www.MuleSheep.com

Judging Mules in America

David Cruikshank's USA Mule Sheep Judging Experience

In the Autumn 2008 issue of the UK - BFLSBA newsletter there is an article by David Cruikshank on his experience of judging our 1st NAMSS - Mule Sheep & Bluefaced Leicester Progeny Show.

I have posted a copy of the article in the files section on our Yahoo MuleSheep chat group in the folder titled 'NAMSS Mule Sheep Show', David's USA Judging Trip.

http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/MuleSheep/files/NAMSS%20Mule%20Sheep%20Show/

OPP Society Newsletter

The OPP Concerned Sheep Breeders Society has posted its most recent OPP newsletter online and it can be found by clicking on the following link.

http://www.oppsociety.org/newsletter303.pdf

Winter 2008 ~ Mule Sheep News

The Winter 2008 issue of the 'Mule Sheep News' is now available in pdf format to our MuleSheep group members.

NAMSS Three- Tier Sheep Breed Displays

Photo: (L to R) Jane Cruikshank, Graham Phillipson, David Cruikshank, Mark Lelli

Included in the Winter issue is a report and color photos from our

1st NAMSS Mule Sheep & Bluefaced Leicester Progeny Show,

held in conjunction with the 2008 WSWF.

This issue can be found in the files section in our Yahoo group, in the folder titled

'Mule Sheep News'.

http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/MuleSheep/files/Mule%20Sheep%20News/

If you are not a current member of the MuleSheep chat group you can join our group by clicking on the link below and then creating an account.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MuleSheep/join