Thanks to the sponsorship of
Kentucky State University
SEKSPA's Annual Meeting
was a smash hit!
The meeting room was filled to nearly standing-room-only capacity with 192 members attending!
Kentucky Department of Agriculture Commissioner Jonathan Shell expressed his strong support for the sheep, goat, and wool industries in Kentucky.
UK's Dr. Gregg Rentfrow explained lamb quality grading & news from Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food & Environment.
Shon Wylie with Kentucky Wool Works talked about opportunities, issues and solutions for wool business producers in eastern & southeastern KY.
Hannah Howard with Greater Cumberland Fibershed explained the Fibershed movement, fiber arts, and the SEKSPA-GCF Partnership.
At noon, 192 members were served a delicious lamb luncheon of roasted leg-of-lamb from the University of Kentucky's Sheep Unit/Butcher Shop. The luncheon and sides were prepared and served by LaDonna's Catering of London.
After lunch, the Wool & Fiber Arts Chapter of SEKSPA met in a breakout session and developed strategies for moving forward. They elected the following officers:
Tammy Sizemore (President)
Natasha Evans (Vice-President)
Janella Miller (Secretary)
Amber Stimpson (Communications/PR)
Kathy Brown (Fibershed Contact)
Lisa Nicholas (SEKSPA Board Representative)
Harry Frederick, President of the Kentucky Sheep & Wool Producers Association, talked with great optimism about the state of the sheep industry in Kentucky.
Dr. Avinash Tope announced that Kentucky State University will be collaborating closely with SEKSPA to deliver research-based information and practical skills to sheep & goat farmers in eastern & southeastern Kentucky.
Dr. Jerusha Lay, DVM, wrapped up SEKSPA's Annual Meeting with an intriguing and informative presentation on Breeding Herd Management.
Door prize donations and support came from:
Benge Farm Supply
Bluegrass Stockyards
Burkmann Feeds
Busic Farm Supply & Equipment
Community Farm Alliance
Greater Cumberland Fibershed
Kalmbach Feeds
Kentucky Wool Works
Lakeland Farm & Ranch
Premier 1 Sheep Supplies
Red Barn Wool
Science Hill Milling Co & Farm Supply
Southern States London Co-Op
USDA- Farm Service Agency
Gerald Crowe with Cabin Hollow Farm donated two lambing pens (a $250 value) for a raffle that raised much needed funding for SEKSPA!
Lamb Quality Grading
&
What's happening at M-G CAFE
Dr. Gregg Rentfrow, Ph.D.
Breeding Herd Management
Jerusha Jay, DVM
Issues and Solutions For Wool Business Producers
Kentucky Wool Works
Shon Wylie & Kathy Meyer
Fibershed Greater Cumberland
Hannah Howard
Greetings from Kentucky State University
Dr. Avinash Tope
Land Grant Director
Calendar for April 2024
Watch for details of SEKSPA & Kentucky State University (KSU) events in emails and flyers:
April 2 - graded sale Paris, KY
April 5 - Orthodox Easter
April 8 - graded sale Richmond, KY
April 8 - End of Ramadan
April - 9 Eid al-Fitr
April 10 - Eid al-Fitr
April 11 - graded sale Bowling Green, KY
April 12 - SEKSPA-KSU Field Trip to Solar Grazing Project, Shakertown, KY
April 13 - SEKSPA-KSU Predator Control & Guard Animal Class, Richmond, KY
April 16 - graded sale Paris, KY
April 18 - SEKSPA-KSU Farm Visit for Kingergarten to 4th grade, London, KY
April 20 - graded sale Springfield, KY
April 22 - Passover begins
April 22 - graded sale Richmond, KY
April 23 SEKSPA-KSU Sheep & Goat Meeting & Lamb Dinner, Hazard, KY
April 25 - graded sale Bowling Green, KY
April 27 - KSU Small Farm Conf., SEKSPA's Sheep Ed. Class, Williamsburg, KY
April 30 - Passover ends
SEKSPA created Facebook and Instagram pages to promote our 1st Annual Breeding Sheep Sale. Those social media platforms generated a huge response (10,000+ views in the 6-weeks leading up to our sale) from folks highly interested in selling and/or buying sheep.
We have decided to maintain that enormous network of sheep people and work it to the benefit of SEKSPA members. If you want to sell sheep on the SEKSPA BREEDING SHEEP SALE Facebook and Instagram pages, send the following to pangel9491@gmai.com:
-several photos and a 30-second video of your sheep a brief written description of your sheep (breed, age, sex, approximate weight, commerical/registered, etc.)
-either a specific or general location
-asking price (optional)
-how you want to be contacted (Facebook? Farm website? Phone call/message/text? Email? Or do you want us to forward the potential buyer's contact info to you? Etc.). This information will now be posted online unless you request it.
Check us out on Facebook & Instagram below.
Southeast Kentucky Sheep Producers Association (SEKSPA)
200 County Ext Rd.
London, Kentucky, 40741
info@sekspa.com
606-312-5264
