SHEPHERDS HAVE UNITED!
The First Quarterly Educational Meeting of the Southeast Kentucky Sheep Producers Association (SEKSPA) was a huge success!
The first SEKSPA meeting was held Saturday 25, 2020 at the Laurel County Cooperative Extension Office in London, Kentucky. We had an overwhelming response with 115 sheep farmers attending from across 18 southeastern Kentucky counties.
Representatives from the state and federal government, the University of Kentucky (UK), and the Kentucky Sheep and Goat Development Office (KSGDO) spoke at the 3-hour meeting. The lunch, door prizes, and informative meeting was greatly enjoyed by everyone. Numerous SEKSPA members who attended the meeting expressed delight with the turnout, how well the meeting was run, and the enthusiastic response from the attendees.
During the meeting, Glenn Williams with the Laurel County Extension Office described how the Cattlemen’s Association can provide a marketing model for members of SEKSPA using the Wilderness Trail collection facility. Kelley Yates, Executive Director of KSGDO, spoke about the potential for a strong partnership between our two groups. Guy Taylor asked each member to fill out and turn in SEKSPA’s marketing survey. Connie Sturgill with the Natural Resources and Conservation Service, USDA told the audience about the multitude of services the federal government provides sheep farmers. Warren Beeler with the Governor’s Office of Agricultural Policy completed his early morning chores on his sheep farm and came to talk about the State of Kentucky’s strong support for the sheep industry across the Commonwealth. The meeting was concluded with very informative presentations by UK’s sheep experts Dr. Debra Aaron and Dr. Ely talked about coordinating breeding with the time of year you want to market your lambs. Dr. Ely’s presentation was entitled; ‘Know when you will market lambs before turning the ram in’.
We would like to express our sincere appreciation to all the companies and corporations who donated the many door prizes that gave the audience much joy and excitement. Everyone went away with a prize! (see list of the donors below). We also would like to thank CPC Commodities of Fountain Run, Kentucky for the generous donation as arranged by Mr. Bill McIver for the leg-of-lamb and lamb shoulder that our members enjoyed for lunch at our meeting.
Fifty-five pounds of leg-of-lamb and lamb shoulder was purchased from the UK’s Butcher Shop located on campus for the lunch. The Laurel County Cooperative Extension Service paid for the cooking of the lamb, preparation of the side dishes, and serving of the meal by La Donna’s Catering of London. Many thanks to Laurel County Extension Agent Glenn Williams for the donation and for hosting the event.
Photographs of the meeting, the agenda, and acknowledgements of those companies and partners who made our meeting possible are below.
AGENDA
Southeast Kentucky Sheep Producers Association (SEKSPA)
First Quarterly Educational Meeting
January 25 (Saturday), 2020
11:00 am-2:10 pm
Laurel County Cooperative Extension Service Office
200 County Extension Road
London, Kentucky 40741
10:00-11:00 am: Sign-in, meet & greet
11:00-11:20 am: Patrick Angel, SEKSPA President – welcome and introductions
11:20-11:35 am: Glenn Williams, Cooperative Extension Service – Wilderness Trail
11:35-11:45 am: Kelley Yates, Kentucky Sheep and Goat Development Office
11:45-11:50 am: Guy Taylor, SEKSPA Marketing Committee– marketing potentials
11:50-12:00 noon: Connie Sturgill, NRCS programs for sheep farmers
12:00 noon-1:00 pm: Lamb lunch and door prizes
1:00-1:10 pm: Warren Beeler, Governor’s Office of Agricultural Policy
1:10-2:00 pm: Dr Don Ely & Dr Debra Aaron, University of Kentucky – Sheep Extension
2:00-2:10 pm: More door prizes and wrap up
The following partners and supporters have made the meeting possible:
Lamb Dinner:
CPC Commodities – Fountain Run, KY
Laurel County Cooperative Extension – London, KY
Door Prizes:
Benge Farm Supply – London, KY
Burkmann Nutrition – London, KY
Cabin Hollow Farm & Metal Art -Somerset, KY
CPC Commodities – Fountain Run, KY
Fraziers Farmers Supply – Whitesburg, KY
Hallway Feeds – Lexington – KY
Jeffers – Dothan, AL
Ketcham’s Sheep Equipment – Edwardsville, IL
Laurel County Cooperative Extension Service Office – London, KY
Mid-States Wool Growers – Canal Winchester, OH
O’Reilly’s Auto Parts Store – Hazard, KY
Premier – Washington, IA
Red Dog & Company – London, KY
Rural King – Pikeville, KY
Science Hill Milling Company – Science Hill, KY
Southern States – London, KY
Sydell – Burbank, SD
Tractor Supply – Hazard, Jackson, London, Monticello, KY
W.D. Bryant – Corbin, Williamsburg, KY
Registration was overseen by SEKSPA Treasurer John Scoville (standing in the brown shirt)
SEKSPA President Patrick Angel introducing Glenn Williams, Extension Agent with the Laurel County Cooperative Extension Service, London, Kentucky
Kelley Yates, Executive Director of the Kentucky Sheep and Goat Development Office addressing the meeting
Guy Taylor urging SEKSPA members to fill out and turn in the Marketing Survey
Connie Sturgill with the NRCS, USDA spoke about the multitude of services provided to the sheep farmer by the federal government
The Lamb Lunch was delicious! Thank you CPC Commodities (Fountain Run, KY), the Laurel County Cooperative Extension Office, and La Donna’s Catering!
An outpouring of support in the form of door prizes was realized from the companies and corporations that provide products and services to the sheep producers of southeast Kentucky
Everyone won a prize!
Warren Beeler, Executive Director of the Governor’s Office of Agriculture Policy delivered an inspiring presentation about the services of the Commonwealth for sheep farmers
Dr. Debra Aaron from the University of Kentucky gave a fascinating presentation about coordinating breeds and mating systems with lamb production objectives
The University of Kentucky’s, Dr. Don Ely held everyone spellbound with his talk about needing to know when you will market lambs before turning the ram in
The meeting room was jammed packed with sheep farmers!
A total of 115 people attended the meeting