What the "hair sheep" world needs is people like the ones on this list
server who would be willing to take the time to be judges.
Sue,
It could be argued that because there is no "big money" in blackbellies
that there is never going to be an interest in fostering enough
education about "what makes a GOOD" blackbelly (beyond the standard) to
start licensing judges.
I know that exhibiting is a touchy subject with blackbelly breeders, but
there are age-old ways to measure the quality of an animal and one of
them is exhibition. We have to be wary not to fall into the "They think
they're better than us, so I'm gonna pick up my dollies and go home and
play alone 'cuz they don't like me" mindset. We then NEVER prove to the
public the value of our animals. I sure see it in other species. Some,
like for instance miniature horses (not picking on anyone) are
frequently pushed over the edge for performance when they wedge their
way into a large horse event, and the animals suffer when the owners
push them to prove "we're just as good as you are, maybe better." We
don't want to fall into that trap. We're NOT pony-sized wool sheep (my
gawd, I had NO IDEA how big a stinkin' sheep could be!). We're
DIFFERENT, in some ways we're BETTER, but we don't need to play the game
by the other guy's rules to prove that. But we DO need to prove it.
That way is not to wedge ourselves into wool-sheep games, but make a
concerted effort to prove the merits of our own classification of sheep
on our own terms. We can't do that by sitting in our various corners of
the world and not pooling our energies.
Showing sheep has a bad rap, and well deserved; most species that end up
in exhibition situations seem to have their followers that will do
anything (to the animal) to win.
But showing does foster a pursuit of excellence, and sheep judging is
generally based on some sort of market desirability. We never as a
breed, put ourselves to any sort of test, and therefore we don't have
any measurable standard to prove our animals in the market place.
Any of the hallmarks of the blackbelly breed can be quickly bred out, or
bred back in and fixed. We say the blackbelly is low cholesterol, but
we have no research to actually prove it. We can't just say it's so and
expect people to believe it.
If I may be so bold, other than weed eaters, I haven't really been able
to nail down the market niche that the blackbelly WANTS to fit into. I
recently saw advertised lambs for $20 and breeding rams for $40 and my
heart just sank. A breeding ram - 50% of someone's future flock -
selling for 45 cents a pound. Well finished blackbelly lamb should be
able to command $2.00 a pound live weight at the farm gate - this is the
most exquisitely flavored lamb on the planet, it's GOURMET - and it's
being sold for less than the cost of a classified ad.
Our breeding animals should command at least 3X the value of a butcher
lamb. What is keeping the recognition and value of the animals in the
gutter? Is it because there is no strong upgrading and marketing push
to bring up the overall quality of, and exposure to the breed? (Talking
horned here.)
Your animals really, are only worth what you ask for them, and what
someone is willing to pay. But there's no getting around it, some sort
of performance record, even if it's an expert's opinion of your sheep in
the form of a show record, adds value. It gives future breeders at
least some idea that you are solidly committed to an improvement
program.
I watched a friend's mom and dad clean up the championships in the
Hampshire classes. They don't do anything to the sheep except present
them well - and breed top quality sheep, which they've been doing for
years. A good animal is a good animal.
I am seriously considering forming a local/regional group of blackbelly
fanciers here in NW Oregon, to discuss the dilemma we are in as far as
pricing, recognition, breeding goals, etc. The BBSAI is a fantastic
organization, but can only do so much, working as it does on a
national/international scale. Recognition and improvement has to come
from the grass roots - on a local scale (think globally, act locally so
to speak). It could be a lot of fun. I don't think we can rely on
starting with 4-H because a lot of us who own these sheep are kid-less
and middle aged. But if the grownups get together and get serious, then
4-H clubs can spin off from there.
There are venues to exhibit sheep that are not judged. Until the
American Blackbelly really respects itself as a breed and not just a
lawnmower, there's no point in even talking about licensing judges. But
a bunch of crazy blackbelly breeders could sure have a lot of fun and a
big impact on a local scale, working to promote them, improve them, and
start commanding respectable prices for them! There is no way to go but
up with these critters. But there's strength in numbers and we need to
combine our strengths at a local level to start moving ahead into a wide
open market.
Best regards,
Barb Lee
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