Welcome BBSAI member! This is the new Barbados Blackbelly Newsletter Blog which will be posted on our website quarterly starting with this issue in July 2022. You received an automated email for this blog which directed you to access it here. You are automatically subscribed to receive a notification email for each future posting but if you wish to unsubscribe you can click the ‘unsubscribe’ link in the notification email. This blog will hopefully function as the previous newsletter did to update you on news about our sheep, our members, and our association.
There will be no comments on the blog postings but if you have topics or questions that you would like to see addressed in this blog, please contact the Editor at newsletter@blackbellysheep.org
News Item #1 Microgrants: The Livestock Conservancy is again offering microgrants to anyone raising Barbados Blackbelly sheep (American Blackbelly sheep are not included under TLC). Microgrants are typically $500-$2000, and the details of the application process can be found on TLC website here: https://livestockconservancy.org/resources/micro-grant-program/
- Call for applications, May 27 – August 19, 2022
- Judging, September – October 2022
- Winner notification and grant contract submissions, November – December 2022
- Public announcement of winners, January 2023
Grants can be approved for purchase of animals or transportation of animals to add to the genetic diversity of your flock; infrastructure improvements; fencing; marketing help; etc. The website describes past winners so you can see what previous awards have been. If you have a specific need that might qualify, apply!
News Item #2 American Blackbelly Open Registry: In response to hard work by a group of dedicated AB breeders, the BBSAI board has agreed to allow AB breeders to apply to register previously unregistered AB sheep by a process which will be described in detail on the BBSAI website later this year. The process for each new sheep will take at least 12 months because offspring have to be evaluated to determine that all the desirable characteristics of the AB breed will breed ‘true’ in the newly registered sheep. Also this same group of dedicated breeders updated the AB breed conformation standards which are now available on the website under ‘About the Sheep” and then “Breed Standards American Blackbelly.” Check it out yourself if you raise AB sheep, they did an expert job!
News Item #3 Increase in Fees for Registration and Transfers: Starting in January 2023 the fee to either register or transfer a BB or AB sheep will increase to $8 each (up from $5 which has not been changed in many years). Look for a more thorough explanation of how the BBSAI board intends to use this increased revenue, and our current accumulated assets, for your benefit in an upcoming quarterly blog posting.
News Item #4 Census requirement for membership renewal: Starting with membership renewals in June 2023, each member will be required to submit an accurate census of the number of sheep currently owned along with the membership fee (which is not increasing). This change will allow BBSAI to more closely monitor the actual number of live sheep in our registry from year to year. Currently we only have a rough estimate based on assuming any sheep younger than 10 years of age could still be alive but we all know how inaccurate that estimate is. We have also added the ability of members to indicate on the website whether a sheep owned is deceased or not but this function has not been widely adopted as of yet. If you have not gone in your member’s area and updated all your sheep to indicate deceased for those you KNOW are dead, please do so. And thanks!