USSA Meet your Board
coast. This board is active and dedicated in representing breeders throughout the U.S. Under the talented leadership of our Executive Secretary, Amanda Everts, and with the support and cooperation of the Foundation and our Junior Association, I think this is one of the best breed groups in the country. WHAT DO YOU SEE AS FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE USSA AND FOR THE SUFFOLK BREED? When you focus on opportunity, hard work, and integrity, the future will take care of itself. So let’s keep doing the next right thing and Suffolks will expand their positive impact within the industry. ISAAC SWORTZEL, SUFFANGUS FARM LLC, GREENVILLE, VIRGINIA • EAST DISTRICT HOW LONG HAVE YOU RAISED SUFFOLKS AND HOW DID YOU GET YOUR START? We have had Suffolks all my life, and I’ve been working with them for over 30 years. Grew up with the operation and helped make decisions from my teenage years on through today. WHY DO YOU CONTINUE TO RAISE AND REGISTER SUFFOLKS WITH USSA? I still raise Suffolks because of the advantages they provide in growth and muscle, and take pride in the rams and ewes we offer to many commercial breeders to improve their lamb crops. Also I am seeing more of the global reach of the breed, more so than many other breeds, with a diverse genetic pool that provide the ability to make improvements
in many different directions depending on your business, environmental, or management context. Anybody who has more than one or two Suffolks will tell you you have to love it, and that’s a big part of why we still have them after over 50 years of raising them. Once in a while, on a cold night at 2 a.m. when you’ve been lambing ewe after ewe for five hours, you ask yourself why you do this. That’s why...you have to love it. WHAT’S ONE PIECE OF EQUIPMENT THAT YOU CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT IN RAISING SUFFOLKS AND WHY? Sheep flipper with head catch is my new favorite piece of equipment. Makes vaccinating, deworming, hoof trimming, etc., so much faster and easier on a body that is not 25 anymore. WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT SERVING ON THE USSA BOARD? I love meeting people and discussing issues with people from all over the country with different contexts to their operations than mine. It provides a lot of insight to the way we all see the breed differently depending on different board members’ experiences with it. I hope that allows us all to make better decisions as a breed association that will grow our reach and the Suffolk breed in the future. That’s my favorite part of being on the board. WHAT DO YOU SEE AS FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE USSA AND FOR THE SUFFOLK BREED? There are a lot of opportunities for the breed to expand its genetics by looking outside the USA. Many of these genetics can help us improve forage conversion, longevity, fleshing ability and production
DIANE RUSSELL, RUSSELL SHEEP CO., EATON, INDIANA • EAST DISTRICT HOW LONG HAVE YOU RAISED SUFFOLKS AND HOW DID YOU GET YOUR START? I started raising and showing Suffolk sheep as a young 4-Her, and have had them ever since. So over six decades is a long time to love this breed! WHY DO YOU CONTINUE TO RAISE AND REGISTER SUFFOLKS WITH USSA? I enjoy raising sheep, and I love looking at a beautiful flock of Suffolks. The USSA is a valuable membership as we market our ewes and rams, and it is a valuable resource for information and networking. WHAT’S ONE PIECE OF EQUIPMENT THAT YOU CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT IN RAISING SUFFOLKS AND WHY? Because of our age, my husband, Paul, and I could no longer manage our flock care routines without our working corral, sort gate, and turntable system. WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT SERVING ON THE USSA BOARD? Several years ago, when I first served on the board, I had a somewhat limited view of what Suffolks should be, and I wanted to be a voice from a Midwest farm flock perspective. After serving that stint, and now another two terms on the board, I have gained a huge appreciation for the scope of diversity, purpose, and impact of this great breed. The added bonus is the bond of relationships that I’ve formed with fellow producers from coast to
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