PROGRAMS Registry USE GENETICS OUTSIDE OF SUFFOLKS
PERCENTAGE PROGRAM Q&A Roseville, I�linois MIKE TAYLOR, TAYLOR LIVESTOCK
PERCENTAGE PROGRAM
The United Suffolk Sheep Association offers a Suffolk Percentage Program for members to identify and maintain records on their non-purebred replacement seed stock and their descendent. Percentage registered Suffolks will receive Percentage Registration Certificates which indicates the animals purity in the bottom-left corner of the certificate. Animals will receive this paper until they have reached 15/16 or 94% pure. At 94% the animal is considered to be a purebred Suffolk and will receive a purebred registration paper. Rule of Entry: For an animal to enter the Percentage Program, at least one parent must be registered as a Purebred or Percentage Suffolk. There is no flock program application required for the percentage program, those who are interested can complete the application for registration, noting percentage at the top of the form to enroll sheep. For any animals being registered who have an unregistered (0%) parent that is not already registered with the USSA, please include Flock name and number leaving the registration number blank.
WHERE DID YOU LEARN ABOUT THE SUFFOLK PERCENTAGE PROGRAM? I first learned about the Suffolk percentage program in the Suffolk Source publication. We went to the Suffolk Event and found out more of the details and went to work on it. WHY DID YOU FEEL THAT UTILIZING THE PERCENTAGE REGISTRY PROGRAM WAS A GOOD FIT FOR YOUR OPERATION?
I had a good set of papered ewes and stud rams. For years we kept records on everything, we just didn’t go ahead and register any of them. We also had a set of unregistered blackface ewes that we kept breeding to our Suffolk stud rams. With the percentage program we can utilize the genetic make-up of these ewes. WHEN DID YOU BEGIN USING THE SUFFOLK PERCENTAGE PROGRAM? This will be our third year of registering percentages and purebreds. When we started registering again we could go back to 2020 with our records. WHAT WAS THE GENETIC BACKGROUND OF THE GROUP OF EWES YOU INITIALLY ENROLLED INTO THE PERCENTAGE PROGRAM? I started breeding suffolks in 1972. Some of the original bloodlines we used for the percentage program would go way back to Buckeye Acres, Binky Suffolks, McMillan, George Brothers, John Marzuke, Huss Suffolks, Norman Olsen, Jack Larsen, Heggemeir Suffolks, Frostaire Farms, Rollie Rosenboom, and Stan Heitz Suffolks. The rams we used came from Bob Kimm, Bar-Zel and Andrew Paul at WS Farm. The percentage ewes go way back to the breeders above and out of the rams listed. HOW HAS YOUR OPERATION BENEFITED FROM REGISTERING AND TRACKING YOUR PERCENTAGE SUFFOLKS? This year, we have bred around 100 head of purebred and percentage ewes. Without this program, those old school genetics from back in the 1970s until now would be gone forever. We always kept the records, we just didn’t keep up with the registration side of it. This program lets those
Contact the USSA Office to learn more about this program and how your flock can be enrolled.
genetics still be a part of our breeding program. WHERE DO YOU PRIMARILY MARKET YOUR SUFFOLKS?
We don’t show anymore, so we miss the big sales. We still sell breeding stock off the farm and at some sale barns in Iowa. We sell our market lambs at Kalona and Keosauqua, Iowa.
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