(fb)

Member Monday💬 Elsberry FFA Elsberry, Missouri Elsberry is a proud community of 2,123 people, midway between Hannibal and St. Louis on the Missouri/Illinois border in Eastern Missouri. In addition to traveling internationally and earning the right to represent Missouri in national contests, chapter members raise registered Suffolk sheep. Elsberry FFA advisors Sarah Ray and Jason Vandivort say “raising Suffolks allows their students to have a learning opportunity of raising a breed, see the flock’s expansion, and hopefully, the success of a breeding program.” The Suffolk flock has totally changed the chapter’s sheep breeding program. “From day one, students have been hands-on with the development of our breeding program at the school farm, from helping with breeding decisions to showing their own stock. Students have found success in Suffolk shows on local, state, and national levels. We couldn’t be more proud of how far we have come,” Sarah says. The chapter initially bought six Suffolk ewes and then six more the following year. Students escalated the program by raising their own rams and then tried AI this year to breed a few elite ewes. Raising registered Suffolks has meant students have learned the importance of good management practices and the record keeping necessary to raise purebred sheep. Veterinary Science students complete management practices from cleaning pens to banding tails to blood testing for pregnancy. “We have intensified our program to involve members more heavily in management decisions,” Sarah added. “Our Suffolks are the reason why our members have found the most success in the showring,” Sarah says. Many students have bought breeding stock from the chapter’s program to establish their own Suffolk flocks. To learn more about how you, too, can build experience and potential profits by raising Suffolk sheep, visit Suffolks.org to learn more. (fb)