Are you an adult who lives in the United States and registers Suffolk sheep with the United Suffolk Sheep Association as an active member? Want to give back to your organization as a volunteer? Share the USSA’s vision, “To be the most innovative, value adding member-driven sheep breed organization for an evolving U.S. Sheep Industry? Then consider applying to serve as a candidate for the USSA Board of Directors.

Four positions are open in 2026. Current board members whose terms expire in 2026 and have not served their maximum number of consecutive terms, as well as new prospective candidates are eligible to apply.

Apply by August 1, 2026

• To apply as a director candidate, complete and submit a written letter of intent explaining why you wish to be considered as a candidate for the USSA Board of Director of the USSA at [email protected].

What do USSA Directors do?

• USSA Directors engage in virtual monthly Board meetings to help guide the mission and support the role of the association.
• Directors also volunteer to serve on committees and help with USSA-sponsored events like The Suffolk Event, webinars, shows, sales, and those involving members of the United Junior Suffolk Sheep Association, too.
• The USSA’s Strategic Plan focuses on key areas to help increase the registered Suffolk market share and promote the value of the breed as terminal sires and dams with outstanding maternal strengths: Breed Improvement, Marketing and Promotion, Youth Development and Financial Resources.
• Directors are elected to serve one of two regions of the United States. Directors residing in states East of the Mississippi River serve in the East District. Those residing West of the Mississippi River represent the West District.
• Four Director terms expire in 2026: two from the East District and two from the West District.
• USSA Directors pledge to support the work of the USSA and its organization for junior members, the United Junior Suffolk Sheep Association, and the work of the United Suffolk Sheep Foundation.

New to the sheep business? Or a lifelong learner? Troubled by terminology? Wondering how to evaluate sheep for soundness, breeding, genetic conditions, heritable traits or even age? You’ll find all these handy sheep resources and more on the USSA’s Sheep Resources page at https://suffolks.org/resources.php

• From how to determine a sheep’s age by evaluating their teeth to understanding head and mouth soundness, structural correctness and how to evaluate rams and ewes for breeding potential, you’ll find helpful, easy-to-understand resources made available by the United Suffolk Sheep Association.
• Heard a term but not exactly sure what it means? Check out the extensive glossary of sheep terms to build your understanding.
• Wondering about the history of the Suffolk breed and the Suffolk Breed Standard? You’ll find all that and more on USSA’s comprehensive virtual sheep resources page.
• These make excellent resources for shepherds with any level of experience, and those considering investing in raising Suffolk sheep.
• If you’re a 4-H leader or an FFA advisor, or a member of 4-H or FFA or the United Junior Suffolk Sheep Association (UJSSA) looking for project ideas and resources, you’ll want to check out these downloadable sheep resources, available at no charge through the United Suffolk Sheep Association.
• Continue lifelong learning with these informative resources available at no charge from USSA at: https://suffolks.org/resources.php
• Encourage your friends, family and fellow sheep enthusiasts to check them out, too!

When you use USSA’s Digital Suffolk system, you can pay for and print your own registration papers electronically on demand, without paying any RUSH fees.

It’s quick and easy to register your Suffolk rams and ewes with Digital Suffolk. Simply enter in the sire and dam information, birthdate, type of birth, type of rearing, add any other desired information from a variety of field options and validate each registration and presto, you’ve committed your sheep to the USSA Suffolk registry database quickly and easily.

Take the time and hassle out of transfers

• Plus, with Digital Suffolk transferring sheep you’ve sold is a breeze. No more fumbling to find a registration paper, put it in the mail with payment, wait for it to be processed then wait yet again for it to arrive by mail. To process a transfer, register the Suffolk then simply add the new buyer’s USSA number, or look it up in the database or record a new record for the buyer and the date of sale, the percentage of the sheep sold, and that’s it. It’s that quick and easy!
• With Digital Suffolk registrations and transfers are recorded as soon as you commit them to the database and pay for the transfer. What could be easier?

Easy to access on your desktop or your phone

• Access Digital Suffolk from the convenience of your desktop or your mobile device. Use it to view the sheep in your flock, sorted by sex and by lambs, yearlings and mature sheep. Add DNA information to record each Suffolk’s resistance to scrapie, spider syndrome and dwarf genes.
• Track semen sales, semen rights and breeding certificates for natural breeding and artificial insemination.
• Submit your flock’s performance information to the National Sheep Improvement Program (NSIP) with the convenience of using Digital Suffolk, without the tedious process of having to reenter pedigree information.
• Searching for a certain flock or Suffolk sheep for sale? You can do that with Digital Suffolk, too!

Digital Suffolk calculates key dates quickly

• Wonder when sheep bred are due to lamb? No need to calculate or guess on the lambing date. Digital Suffolk does it for you. The same goes with heat cycles, as Digital Suffolk calculates when a ewe in heat on a certain date will experience her next 17-day estrus cycle.
• Wondering about weaning dates? Digital Suffolk calculates those date ranges for you, too, with everything from weaning to early post-weaning, to post weaning dates, based on birthdates.

See what you’ve been missing!

• Learn more about the many time-saving features of Digital Suffolk and how it works at: https://suffolks.org/wp/registration/
• Become a member of the United Suffolk Sheep Association or the United Junior Suffolk Sheep Association to get your Digital Suffolk log in information. Use the handy membership forms on this page to join USSA and/or UJSSA today: https://suffolks.org/wp/registration/
• Check out the fees and the key forms you may need for registering your Suffolks through USSA at: https://suffolks.org/wp/registration/
• Become a USSA or UJSSA member today, then unlock the keys to the many convenient features of Digital Suffolk at https://suffolk.digitalovine.com/

• Have questions? Email [email protected].

View the Suffolk Source!