2023 Proposed USSA Bylaw Amendments
The following USSA bylaw amendments will be on the ballot the fall of 2023. Please reach out to a USSA board member with any question you may have. Ballots will be mailed by September 1st and must be returned, in the provided envelope, postmarked on or before October 1st.

Allowance for Electronic Correspondence and Voting
Passed – 56 approve, 2 disapprove
Article V. Directors. Section 4. Election of Directors. Candidates for a director’s position shall cause to be delivered to the USSA office a letter of nomination, which letter shall be received at the office by August 1 of that year. An official ballot containing the names and resumes of district candidates shall be mailed to all members of the association by September 1 of that year. To vote in the election of Directors, a member must return the ballot to a location at the board of directors’ discretion October 1 of that year. Director applicants receiving the most votes in his/her district shall be deemed elected. In the event of a tie, the present directors will pick the winner or one of the tie candidates may choose to refrain from election. The secretary of the USSA will inform, by mail, all voting members of the election results.

Proposed Amendment: Candidates for a director’s position shall be delivered to the USSA office a letter or correspondence via email stating intent to seek election as a director in the organization by August 1 of that year. An official ballet containing the names and resumes of district candidates shall be mailed or emailed (based on membership preference specified when annual dues are paid) to all members of the association by September 1 of that year. To vote in the election of Directors, a member must either return the ballot to a location at the board of directors’ discretion by October 1 of that year or vote electronically by the third-party electronic voting process the association is utilizing at that time (based on membership preference specified when annual dues are paid). Director applicants receiving the most votes in his/her district shall be deemed elected. In the event of a tie, the present directors will pick the winner or one of the tie candidates may choose to refrain from election. The secretary of the USSA will inform all voting members of the election results.

Reason for considering an amendment: This will allow for modernization of correspondence and voting to reduce delays due to mailing and save the association the cost of postage.

Special Meeting Notice Requirements
Passed  – 49 approve, 7 disapprove
Article V. Directors. Section 10. Special Meetings. A special meeting of the Board may be called at any time by the President, or any three or more of the Directors by giving ten days’ notice of such meeting to each member of the Board of Directors, either personally or by mail, stating the time, place and purpose of any such meeting.

Proposed Amendment: A special meeting of the Board may be called at any time by the President, or any three or more of the Directors by giving five days’ notice of such meeting to each member of the Board of Directors, either personally or by mail, stating the time, place and purpose of any such meeting.

Reason for considering an amendment: In times when special meetings may be needed, this allows the board to be more responsive and stay within bylaws.

Suffolk Event Junior Show Results

Suffolk Sale Order     Sale Report

CLICK TO BID ONLINE

SCHEDULE

Friday, June 9
11:30am            Event registration at Crowne Plaza

1-4:30 pm        Educational sessions at Crowne Plaza    
1:00-2:00pm
Digital Suffolk 101 – Amanda Everts
Producer Panel: Lessons Learned for a Successful Operation – Bret Henderson, Bob Kimm, Evan Snyder, Jim Van Dyke. Moderator: Jeremy Geske
Farm to Table Direct Marketing of Lamb: Diane Russell, John Peck, Gwen Kitzan
Youth: Where’s the Meat? – Ann Kolthoff

2:15-3:15pm
Digital Suffolk 101 – Amanda Everts 
Producer Panel:Lessons Learned for a Successful Operation – Bret Henderson, Bob Kimm, Evan Snyder, Jim Van Dyke. Moderator: Jeremy Geske
New USDA Livestock Drug Regulations/Off-label Drug Use – Dr. John King
Youth: Shepardy- UJSSA Directors

3:30-4:30pm
Digital Suffolk: Advanced Options – Amanda Everts
Preventing Loss from Abortion Diseases- Dr. John King
Data 101: How to Improve Your Bottom Line – Ann Kolthoff
Youth: Creepy Crawlers  – Dr. Scott Greiner

*Small group sessions will be offered for “Using Ultrasound for Carcass Evaluation” on Friday and Saturday – signup will be arranged through the USSA

6 pm                Welcome dinner at fairgrounds followed by sale sheep preview.
                         – Meal included with event registration
                         – Youth corn hole tournament and ice cream sundae bar

Saturday, June 10
8:30 -10:30 am Breed Standard Discussion with Dr. Scott Greiner at the Fairgrounds (Goat Barn)
                            – Youth Track : Skill-a-thon  • Carcass Scanning • Lamb Cooking/Tasting (Gwen Kitzan)

Lunch on your own

Noon                Suffolk sale

Junior Show check-in is scheduled on Saturday, June 10 beginning 30 minutes following the conclusion of the Suffolk Sale until 4pm.

6 pm                Social Hour, Banquet Dinner Crowne Plaza
                       – Dinner Reservations required
                       – Lamb & chicken buffet for adults, pizza buffet and game room for kids.
                       – Foundation Program & Hall of Fame recognition to follow
                       – Suffolk Socializing & Entertainment

Sunday, June 11
8 am                Junior Show at fairgrounds*
*Pre-entry suggested. Junior Show check-in is scheduled on Saturday, June 10 beginning 30 minutes following the conclusion of the Suffolk Sale until 4pm. 

Educational Program

The Suffolk Event Educational Program

ONLINE BIDDING @ BREEDERSWORLD.COM!

Sale Catalog – Click to View – Suffolks start on page 13!

Registration/Entry Forms

Registration Form Word   PDF 
Registration Deadline:  Extended to May 25!

Sale Entry Form Word PDF
Sale Information Letter
Sale Entry Deadline: May 1 (must be faxed or emailed)

Junior Show Entry Form Word PDF
Junior Show Rules
Junior Show Deadline: May 27 (suggested but not required)

Click Here to Review Frequently Asked Questions
Click Here to Complete Interest Survey

Lodging Options

Holiday Inn Express (adjacent to meeting and banquet hotel)
217-529-7771
booking link: United Suffolk Sheep Association – Holiday Inn Express

Crowne Plaza (meeting and banquet site)
217-529-7777

Comfort Inn 
217-615-4445 – “Suffolk Sheep Block 2023” $115/night +tax
booking link: https://www.choicehotels.com/reservations/groups/xb66b2

Best Western
217-525-7420 – “Suffolk Sheep” for 10% off

Ramada Inn
217-523-4000 – “Suffolk Sheep” $101/night +tax

Camping
Illinois State Fairgrounds: 217-782-6661

The Suffolk Event Sponsors

Diamond Sponsors ($2500+)

Gold Sponsors ($1000-$2499)

Silver Sponsors ($500-$999)

ILLINOIS SUFFOLK SHEEP ASSOCIATION

Bronze Sponsors ($250-$499)

JMG SUFFOLKS, MN

Suffolk Event Sponsorship Levels Revised 4.28.23

The 2024 National Junior Suffolk Show, held in conjunction with the All-American Junior Sheep Show will be July 4-7 East Lansing, Michigan. 

To learn more: https://allamericanjuniorshow.com/

To view info on the Midwest Stud Ram Sale – including the sale and schedule visit: www.midwestsale.com

Online Catalog: https://www.midwestsale.com/catalog/

Livestream: https://www.dvauction.com/

Online Bidding: https://www.dvauction.com/

The Board of Directors of the United Suffolk Sheep Association wishes to extend gratitude to the membership for your participation in the recent vote on how animals should be presented at the National Suffolk Show and National Suffolk Sale. In recent history, there has been very few votes in the USSA that has seen this level of turnout. The membership vote related to the presentation of animals at the association sanctioned events has been counted and is for there to be no change; 77 in favor of the presentation change and 83 in favor of no change.

We thought it was important for our members to participate in the decision-making process. The Board was clear when this was put to the vote of the membership that we would abide by the wishes of the membership, and you have spoken.

Now that this vote is in the rear-view mirror, the exciting programs and projects we are continuing to work on can truly be front and center in the conversation. Going back to the Fall of 2020 with the Needs Assessment, we set the precedent for reaching out to you and actively soliciting your feedback and direction.

We heard you say that you wanted more opportunities to collaborate and more education, which is the focus of The Suffolk Event that was recently announced. We are working on a collaborative event that will bring all facets of our breed together. Coming together as Suffolk breeders, making new friends, and visiting with old ones while participating in new learning opportunities is the focus of The Event. We hope you will take home a nugget of new information that you can implement in your flock. A sale will provide an opportunity for members to sell their sheep or obtain some new genetics. A junior show will give youth an experience to get out with their sheep early in the season and develop new skills.

We aren’t trying to change an existing Suffolk event; we are creating an entirely new one that encompasses all things Suffolk. All ages, all segments, and all geographies are the target audience. It will move around in subsequent years, but the focus will be consistent in bringing together the many different and diverse Suffolk enthusiasts to celebrate the breed.

As we finished the strategic planning session last fall, a full list of committees and committee chairs was distributed to the membership. We are very proud of the work being done and are equally excited about the composition of those committees. The work being tackled is long overdue and, in some cases, has never been tackled before. The people chopping wood and carrying water are not just Board members – there is a herd (or flock, depending on where in the country you are) of active members who stepped up and asked to be part of those committees.

We are blessed to be surrounded by people who feel as strongly about the breed and are committed to the future. If you have the passion and the time to help, know that there are many opportunities to do so.

We know we need to do a better job talking about the accomplishments being made, and we are excited to share that. To that end, a report on committee progress will be distributed to the entire membership within the next several weeks, so you can see what else we’ve been working on to advance the breed we are all so proud to be a part of. No longer will the membership need to wait until the annual meeting to get a real glimpse into what we are striving to accomplish.

There is excitement in looking ahead to the future. There is real progress being made on real tasks that can make a real difference for our breed. Thank you again for your passionate engagement. Working together there is absolutely nothing we can’t make happen together for the Suffolk breed.

2023 USSA Suffolk Directory Dates:
Feb. 15 – Ad Commitment Deadline
March 1 – Ad info & payment due

*We’d like to get started on directory ads early this year! Consider finalizing your ad BEFORE lambing!!

Click Here for Electronic Ad Worksheet