Welcome to the Valais Blacknose Sheep Society
Established in 2017 to support the development of the American Valais Blacknose Sheep, membership is open to everyone who shares a love of this unique animal.
Be a Part of History and Join the Valais Blacknose Sheep Society!
Become a Member
Get involved in promoting the Valais Blacknose breed here in the United States and take advantage of everything else the VBSS has to offer!
Our Mission
Learn more about the VBSS’s commitment to ensuring the quality of Valais Blacknose Sheep in the United States.
Meet the Board
Get to know the elected board of directors to the Valais Blacknose Sheep Society and learn about their commitment to our cause.
We aim to provide the following services to our members:
Confidence in Elected Board Members and Registry
Newsletter Updates
Volunteer Opportunities at Shows Across the Country
Option to Display Your Farm Ad on Our Website
Visibility on the Member Roster
Promotion of High Breeding & Registration Standards
Member Support and Education
Encourage Youth Participation with Junior Memberships
Working with International Industry Leaders
Access to Members Only Grassroots Registry
VBSS Calendar
Earn Points for Shows
Any show can count for points if you turn them in to the Valais Blacknose Sheep Society! Use the link below for more details and to download the official Sheep Show Form to earn points for participation.
View All Upcoming Events
Use the link below to view details on all upcoming Valais Blacknose Sheep Shows, Events & Webinars and so much more! If you would like to add or suggest an event, email vbssinfo@gmail.com
Volunteer
Active Members of the Valais Blacknose Sheep Society are welcome to volunteer at upcoming sheep shows & events! Email vbssinfo@gmail.com for more info.
Maryland Fiber Festival, Black Sheep Gathering & USA National Show are all automatically counted for points.
All other shows must be turned in via email (VBSSinfo@gmail.com) within 7 days of show including form & a picture from event.
The Valais Blacknose Sheep Society has adopted Grassroots Pedigree Software Solutions as its registry program. Grassroots is the premier livestock breeding registry. Established in 1997, Grassroots has 20 years of pedigree livestock breeding system accountability, making it well respected in the breeding community.
Member Login
Existing VBSS members can login to their Grassroots account using the link below.
Additional Info
Use the link below to learn more about Grassroots and how to use the software.
History of the Valais Blacknose Sheep
The Valais Blacknose sheep originate in the Valais region of Switzerland. They are a dual-purpose breed, raised for meat and wool. They are unique to the Upper Valais and are well adapted to the harsh mountain conditions, being extremely hardy, prolific and frugal.
The black on its nose, eyes, ears, knees, hocks and feet and otherwise light woolly coats make them quite unmistakeable. They have large helical or spiral shaped horns .They are good at grazing steep, rocky slopes. Both sexes are horned.
The earliest mention of the breed dates back to 1400 A.D., but they were first recognized as a separate breed in 1962.
Today, the Swiss herdbooks include almost 13,700 animals. The breed was exclusively raised in Switzerland until imported to the British Isles in 2013 and 2014 by several interested breeders. Importation to the US is being pursued through an upgrading program using semen collected from purebred Valais Blacknose Sheep beginning in fall of 2016.
The VBSS respectfully acknowledges the generations of work that have gone in to developing the Valais Blacknose Sheep in Switzerland and has adopted the Standard of Type from the Swiss time tested standards of selection.
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MEET THE MEMBERS
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