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.
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
New to showing sheep? Look through our Calendar to find some great shows to attend!
Any show can count for points if you turn them in to the Valais Blacknose Sheep Society!
Enter any Valais Blacknose Class, Long Wool, breeding sheep class, or showmanship class for points. Sheep, Youth & Adults can earn points with the VBSS! Be sure to also check out your local events for open classes, state fairs and local fiber festivals.
Sheep are required to show Valais Blacknose Standards. No blocking wool cuts or docked tails. Wool length can be shorter depending on time of year, as long as they have some wool to be judged and are not “blocked”.
“Official VBSS Shows” means Swiss trained judges will be there & points will automatically be added to the sheep & members profile. All other shows must be turned in to VBSSinfo@gmail.com, with a picture & placing's – form on website with more info.
Active VBSS Members can e-mail vbssinfo@gmail.com if interested in volunteering!
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 VBSS is recruiting volunteers for the upcoming National Western Stock Show!
Hang out with your favorite sheep at the 2025 National Western Stock Show this January by volunteering for the Valais Blacknose Sheep Society!
Show Dates: January 11, 2025 – January 26, 2025
Volunteers will receive FREE admission into the Stock Show as well as free parking for the days they sign up for! Volunteers will be divided with one in the sheep pen and one with the product booth. The live sheep pen and product booth are side-by-side. Volunteering is ONLY open to existing members of the VBSS.
Interested in volunteering? Use the link below to learn how!
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.
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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