Ontario Suffolk Sire 
Reference Association

Constitution
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Mission Statement

To ensure that the members of the Ontario Suffolk Sire Reference Association, and indirectly all Suffolk Breeders, will be competitive with all terminal meat sires.

To gain superior carcass quality and in general to improve the overall performance of the Suffolk Breed.

 

Bylaws

1. The organization shall be named "Ontario Suffolk Sire Reference Association".

2. At present there is

  1. A Chairman from Ontario, Canada (term: 3 years)**
  2. A Secretary-Treasurer from Ontario, Canada (term: 2 years)**
  3. Two Directors from Ontario, Canada (term: 1 year)**
  4. One Director from Indiana, USA (term: 3 years)**

With a minimum of three people on the board being Canadian.  There can be up to a total of six (6) directors.

3. Must agree to AI fifteen (15) registered Suffolk ewes in the member's flock to one of the selected sires for the next season.

4. AI, sponges, frozen semen, and other items are at the owners expense.

5. Advertising will be split equally.

6. On selecting the next sire(s) for the following year each member has an equal vote.

7. As of January 1, 1997 a yearly fee of $55.00 in Canadian funds will be required to assist in compensating for advertising and administrative duites.

8. If a breeder joins after the current insemination period for the year of joining, that member will not be eligible to cast a vote on the selection for the next year's ram.

9. Any purebred Suffolk breeder must have a full membership only.

10. The Bylaws can be renewable at an annual meeting.

** Term Limits of Directors:

1. Introduction: By constitution, O.S.S.R.A. is managed by it's Board of Directors.   In order to insure a steady influx of fresh approaches to many challenges that face O.S.S.R.A., Directors shall be limited to two consecutive terms of office, after which he or she must sit out one complete term before running again.

2. Term Limits of Directors: Each Director elected to the Board of Directors shall be priviledged to serve no more than two consecutive terms, or any part thereof.   Thereafter such Director shall not be eligible to be a candidate for the Board of Directors for a period of three years from the last day of the second term in which such Director served any part thereof.

Health Regulations

1. Have all flocks Maedi Visna free (USA would be OPP free).

2. Ram lambs for reference should have federal blood tests.

3. To have DNA testing for Codon 136, and Codon 171. Scrapie testing when it becomes available.

4. Rams on DNA should be ideally at Codon 136 AA and at Codon 171 QR, RR, RH.

5. DNA test finger printing of rams.

6. DNA Spider Gene tested must be NN.

7. USA members should be on the USA Voluntary Scrapie Program.   It is their discretion to what level they would like to achieve.  (USA ram lambs to be selected must be at a minimum of level A.  This is under discussion.)

 

Federal Blood Test

At farm test for the following:

(1) Tuberculosis

(2) Brucellosis Stat CF

(3) Leptospirosis

(4) Paratuberculosis

(5) Blue Tongue

(6) Maedi Visna (OPP)

(7) Brucella Ovis

30 Days after arriving at the Semen Collection Centre a similar test is done. After this has been cleared then semen can be withdrawn and checked to see if the semen will freeze.

Note: Transportation from the originating farm to the AI unit must be these animals only and must not stop at any sheep farm while en route to the AI unit.

 

ROP Work

1. Record ram, dam, lamb(s), date of birth, sex of lamb(s), birth weight(optional), 50 day weight, 100 day weight and a scan at 100 day wt at the 3rd lumbar depth of the loin and depth of fat.  Suggest scanning with full fleece and lubricant. All information is sent to Lmabplan for final analysis and an index based on EBVs that has a 75:0:25 ratio. The ratio is wt for EBV at 100 days, fat EBV and loin eye depth EBV.

2. The above data is confidential but for the selecting of a ram and must be available for voting members only.

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