EAPK is pleased to introduce four deserving candidates who have graciously decided to run for two open Board of Director seats in the upcoming election. All are currently serving EAPK on various committees. We are appreciative of their dedication to our mission and their willingness to serve this organization. Please take the time to read their full bios.
Becky Phillips, Phillips Family Farmstead, Washington, PA
My name is Becky Phillips and I would like to express my interest in serving on the Board of Directors for the Eastern Alliance for Production Katahdins. I am passionate about raising healthy, productive Katahdin sheep and feel my goals align with those of the EAPK.
I live in Washington, PA with my husband Kenny. We are very fortunate to have our three children, their spouses and 10 grandchildren living close to us. My parents were not farmers – my father was a steel worker and my mother worked at our local hospital. I believe my calling to be a farmer came from my aunt who, along with her family, ran one of the largest dairy farms in Pennsylvania for many years. On our frequent Sunday visits to the dairy farm, I saw how my aunt and uncle’s dedication to their herd was both demanding and rewarding. Memories of those farm visits made an imprint on my heart to become active in agriculture.
I have raised full blood Katahdin sheep since 2008. We maintain 70-80 ewes in a conventional management system. We lamb 2-3 times a year utilizing NSIP enrolled Katahdin rams. Our flock has been enrolled in NSIP since 2019, building connectivity with flocks across the US. All of our breeding rams and most ewes are genomically tested. I have been performing biosecurity testing on our flock since 2017. The health of our sheep and avoiding the spread of disease are very important to me.
My goal is to have a Katahdin flock that exhibits the true Katahdin breed traits of low maintenance and fast growth with exceptional parasite resistance. We average 212% lamb crop annually. My experience as a previous PA Humane Police Officer and vet tech have helped me to understand the significance of raising sheep that are properly cared for. I have been fortunate to have great mentors and have learned by making mistakes, as we all do. The educational resources provided by the EAPK are also invaluable in shepherding!
I have been an EAPK member for many years and served on the Symposium and Publications committees. I would be excited to continue to offer my time to such a positive group by serving on the Board. Thank you.
Leanne Reed, Reeds Family Farm, Frenchburg, KY
My name is Leanne Reed and I’m running for the board of directors for Eastern Alliance for Production Katahdins (EAPK). My family and I have been raising Katahdin sheep since 2019. We originally purchased a commercial flock of ewes and a registered ram. Since that time, we have incorporated additional registered stock into our flock and have begun using the National Sheep Improvement Program (NSIP) to help guide the future of our agricultural business. Attending the 2nd annual EAPK symposium and sale was the major motivator in us deciding to enroll in NSIP and begin the use of estimated breeding values (EBVs) to move our flock forward. The education we have received from EAPK has contributed to our flock in so many ways and I hope to be able to be a part of this experience for other shepherds.
I enjoy learning and talking to others about the sheep industry, the Katahdin breed, and NSIP. Education and research are vitally important to move the breed and industry forward. Both are important aspects to EAPK which continually works to bring education into the hands of shepherds. I look forward to helping drive the direction of EAPK to bolster our involvement with education and research. As an active member of EAPK, I have served on the symposium, sale, and communication committees. Serving on these committees has given me the opportunity to get to know other members of EAPK and to better understand the interworking of the organization. I enjoy working with other members of EAPK and hope to find additional ways to serve in the future. I have fostered good working relationships within the Katahdin community and will continue to work to further grow these relationships as well as develop new ones. Development of good rapport with other producers, buyers, and stakeholders in the sheep industry is important to me.
I previously served on the local board of education for four years with one year of that as vice-chairman. This opportunity gave me experience to work with leaders at multiple levels within the education system as well as the working within the local community. Currently, I am on the local Agriculture Development Council which helps with a local grant program within Kentucky counties.
As mentioned, I am dedicated to supporting and promoting the use of the latest tools of genetic selection to build hard working Katahdin sheep. I would be honored to have the opportunity to serve on the EAPK board of directors and educate, help train, and mentor other Katahdin producers as I strive to pay it forward with enthusiasm and teamwork. Thank you.
Daniel Ulry, Ulry Farms, Cambridge, OH
Hello, my name is Daniel Ulry from Ulry Farms located In Cambridge, Ohio. I have been married to my wonderful wife Marta for 12 Years and we have been blessed with six children – Floyd, Eustace, Orville, Mildred, Millicent, and Cecil. I have work off-farm for FCX Performance, an industrial distribution company, as a salesman calling on industrial chemical and power plants in SE Ohio and West Virginia for the last 9 Years. We currently run around 125 ewes and a small beef cattle herd.
I grew up taking care of sheep at my parent’s farm in Johnstown, Ohio. Backwoods farm bred and exhibited registered Suffolks. Dad lambed out his first ewes in 1969, then in the late 90s we switched to club lambs prior to my start in 4-H. Marta did not grow up on a farm but took market lambs as a 4-H project which is how we met, serving on the Junior Fair Board. Growing up with wool sheep, I knew the amount of care that was needed during lambing season. In addition, dad was always joking about “the Suffolk death call” (coughing), which led me to want sheep that worked for me and not the other way around when I finally got my own flock.
After completing a senior class project in small ruminant production during the fall of 2011 at The Ohio State University, I purchased a group of 5 Katahdin and 5 Dorper ewes. My dislike of management intensive sheep and shearing made it easy to choose hair sheep, but we were originally undecided between Dorper and Katahdin, so we tried both. I found as percentage Dorper increased in a sheep, it resulted in increased time on feed, smaller carcass size at butchering, and less shedding occurred. In 2018 with major improvements in the quality of Katahdin rams available locally to us and Dorper rams getting smaller and smaller we decided to change our commercial flock over to registered Katahdins and joined KHSI. Not wanting to start from scratch we began upgrading our best commercial ewes. In 2020 we began adding some registered ewe lambs; this allowed me to keep my genetics that had done well with minimal inputs and added some new genetics to speed up the process of being able to market registered offspring. Little did I know but this would also be a brief introduction to NSIP; I was aware of the program but didn’t know much other than bad looking sheep sure seemed popular at sales. The ewes were sired by NSIP rams and in an emergency during breeding season in 2019 led to getting a son of an NSIP sire. Realizing he was producing lambs better than he looked, we began investigating NSIP, trying to understand EBVs and what it looked like to join. We started collecting data in 2021 and joined later that year. When 50K genomic testing became available we jumped onboard and saw immediate improvements in our accuracies and numbers.
I was a board member of the Licking County Sheep Producers for 12 years, holding officer positions starting in 2013 until we moved in 2023. We supported the local sheep industry through helping with the county fair sheep show that saw 250-300 market lamb and 150-200 breeding sheep exhibited annually – it is the largest county fair sheep show in Ohio. We also hosted workshops and clinics and our annual banquet. Additionally, I helped to start and run the Licking County Lamb Luau Jackpot Show, LAI Breeding Day, and Annual Consignment Sale for local breeders. Many years I oversaw our Lamb Pool program and ran the Skillathon competition for 14 years.
I have served on the KHSI Expo Sale and EAPK Sale committees for the last 3 years. I have enjoyed serving other Katahdin breeders who love this breed and promoting it – it has been a breath of fresh air coming from being the only hair sheep breeder in past groups.
I enjoy meeting new people and helping others get started into the sheep industry, having sold many starter flocks over the past 10 years. I see Katahdins as a breed well-suited and adaptable to the beginner or experienced shepherd and is in a great position as the sheep industry transitions on American soil from wool to hair breeds, all while growing in popularity in the south and grazing solar sites.
I hope you will consider supporting my run for the EAPK Board of directors and look forward to seeing everyone in Elizabethtown. Thanks.
Lee Wright, Rolling Spring Farm, Glade Spring, VA
Greetings EAPK Members! I am Lee Wright, one of the founding members of this great organization. I previously served as one of EAPK’s original Board of Director members, completing a first term. I have also served as co-chair of the Sale committee for our first three years and remain as a member. I have also served on the Symposium committee. I am seeking another term on our Board and would like to humbly ask for your vote.
I’ve been thrilled to see the growth, involvement and producer interaction this organization has generated over such a short time. The Katahdin breed, coupled with NSIP and EBVs, has become a passion of mine over the past 25 years. I am a believer in what Katahdins offer so many of us in the sheep industry, and what EBV’s can offer to the genetic advancement of the breed we care so much about.
I grew up on a small farm in Glade Spring, VA raising beef cattle and burley tobacco but transitioned to Katahdins completely in 2003. Our flock has been enrolled in NSIP for 20 years. Our kids, now “Young Adults”, (Sandy & Wyatt) have somewhat flown our coop, but my wife Cindy and I maintain our 80 acres harvesting hay and grazing our flock of 125+ registered Katahdin ewes and their lambs.
I’m a 1996 graduate of VA Tech where I majored in Agronomy and minored in Animal Science. As a student, I was first exposed to sheep during the summers as an intern at the VA Tech Southwest Agricultural Research & Extension Center (SWAREC). I began my career as an Ag. Extension Agent after graduation, but in 1999 I was able to return home, and became the Superintendent of the Southwest AREC. Here I oversee research projects for VA Tech, where our primary focus is grounded in forages and ruminant livestock production. We maintain an NSIP flock of around 150+ registered/recorded Katahdin ewes that we lamb out and use for various research trials.
I served on the KHSI BOD from 2010-2017, as Treasurer (2 yrs) and President (4 yrs), while also serving on several committees during those years of service to the Breed. I have served 2 terms as Board member of the Virginia Sheep Producers Association and am currently serving my fourth Governor-appointed term on the Virginia Sheep Industry Board. I have also served on numerous other agriculture boards and committees in an advisory capacity, both locally and state-wide.
If given the opportunity to return to the EAPK Board, I will continue advancing the core principles of the Katahdin breed and what EAPK stands for. I enjoy sharing science and knowledge, joined with on-the-job experiences with any agricultural producer who seeks information. Thank you for your time and consideration. It would be my privilege to once again serve you.
