History:
The Oregon State University Sheep Club has been an unofficial club on the Oregon State campus since 1998. The club was started by a group of students interested in the sheep industry and it slowly gained popularity after its inaugural year. The club was based around a flock of student managed sheep that they were responsible for and this drew dedicated students from a variety of majors. However, since its start, the Sheep Club has faced inconsistent participation and club membership, preventing the club from gaining official recognition by Oregon State University and the College of Agricultural Sciences.
Purpose:
As of Fall 2011, a group of dedicated OSU students have been working to make the OSU Sheep Club an officially recognized club on the OSU campus. We currently have 20 members, which is a huge increase from last year’s 4. The Sheep Club aspires to provide OSU students with an opportunity to experience the activities of sheep production as it would occur at various parts of the industry on any scale of production. Activities include hoof trimmings, vaccinating, lambing, ultra sounding, etc. The Sheep Club is currently looking into opportunities to show ewe lambs once we have some available to show and enough interest is shown. The club ultimately wants to further the knowledge and skills of students wishing to be involved with sheep production and the sheep industry. We are a hands-on club that aims to get students involved with our flock and have them experience sheep production for themselves.
Events:
This year, the Sheep Club is participating in Agricultural Awareness Day on May 8, 2012. We will have a paper machete sheep along with a display posted about how sheep production contributes to other industries in “Feeding the Future”. We will have a prize wheel as well where people can answer questions about sheep and their production to win great prizes! The Sheep Club is also planning on representing OSU at the 2013 Ag Fest.
Contact Information:
The Sheep Club is always looking for new members who are interested in gaining some hands on experience with sheep. Club meetings are typically held twice a month at the OSU Sheep Center (although this is subject to availability of sheep to work on/with) and there are always opportunities available to get involved with the OSU Sheep center. For more information about Sheep Club, you can find us on Facebook (search OSU Sheep Club) or email the club at osusheepclub@gmail.com.
