Welcome to the Rocky Mountain Katahdin Association!
Rocky Mountain Katahdin Association was founded in 2016 to bring together Katahdin Sheep Breeders in the Rocky Mountain region for the purpose of promoting the Katahdin breed, educating Katahdin breeders, and marketing Katahdin products
Annual Meeting
Rocky Mountain Katahdin Association (RMKA) is holding its 2023 Annual meeting in Big Timber, Montana on June 8 and 9. The meeting is scheduled from 9:00 to 4:30 both days. It will be held at the Doric Mason Lodge, 101 E 2nd Ave, Big Timber, MT 59011 in the meeting room.
Eleanor has a block of rooms at a rate of $170 for a King and $180 for two queens, per night at the nicely modeled Super 8 Motel in Big Timber. To reserve a room under these rates ask for the RMKA annual meeting rate. You must reserve rooms by May 1st to get this special rate. There are currently 15 rooms reserved. Reservations can be canceled up to 24 hours before the reserved date at no cost. You can call 406-203-4757 or 800-445-3328. There are other hotels but they are in Livingston. Big Timber does have a KOA – Grey Cliff KOA 406-932-6569 as well as the Spring Creek Campground 406-932-4387. Check out www.bigtimber.com to see what Big Timber has to offer.
A local chef will prepare lamb for lunch each day. In conjunction with the meeting, there will be a Katahdin Ram Sale. Sheep will be available for viewing and sale from Wednesday afternoon, June 7, through Friday evening, June 9.
Rams and ewes being sold can be checked in after 1 p.m. on June 7th and all sheep have to be loaded out by 12 noon on June 10th. The RMKA directors have set minimum prices of $600 for registered and NSIP rams and $400 for those ewes. For commercial rams and ewes the minimum is set at $500 for rams and $350 for ewes. You may sell one ram with out having to sell any ewes. If you sell 2 rams you have to sell 1 ewe. To sell 3 rams you have to sell 2 ewes, etc. We do need a head count on how many you want to sell and how many you intend to buy. If you don’t email back a reply saying what you intend to buy or sell I’ll be calling you.
The meeting will focus on marketing approaches for Katahdin sheep. Additionally, there will be information about contagious diseases in sheep, regenerative agriculture, lamb and ram studies being done by University of Wyoming, and overviews of Katahdin Hair Sheep International, National Sheep Improvement Program, and the American Lamb Board.
On Thursday afternoon, June 8, from 1-4, we will hold a marketing panel. It will feature–
- Henry Hollenbeck presenting about his lamb feedlot, processing and marketing approaches,
- Abdullah Hussaini presenting about ethnic marketing of lambs,
- Dave Scott presenting about his Montana Highland Lamb operation, direct to consumer marketing, producer networking, and regenerative agriculture, and
- Sam Fraser of Frontier Productions LLC presenting about video marketing
There is gonna be some raffle and drawing items throughout both days.
Summer Educational Meeting
The mini meet will be in Albuquerque, NM on June 3rd and starts at 9 a.m. at the Courtyard by Marriot, 1920 Yale Blvd SE. Pieter Ditmars from NM will speak on what he looks for when buying feeder lambs by private treaty. Do you think it’s all about the lambs? No. His presentation will be recorded and shown in Big Timber. Gary Holyoak of ID, will speak on NSIP’s advantage in building a more productive flock as well as give a presentation on FAMACHA scoring. Estella Levy, TX, and I, CO, will talk about how to form a partnership that works. I will also speak on the Kat+ program and breeding up from commercial to a full registration. Lunch will be lamb and beef Gyros by Pars Cuisine.
If you haven’t registered for a meet please go to RMKA.org and do so. The directors are working hard to give all our members a reasonably close place to meet and to bring their others fir promotion of the breed and education of it’s producers as well as all sheep producers.
Event sponsored by Katahdin Hair Sheep International & The American Lamb Board
9:00 A.M. – Meet and Greet
9:30 – Pieter Ditmars, Dunhill Ranch, Magdalena, NM – “Buying Lambs by Private Treaty” a buyer’s perspective.
10:15 – Break
10:30 – Gary Holyoak, Acorn Acres Farm, Idaho Falls, ID – “NSIP Why it Matters and How to Understand
11:30-Babette Fief, Fief Family Farm, La Junta, CO – “Recorded to Registered vs The Kat Plus Program”
12:00 – Lunch, Traditional Gyros and sides, provided by Pars Cuisine
1:00 P.M. – American Lamb Board presentation
1:45 – Estella Levy, Sin Colita Katahdins, Canutillo, TX and Babette Fief – “How We Make a Ram Partnership Work”.
2:15 – Break
2:45 – Gary Holyoak – “FAMACHA, Let’s Get Started”, Will include hands on at the trailers.
3:45 – Gary and Babette talk about RMKA and what the future of the southern membership holds, followed by a panel discussion and dismissal.
The Rocky Mountain Katahdin Association represents members from across the Western States in the Rocky Mountain region. These include Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and western Texas. Katahdin seedstock producers, commercial flocks with Katahdin influence, researchers, and allied organizations are encouraged to join.
