Krisztina Posted May 30, 2012 Report Share Posted May 30, 2012 Hello, I am considering moving back to the u.s. from ireland. I am considering moving to upstate new york. I was wondering if anyone in the n.e. could steer me in the right direction as far as keeping a flock in n.y. Do you need a flock number to keep stock? what is the sheep production like in the n.e.? i train and trial dogs and the move would take into consideration the easy of getting sheep.if anyone could give me any information on keeping livestock in the n.e. it would be greatly appreciated! thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted May 30, 2012 Report Share Posted May 30, 2012 There is a very active sheepdog trialing group in the northeast: Northeast Border Collie Association, NEBCA website. Depending on where in New York, raising livestock should not be a problem. If you get in touch with some of the NY NEBCA members, they might be able to give you some advice. They also have a Facebook page, NEBCA handler's tent. Join and post there and you'll probably get some quick responses. As far as I know, anyone raising sheep is *supposed* to enroll their flock in the mandatory federal scrapie program. How you do that depends on the state in which you reside. Beyond that, you shouldn't have to enroll your flock anywhere else (the national ID program is essentially dead). There are plenty of small to mid-sized flocks in the northeast, and you should be able to find a good selection of either hair or wool sheep. There is a New York State Sheep and Wool Festival held in Rhinebeck in the fall. You could meet a lot of sheep raisers there; it's a big show with entries from around the country: NYS S&W Rhinebeck. That should get you started! And surely some of our NEBCA members here will see this and post additional information for you. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krisztina Posted May 30, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 30, 2012 There is a very active sheepdog trialing group in the northeast: Northeast Border Collie Association, NEBCA website. Depending on where in New York, raising livestock should not be a problem. If you get in touch with some of the NY NEBCA members, they might be able to give you some advice. They also have a Facebook page, NEBCA handler's tent. Join and post there and you'll probably get some quick responses. As far as I know, anyone raising sheep is *supposed* to enroll their flock in the mandatory federal scrapie program. How you do that depends on the state in which you reside. Beyond that, you shouldn't have to enroll your flock anywhere else (the national ID program is essentially dead). There are plenty of small to mid-sized flocks in the northeast, and you should be able to find a good selection of either hair or wool sheep. There is a New York State Sheep and Wool Festival held in Rhinebeck in the fall. You could meet a lot of sheep raisers there; it's a big show with entries from around the country: NYS S&W Rhinebeck. That should get you started! And surely some of our NEBCA members here will see this and post additional information for you. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krisztina Posted May 30, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 30, 2012 thanks julie. i was in touch with beverly lambert and she gave me the nebca website. i didn't realize they had a fb link! i've been trying in vain to look up us agriculture requirements for keeping sheep. i also found the wool festival on web. thanks so much for replying. great suggestions. i thought it would be quite different from renting a field, getting a flock number and chucking your sheep on it! but it may be even easier than here. again, thanks a million! k. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz P Posted May 30, 2012 Report Share Posted May 30, 2012 If you move to central NY state between Binghamton and Albany you will find yourself in good company. There are plenty of handlers nearby, good pasture and you will be relatively close to many trials. The only downside is the weather, which is quite harsh in the winter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krisztina Posted May 31, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 31, 2012 thanks liz. my brother is moving to rochester and i'd like to be close to them. i don't know what it is like renting house out in rural area there with a field. the costs of trialling in the us can be extremely prohibitive, where as here, i can take my pick of 2/3 trials in a day, most within 2-3 hour drive. trade offs i suppose! as long as the summers are warm, hopefully i can cope with that amount of snow:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz P Posted May 31, 2012 Report Share Posted May 31, 2012 Good luck! Rochester in particular is known for impressive winters. I lived in upstate NY for awhile before deciding to move further south (Tom Sawyer country). It was quite amusing to have my landlord call, genuinely concerned that it had snowed 4 inches and my driveway wasn't plowed. He didn't think my little car could make it out. There was actually a run on supplies at the grocery store and school was cancelled! Recently I had to move north again for work, but I was so spoiled by the mild winters that I am not planning to stay in this area forever. It is lovely here, but getting nearly 4 ft of snow in mid October is not my idea of fun. I have seriously considered getting my work VISA so I could live in the UK for a few years. I would love to be so close to so many amazing trials and shepherds. I guess that renting a farm there would be very cost prohibitive though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krisztina Posted May 31, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 31, 2012 well, i spent half my life in texas. i'm well able for the heat and i lived in hungary as well. i love the snow there and it didn't prevent us from schooling dogs:) but i don't know about this snow they get up in that area! the damp here is a killer though during winter, creeps into your bones! what kind of work are you looking for in uk. i can give you a web address where they advertise farm jobs. especially at lambing:) it will be terribly hard to give up access to top handlers and so many trials. there will be many tears shed if i make the move! it is not too hard to find rural properties/farms to rent here. depends how much land you want with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz P Posted June 1, 2012 Report Share Posted June 1, 2012 I've already been in touch with an international veterinarian head hunter. She e-mails me job listings on a nearly daily basis. There seem to be enough available and many come with housing, but I would want to live on a farm. I keep going back and forth about whether or not I am brave enough to make that kind of move. I think my Mom would kill me if I went that far away. I don't know what farm prices are like near Rochester. Some parts of NY you can buy a 65 acre farm with a house and barn for $75,000. Those places do tend to be far from cities, so if you need an office job I don't know how well that would work for you. Here is the little piece of heaven where I live right now. It's a 30+ minute commute to work, depending on the weather, but it's worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krisztina Posted June 1, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 1, 2012 that looks lovely. well, i'm finding it hard to get the courage to move back:) it's been a long time since i've lived in us and i've never lived in a more beautiful country that here! i'd be looking for a farm house and small bit of land to train pups to start with, so i suppose i just have to take that jump. that website is mainly for farm work, shepherding position, livestock management,etc. i'd say you wouldn't have a hard time finding a vet position in uk! thanks for the info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.