Current Bylaws -- 1 January 2009
Below are brief biographies of some of our current Board Members. If you have corrections, information or a biography to add to this page, please contact us!
Executive Board
President - Joe Frey
Joe has been working with sheep for over 30 years, starting out shearing sheep with his father. He now shears over eight hundred sheep a year. When his daughter started 4-H, he bought his first Dorset sheep and his flock of Dorsets has grown since then. He has added commercial sheep to the flock and enjoys showing both Dorsets and commercial sheep at the fairs.
Joe is a leader for the Washington County 4-H Sheep and Lamb Club, and is superintendent of the sheep department at the Washington County Ag Expo.
Vice President - Fred Ziegler Fred graduated from Westminster High School in 1980. He joined the US Army in 1982 and is still active in the rank of Master Sergeant. Fred is currently assigned to MD Joint Forces Headquarters as the Maryland School/Quota Source Manger at Camp Fretterd in Reisterstown, MD.
In addtion to the MSBA Board, Fred serves on the board of trustees at St. Paul's United Methodist Church. Fred volunteers countless hours to the Carroll County 4-H program.
Secretary - Denise Ziegler
Denise has a Masters degree from Western Maryland College and is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor. She has worked at Granite House Outpatient Mental Health Clinic for 12 years. Her community involvement has been with the Carroll County 4-H program, where she is a volunteer with two clubs, has served on several Fair Board committees, was the publicity chairperson for 3 years and was the Vice Chair for 1 year. She has been one of the assistant sheep superintendents at the Maryland State Fair – 4-H division for the past 3 years.
Fred and Denise reside outside of New Windsor where, along with their two children, they raise Shropshire, Suffolk and crossbred sheep, primarily for 4-H projects. They exhibit their sheep at county, state and national shows. They started raising sheep when their daughter Bethany was given a flock of Montadales when she was 9 years old. Bethany was the 2008 Maryland Lamb and Wool Queen.
Treasurer - Connie DeLamater
Connie has had sheep for 21 years. She raises Border Leicester and Romney sheep and has created a fiber business since having sheep and angora rabbits. She and her husband David owned a wool baler and baled wool for numerous wool pools for several years. Connie has been an active part of the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival for 21 years and has served as MSBA treasurer for the past 12 years.
2009 Directors
Kate Bostek
Kate raises purebred Rambouillet and Natural Colored wool sheep with her husband John on their Roclans farm in Fairfield, Pennsylvania, located just across the Maryland line. They attend various shows and festivals throughout the country exhibiting not only their sheep but their fleeces as well. At shows, when not fitting her sheep, Kate can be seen at her spinning wheel entertaining the public with her mastery.
Stuart Greene
Stuart is a Howard County shepherd with over 20 years of experience with sheep. He is retired from USDA, Beltsville where he had worked in the Sheep Unit as well as with Dairy and Poultry. He and his wife Jennifer have two daughters.
Steve Hobbs
Steve is a lifetime resident of Montgomery County, where he and his wife Joan raise a purebred flock of Dorset sheep on a family farm. Steve grew up on a nearby dairy farm and was a member of the Montgomery County 4-H Beef Club. He remains active with the Montgomery County Fair as Assistant Superintendent of the Sheep Department. He supports the Maryland Sheep Breeders Association by helping at the Wool Pool, assisting with the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival’s Feeder Lamb Show and Sale (1996-2004), and contributes countless hours to other committees at the Festival.
Trebs Thompson
I’m 41 years old, majored in general agriculture at the University of Delaware. I was an inattentive student and left as a senior to get my MRS. I would go on to do some social work, catering, and chefing before finally getting back to my farm dream. My husband, Eric, and I have been homesteading now for seven years on fifteen acres in Delaware. I have about 150 free range heritage turkeys, guineas, and chickens, 2 Tamworth hogs, a donkey, a mule, and 47 sheep, mostly Merinos and Leicester Longwools.
I have a small market garden as well. We sell at a local farmers market and via word of mouth. I love my sheep and have learned felting and weaving and have purchased a spinning wheel that I hope to learn to use this winter. I think sheep are fabulous, versatile animals and am constantly disappointed that Americans don’t seem to recognize the value of the wonderful meat, cheeses or wool. I’m always hopeful that this trend can be reversed and I know that complaining about the state of things won’t do much good; I have to tear myself away from the farm and help educate folks.
2010 Directors
Steve Archer
I live in Darlington, Maryland where I maintain a 250-head flock of Dorset cross ewes. I am currently the owner and president of Archer Farms, Inc. which directly markets its product. I was active in 4-H and continued through college to be involved with the Virginia Tech Livestock Judging Team. I graduated with a B.S. in Agronomy. Archer Farms, Inc. is a family operation that employs my wife and the three children.
Jeff Hevner
Jeff Hevner lives with his family in Keymar, Maryland where they tend a greater than 400 head flock of mostly commercial sheep. He is one of the largest lamb producers in Maryland. He is a past president, vice-president, and Shepherd of the Year of the MSBA. He is very active in 4-H not only with his children but throughout Carroll County.
Patty Loun
Patty began her career as a shepherdess 3 years ago after retiring from her work as a researcher and part-time professor in the fields of child development and behavioral pharmacology. Patty, her husband Victor, and their 2 children moved from the suburbs to a family farm in Damascus, where they converted corn fields to pasture and installed seemingly miles of fencing before their first seven Cormo sheep arrived in the summer of 2004.
Progressing from 10 fence posts in an 8 hour day to a whole 2 acre of pasture posts in a day (after calling a friend with a skidloader), they completed the last pasture this fall. Now, 3 lambing seasons and 28 sheep later, Patty feels she will no longer need to call the vet at the first sight of little hoofs and perhaps only need to call an experienced shepherd neighbor once or twice this lambing season. She now does her own fecal exams and can finally flip a sheep, trim hoofs and give shots without shaking and closing her eyes.
Patty has completed workshops in shepherding, lambing and kidding, FAMACHA, integrated parasite management, small farm operation, and sheep and goat nutrition. She has been a member of the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival committee and Maryland Sheep Breeders Association for the past 2 years.
Greg Thorne
Greg lives on a 4 ½ acre “micro-farm” in Carroll County with his wife, Kris, where they have raised sheep since 1992. They have a small handspinner’s flock of white and natural colored sheep consisting primarily of Romney sheep and other long wool crosses. They sell wool, yarn and sheepskins at farmers’ markets and through their booth at the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival. Freezer lambs are sold directly to the customer.
Greg has worked on the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival committee since 1989 and is assistant superintendent of the Wool Fleece and Fiber Show at the Howard County Fair. He volunteers at the Wool Pool, and takes his spinning wheel to the Maryland State Fair each year to demonstrate spinning on Lamb Day. Greg and Kris were the 1999 MSBA Shepherds of the Year.
Greg farms full time, having a greenhouse and market garden in addition to the sheep operation. Greg is well known for the heirloom tomato and hot pepper plants he sells each year at the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival. Greg and Kris are committed to selling locally and sustainably grown produce.
2011 Directors
Tom Mullinix
Tom lives in Carroll County and has raised sheep for 40 years. He has a flock of 230 Shropshires and Hampshires that are raised primarily for the 4-H club lamb market. He also sells breeding stock. Tom is a past president, vice president and director of the MSBA. He volunteers at the wool pool and the Maryland Sheep & Wool festival, and has been superintendent of sheep shows at the Howard Fair off and on for 20 years. Tom was 1996 MSBA Shepherd of the Year.
Kelly Vorac I began raising sheep in 1987, with my first six Western Suffolk ewes coming from Tyson and Sylvia Creamer. The next year, my small flock grew to about 20 ewes when I attended a sale with the Creamers – my family was shocked because they told me I could ‘get a few sheep at the sale’. I now keep over 50 registered Suffolk ewes with my father in Jefferson.
I have over 17 years of experience in the field of animal science. Little did I know that a small flock of sheep and a degree in Animal Science from Virginia Tech would lead me toward my current career in the biomedical field. I began working at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as a surgical assistant on a heart valve transplant project that used sheep as their model to perfect the technique. I thoroughly enjoyed the scientific areas of genetics and animal breeding, so I combined my scientific interests with animal interests and earned a Master’s Degree in Reproductive Physiology from West Virginia University.
One of the great aspects of raising sheep, is giving back to our community – educating ‘city folks’ about livestock during agricultural fairs, promoting lamb products for healthy eating at local events, helping 4-H kids learn how to care for their lambs, and assisting new breeders that are just getting started in our industry. I enjoy promoting the Suffolk breed for what it is known best for – a meat breed with superior carcass traits such as a large loin and huge leg, and lambs that grow rapidly. I hope that my contribution in advancing the Suffolk breed has come from sending ram lambs to Performance Tests in PA, WV and VA, participating in the carcass contest at the MD Sheep & Wool Festival, as well as exhibiting at various fairs in MD.
I am committed to giving my best to our sheep industry and wish to support this great Maryland organization that fosters fellowship and learning.
Amy Miller
My husband Jeff, daughters Lizzy and Annabelle and I live in Keymar, MD. We have 20 Shropshire and 10 Natural Colored fine wool sheep. I have been a 4-H Sheep leader for the Montgomery County Sheep and Swine Club for 8 years.
Sheep were my first 4-H project when I started at age 8. I’ve been hooked ever since. As a teenager, I purchased my first Shropshires, which I still have descendants from today. One of my greatest pleasures is watching my sheep improve through my genetic selections. Raising our Natural Colored sheep is my latest project. I’ve been learning all about wool, and I’ve even become a knitter.
I’m a stay at home mom, and our sheep allow me to use my Animal Science degree from Penn State. I also get a lot of satisfaction as a 4-H leader. It’s really fulfilling to teach kids about sheep.
I love sheep, and I enjoy the company of sheep people. You never know what you may learn.
Don Pilson
I live in Thurmont with my wife Sharron, were I have been raising, showing, and selling sheep for the past 18 years. My interest in raising sheep began as a 4-H project for my daughter Kirra. After she moved on from 4-H, I continued to show sheep and raise lambs for 4-H market projects. I have raised Cheviots, Hampshires, Shropshires, Suffolks, Southdowns and currently crossbred market lambs. I mainly do this for the current 4-Hers, offering them very competitive market (club) lambs at affordable prices.
I am a member of the Frederick County Sheep Breeders Association, the Maryland Sheep Breeders Association, and am a sheep leader for Frederick County 4-H. As a leader, my goal is to teach children how to raise the best sheep possible. To me, this has been my greatest reward in the sheep business.
I have also assisted in many different aspects of the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival, including the Grand Lamb Cookoff and Display of Sheep Breeds.