About the author of Sheep 201
Sheep 201 is being developed as a Beginner's Guide to Raising Sheep. Once the online version is complete, a printed version will be developed and offered for sale. Sheep 201 is written by Susan Schoenian (Shay-ne-un). Text may be reprinted with permission.
Susan has been involved with sheep since she was 7 years old. When she was growing up, her family raised and showed Dorset and Southdown sheep and sold lambs to the ethnic markets. Currently, she raises registered and commercial Katahdin hair sheep on her small farm, called The Baalands, in Clear Spring, Maryland. She sells breeding stock and lambs for meat.
Susan is an Extension Sheep & Goat Specialist at the University of Maryland's Western Maryland Research & Education Center in Keedysville, Maryland. She has been with University of Maryland Extension since 1988. Susan began her extension career as a county extension agent in Wicomico County. She also served as a regional farm management specialist for Maryland's nine Eastern Shore counties.
Susan has achieved the rank of Principle Agent (full professor equivalent) and is an affiliated faculty member of the Department of Animal and Avian Sciences at the University of Maryland College Park. She is a certified Professional Animal Scientist (sheep and goats). She regularly attends professional meetings pertaining to small ruminants.
Susan's first job out of college was as Sheep Specialist for the West Virginia Department of Agriculture. In West Virginia, Susan was a USDA-certified livestock grader and market news reporter. During high school and college, Susan worked at veterinary hospitals.
Susan judged sheep, goat, livestock, wool, and carcass shows for over 20 years, but is now "retired" from this endeavor. Susan enjoys working with the 4-H livestock program and is superintendent of the 4-H/FFA meat goat show at the Maryland State Fair. She conducts sheep and goat skillathons for youth at different venues.
Susan earned B.S. and M.S. degrees in Animal Science from Virginia Tech and Montana State University, respectively. She also attended The Ohio State University. While in college, she participated in both the livestock and meat judging teams and was a member of the Block and Bridle Club. The title of her Master's thesis was "Direct and Correlated Responses to Selection for Reproductive Rate in Rambouillet Sheep."
Susan has traveled extensively on behalf of University of Maryland Extension, Maryland Department of Agriculture, USDA, and various non-government agencies. Her travels have taken her to Poland, Hungary, Russia, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Egypt, Brazil, China, Canada, Mexico, Barbados, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Trinidad and Tobago, and the British Virgin Islands.
Her first trip was to the Soviet Union, a year before it broke up. Her favorite place was Egypt, where she had the chance to interact with Bedouin shepherds. Her most recent trip was to China, where she worked with the dairy goat industry.
Most of the images in Sheep 201 link back to Susan's Flickr™ site. Photography is a life-long hobby of hers. Images may be used with her permission. Photo credits are provided for third party images. Images not taken by Susan require permission from the photographer or web source. Many more images pertaining to sheep and goats may be viewed at Susan's Flickr™ site.
Susan has developed various other web sites pertaining to small ruminants. These other web sites may be accessed from the menu bar above.
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