Sheep Industry News August 2023

Bentley Selected for Sheep Heritage Scholarship

S heep Heritage Foundation Memorial Scholarship Win ner Kelsey Bentley had only minimal involvement with sheep before arriving at West Virginia University in the summer of 2019. But her research in parasite resis tance in Katahdins in the past four years pushed her application to the top of a crowded, qualified field of scholarship applicants. “I was shocked, coming from

ferences in gene regulation in sheep bred for a biomarker which has strong preliminary evidence to regulate immune function. “This will give us potential avenues of exploration into the immunoregulation of individuals during a disease state. During active bacterial infection my research has also quantified behavioral differences between individuals with divergent PFEC genotypes. Being that duration and severity of sick behaviors drive treatment, this EBV gives producers a genetic tool to select for individuals which have less severity of subclinical disease. By doing so, we can effectively reduce the dependency of ruminant production systems on antimicrobials and ensure their judicious use into the future. “Fundamentally, we hope to gain the ability to substantiate the claims that selection for PFEC selects for improve immunocom petency outside of just parasitic infections. I am currently work ing on a manuscript – Post-weaning fecal egg count estimated breeding value is associated with greater antibody production after clostridial vaccination in Katahdin lambs – for the Journal of Small Ruminant Research . I also plan to speak at the National Katahdin Expo in Van Wert, Ohio (Aug. 10-12) and present my findings direct to producers.” Bentley is already getting her feet wet in the job market and hopes to obtain a research and teaching faculty position with a university in or near her home state of North Carolina. “Growing up with my only involvement in sheep as a club lamb girl, when I first got to West Virginia and saw the Katahdins, I was like, ‘What are these critters?’ Bentley said. “But they’ve grown on me. I think the industry is moving toward flocks that either have the highest-quality wool or no wool at all, and for a lot of produc ers Katahdins might be the answer. I’m a little partial to them now because all my research is centered around them. But I think there’s potential to implement that research within other breeds, as well.” Bentley earned high praise in recommendation letters from both her advisor, Dr. Scott Bowdridge in West Virginia, and Dr. Scott Greiner of Virginia Tech. Much of her research was a collaborative effort between the two schools. “Kelsey is an extraordinarily bright, well-spoken and thought ful advocate for our industry,” wrote Bowdridge. “Her dissertation work has the potential to have long lasting effects on the American sheep industry, particularly in current times when antibiotics are less available. Her connection to sheep producers combined with her basic science mind and ability makes me hopeful for the future of sheep research in the United States. It is my estimation that Kelsey embodies the spirit of this award and is exactly the type of student we should be exemplifying through this program.” Visit SheepUSA.org/about-donate to learn more about the Sheep Heritage Foundation.

the East Coast,” Bentley said of her reaction to winning the $3,000 scholarship. “Looking at some of the past winners, I wasn’t sure how I would do. But the Katahdins are becoming more popular both in the East and a little bit out West. I really appreciate this scholarship and hope to put the money to good use as I finish up my research in the next year.” After finishing her bachelor’s degree at North Carolina State University, Bentley was lured to West Virginia to be the livestock judging coach as she pursued a master’s degree – which she fin ished in June of 2021. She’s now in the final year of a Ph.D. program at the school. “I went to NC State and my emphasis was on swine research. I got really involved with research and decided to go that route instead of the vet route,” she said. “I grew up just showing sheep out of somebody’s barn. I would go and help do some chores and stuff like that. But me and my parents never raised sheep.” Overseen by ASI, the Sheep Heritage Foundation is a charitable foundation dedicated to enhancing the value of the sheep industry in the United States. It was established to create programs and proj ects that will assure opportunities for the future of the American sheep industry. This annual scholarship program is the main focus of the foundation. In addition to winning the SHF Memorial Scholarship, Bentley was selected as a Ruby Fellow at West Virginia University for the 2021-22 academic year and as a recipient of a Sustainable Agricul ture Research and Education Graduate Student Research Grant in 2022. “My primary research is evaluating the immunological patterns in Katahdin sheep with divergent genotypes for post weaning fecal egg count estimated breeding value,” Bentley wrote in her scholar ship application. “We intend to use this project as a starting point to allow for a comprehensive genetic analysis of the Katahdin breed in the context of bacterial infections. By using a transcriptome wide approach, we have the capability to gain new insights into the dif

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