Welcome to the Valais Blacknose Sheep Society

EDUCATE · PROTECT · PRESERVE

The Valais Blacknose Sheep Society was established in 2017 to build a collaborative community to preserve & promote the Valais Blacknose sheep breed in the USA. As a society we are is dedicated to establishing and protecting this breed through responsible breeding, accurate registration, member education, and collaboration.

Logo of the Valais Blacknose Sheep Society featuring a sheep with a black woolly face, surrounded by a black circular border with gold text.
A herd of valais blacknose sheep walking on a narrow dirt path in a grassy area with mountains in the background.

Our Mission

Learn more about the VBSS’s commitment to ensuring the quality of Valais Blacknose Sheep in the United States. 

Our Mission
Two Valais Blacknose sheep grazing on a grassy field with rolling hills and mountains in the background.

Become A Member

Get involved in promoting the Valais Blacknose breed in the United States and take advantage of everything that the VBSS has to offer!

Become a Member
Four sheep standing on a gravel road with green grass and bushes in the background.

Meet the Board

Get to know the elected board of directors to the Valais Blacknose Sheep Society and learn about their commitment to our cause.

Meet the Board

VBSS Calednar
Events & Important Dates

Logo for the Valaïs Blacknose Sheep Society featuring a sheep with black and white fur and a prominent ram's horn.

View All Upcoming Events

Use the link below to view details on all upcoming Valais Blacknose Sheep Shows, Events & Webinars and so much more! If you would like to add or suggest an event send us an email.

View Full List of Events

Volunteer Opportunities

Want to Volunteer? We’re always looking for great members who want to go further with their support of the VBSS!
If you’re interested in volunteering send us an email! We’ll be in touch soon to discuss how you can get involved.

Proud Members & Sponsors of the VBSS

Bauman's Farm

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Plumpy's Peaceful Pastures

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Wing & A Prayer Farm

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Davis Family Livestock

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All Saints Valais Blacknose Sheep

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Oregon Valais

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Pure Valais

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Wild Rose Farm

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Vineyard Valais

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Valais At Mountain View Farms

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Leaning Cross Ranch

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Valais Iowa

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Hesed Farms

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Honey Hoof Ranch

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Bauman's Farm | Plumpy's Peaceful Pastures | Wing & A Prayer Farm | Davis Family Livestock | All Saints Valais Blacknose Sheep | Oregon Valais | Pure Valais | Wild Rose Farm | Vineyard Valais | Valais At Mountain View Farms | Leaning Cross Ranch | Valais Iowa | Hesed Farms | Honey Hoof Ranch |

VBSS Marketplace & Sponsor Application
A young boy in a white lab coat standing next to a blacknose sheep at a farm event, with people and fencing in the background.
A young black and white sheep with curly wool standing on grass with a tree in the background. A logo with a sheep and the text "Valais Plumpys Peaceful Pastures" overlays the image, along with information about raising sheep as pets and breeders in
A baby sheep with a black face and white woolly body standing on straw inside a barn, wearing a flower necklace.
Yellow poster advertising Davis Family Livestock with contact information, types of sheep offered, and agricultural tours.
Logo of All Saints Valais Blacknose Sheep with a sheep's head and stars, and contact information for a sheep farming organization, including names Ed and Andie Eisenberg and their phone numbers, along with an email and website, hosted on a white back
Business card for Oregon Valais with a logo featuring a sheep's face. The card includes contact information, website, and email, emphasizing sales of purebred and breed-up Valais Blacknose sheep, supporting and mentoring sheep ranchers.
Photo of a sheep and a lamb in a barn, with a promotional sign for Purebred Valais Blacknose Sheep Breeders listing breeding stock, pairs, rams, bred recipients, embryos, and Valais fiber.
Sign for Wild Rose Sheep Farm with a sheep logo, and photo of sheep inside the barn.
Business card for Vineyard Valais Swiss legacy sheep, featuring a photo of a white sheep with black face and legs, and contact details.
Business card for Valais at Mountain View Farms featuring a photograph of a Valais Blacknose sheep.
Business card for Leaming Cross Ranch, featuring images of Blacknose Sheep and contact information.
Group of four people in white coats standing behind four sheep, each with a green ribbon. A banner and a logo for Valais Iowa are visible, indicating they are involved in sheep shows or breeding. The people are smiling and appear at a livestock event
Advertisement for Hesed Farms, located in Howell, MI, offering purebred Valais and breed-up/ foundation ewes. Includes farm logo with a cross and text, background illustration of hop cones, contact information, and website.
Three black-faced sheep with thick wool coats standing on grass, with a large sign in the background advertising honey and sheep products.

History of the Valais Blacknose Sheep

The Valais Blacknose sheep originate in the Valais region of Switzerland. They are a dual-purpose breed, raised for meat and wool. They are unique to the Upper Valais and are well adapted to the harsh mountain conditions, being extremely hardy, prolific and frugal.

The black on its nose, eyes, ears, knees, hocks and feet and otherwise light woolly coats make them quite unmistakeable. They have large helical or spiral shaped horns .They are good at grazing steep, rocky slopes. Both sexes are horned.

The earliest mention of the breed dates back to 1400 A.D., but they were first recognized as a separate breed in 1962.

Today, the Swiss herdbooks include almost 13,700 animals.  The breed was exclusively raised in Switzerland until imported to the British Isles in 2013 and 2014 by several interested breeders. Importation to the US is being pursued through an upgrading program using semen collected from purebred Valais Blacknose Sheep beginning in fall of 2016. 

The VBSS respectfully acknowledges the generations of work that have gone in to developing the Valais Blacknose Sheep in Switzerland and has adopted the Standard of Type from the Swiss time tested standards of selection.

A woman in a red jacket herding valais blacknose sheep outside a wooden barn with a yellow pedestrian sign nearby.
A woman in a red jacket herding valais blacknose sheep outside a wooden barn with a yellow pedestrian sign nearby.

Join the Flock and Become a Part of the Valais Blacknose Sheep Community

Follow the VBSS on Facebook