2024 Classic Highlights

Dr. Joe Emenheiser resides in Brandon, VT, USA. He has bred registered Suffolk sheep since

2002, and he currently serves as Vice President of the United Suffolk Sheep Association. Now an

independent consultant, he has formerly served as State Extension Livestock Educator and

Animal Science instructor at the University of Connecticut, and as state Extension Livestock

Specialist at the University of Vermont. He earned his PhD in Animal and Poultry Sciences from

Virginia Tech in 2013. Beginning on a small family farm in Pennsylvania, he has extensive

experience in the sheep and meat industries, particularly in the areas of meat quality evaluation

and breeding and genetics. He was a member of the Reserve National Champion Intercollegiate

Livestock and Meats Judging teams at Oklahoma State University, and he has worked as a

butcher, meat plant supervisor, and livestock supply manager. He has managed commercial

sheep flocks as large as 2,200 ewes, and has experience with diverse sheep and lamb products

and markets ranging from niche ethnic meats to antibodies for biomedical applications. He was

instrumental in implementing ultrasound carcass trait EPDs for the National Sheep

Improvement Program (NSIP) as well as in developing certification standards for NSIP lamb

ultrasound technicians. He has judged sheep and cattle shows in six states in the USA and he is

committed to selecting and breeding sheep that display outstanding breed character, elite

soundness and quality, and commercial industry relevance.