Honoring the Legacy & the Heritage of Sheep in NM

Honoring a Legacy & the Heritage of Sheep in NM

Dennis “Doc” Hallford taught at NMSU for over 40 years. His work in the Department of Animal and Range Science led him to be one of the most recognized and honored faculty members in the College of ACES. One of his greatest passions was training students. Trainees of Dr. Hallford played key role running a research sheep unit which was known as the West Sheep Unit (WSU). His renowned work in research at the WSU and the Endocrinology Lab lives on through over 600 referred journal articles, proceedings and abstracts.

The WSU is currently managed by Dr. Jennifer Hernandez Gifford who is a previous student of Dr. Hallford and developed her love of research and career path while working at the WSU. Dr. Hernandez Gifford is dedicated to elevating the legacy of the WSU through research, teaching, and student mentoring. This unit still maintains the wool sheep which has a long history in New Mexico due to the hardiness of these sheep in the harsh desert environment.

Due to the expansion and modernization of facilities in conjunction with the Agriculture Modernization GO Bond D projects, the West Sheep Unit (WSU) is being relocated. This move will provide much needed improvements and updates to the WSU and as a result will continue to impact training of future Animal Scientists.

This allows for the opportunity to transform a historical space on campus to provide for a modern space to continue the legacy of the WSU and Dr. Dennis Hallford. Relocation will require renovations that were not funded in the GO Bond project. Your contribution (giving.nmsu.edu./west-sheep.html) will allow our students to continue to conduct innovative research and have hands-on experience to prepare them for graduate school and professional careers as educators and researchers. With your help, we can create a learning environment suitable for teaching and research for generations of Aggies to come.

One such new project that has emerged in the past year is the New Mexico Heritage Wool Project. This project provides a means for NMSU to contribute and help preserve the Sheep and Wool

... a cutting-edge supplementation program designed to help animals achieve their full genetic potential. Supporting early conception & tighter calving groups, colostrum quality, reproductive performance and overall health.

The New Mexico Heritage Wool Project provides a means for NMSU to contribute and help preserve the Sheep and Wool industry in New Mexico and provides unique opportunities for NMSU students to be exposed and participate in the development of projects related to this industry.

industry in NM and provides unique opportunities that will allow NMSU students to be exposed and participate in development of projects related to this industry. Wool fleeces from the West Sheep Unit flock were sent to a mill and processed into yarn.

We also collaborated with Dr. Kelley Coffeen, a faculty member in Family and Consumer Sciences, who worked closely with a student to develop a color scheme and design for the wool products. The first product produced from this project was a hand-woven wool rug completed by Richard Trujillo, a 7th generation weaver in Chimayo, NM. This piece will be showcased as an art piece in the College of ACES. In addition to the rug, blankets with the same design were also made. These blankets will be available for sale in November 2021 and will be a limited edition. Proceeds from the blanket sales will go towards continuing the legacy of the WSU and future NM Heritage Wool projects. To learn more about purchasing, follow the NMSU West Sheep Unit on Facebook or contact Jennifer Hernandez Gifford at jgifford@nmsu.edu. ▫