Brad Boner, ASI President
I’m pretty happy as a wool sheep producer, but there is one time a year when I envy my friends on the hair sheep side of the industry. That, of course, is shearing season. Selling wool hasn’t been easy since the pandemic or the U.S.-China trade war that preceded it, but it doesn’t present the logistical issues that come with shearing.
As I write this, prices for Australian wool sales – which set the basis for American wool prices – have been up for two straight weeks in early October. ASI has a team of staff in the United States and consultants overseas that use funds from several U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service programs to build and develop markets for American wool. ASI’s wool team recently submitted paperwork for the second round of funding from the new Regional Agricultural Promotional Program, and continues to work with American wool warehouses through the Quality Samples Program. The international market is so important to American wool because 60 percent of what we produce is exported due to the long-shrinking domestic textile industry.
But we can’t sell wool until we get it off the backs of our animals, which brings us to the challenges of shearing. Even if you’ve got a shearer you know and trust, just getting them scheduled to shear your sheep presents hoops to jump through every year. And that goes for operations with 20 head just as much as it does those with 5,000. And just when you get them scheduled, it rains or snows.
The solution is simple (and yet, not so simple): we need more shearers. A few years ago, the ASI Wool Council implemented the Developing Shearer and Mentor Grant to help beginning shearers make that leap from beginner to professional. The program provides $1,500 grants to shearers – such as Kathleen Markiewicz in the photo – to help them purchase equipment and to cover travel costs and other expenses as they learn their craft. The program caters to those who know the basics of shearing, but need to further develop and perfect their techniques so they can improve shearing quality and shear more sheep in a day.
“This program has been pivotal in empowering me to advertise myself as a professional shearer,” said Stefan ScheerCook. “Its hands-on approach closely mirrors the realities of the industry, emphasizing that success hinges on dedication and hard work. As my mentor entrusts me with more solo assignments, my schedule has filled up. I am profoundly grateful to this program, the industry and my mentor for his guidance.”
Professional shearers are also eligible to receive mentor grants of $1,500 for their time and costs in helping inexperienced shearers develop their skills. “I felt I could counsel and support them with ease because I wasn’t concerned about my time or compensation,” said Laura Kincaid, who received a mentor grant in previous years. “I found that clients were eager and pleased to help support a learning/mentorship dynamic and were generous with her.”
Applications for the 2025 Developing Shearer and Mentor Grants are now open and available at SheepUSA.org. I would encourage shearers looking to make the leap to full-time professionals to apply. And I would encourage seasoned pros to apply as mentors. If we work together, we can alleviate the shortage of shearers that has plagued our industry.
ASI Accepting Officer Nominations
ASI Nominating Committee Chair Susan Shultz reminds sheep producer leaders and state associations that nominations for ASI Secretary/Treasurer are due in November. Interested producers should share a letter of interest – including leadership experience in the sheep industry – with the ASI office by Nov. 29. The committee will then agree on a nomination slate of officers to be presented to the ASI Board of Directors at its annual meeting in January. Contact Executive Director Peter Orwick at 303-771-3500, ext 103, or [email protected] for more information.
Until the next time, keep it on the sunny side.
Lamb prices have been sliding since mid-summer. Much of this decline is seasonal, meaning that prices normally decline during this time of the year. This season, the main culprit appears to be lamb supplies.
Supplies
Weekly domestic lamb and mutton production has exceeded production for the same week a year ago every week since April 20. For the year, production is 3.2 percent more than last year. In the last 10 weeks, production has been 6.9 percent greater than a year ago. On the positive side, the difference in production compared to a year ago is getting smaller. In the last four weeks, production is only 3.2 percent ahead of a year ago.
On the slaughter side of production, both lamb and yearling and mature sheep slaughter have been greater than the same week a year ago almost every week since April. As with production, the difference in the number of head processed each week compared to a year ago is getting smaller.
Dressed weights have become culprit in increased production. Since being lower than last year most of the year, weekly average dressed weights have been about 2 pounds heavier than last year. So as slaughter is moderating, heavier weights are keeping production above a year ago.
Slaughter and production greater than a year ago continues to be a surprise. Especially with a smaller estimated flock inventory. Greater mature sheep slaughter is likely related to drought and the impact of lower prices and higher production costs. In time, greater slaughter might lead to some thinking about the potential for the inventory estimate to be an undercount of the flock.
Lamb imports have added to supplies on the market this year. Total lamb imports for the year – through August – are
38 percent, or 58.4 million pounds, which is higher than in 2023. Imports in July totaled 29.5 million pounds, which was a record amount of imports in one month eclipsing the 29.3 million pounds imported in June 2021.
The increase in domestic production combined with greater imports indicates supplies in the third quarter were about 11 percent larger than the third quarter of 2023. Total supplies in the fourth quarter should be about 11 percent greater than the year before.
In the face of more production, cold storage levels remain smaller than last year. The amount of lamb and mutton in storage has slowly increased each month this year. Storage remaining restrained in the face of larger total supplies is an indicator of positive movement in retail channels.
Prices
Lamb prices normally decline, seasonally, through late summer. Lamb prices reflecting heavy and light weight slaughter lambs have declined. National negotiated live slaughter lambs have declined from a peak of about $219 per cwt. in early summer to $165 per cwt. for the first week of October. The decline this year is larger than the normal seasonal decline.
Sioux Falls, S.D., auction prices have declined more than the normal seasonal decline, going from almost $240 per cwt. in the Spring to about $140 per cwt. in early October. Light weight slaughter lambs have experienced a decline of similar magnitude.
On the meat side, the lamb cutout has traded in a fairly narrow band, between $460 and $480 per cwt. all year. The cutout remains higher than last year, $472 versus $464 last year at this time.
Supplies are likely pressuring live prices lower. Both slaughter and production are moving closer to year ago levels, which should provide the opportunity for some higher prices heading into the holidays. Lamb prices tend to increase to the end of the year from late the summer-early fall lows.
Wool
Wool prices across all microns – from 17 to 32 – have increased during the last several weeks in mid-October. While some improved buyer interest – particularly from Chinese buyers – has been noted, sharply fewer bales have been offered in Australian auctions compared to this time last year. Since early September an average of 30,414 bales have been offered for sale compared to 41,429 bales for the same weeks last year. Fewer bales offered combined with a little more interest is boosting prices.
Longer term, world wool production this year is forecasted to decline about 2 percent from last year. Profitability continues to suffer from economic growth uncertainty in many countries around the globe.
Economic worries in China related to real estate and stock market problems have slowed the economy and cut into processor demand. As a major buyer in the world market, economic problems there cut processor demand for wool and cut Chinese domestic consumer demand. Some economic stimulus strategies by the Chinese government may provide a boost to processor demand and prices.
Both the wool and lamb sides of the industry’s revenue stream are significantly impacted by exchange rates. On the wool side, it gets a little more complicated as the market is dominated by Australia on the supply side and China on the demand side. The interaction of exchange rates between all these currencies are quickly translated into relative prices between our countries. Generally, a weaker (in this case Australian) dollar makes buying from that country advantageous to buyers.
The trend has been for the U.S. dollar to weaken relative to the Australian dollar in recent months. While the exchange rate certainly impacts prices in each country, other factors such as domestic production, transportation costs and demand can be more important.
Annual solicitations for ASI’s Guard Dog Program went out in the mail in October to producers and industry supporters who have contributed to the program in the past. This is in addition to a call to action that was included in the June issue of the Sheep Industry News.
“Please consider a contribution this year to lend a hand to protect the sheep industry,” read the letter from ASI Executive Director Peter Orwick.
“This is the only way that the organization can assist with or lead litigation. Annual dues from state associations are spent 100 percent on lobbying in Washington, D.C., so there is no balance left for litigation or legal analysis of federal decisions.”
In addition to contributions to Superior Farms’ Stop the Ban campaign in Denver, the Guard Dog Program has contributed to four active court cases in 2024. Each of these issues is important to the American sheep industry.
The effort to outlaw slaughterhouses in Denver – which directly and solely targeted Superior’s lamb plant in the city – will be voted on by city residents this month. But the battle is far from over as animal rights activists said the city referendum was a “test case” in their battle to end animal slaughter in major cities nationwide.
For that reason, the cattle, pork and meat industries joined the American sheep industry’s efforts to raise funds for Superior’s campaign to defeat the referendum. Once the votes are counted on Nov. 5, we’ll know if the campaign was successful in its efforts.
“While we all face challenges as producers, feeders, and lamb and wool processors, we need to come together to support our industry,” said ASI President Brad Boner. “State sheep producer organizations recognize this opportunity and are the primary requests of ASI Guard Dog funds. All funding requests are reviewed by the Executive Board or, when possible, the full Board of Directors.”
But the battle rages on, as the Guard Dog Program continues to contribute resources to four active court battles:
• ASI and partners are active in the de-listing of the wolf following legal action by Defenders of Wildlife to keep the animals on the Endangered Species Act status.
• ASI joined coalition efforts with Guard Dog funds to challenge the Department of Interior “landscape health” rule that would put conservation on the same level of permits as grazing and energy.
• ASI is a partner in a challenge of legal action by Western Watersheds to force grazing permit closure until National Environmental Policy Act compliance is complete. The practice of allowing permit issuance until the government catches up on compliance analysis is the only fair approach and ASI is mindful that one-third of all American sheep spend a portion of the year on federal grazing lands.
• ASI supports the Montana Wool Growers Association and livestock groups in challenging policy that would all but shut down coyote trapping in grizzly habitat. This would set a bad precedent if allowed to stand given the expansion of habitat in this country.
This is one of the largest demands on the Guard Dog program in its history, which reflects the attitude of Wild Earth Guardians, Pro Animal Future and Western Watersheds in launching multiple attacks on the sheep industry. Only with your contribution to the Guard Dog program is it possible for ASI to participate. Without your support as a Guard Dog contributor, ASI would be on the sidelines with no ability to lead – much less participate – in critical situations such as those listed above.
“For those who have contributed in the past, I hope that you will continue to support the Guard Dog Program,” Orwick said. “If you haven’t contributed previously, now would be a great time to join your fellow sheep producers in supporting ASI’s efforts to protect the industry in a variety of legal battles.”
Guard Dog Program contributors are recognized in several ways by ASI. A list of donors appears at least twice a year in the Sheep Industry News magazine, and donors are also recognized on banners that hang at the ASI Annual Convention each year in January.
There are several ways to contribute. If you received the annual fall solicitation, simply return the contribution form with a check made payable to the Guard Dog Program. If you haven’t received the form, you can mail a check to ASI, 9785 Maroon Circle, Suite 360, Englewood, CO 80112. You can also visit SheepUSA.org/about-donate to contribute online via a credit card.
“My family – similar to the Boner family has contributed since the program was born 20 years ago,” said ASI Vice President Ben Lehfeldt of Montana. “Funding needs are out running finances this year given the raft of federal regulations issued that threaten the industry, as well as animal rights attacks.”
An especially busy fall hurricane season forced ASI to cancel the 2024 Wool Education Tour that would have taken military decisionmakers to several sites that play a key role in the American wool manufacturing supply chain. The tour was scheduled for Oct. 7-10 – falling just between the arrival of Hurricanes Helene and Milton in the southeastern part of the United States.
“Some of the locations we planned to visit are close to the hardest-hit areas (from Hurricane Helene), and there is too much uncertainty about what conditions we might encounter with a group of 30 people traveling on a bus,” wrote ASI Director of Wool Marketing Rita Samuelson in cancelling the tour on Oct. 3. “Our primary concern is the safety of our travelers, as well as the well-being of those in North Carolina facing the devastating effects of the hurricane. We do not want to interfere with ongoing rescue efforts or risk potential travel disruptions for mill participants, both ground and air. We appreciate your understanding and support as we prioritize safety and consideration for those in the area during this difficult period. We will follow-up with military participants regarding possible future events.”
The cancellation came after nearly a year of planning by ASI’s wool department and consultants. Tours such as this one play a vital role in introducing military leaders to American wool, and the possibilities it presents for clothing and protecting U.S. troops. A similar tour in the Southeast was previously conducted in the fall of 2017.
“Education is the name of the game,” said ASI Military Consultant Mitch Driggers, who assisted in planning the tour. “Rita and I have been doing these things for about 20 years now. The first one was a ranch tour that included the Montana State University Wool Lab and the Helle Ranch. We followed it up with a mill tour a couple of years later.”
As planned, the tour would have begun with a seminar to provide important information on American wool production from the sheep forward, including the amount produced and characteristics of American wool. The tour would then have taken military leaders and members of ASI’s Wool Council to four facilities that play a role in developing wool clothing for the military. Stops included:
• Chargeurs in Jamestown, S.C. – “They would have seen grease wool blended, scoured, carded and combed to make wool top suitable for worsted spinning. They would have also seen the wool top shrink treated to make it machine washable for applications that require that characteristic.”
• Elevate Textiles in Raeford, N.C. – “The supply chain continues in this plant with top dyeing, spinning, weaving and finishing of more than 90 percent of the woven wool and wool blend fabrics used by the United States military.”
• Clover Knits in Clover, S.C. – “Clover is a circular knitter that manufactures a wide range of knitted fabrics suitable for cold weather use. Clover is one of the biggest wool knitters in the United States with a long history of innovative wool fabrics.”
• Meridian Specialty Yarn Group in Ranlo, N.C. – “MSYG has a long history of preparing wool for high-end specialty markets. The Ranlo mill is its newest facility and is noteworthy in that it is the first new commercial worsted spinning facility in the United States in many years.”
Participants in the tour would have included contracting representatives from the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Clothing and Textiles. They are responsible for all contracts that procure fabrics and garments containing wool. Members of the U.S. Army’s Cold Weather Team were also planning to attend along with representatives from the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force. The tour would have given each of them their first opportunity to see the entire manufacturing supply chain in operation.
“ASI is the only organization that periodically organizes tours like this for military textile personnel,” Driggers said. “And that makes the American Wool Council Wool Education Tour a unique and important event.”
Organizers are already looking at options for conducting another tour for military personal from all services to educate them about American wool and the manufacturing supply chain.
Young leaders of the American sheep industry – selected through a competitive application process sponsored by the American Lamb Board – participated in the 2024 Global Sheep Forums NexGen Program in Australia earlier this year.
The NexGen Forum was held in conjunction with the annual LambEx educational conference. The program is designed to create a global forum of young producers and leaders to share ideas, network and to broaden the understanding of new innovations and technology in sheep production practices around the world.
Jake Benson, 33, of Utah, Isaac Matchett, 36, of Michigan and Kyle Hurley, 31, of Iowa, were the young leaders that represented the United States at the forum. The three American representatives joined young sheep producers from Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Canada to explore sheep and wool production in Australia.
ALB Chairman Jeff Ebert and ASI Vice President Ben Lehfeldt chaperoned the three young leaders.
“Participating in the Global Forum was important because the U.S. sheep industry must stay innovative and progressive to increase our production efficiencies and improve our competitiveness,” said Ebert. “Educating our producers about the newest technologies and global opportunities is critical.”
The program included tours of farms focused on genetics, sustainability, traceability and innovation. The group learned about the use of genetics in feeding efficiencies, new designs in shearing facilities, and efforts to enhance land stewardship, such as eliminating erosion from animal traffic and overgrazing, fencing protected areas, and planting trees for shelter and shade.
Following the tours, the group attended LambEx, where the young leaders learned about the amount of work and analysis that has been done to try to understand both the production process for the sheep industry in Australia and how that relates to lamb and wool customers worldwide.
Some observations from the American young leaders:
“Australian producers have been, and continue to make, genetic progress within their flock a top priority,” observed Matchett, who has used his life-long passion for agriculture and innovation to help grow his family’s sheep operation from 100 acres and 140 ewes to 1,400 acres and 2,000 ewes.
“Eating quality, taste and tenderness was another key takeaway. Carcass traits are a high priority to producers and are part of the genetic selection process for many. Meat processors, industry professionals and producers alike are all focused on improving the quality of the eating experience for the end consumer in an effort to be highly competitive in the global market.”
“What stood out to me the most was how much Sheep Producers Australia is educating all producers about consumer trends,” said Hurley. “Whether that be improving or changing genetics or starting to pay attention to their farms’ carbon footprint.” Hurley is part of the Pipestone Lamb and Wool Program.
He has grown his ewe flock from 250 head to 600 head and started Pro-Ewe Genetics, a small flock of 100 purebred Polypays and enrolled them into the National Sheep Improvement Program.
“I had the great opportunity to meet some of the brightest minds in the sheep world and discuss everything that involves the sheep industry,” said Benson. “I look forward to sharing what knowledge I have gained to help promote and support the sheep industry in the U.S.”
Benson is a direct marketer, supplying several restaurants with locally raised lamb and frequently giving samples to people who believe they don’t like it. He is chairman of the Utah Wool Growers Association Young Entrepreneurs board, where he focuses on continuing education.
The trio summarized their experience by focusing on the relationships they built while learning new innovations and practices. They also expressed their appreciation for ALB’s support and investment in the future.
Registration for the 2025 ASI Annual Convention opened in October. The Scottsdale (Ariz.) Plaza Resort will once again host the convention on Jan. 15-18, 2025. Early bird registration rates are available now through Dec. 2 at a discounted rate. After that date, online registration is available at the standard rate through Dec. 13. Any registrations not completed by Dec. 13 will need to be completed onsite in Scottsdale the week of the convention.
A panel on solar grazing with sheep is in the works for the Opening Session on Thursday afternoon and the industry-wide Welcome Reception will follow that evening. Make plans to visit vendors in the Exhibitor Fair on Thursday afternoon and Friday morning.
The annual RAMPAC Fundraiser – a separate, ticketed event – will be Friday evening. One significant change this year is that the Make It With Wool Fashion Show will be a stand-alone event. There is no reception or dinner planned as part of the annual convention for Saturday evening. This will give participants the opportunity to either head home on Saturday evening or enjoy one of the many great restaurants Scottsdale has to offer.
The Industry Tour will visit Caywood Farms near Casa Grande, Ariz., on Wednesday of convention week.
The ASI Annual Convention is the one place where the entire American sheep industry comes together. Other groups meeting during the week include: American Lamb Board, ASI Women, Food and Fiber Risk Managers, Make It With Wool, National Lamb Feeders Association, National Livestock Producers Association, National Sheep Improvement Program, National Sheep Industry Improvement Center, Sheep Genetics USA, Sheep Heritage Foundation, Sheep Venture Company and Western Range Association.
In the United States, large swaths of land have been – or are currently being – converted to large-scale solar farms, many acres of which have been obtained from farmers and ranchers. While this is being met with hesitation and concern from much of the agriculture industry – as acres are being taken out of production – the sheep industry has seen benefits.
According to Larry Hopkins, ASI executive board member, past president of the Indiana Sheep Association and ASI solar grazing committee member, there are “roughly 80,000 sheep currently grazing on solar farms across the country right now.”
Solar fields must maintain the vegetation under the solar panels so that it does not become overgrown and end up blocking the sun from hitting the panels. In just one, 13,000-acre solar farm in Indiana alone, there are 4,500 sheep grazing.
Sheep have been very effective in controlling vegetation, as they are small enough to be under the panels, and are non-destructive to the solar fields. This combination of production agriculture and solar fields has been coined agrivoltaics.
According to Energy.gov, agrivoltaics is “defined as agricultural production, such as crop or livestock production or pollinator habitats, underneath solar panels or adjacent to solar panels.”
NAVIGATING AGRIVOLTAICS
When a solar company comes in to build a solar field, it leases the land – typically for 30 years – and pays an annual lease to the landowner, Hopkins explained. The draw to the landowner is “those annual lease payments can be over $1,000 dollars per acre.” Hopkins noted this is significantly more than if you were farming or grazing those same acres.
“The farms that are in a position to take advantage of solar are using it as an additional source of income, and in some cases, it’s a way to preserve the farm and keep it in the family for a generation until a new generation comes along and wants to farm it as opposed to selling it,” Hopkins said.
Jeffrey Allen, instructor at Texas Tech University in the Department of Renewable Energy who also serves as an attorney at Kelly Hart & Hallman, LLP, has been negotiating wind and solar lease agreements for 17 years.
It wasn’t until three or four years ago that Allen began to see developers obtain the right to conduct agrivoltaics-type activities. In fact, he saw the word agrivoltaics for the first time around two months ago in a lease agreement “where it actually had a clause identifying an agrivoltaics right,” he recalled.
“Before that, they didn’t have a word for it. It was just ‘we reserve the right to do this sort of thing,’” Allen said.
Allen explained that solar companies, upon leasing the land, have the sole rights to the surface of the land and even the landowners became limited in what they were able to do with the surface of the land.
Now, agrivoltaics rights – usually either in the form of grazing sheep or setting up a pollinator habitat – are being negotiated along with the other terms of solar lease agreements.
There are benefits to both parties when the land under the solar farm is grazed by sheep, in particular. The landowner is able to “maintain agricultural operations.”
When the land is leased for solar, the solar company takes over the property taxes. In Texas and other states with special use appraisal methods, Allen explained that agrivoltaics is a way to receive an agricultural exemption on the property taxes, reducing the tax burden for the project.
“Historically, up to this point in solar, we’re losing the agricultural exemption because it’s coming out of agricultural and it’s going into an industrial use,” Allen said.
Since agrivoltaics is so new, Allen anticipates some appraisal districts pushing back, but in his opinion, “it is probably in the best interest of the legislature to modify those laws to recognize agrivoltaics” to keep that land as productive as possible.
Despite the benefits, Allen did acknowledge some of the tension between carrying out a grazing lease within a solar farm.
“The solar company is a power plant. It’s an electrical generating facility, and they’re very hesitant to give any third party the keys to the gate and let them in there or come and go without them having direct control over it,” Allen described.
Similarly, the landowner still owns the land and feels the right to access it despite it being leased out.
“So that’s where the push and pull is right now. Most of the language that I’ve seen has been initially granting the right to the solar company to lease the property or operate it themselves,” Allen said.
Representing landowners, Allen said the counter they have presented is allowing the landowner “right of first refusal if the company decides they want to participate in an agrivoltaics operation, they have to first ask the actual landowner if they want to be the ones conducting those operations. That seems like a pretty reasonable compromise.”
SHEEP INDUSTRY BENEFITS
Whether it be the landowner or a third-party sheep producer, Hopkins explained that grazing contracts for sheep are currently one to three years and “the sheep producer will be paid a fee to graze their sheep on that solar farm.”
Hopkins noted that the “grazing contracts usually are more than the going cash rent, so it’s a way for sheep producers to earn extra income beyond what they would get from raising, selling and marketing their sheep.”
Things to keep in mind during negotiations of grazing contracts are the infrastructure needed for the sheep; access to water; how long sheep need to be on the property and how and when they can be taken off; paddocks for rotational grazing; etc, Hopkins noted.
Other things that could be negotiated at the onset of solar projects are retaining topsoil and the type of grass that will be planted below the solar panels. Ideal blends of grass or flowers could be negotiated and agreed upon for both sheep grazing and pollinator agrivoltaics.
“It’s an evolving industry right now. Sheep producers are becoming more aware of these opportunities and learning by trial and error what they need to do to be successful,” Hopkins explained.
With the new opportunity presented by solar fields to the sheep industry, the American Solar Grazing Association has been established with more than 900 members across 45 states already. Hopkins said that in the last two years ASGA has held a “solar farm summit” to bring together solar developers and farmers alike.
“From the sheep industry perspective, the advent of solar grazing for sheep producers is kind of a disruptive force that’s coming to the marketplace. I think it has the potential to really benefit the sheep industry over the long-haul, potentially bringing new producers into the fold,” Hopkins concluded.
Rancher Jake Peavey’s earliest memories of the Trailing of the Sheep Festival begin when he was a toddler, riding on a flat-bed trailer watching in wonderment as crowds lined Main Street in Ketchum, Idaho, to see his family’s flock of sheep move south to their wintering ground.
“I remember thinking, why do so many people care about our sheep going down the middle of the road?” he said.
To young Peavey, it was simply what they did every year before the snow fell. Peavey was born in 1996. It was the same year his grandfather – third-generation sheep rancher John Peavey – founded the festival. At the inaugural event, Jake Peavey had not quite entered the world, but still trailed the sheep inside the belly of his then pregnant mother.
Every year since, he has remained an integral part of the Big Sheep Parade – the culminating event of the five-day festival dedicated to celebrating and preserving Blaine County and Idaho’s rich and storied history of sheep ranching and sheepherding. The 28th annual Trailing of the Sheep Festival last month had a particular poignancy because it honored the legacy of John Peavey, who passed away on June 16 at age 90. It was out of Peavey’s approach to conflict resolution that the event was born.
When bikers on the Wood River Trail became upset because sheep droppings on the pavement were impeding their ride, Peavey used the conflict to share with residents newer to the valley the region’s deep history and sheep ranching heritage. Trail construction began along the abandoned Union Pacific Railroad line in 1986 and was completed in 1991, connecting Bellevue, Hailey, Ketchum and Sun Valley along more than 20 miles of paved bike path.
The full length of the trail was made possible only through the consent of the local sheep ranchers, who had always used the route to move sheep from their summer grazing grounds in the north to their wintering pastures in the south.
When the irritable bikers questioned what the sheep were doing on their trail, Peavey helped flip their perspective – educating the community on what the bikers were doing on the historic sheep migration route.
“The bike path wouldn’t be there if the sheep ranchers didn’t allow it to be built on the sheep right of way,” said Carol Waller, who was leading the Ketchum/Sun Valley Chamber & Visitors Bureau in 1997 and helped the Peaveys get the festival up on its hooves.
Instead of fueling the conflict, Peavey and his wife, Diane Josephy Peavey, took the opportunity to showcase and celebrate sheep ranching in the Wood River Valley. They invited residents to tag along behind the sheep as they made their way south. From that small annual gathering of sheep trailers grew the festival that today welcomes people from every state in the country and across the globe, and has an economic impact of more than $6 million on the local economy.
From cooking classes and sheepdog trials to poetry readings and sheep shearing demonstrations, the festival honors not only the woolly creature itself, but also the cultures that have played an integral role in sheep ranching and sheepherding in the American West.
At the Folklife Fair in Hailey, the music, dance and contributions of Basque, Peruvian and Scottish cultures was on display, along with stalls selling every imaginable sheep-derived product and food trucks offering a variety of lamb dishes. The deliciousness of lamb is not to be overlooked, with Farm to Table Dinners held throughout the week in Hailey and the For Love of Lamb event in Ketchum.
For Jake Peavey, it’s the lamb shanks that are always a favorite, but he also loves sharing a leg of lamb with his family, evoking his earliest childhood memories in the kitchen with his grandparents. And, Peavey said, he loves the connection the festival provides to the food source.
“A lot of people are so removed from where their meat comes from,” he said.
Jake Peavey and his brother, Cory, carried a banner (pictured above) to honor their grandfather during the Big Sheep Parade, and John Peavey’s children rode in the Dignitary Wagon.
“The Trailing was close to his heart,” said Waller. “It allowed him a chance to share his love of the sheep industry and caretaking of the land not only with the community but with people from all over the world.”
Peavey family members traveled from across the country this year to honor Jake’s grandfather, who was not only a vocal advocate for the regional and national contributions of sheep ranching, but who also served as an Idaho state senator who fought for government transparency and to protect the state’s land and water.
John Peavey succeeded his mother, Mary Brooks, in the Idaho Senate after she was appointed director of the U.S. Mint by President Richard Nixon. He served in the role from 1969 until 1976, and again from 1978 to 1994.
Waller, who got to know John Peavey well through the years, called him a “classic, salt-of-the-earth, Western rancher guy. But he was also very sharp and a visionary.
“His persona hid the depths of his character. He was humble, soft spoken and funny. He had a great sense of humor. He was a rancher who loved the land and his family. He was the real deal.”
Jake Peavey described his grandfather as a very hard worker and “one of the smartest men I’ve ever known.”
John Peavey’s ability to collaborate and build consensus – as he did with the bikers on the trail – was a hallmark of his legislative career, Waller said.
“He was all about conflict resolution and finding common ground. He had to reach across the aisle and compromise to get a lot of things done. And he always did it quietly and effectively,” she said.
As to why the festival only grows in its offerings and popularity, Waller pointed to its uniqueness and authenticity. “It’s not a reenactment,” she noted.
The Big Sheep Parade is part of the actual movement of sheep up and down the valley that has been taking place for more than 150 years. She also noted the range of events and activities holding a wide variety of appeal to every age and interest.
Waller recalls naysayers in the festival’s earliest days questioning how she and the Peaveys were going to build a successful festival around sheep. Today those same people will never admit having been a doubter, she joked.
“The community embraced it and the whole world embraced it,” she said.
Jake Peavey recently returned to the family’s ranch, rejoining his brother and father in the line of work that he described as challenging but also very rewarding.
“I’d rather be here and doing everything I can to make it work than do anything else,” he said. He said he loves the solitude and peacefulness of the ranch, and “being able to step outside and look into the night sky and see thousands of stars. It’s absolutely magnificent.”
He said he’s also happy to be back with his family, and brought along his new wife, to whom he proposed in the middle of the 2022 Big Sheep Parade.
Until the very last weeks of his grandfather’s life, Jake Peavey said, they were driving out together across the vast ranch to check on the grass and livestock.
“He taught Cory and I how to be stewards of the land and how to care for the animals,” he said.
ASI recently developed new scrapie education materials. The industry has spent nearly 80 years trying to eradicate scrapie from the United States, and we are almost there.
To be declared scrapie free, no cases of scrapie can be reported for seven years. In 2021, the last case of scrapie in the United States was identified, which means the country could be declared scrapie free in 2028 if no new cases are reported.
The new educational materials include:
• a booklet entitled A Quick Guide to Identifying Sheep.
• a poster highlighting scrapie identification requirements.
• a one-page Frequently Asked Questions on the National Scrapie Eradication Program requirements.
• two sets of rack cards on the NSEP requirements that are targeted for farm flock and youth communities.
These resources are available online in both English and Spanish at SheepUSA.org and were made possible, in part, by a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
Visit SheepUSA.org/researcheducation-scrapie to access these resources online.
ASI released a new video on identification requirements for sheep this fall, which was also made possible, in part, with funding from a USDA/APHIS cooperative agreement.
Visit YouTube.com/watch?v=KC4R_-WqDt8 to watch Official ID Requirements for Interstate Commerce.
It’s time once again to submit nominations for ASI awards, which will be presented during the ASI Annual Convention on Jan. 15-18, 2025, in Scottsdale, Ariz. The deadline for all award nominations is Nov. 29.
There are five awards open for nominations: The McClure Silver Ram Award, the Peter Orwick Camptender Award, the Distinguished Producer Award, the Industry Innovation Award and the Shepherd’s Voice Award.
The McClure Silver Ram Award is dedicated to volunteer commitment and service and is presented to a sheep producer who has made substantial contributions to the sheep industry and its organizations in his/her state, region or nation.
The Peter Orwick Camptender Award recognizes industry contributions from a professional in a position or field related to sheep production.
Nominees should show a strong commitment and a significant contribution to the sheep industry, its organizations and its producers above and beyond what is called for in his/her professional capacity.
The Distinguished Producer Award was launched in 2014 to recognize the 150th anniversary of the national organization – the oldest livestock association in the country. This award is a way to recognize an individual who has had a significant long-term impact on the industry, including involvement with the National Wool Growers Association or American Sheep Producers Council.
The Industry Innovation Award recognizes the accomplishments of an individual or organization that improves the American sheep industry in a game-changing way, regardless of whether its impact is felt at the regional or national level.
The Shepherd’s Voice Award for Media recognizes outstanding coverage of the sheep industry by either print or broadcast outlets. The award excludes all publications and affiliates related solely to the sheep industry, allowing for recognition of outlets with general coverage of sheep industry issues.
Nominations must be submitted to ASI by Nov. 29, and past recipients of these awards are not eligible. Visit SheepUSA.org/events-awards for more information.
OHIO AWARDS SCHOLARSHIPS
Five young Ohio sheep farmers were selected as scholarship winners from the Ohio Sheep Improvement Association recently.
Scholarship recipients were:
• Clay Schoen received a $2,500 scholarship for the ninth annual Dr. Jack Judy Memorial Scholarship. Schoen is a graduate student at South Dakota State University.
• Clay Johnson received the $1,500 Ralph Memorial Scholarship. Johnson is a senior at Ohio State University.
• Emily Stevens – a junior at Kansas State University – received the fourth annual High Family Memorial Scholarship for $1,000.
• Madison Feehan received a $1,500 scholarship awarded from the OSIA LEAD Council. Madison is currently a sophomore at Bowling Green State University.
• Avery Shoffner was named the 2024-2025 Ohio Lamb and Wool Ambassador. She will receive a scholarship stipend at the end of her OLWA reign at the 2025 Ohio State Fair.
The Ohio Sheep Improvement Association in coordination with the Ohio Farm Bureau Foundation sponsors the Dr. Jack Judy Memorial Scholarship and the High Family Memorial Scholarship. The Ralph Grimshaw Memorial Scholarship, OSIA LEAD Council Scholarship and the Ohio Lamb and Wool Ambassador Scholarships are sponsored by the Ohio Sheep Improvement Association.
Funds for the Grimshaw, Judy and High scholarships come from various funding sources, including the Buckeye Shepherd’s Symposium Silent Auction and private donations. The OSIA LEAD Council scholarships are sponsored by the OSIA LEAD Council and are funded through Ohio State Fair scholarship programs and multiple other fundraising activities.
The 2024 OSIA Scholarship recipients will be recognized during the OSIA LEAD Banquet and Awards Program this month and during the Buckeye Shepherd’s Symposium Awards program on Dec. 7.
NEWELL SALE BRINGS BIG RESULTS
The 71st Newell (S.D.) Ram Sale and Show was held Sept. 15-16 and sold 222 head for $151,475 – an average of $682 per head. There were 137 registered buyers from South Dakota, Wyoming, North Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota, Montana, Colorado and Missouri.
The top selling stud ram was consigned by John Beastrom of Pierre, S.D. The Targhee yearling was purchased by Bob Innes of Gillette, Wyo., for $5,500.
Kitzan Sheep of Nisland, S.D., had the top pen of range rams with a pen of two South African Meat Merino ram lambs that sold to Raymond Turk of Kaycee, Wyo., for $4,800.
Here’s a breakdown of the breeds that sold:
• Rambouillet: 90 head, $69,675 for an average of $774 per head.
• Suffolk: 52 head, $32,225 for an average of $620 per head.
• Hampshire: 30 head, $13,625 for an average of $454 per head.
• Columbia: 24 head, $10,000 for an average of $417 per head.
• Corriedale: 13 head, $7,550 for an average of $581 per head.
• Targhee: Seven head, $11,050 for an average of $1,579 per head.
• SAMM: Four head, $6,350 for an average of $1588 per head.
• Dorset: Two head, $1,000 for an average of $500 per head.
The Wool Show had a total of 24 fleeces shown. The Supreme Champion Fleece was a Corriedale fleece from Jona Freisz of New Salem, N.D. It also took top honors in the Corriedale fleece category.
Visit NewellRamSale.com/show-sale-results for complete results from the show and sale.
