ASI Executive Board Conducts Summer Meeting
The American Sheep Industry Association Executive Board met this week in Deadwood, S.D., for its annual summer meeting. The focus of the meeting each year is to set a budget for the coming fiscal year that will then need approval from the full board of directors. ASI’s new fiscal year begins on Oct. 1.
Executive Board members traveled to South Dakota on Monday before meeting all day on Tuesday to set the budget and discuss a variety of industry topics ranging from requests for Guard Dog funding to the upcoming Farm Bill to targeted grazing and plans for the 2026 ASI Annual Convention in Reno, Nev.
During the meeting, the Executive Board set both the Wool Trust and Fund II budgets for the upcoming fiscal year while also approving dues rates at the current level: 3.5 cents per stock sheep and $8 per member for state associations. Associate member and minimum dues rates for state dues were set at $400 and individual memberships were set at 3.5 cents per stock sheep or $50, whichever is greater.
The board approved a $15,000 contribution from the Guard Dog Fund to the Western Legal Resources Center for ongoing legal cases surrounding grazing of public lands.
At the request of ASI President Brad Boner of Wyoming, the board approved the appointment of a working group on agrivoltaics/solar grazing to identify partner and coalition opportunities for the American sheep industry.
In addition to meeting on Tuesday, the Executive Board held a well-attended reception that evening with members of Center of the Nation Wool and the South Dakota Sheep Growers Association.
The meeting concluded with a tour day on Wednesday as the Executive Board visited the Geis Ranch and Innes Ranch in eastern Wyoming.
DLA Offers Sock Solicitation
The Defense Logistics Agency has issued a solicitation for the procurement of a cold weather sock system that will most likely use a vast amount of American wool. All materials and manufacturing for the solicitation must be compliant with the Berry Amendment.
The solicitation calls for bids for four types of socks: liner, lightweight, midweight and heavyweight, as well as a complete cold weather sock set.
“The specs for most of these socks require they be made of wool,” said ASI Military Consultant Mitch Driggers. “The boot liners, for example, are usually nylon.”
With a due date of Aug. 28, the solicitation calls for an estimated 3.1 million pairs of socks during a three-year period. There is a guaranteed minimum of 208,000 pairs.
“The United States military definitely understands the exceptional qualities of American wool when it comes to keeping our troops comfortable in extreme conditions, as well as wool’s many natural attributes making it an integral component in dress uniforms. Wool is the ultimate choice for its natural, versatile and sustainable qualities,” said ASI Director of Wool Marketing Rita Samuelson.
Click Here for more information.
Halal Slaughter Webinar Set for Tuesday
Kathryn Piper of Five Pillars Butchery House will be the speaker during an American Sheep Industry Association-sponsored webinar on Growing the Ethnic Market: The Ins and Outs of Halal Slaughter on Tuesday at 8 p.m. eastern time.
Kathyrn and her husband have built a successful halal slaughter facility in Unity, Maine, and have received funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to build a larger facility in the future. Their goal has been to provide local food production to their community and the New England area, as well as providing a sustainable and holistic approach to meat processing. To learn more, visit FivePillarsButchery.com/.
The webinar is made possible through a cooperative agreement with USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
Click Here to register for the free webinar.
ALB Holds Summer Meeting
The American Lamb Board’s annual summer meeting – held at ALB’s office in Colorado on Tuesday – was a productive working session. Attended by ALB’s Board of Directors and staff, the meeting focused on the development of the fiscal year 2025 plan and budget.
Before working on the upcoming plan, the board was updated on current projects that align with ALB’s strategic goals, including: industry services; research, education and innovation; and marketing
The morning sessions focused on industry service programs, including funding programs, young leader programs, the Lamb Summit and the Targeted Grazing Workshops, followed by updates on current research projects. After lunch, the board was updated on current marketing efforts before developing priorities and strategies for the 2025 plan and budget.
“It was a great opportunity to start planning for the upcoming year and get up to speed on current programs,” said ALB Chairman Jeff Ebert.
The board of directors has 13 members. These include six producers from different regions and types of production, three lamb feeder representatives, three first handlers and one seedstock producer.
“Working with this innovative and diverse board is inspiring for the staff,” said ALB Executive Director Megan Wortman. “Their feedback, expertise and insights are extremely valuable and help the staff build programs that address sheep industry priorities and provide value to our contributors.”
Source: ALB
SDSU Plans Ultrasound School
South Dakota State University Extension will host a sheep ultrasound certification school on Aug. 24-26 at the SDSU Sheep Research and Teaching Unit in Brookings, S.D.
This ultrasound certification school is for anyone interested in becoming a certified loineye ultrasound technician or just wanting to learn to ultrasound. Instructed by Dr. Christopher Schauer of North Dakota State University, this hands-on program will teach participants how to measure loineye area, backfat and body wall thickness. The information can then be applied for National Sheep Improvement Program data collection and understanding how to select for improved genetics.
If you have your own ultrasound machine, you are more than welcome to bring it with you to use. The cost to attend the school is $300.
Click Here for more information.
Source: SDSU Extension
Penn State Offers Sheep Management Course
Penn State Extension is offering a Sheep Management and Production online course that will include live webinars focused on breeds, nutrition, health, grazing and marketing of sheep.
The course opens on Aug. 26 with live webinars on Sept. 16 and 30, as well as Oct. 14 and 28 at 7 p.m. eastern time.
This online, instructor-led course teaches the basics of sheep production through a combination of readings, educational videos, worksheets and webinars. Participants will be provided with worksheets that will help analyze their own operations to improve performance and profitability. Learners will complete a worksheet for each section of the course and upload them for review prior to the webinars. Instructors will review the worksheets and return comments and suggestions. During the webinars, educators and learners will discuss worksheets and participate in roundtable discussions. The webinars will be recorded to view after the event.
The course begins with looking at production facilities and how to design a handling system that meets your needs. Videos will teach learners how to select the breed of sheep best suited for their goals and operation, how to meet the nutritional needs of their sheep, and how to manage pasture and forage. This course covers breeding and managing sheep through the reproductive cycle, as well as how to identify and correct sheep health problems.
Participants will also learn effective ways to market sheep and lamb products, and how to handle the financial planning for sheep production. Videos will teach about pricing practices, identifying a market and direct marketing.
Knowledge check questions throughout the course will help participants review what they learn, and each section also provides the opportunity to reflect on how to incorporate what they’ve learned into their sheep operations. There is a five-question quiz at the end of each section. Participants need to score 80 percent or better on each quiz to successfully earn a certificate.
Click Here for more information.
Source: Penn State Extension
Legislative Update from Washington, D.C.
The American Sheep Industry Association’s lobbying firm – Cornerstone Government Affairs – offered an update this week on legislative issues in our nation’s capital.
USDA Extends Comment Period
On Monday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service announced it was extending the deadline for the comment period for the Fair and Competitive Livestock Poultry Markets proposed rule. Instead of closing on Aug. 27, comments can now be submitted until Sept. 11.
This proposed rule would allow USDA to define unfair practices as conduct that harms market participants and conduct that harms and interferes with the market. Together, these comprehensively define the scope associated with “unfair practices” written under the Packers & Stockyards Act. Through the P&S Act, USDA houses the rulemaking and enforcement authority to ensure that appropriate competitive and fair trade market protects are being practiced and afforded to those participating in the livestock, meat and poultry industries.
Click Here for the Federal Register listing on the rule.
Click Here to submit comments.
Video of the Week
InStyle offers a look at the Olympic uniforms worn by the members of Team USA, which include an opening ceremony blazer made from American wool.
Click Here to watch the video.
Source: National Council of Textile Organizations