Aug. 23 ASI Weekly

Watch the ALB Lamb Summit on Facebook

The first American Lamb Summit is set to unveil the latest about lamb quality and production efficiencies next Tuesday and Wednesday (Aug. 27-28) in Fort Collins, Colo. The American Lamb Board will be hosting five livestreaming video sessions on Facebook so the industry has immediate access to topline information.

Anyone who has access to Facebook can watch the live video using their smartphone, tablet or computer. The first step is to go to the American Lamb Checkoff page on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/LambCheckoff/). Tune in a few minutes prior to each livestream session and when it starts it will show up automatically as the newest item on the Lamb Checkoff page.
Livestream sessions will include:

• How to increase market share by providing what consumers want, and what global competitors are doing to improve their lamb products on Tuesday at 11 a.m. MST/Noon CST/1 p.m. EST.
• Genetic selection tools to influence end-product profitability, farm gate efficiencies, and the latest on-farm innovation and technologies to improve value on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. MST/6:30 p.m. CST/7:30 p.m. EST.
• The economic realities of out-of-season lambing and tools to improve carcass quality and traceability throughout the supply chain on Wednesday at 10:15 a.m. MST/11:15 a.m. CST/12:15 p.m. EST.
• Understanding grids and value-based marketing, and the latest on lamb flavor including using REIMS to separate products by flavor profiles on Wednesday at 1 p.m. MST/2 p.m. CST/3 p.m. EST.
• The entire final session on Lamb Summit findings and where the industry goes from this point on Wednesday at 2:40 p.m. MST/3:40 p.m. CST/1:40 p.m. EST.

ALB Chairman Dale Thorne sums up what to expect from the Lamb Summit this way, “Imports represent more than 60 percent of the lamb consumed in the United States. Our industry must improve production efficiencies and deliver a more consistent, high-quality product at a price which consumers will pay. Our farm gate prices are not likely to significantly increase when our products are already priced at a strong premium over competitors. How can we be expected to lower costs, increase production and not get paid more? That is what the Lamb Summit is all about. We are going to explore how our industry can use genetics, nutrition, technology, knowledge and networks to increase productivity, make more money and produce a higher quality product.”

    Source: ALB

 

ASI SheepCast Looks at Industry Priorities

American Sheep Industry Association President Benny Cox joins this week’s ASI SheepCast to talk about priorities of the industry that he shared as part of the recent West Texas Legislative Summit in San Angelo, Texas.

 Click Here to listen to the podcast.

 

Gordon Tabbed to Administer Idaho Wool Growers

The Idaho Wool Growers Association is pleased to welcome Naomi Gordon to the team as the new executive director. She succeeds former director, Brandy Kay, who held the post for nearly three years. Gordon has an extensive background in nonprofits, and a large list of accolades to her credit.

“I have worked with, and for, many grass-roots entities throughout the nation, but none of them has had quite the passion and drive this one does,” said Gordon. “The wool growers is so rich with history and love for our state, I am quite excited to become part of the team.”

Gordon plans to utilize her experience for the IWGA by engaging with current producers, legislation, media, industry leaders, educators, hobbyists and the Idaho community at large.

“This first year will be one of listening and learning about what each sector needs,” said Gordon. “The industry as a whole is being transformed by technology, resource management and government regulations. I would love to hear from people about their thoughts of how we can help navigate, educate and initiate positive pathways to business success for our members.”

Gordon holds a master’s degree in organizational leadership from Colorado Christian University, a bachelor’s degree from Utah Valley University, two associate’s degrees in graphic design and illustration from Salt Lake Community College and three technology degrees from the United States Marine Corps – where she proudly served as a journalist and broadcaster. Her and her husband, Rod, have five grown and two grandchildren.

In addition to a new director, the IWGA has implemented two more changes from their strategic plan: a new website and a headquarters move.

“Our offices being located in Emmett (Idaho) was found to be inconvenient to many of our members,” said IWGA President John Noh. “We took their advice and are currently in the process of moving back to Boise where we will share a building with the Idaho Cattle Association. This will make it much easier for our members who need to fly in or travel from long distances.”

The association’s offices – with a dedicated Sheep Shop Store – will be open to the public when the move is complete next month.

Source: IWGA

 

Make Wool Great Again

Did you know that MWGA not only stands for Montana Wool Growers Association, but also for Make Wool Great Again? The association is selling new T-shirts with the slogan that were designed by the Horizon Marketing Agency.

The shirts are available in sizes ranging from small to extra, extra large and in Metro Blue, Cardinal and Black colors. Shirts are $20 plus $3 shipping and can be ordered by calling 406-697-8601 or emailing mtwga@outlook.com.

 

Australian Wool Market Down Once Again

The Australian wool market continued its decline this week. The losses however, were not as extreme as the previous two series.

Buyers continued to look for value in the market, and their major focus was on the better-style lots with good additional measurements. As a result, these lots recorded minimal change for the series. Non-mulesed wool continued to attract strong competition during the sale, maintaining its healthy premiums compared to similarly specified wool – as much as 200 cents clean for selected lots – and also recording little change.

The lesser-style wools and those with poor additional measurements lacked the same demand, which resulted in general losses of 50 to 80 cents. It was the reduction in these types that pushed the individual Micron Price Guides generally down by 20 to 50 cents. The losses in the MPGs were the driving force behind the fall in the AWEX Eastern Market Indicator, which lost 16 cents for the series to close the week at 1,494 Australian cents. The EMI has now fallen 416 cents since the start of the 2019 calendar year. The EMI has dropped by 622 cents since the high it achieved in August 2018 – a reduction of 29.4 percent.

Despite the further price reductions, there were more sellers willing to accept the current price levels. The national passed in rate was 16.1 percent – 19.7 percent lower than the previous sale. The crossbreds were the only sector to record increases for the series. The MPGs for 26.0 to 28.0 micron generally rose by 25 to 40 cents. The gains in the crossbred MPGs prevented the EMI from recording a larger fall.

After performing well in the previous month, the oddments suffered losses this week. All types and descriptions generally fell by 80 to 120 cents, pushing the two carding indicators down by an average of 94 cents.

Source: AWEX