Online Registration Closes Today
Today is the final day to register online for the ASI Annual Convention next month in Scottsdale, Ariz. After today, all registrations must be done in person on Jan. 15-18 at the Scottsdale Plaza Resort and will be subject to availability. So, if you plan to attend, your best bet is to register today.
Today is also the final day to make changes to an existing registration.
The ASI Annual Convention is the ultimate gathering of the American sheep industry each year and provides producers the opportunity to meet and discuss topics of importance to the industry. All facets of the industry will meet in Scottsdale during the ASI Annual Convention, from the National Lamb Feeders Association to the National Sheep Improvement Program and more. The convention will also play host to the National Make It With Wool contest.
This year’s opening session will be a panel discussion on solar grazing and the phenomenal impact it is currently having on the American sheep industry. Solar grazers as well as solar companies will be represented on the panel, which will be moderated by Lexie Hain of New York, who founded the American Solar Grazing Association and now works full-time in the industry with Lightsource bp.
Click Here for more information and to register.
Sheep GEMS: Genetic Diversity within Breeds
The genetic diversity available within each sheep breed gives us tremendous opportunity to make genetic improvement. That snapshot of the genetic diversity currently available is extremely valuable since it provides a benchmark for comparing the consequences of selection over time in individual breeds. To establish that starting point, we used both pedigree- and molecular-based information to assess genetic diversity in the four breeds involved in Sheep GEMS.
For each of the breeds we evaluated – Katahdin, Polypay, Rambouillet and Suffolk – we found substantial genetic diversity. That coincides with low inbreeding levels. So, what do we mean by inbreeding? Inbreeding arises from the mating of relatives, which leads to an increased chance that a lamb inherits identical copies of an allele from both its sire and dam. Such an increase in homozygosity is not necessarily bad. In fact, it is almost inevitable in a selection program where we retain rams and ewes with more favorable genotypes – or packages of alleles – for breeding.
However, inbreeding does come with risks. Often, deleterious alleles are recessive. When that is the case, with inbreeding they will appear together in a homozygous state more often. That results in an expression of their deleterious effects. Such negative consequences of inbreeding are most seen in fitness traits such as health and reproductive success.
Increased inbreeding also coincides with reduced genetic diversity in a breed in general. Our ability to achieve good genetic progress in the long term depends on our having genetic variation to work with. So, in a well-designed breeding program, we need to balance an increase in inbreeding with strategies to track and maintain genetic diversity.
Another important concept related to genetic diversity is the effective population size – Ne – which is the number of individuals that effectively participate in producing the next generation. In other words, it is an estimate of the number of active breeding animals. The Ne is usually much less than the actual size of the population. We expect an Ne of 50 to lead to a rate of inbreeding of only 1 percent per generation. Consequently, we recommend an Ne of at least 50, although preferably at least 100.
For Katahdins, inbreeding in the most recent generation averaged 1.7 percent with a rate of change of inbreeding of 0.025 percent per year. The Ne for the breed’s pedigree estimate ranged from 42 to 451 while the molecular-based estimate was 150 animals. These results are well within the recommended values and suggest the Katahdin breed has sufficient genetic diversity moving forward.
For Polypays, current pedigree-based inbreeding was 3.5 percent with an annual rate of inbreeding of 0.069 percent per year. The Ne ranged from 41 to 249 for pedigree-based methods and 118 for the molecular-based method. Furthermore, from our analyses of Polypay, the breed has become differentiated from the foundation flock at the U.S. Sheep Experiment Station, likely due to different selection objectives among National Sheep Improvement Program flocks.
For Rambouillets, the current pedigree-based inbreeding was 2 percent and the rate of inbreeding per year was 0.079 percent. We estimated the average pedigree-based Ne to be 165 animals while the estimated molecular-based Ne was 392 animals. Therefore – like in Katahdins and Polypays – Rambouillets are genetically diverse.
For Suffolks, the pedigree-based inbreeding was 5.5 percent for the most recent year while the annual rate of inbreeding was 0.015 percent. We computed the Ne using multiple pedigree-based methods, resulting in a range of 28 to 244. With the molecular-based method, the Ne was 79.5. The Suffolk analysis showed some disconnectedness within the breed, which is great for genetic diversity but less appealing for genetic evaluation, which relies on pedigree ties across flocks.
The take-home message from these studies is the genetic diversity of these four breeds is substantial and we can feel confident moving forward with genomic selection. However, we should repeat these analyses every 10 to 15 years to ensure we continue to maintain that genetic diversity.
For further information contact Dr. Carrie Wilson at [email protected].
Acknowledgements. We thank American sheep associations and breed organizations, the National Sheep Improvement Program, and sheep producers, for their contributions to this research. We supported this work through the Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative (grant 2016-51300-25723/project accession no. 1010329), and by the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Competitive Grant (grant 2022-67015-36073/project accession no. 1027785), from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. The USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the USDA.
Source: Sheep GEMS
House Passes NDAA, Protects Berry Amendment
The National Council of Textile Organizations – which the American Sheep Industry Association is a member of – commends the House of Representatives for passing the Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act this week.
The legislation helps preserve the Berry Amendment supply chain, authorizes the Department of Defense to take steps to build up the defense textile stockpile, and directs DOD to be more transparent and disclose all waivers submitted for the procurement of defense textiles not made in the United States.
In addition to supporting and expanding the critical Berry Amendment – which requires the Department of Defense to purchase 100 percent U.S. made textiles and clothing – the legislation includes two new key provisions important to the domestic textile industry:
- Authorizes the secretary of defense to establish pre-positioned stocks of defense textiles needed to support contingency operations, while requiring the secretary to develop a plan to mitigate delays in meeting the demand for a ramp up in defense textile articles.
- Increases public transparency for domestic nonavailability determinations on an annual basis, while requiring the under secretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment to develop and maintain a list of DNADs and share it with Congress and industry.
“We applaud the House for passing the FY 2025 NDAA today and urge the Senate to pass this critical legislation this year,” said NCTO President and CEO Kim Glas. “This legislation contains provisions that support a strong domestic textile and apparel manufacturing industrial base and aims to expand procurement of American-made defense-related textiles. The Berry Amendment ensures that there is a stable and viable domestic supply chain for these critical defense materials.
“The U.S. textile industry provides high-tech, functional components for the U.S. government, including more than $1.8 billion worth of vital uniforms and equipment for our armed forces annually. It is vital to America’s national security that the U.S. military maintain the ability to source high-quality, innovative textile materials, apparel, and personal equipment from a vibrant U.S. textile industrial base.”
ASI applauds the passage of this legislation and urges the Senate to do so, as well.
“Preserving the Berry Amendment is critical to the American sheep industry as the U.S. military is the largest domestic buyer of American wool,” said ASI Director of Wool Marketing Rita Samuelson. “We also appreciate that this bill addresses transparency for domestic nonavailability determinations.”
Source: NCTO
Mountain Meadow Wool Offers 2025 Internships
Mountain Meadow Wool in Buffalo, Wyo., is once again offering its Student Hands-on Education and Research Program internships in 2025.
“Our goal for the 2025 MMW internship program is to immerse students into the wool textile industry by offering an interactive learning experience where students will have a one-of-a-kind opportunity to learn about the entire wool process from scouring through knitting,” according to the company’s online post about the internship. “This is an exciting chance to learn about the unique differences in wool types, gain first-hand processing knowledge, and learn about value-added agriculture business and marketing.”
Interns will be exposed to each of Mountain Meadow Wool’s five work centers: first-stage processing; second-stage processing; yarn dyeing and finishing; knitting; and marketing. Applicants must be pursuing a degree in textile design or engineering, agricultural business or marketing, animal science, mechanical engineering or an alternative related degree, and be at least 18 years of age. Housing – paid for by Mountain Meadow Wool – is available at the Sheridan College dorm approximately 35 miles from Buffalo, or interns may arrange for their own housing. The dates for 2025 internships are: June 2-Aug. 8.
Applications for internships are now open and selections will be made as applications are received, so apply early.
Click Here for more information.
Source: Mountain Meadow Wool
Australian Wool Market Records Small Decrease
The Australian wool market had another series of minimal price movements, culminating in a marginal decrease. The national offering was 38,172 bales – 253 fewer bales than the previous week.
The market movements were varied across microns and regions. The movements in the individual Micron Price Guides across the country ranged between plus 25 and minus 31 cents. The 19 micron and finer MPGs in the West posted the largest increases, while the 18 micron and finer MPGs in the North recorded the largest falls.
On the first selling day, the benchmark AWEX Eastern Market Indicator fell by 2 cents. This was the 19th selling day in a row where the EMI recorded a single-digit movement. On the final day, the EMI recorded no movement, finishing the day unchanged. This stretched the run of single-digit movements to 20. This is the longest run of single-digit daily movements since a run of 25 between October 2014 and January 2015. The EMI finished the series just 2 cents lower, closing the week at 1,140 Australian cents.
A weaker Australian dollar – the AUD fell by 0.45 U.S. cents since the close of the previous series – meant that when viewed in U.S. dollar terms, the overall market reduction was larger. The EMI dropped 6 U.S. cents for the week, closing at 728 U.S. cents.
Next week hosts the final sale for the 2024 calendar year. The sale is restricted to two days – Tuesday/Wednesday – to adhere to the business rule that there must be four business days between the final sale day and Christmas day. There is no need to restrict quantities on this occasion as all regional centers are below the allowed two-day sale lot maximums. There are expected to be 35,912 bales on offer nationally.
Click Here for the ASI Conversion Table – AWEX Prices to USD Per Pound.
Source: AWEX
USDA Announces Support for Local Food Programs
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced this week a $1.13 billion investment to support local and regional food systems, building upon the department’s previous investments in the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement and Local Food for Schools programs.
This round of funding will allow states, territories and federally recognized tribes to purchase wholesome, locally produced foods for distribution within their communities to emergency food providers, schools and child care centers. Those interested in applying for this round of LFS – which now includes funding for child care centers – can visit the LFS website. Those wishing to participate in this round of LFPA can visit the LFPA website. Producers wishing to receive information about becoming a vendor for LFPA or for LFS should contact their respective state, territory or tribal purchasing authorities.
“These programs expand on the prior achievements of USDA’s LFPA and LFS programs and carry them into 2025, assuring local farmers, families and communities that they will continue to get the help they need,” said USDA Under Secretary Jenny Lester Moffitt. “The programs reaffirm our commitment to bolstering local economies, ensuring food security, and fostering resilient agricultural communities nationwide.”
Click Here for the full press release.
Source: USDA
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.
Farm Bill Extension in Continuing Resolution
As we near the end of the 118th Congress, both chambers continue their work to pass a Farm Bill extension, which will possibly ride along in the Continuing Resolution that must be passed by Dec. 20 to avoid a government shutdown.
Of interest to the American Sheep Industry Association, the House and Senate Agriculture Committees are trying to ensure offsets in order to extend funding for the various “orphan programs” – such as the Wool Trust Fund – since these Title XII programs do not have permanent baseline as opposed to traditional farm programs. Another key item that remains in play is funding for assistance to those impacted by hurricanes and other natural disasters, including for agricultural producers.
With the cost of production above the market prices received by producers of corn, wheat, rice, soybeans, cotton and other major crops, there are strong concerns in farm country that without financial assistance many producers will not be able to show the positive cash flow necessary to finance and plant a crop in 2025. Production agriculture advocacy groups continue to support the efforts of champions such as Sen. John Boozman (Ark.) and House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glen “GT” Thompson (Penn.) to push for funding for economic assistance for farmers impacted by poor market conditions.
The path forward on these packages remains unclear. As of this writing, it has been reported that an agreement has been reached on a topline spending amount of $98 billion for a disaster supplemental appropriations bill. But negotiations continue and any final amounts available for agriculture disaster and economic assistance, if any, are as of yet unknown. Congress is currently scheduled to recess for the remainder of 2024 on Dec. 20, when the current funding for the government expires. It is expected that a CR will be passed to avert a government shutdown, and year-end legislation may include a Farm Bill extension and some financial relief to help America’s producers to continue to farm into 2025.
ERS Released 2024 Farm Sector Income Forecast
This month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service released its 2024 Farm Sector Income Forecast. ERS’s forecast reported that after reaching record highs in 2022, farm sector income is forecasted to fall in 2024, but at a slower rate than in 2023.
Farm receipts for 2024 are expected to decrease by $4 billion – a 0.8-percent decrease from 2023 receipts. Direct government payments and total production expenses are both projected to decrease from 2023 levels. Overall, net farm income is projected to be $140.7 billion while net farm cash income is projected to be $158.8 billion in 2024, both of which would be greater than the averages from 2004-2023, if realized.
Click Here for ERS’s summary findings and breakdown of the most recent farm sector income.