Market Information is Readily Available

The American Sheep Industry Association Market News App was decommissioned on Jan. 1, but there are still plenty of opportunities for producers to access necessary market information.

ASI encourages producers to download the USDA Market News App, which provides instant access to market reports and other vital information directly from the U.S. Department of Agriculture in a more user-friendly format.

The USDA Market News app gives users instant access to market reports and information published by U.S. Department of Agriculture covering conventional and organic livestock, poultry, grain, dairy, cotton and specialty crop market reports. The app allows users to search for current and historical reports by location, state or commodity. Users can also add reports to their favorites for easier access, share reports via text or email, subscribe to reports and share the aggregated data behind reports via email for additional analysis. The app provides real-time notifications when a new report is published without any delays.

Both iOS and Android versions of the app are available to download through the Apple and Google Play stores. Search for USDA Market News Mobile Application to download the app and begin exploring its potential.

One popular feature from the old ASI Market News App was the wool calculator. That feature is now available at SheepUSA.org/calculator. It allows producers to see the current price of wool in both clean and greasy terms, as well as how prices increase or decrease with changes in micron, yield and quality. While micron is the primary driver of price, multiple factors including yield, length, strength and contamination play a role in the price. Fortunately, these are all things that can be managed, allowing producers to garner a better price for their wool. The Wool Calculator allows you to see how big a difference lower micron, higher yield and better quality can make.

 

Sheep Industry Officials Reach Out on Federal Services

The American Sheep Industry Association and a number of wool grower organizations have been in regular contact the past two weeks with congressional delegations to address the loss of key personnel within the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The loss of Wildlife Services livestock protection services set off alarms across the country with planes and choppers grounded due to loss of pilots, support staff and control specialists. Communications from the sheep industry and the Public Lands Council heightened the awareness of the serious impact minus the livestock program. Recent communications from USDA to the industry indicate the conversations have been successful and many of the probationary and term folks have been brought back on service, which is a relief to thousands of sheep producers.

Another key topic of the communications has been drastic cuts at the U.S. Sheep Experiment Station in Idaho and the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center in Nebraska, both of which are vital to sheep industry research. ASI officers have stressed that not only will layoffs slow research efforts on important animal disease issues, but that the loss of personnel makes it difficult for research center staff to care for the tens of thousands of animals on their properties.

“There is plenty of uncertainty in the federal program space today and likely that will continue for a period as the reduction in force efforts and policy on hiring evolves,” said ASI Executive Director Peter Orwick. “It is very helpful that we can make some progress in these situations as USDA is critical to the lives and health of millions of our livestock.”

 

Register Now for the Lamb Summit

Registration is open for the 2025 American Lamb Summit, an educational conference that brings together all segments of the sheep industry to discuss the latest trends and opportunities to increase the competitiveness of the American sheep industry.

The summit – which will be held at the University of Idaho on July 23-25 – combines expert speakers in a conference setting, hands-on learning at the university’s meat lab and sheep center, and small group discussions focused on industry-leading topics selected by attendees.

The conference aims to foster collaboration on practical strategies to enhance profitability and efficiency within the American sheep industry.

“Educational conferences like the American Lamb Summit help our industry focus on improving the sustainability and profitability of producers while delivering a great eating experience for consumers,” said ALB Chairman Jeff Ebert.

The summit – hosted by ALB – will be moderated by University of Idaho Meat Sciences Professor Phil Bass, Ph.D., and Maggie O’Quinn, a retail meat marketing consultant at Midan Marketing. Bass and O’Quinn spent many years working together at Certified Angus Beef. As moderators, the two will keep the conference focused on educating producers about how the industry can deliver what consumers desire while increasing the competitiveness of American lamb to recapture market share from imports.

The registration fee for this event is $150, which covers breakfast, lunch, dinner, refreshments and transportation from the hotel to the university. Additionally, accommodations can be made at the Best Western in Moscow, Idaho, at a rate of $159 per night.

Click Here for more information.

Source: ALB

 

Sheep GEMS: How Do Parasites Affect Production?

Gastrointestinal parasites are one of the main health concerns for grazing sheep because available dewormers are largely ineffective due to dewormer resistance. Parasitic worms are a year-round problem in tropical and sub-tropical environments affecting millions of small ruminants worldwide. However, resistance to multiple deworming drugs is common in small ruminants. Infection with gastrointestinal nematode parasites can cause reduced weight gains, fertility, fiber and milk production, as well as cause anemia, diarrhea and death.

The most pathogenic worm species is barber pole worm or Haemonchus contortus. It is a blood sucker and can consume as much as 0.2 milliliters of blood per day, which adds up under a heavy infection (hundreds of worms). It causes anemia (white lower eyelids) and bottle jaw. Barber pole worm is common in warmer, more humid environments and females can lay 10,000 eggs per day.

Another prevalent worm is Trichostrongylus spp., which prefers cooler, wetter environments. These worms can cause diarrhea, weight loss and sometimes death. Other less pathogenic common worms – often fewer in numbers – are Cooperia (Cooper’s worm), Nematodirus spp. (thin-necked intestinal worm) and Oesophagostomum spp. (nodule worm). All of these have a similar life cycle which can be completed within four to five weeks. Animals pick up infective stage larvae from grazing pastures.

Other worms are tape worms, which usually do not cause any production losses. However, deworming generally leads to further dewormer resistance of pathogenic worms. Strongyloides spp. (threadworm; invades through the skin) can be pathogenic initially, but an immune response will minimize further infections (these smaller, larvated eggs should not be counted in a fecal exam). Fecal egg counts are useful to estimate worm infection and should only include trichostrongyle parasites (excluding tape worm and Strongyloides) which cannot be differentiated by shape or size.

Young lambs, stressed sheep, and ewes in late pregnancy and early lactation are the most susceptible to internal parasites. Worms can survive drought if they find pockets of moisture in the soil, and during winter conditions. Also, worms can survive in the animal during hypobiosis or arrested development of larvae and development resumes around the time of lambing.

“Parasite free” pastures likely do not exist. Thus, it is important to manage sheep accordingly to minimize parasite exposure and maximize natural tolerance. Methods to do this include rotational grazing, withholding grazing especially during the dewy mornings, providing diverse pastures with legumes and forbs, using proper grazing pressure or not overstocking or overgrazing, and use of nematode-trapping fungus (BioWorma), which reduces larvae survival on pasture. Increased nutrition to susceptible animals increases their tolerance. Parasitized animals require additional protein to repair damage to the gastrointestinal tract. Once an animal becomes heavily infected, treatment with an effective dewormer is imperative. It is no longer recommended to treat the whole flock, but to treat individuals in need identified by FAMACHA scoring or Five Point Check, which considers loss in body condition or weight, poor hair coat, and dagginess (accumulation of manure) around the hind quarters.

The most promising means to control parasites is through genetic selection for resistance (measured by FEC) or resilience (ability to maintain production or avoid anemia in the presence of an infection). This will be discussed in the next news brief.

For further information, contact Joan Burke ([email protected]). For more information on parasites, see www.wormx.info.

Acknowledgements. We thank the many American sheep associations, including the Eastern Alliance for Production Katahdins, Katahdin Hair Sheep International, the National Sheep Improvement Program and Katahdin sheep producers for their contributions to this research. This work is supported by the Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative (grant no. 2016-51300-25723/project accession no. 1010329), and by the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Competitive Grant (grant no. 2022-67015-36073/project accession no. 1027785), from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. 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 U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Source: Sheep GEMS

 

NGLC Plans Pacific Northwest Bus Tour

The National Lands Grazing Coalition will host the Pacific Pastures Bus Tour on June 10-13 in Richland, Wash.

“Pacific Pastures promises to be an unforgettable grazing tour, bringing together farmers, ranchers and agriculture industry professionals,” according to NLGC. “Participants will have the unique opportunity to network and engage with peers in a stunning backdrop that highlights the diverse landscapes and rich agricultural heritage of the Pacific Northwest. The event will feature an immersive experience that showcases innovative farming practices, sustainable ranching techniques and the region’s unique character. Attendees can look forward to forging valuable connections, sharing insights and exploring the vibrant agricultural community that defines this remarkable region.”

Click Here to learn more.

Source: NGLC

 

Wolves Could Be on Colorado Ballot Next Year

The Colorado Secretary of State’s Title Board on Wednesday approved language for a proposed ballot measure that would ask voters in 2026 to end the reintroduction of gray wolves by the end of that year.

“The only thing we are doing with this ballot measure is asking voters to approve a day where wolves would no longer be introduced in Colorado by humans,” said Stan VanderWerf, a former El Paso County commissioner who helped write the ballot measure. “This proposal does not make any other changes to state or provisions that address the management of wolves or reimbursement for depredation. It’s a very simple proposal.”

Voters approved Proposition 114 in November 2020, requiring Colorado Parks and Wildlife to make a plan to begin reintroducing wolves to the Western Slope of Colorado by the end of 2023. The wildlife agency first released 10 gray wolves captured in Oregon onto state land in Grand and Summit counties in December 2023.

After vehement objections from ranchers who lost livestock to the predators, the agency adjusted its management strategy and released 15 wolves captured in British Columbia in Eagle and Pitkin counties in January. Another five wolves that wildlife officials captured and relocated were also released in January. Last month, the state estimated there are 29 gray wolves in Colorado.

Click Here to read the full story.

Source: The Colorado Sun

 

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.

Budget Resolutions Direct Cuts to Agriculture

Last week, the Senate Committee on the Budget easily pushed its budget resolution out of committee along a party line vote of 11-10. The committee-approved resolution would direct the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Foresty to cut no less than $1 billion in mandatory spending in the next 10 fiscal years (FY 2026 through FY 2035).

Following the Senate, the House Budget Committee passed its budget resolution along a party line vote of 21-16. Compared to the Senate, the House version of the resolution would direct the House Agriculture Committee to cut $230 billion within the committee’s jurisdiction during the same 10 fiscal year period. The budget resolution cannot and does not specify where each committee might find changes in the budget to meet the budget resolution’s requirements.

In the ag committee’s jurisdiction, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program makes up more than 79 percent of the Farm Bill spending baseline in the next 10 years. Any major spending reductions required of the committees will force them to look to SNAP for much of the savings. Budget cuts of the magnitude of the House resolution’s $230 billion could complicate the ability of the committees and the Congress to pass a Farm Bill later this year.

On Thursday evening, the Senate initiated “Vote-A-Rama” and brought its Fiscal Year 2025 budget resolution (S.Con.Res.7) to the floor for debate. Lasting late into the night and early this morning, the Senate eventually passed its budget resolution by a vote of 52-48. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) was notably the only Republican to vote against the budget resolution and with the Democrats. With the House having been out of session this week, it will evaluate its options and potentially attempt to pass its resolution on the floor when it returns next week. While the House (-$230 billion) and Senate (-$1 billion) are far apart with regards to the reductions in agriculture spending in their current budget resolutions, a single target must be agreed upon in conference between the two chambers before Congress can move forward with a budget reconciliation bill to enact the actual spending changes required by a single budget resolution agreed to by both the House and the Senate.

Additionally, Trump endorsed the House Republicans’ proposal earlier this week promoting one larger bill versus the Senate’s approach of wanting two separate bills, further complicating the Senate and House Republican positions on reconciliation.

Layoffs Hit Thousands of USDA Employees

Recently, it was reported that the Trump administration had fired thousands of U.S. Department of Agriculture employees across the country as part of the administration’s efforts to reduce the federal workforce.

Layoffs have been spread across multiple agencies, including but not limited to the U.S. Forest Service, the Agriculture Research Service, the Foreign Agricultural Service, etc., and mostly were targeted toward new hires. Additionally, some senior executive staff across USDA were also given notice that they would be demoted or put on administrative leave.

In times where the agriculture industry at large is facing economic headwinds and uncertainty, recent firings have resulted in the loss of highly technical experts in animal health, conservation and other essential aspects of the department.

 

Australian Wool Market Slides Once Again

The Australian wool market recorded another overall fall in this series, adding to the large losses experienced during last week’s sales.

The bulk of the reductions were felt on the first day. The movements in the Merino fleece Micron Price Guides ranged between plus 11 cents for 18 micron in the West to minus 31 cents for 17.5 micron in the South. The benchmark AWEX Eastern Market Indicator dropped 12 cents for the day. This was the third successive daily double-digit fall in the EMI, losing 35 cents across these three sales. The last time this occurred was back in June 2023, when the EMI had five successive double-digit falls.

In a positive sign, Fremantle posted a 3-cent rise in the Western Indicator – driven by increases in the finer microns – while selling last on the day. This positive tone carried into the second selling day, resulting in price increases across all regional indicators. The EMI rose by 4 cents for the day. The EMI finished the series 8 cents lower, closing at 1,184 Australian cents.

A recent trend has seen a reduction in the price differentials between microns. This has been a result of larger price increases in the medium/broad microns in positive series compared to the finer microns, combined with smaller losses in the same microns when the market has retracted. This is best highlighted by comparing the difference between the 18.5 and 20 MPGs in the South. These two MPGs currently sit at 1,484 and 1,428 respectively – a difference of just 56 cents. At the start of the calendar year, these MPGs were 1,529 and 1,426 for a difference of 103 cents. At the start of the 2024-25 season – July 10, 2024 – the MPGs were 1,502 and 1,325 for a difference of 177 cents.

Next week there are currently 41,029 bales rostered nationally, with Sydney a designated Superfine sale.

Click Here for the ASI Conversion Chart – AWEX Prices to USD Per Pound.

Source: AWEX