ASI Market App Decommissioned
The American Sheep Industry Association Market News app was decommissioned on Jan. 1. ASI encourages producers to download the USDA Market News app for instant access to market reports and information.
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.
Spots Available for Industry Tour in Arizona
Coming to the American Sheep Industry Association Annual Convention and looking for an educational way to spend the Wednesday before all the meetings get started? There are a few spots still available on the Industry Tour of Caywood Farms.
Join fellow sheep producers as they tour the fifth-generation, family-owned cotton and forage crop farm in Casa Grande, Ariz. Join Nancy Caywood for a tour that is informational, entertaining and interactive.
If you’d like to grab one of the few remaining spots, contact ASI’s Zahrah Khan directly by Tuesday at [email protected] or 303-771-3500, ext. 108.
For those attending the tour, merchandise is available for purchase in the farm store, which accepts only cash or check. Credit cards are not accepted, so plan accordingly.
Maryland Adopts Milk Testing for HPAI
Due to recent outbreaks of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in livestock, the Maryland Department of Agriculture and the Maryland Department of Health have issued a joint order governing mandatory testing of milk from all Maryland dairy farms. The order includes testing of sheep and goat milk under certain circumstances.
One section of the order applies to any farm located within the State of Maryland wherein dairy cattle, goats, or any other approved animals (including sheep) are producing milk that is not pasteurized and is instead sold to the consumer as pet food (raw milk).
Click Here for more information.
Source: Maryland Department of Agriculture
Lambing Schools Planned in Washington
The Washington State Sheep Producers will host two lambing schools in 2025. The first school is set for Feb. 22 in Mabton, Wash., while an advanced lambing school will be conducted on April 12 in Lamont, Wash.
The schools emphasize hands-on learning so each student will have the opportunity to do the work, not just observe. Class size is limited to 20 in Mabton and 15 in Lamont. The cost to attend in Mabton is $75 for WSSP members and additional members from the same family can register for $40. Non-members can register for $125. Registration fees for the advanced lambing school in Lamont are $100 for members and $150 for non-members.
For more information, contact WSSP Executive Secretary Ashley Larson at [email protected].
Source: WSSP
Pipestone Offers Virtual Lambing Time Course
Mark your calendars for the 2025 Pipestone Lamb and Wool Program’s Virtual Lambing Time Short Course on Feb. 12-13. The planned program will help producers enhance management skills during lambing, improve facility and labor efficiency, and foster business relationships.
This year’s virtual format combines lectures and group discussions to cover timely and important topics such as ewe and lamb health concerns, low labor management practices and keys for successful lambing. It will include virtual tours of two outstanding sheep operations, highlighting their labor-saving management practices, including barn layout and flow, raising lambs on milk replacer and feeding systems. Program leaders include expert instructors with diverse and practical sheep experience, a highly qualified veterinarian who enjoys sharing his sheep health knowledge, and the owners of the virtually toured farms.
The program will be held via Zoom, beginning at 7 p.m. central time both nights. The cost of the program is $110 per operation. Register by contacting Sue Lovell at [email protected] or 507-847-7929.
Click Here for more information on this event and the Pipestone Lamb and Wool Program.
Source: Pipestone Lamb and Wool Program
Indiana Schedules Shearing School
The Indiana Sheep and Wool Market Development Program is sponsoring a shearing school – hosted by the Indiana Sheep Association – on Feb. 22, at Purdue University’s Sheep Center.
Anyone is welcome to register – regardless of experience level – to learn the skills and methods required to successfully shear a sheep. This year, ISA will be offering an advanced class to run alongside the beginner class, offered to shearers who have had instruction on shearing previously, can shear a sheep on their own and have the intent of shearing professionally.
“With the addition of the advance shearers’ class, we hope to assist promising shearers with fine-tuning techniques that will decrease stress on the shearer and increase the number of head they can do in a day,” said Gerald Kelly, manager of the Purdue Sheep Center. “We also aim to give demonstrations and hands-on practice for setting up sharpening equipment and grinders and real experience sharpening combs and cutters.”
All instructors will be experienced shearers, including co-organizer and master shearer Matt Kennedy.
For beginners, a registration fee of $50 will cover the cost of the workshop, lunch and required shearing equipment, though participants are encouraged to bring their own equipment if they have it. The class will be capped at 20 beginners and five advanced participants.
Registration forms can be found at IndianaSheep.com and must be mailed to ISA Executive Director Emma O’Brien at 6840 S 280 E Lebanon, IN 46052. The completed registration form with the fee enclosed must be received by Feb. 10. As part of registration, attendees must sign a liability waiver.
Any questions about this event should be directed to ISA Executive Director Emma O’Brien at [email protected].
Source: ISA
Make 2025 Great with ALB’s Educational Events
The American Lamb Board’s 2025 program includes workshops and summits aimed at equipping sheep producers with the necessary tools and resources to profitably grow their operations. Begin planning your year by discovering more about these upcoming opportunities.
The rapid development of utility-scale solar farms across the country has stimulated a significant need for sheep grazing as a means of vegetation management. There are also increasing opportunities for sheep grazing contracts in wildfire-prone areas and vineyards. Sheep grazing helps to eliminate dried plants that might otherwise become wildfire fuel, and grazing in vineyards and other regions helps clear weeds while reducing or eliminating herbicide use.
ALB’s Targeted Grazing Workshops provide sheep producers a unique chance to learn about these paid grazing contracts, which offer significant potential for expanding the American sheep flock, enhancing the availability and price competitiveness of American lamb.
ALB hosted the first round of in-depth educational workshops in 2024. The workshops were so successful that six additional workshops are planned for 2025.
“These grazing opportunities offer current and emerging sheep producers the chance to increase their profitability and grow flock numbers,” said ALB Chair Jeff Ebert. “The workshops help producers learn how to take advantage of these opportunities in their area.”
Most three-day events consist of two interactive classroom days, followed by a field day, and cover a range of topics, including vegetation management for solar arrays, vineyards and fire suppression.
The workshops planned for 2025 include:
- April in California
- May in Texas
- June in Illinois
- August in Maryland
- September in Colorado
- October in Kentucky
The American Lamb Summit is scheduled for July 22-25 at the University of Idaho. This biennial industry event addresses critical strategies to improve the sheep industry’s competitiveness and profitability.
The American Lamb Summit seeks to inspire a new level of change and collaboration across all sectors of the American lamb industry as it works to improve competitiveness, product quality, and productivity through increased use of the most efficient, progressive management tools.
This year’s event highlights include: Meeting Marketing Demand, Developing Profitable Grazing Systems, Defining Lamb Quality and Hitting Carcass Targets, and Increasing Production Efficiency.
Click Here to learn more.
Source: ALB