2022 ASI Photo Contest Now Accepting Entries

With the start of summer comes the annual kickoff of the ASI Photo Contest and sheep producers, photographers and others are encouraged to begin collecting their entries now. The deadline to enter is 5 p.m. mountain time on Aug. 1.

“I’m always excited to see the many great photos that are submitted each year in this annual contest,” said Sheep Industry News Editor Kyle Partain. “These photos provide ASI with a tremendous collection of industry-related images that will appear in a number of ASI publications in the years to come. It’s also a great opportunity to provide a true producers’ perspective on the industry.”

Winning entries will be featured in the October issue of the Sheep Industry News.

Rules and prizes for the 2022 contest are the same as last year. Photographs entered in the contest will be judged on clarity, content, composition and appeal.

More than $1,000 will be awarded, with awards of $125 going to the first-place photographer in each of the five categories listed below; $75 for the runner-up in each category; and a $50 prize for third place in each of the five categories.

Entries must be received in the ASI office by 5 p.m. mountain time on Monday, Aug. 1, to be considered. Only the top three photographers in each category will be notified of their winnings.

Photographers are advised to submit photographs in the largest file size possible. Also, judges and ASI staff encourage entrants to provide both horizontal and vertical photos. This will better assure these talented and creative photos can be shared in future issues of the Sheep Industry News, as well as in the 2023 ASI Calendar and other American sheep industry publications.

The five categories in this year’s contest are:

1. Shepherd/Shepherdess – Photographs of producers, shepherds or others working with sheep.
2. Scenic (East) – Photographs of sheep outdoors located east of the Mississippi River. Photos entered in this category cannot include people.
3. Scenic (West) – Photographs of sheep outdoors located west of the Mississippi River. Photos entered in this category cannot include people.
4. Working Dogs and Protection Animals – Photographs in this category should show herding dogs, livestock guardian dogs or any other livestock protection animals in their natural environments. Photos must also include sheep in some fashion as proof that these truly are working animals.
5. Open – Photographs with subject matter that does not fall into the four above-listed categories.

Entries should be emailed to [email protected] with the subject line of ASI Photo Contest. Those mailing photos should send them to ASI, Attn: Photo Contest, 9785 Maroon Circle, Suite 360, Englewood, CO 80112.

Click Here for complete contest rules.

 

Apparel Insider Looks at Wool Sustainability

Fashion magazine Apparel Insider has released a white paper entitled Wool, Fashion and Sustainability in an effort to determine why wool has historically been rated poorly for sustainability, especially when compared to synthetic fibers.

“No fiber should receive a free pass on sustainability, and this paper will explore critiques of wool,” wrote Apparel Insider Editor Brett Mathews in the paper’s foreword. “And yet, at a time when virtues such as biodegradability, durability and longevity are increasingly brought to the fore in sustainable fashion circles, it seems incongruous that wool – for some brands at least – has been falling out of fashion. This paper attempts to ask why.”

The paper examines how past and current sustainability rating tools around wool are misleading, and don’t offer a true picture of the fiber. The piece includes:

• How wool has been ranked historically by fiber scoring tools;
• How wool might fit into the European Union’s new regulatory frameworks like the Textile Strategy;
• The merits of wool as a circular fiber and wool industry work on recycling;
• Wool farming and regenerative agriculture;
• Wool, microfiber pollution and biodegradability;
• Perspectives on wool through expert input from Australia, the United Kingdom, Italy, South Africa and the United States.

Click Here for the full report.

 

WWGA Hires Alison Crane

Wyoming Wool Growers Association President Regan Smith announced recently that sheep specialist Alison Crane, Ph.D., has been selected as the organization’s next executive director.

Crane’s background in small ruminant science, combined with a passion for working with sheep producers and promoting the sheep industry, will help further advance the mission of the association as it celebrates its 117^th year of representing the state’s sheep and wool producers.

“The WWGA board is so thrilled to have found Alison Crane amongst the many applicants for the executive director opening,” Smith said. “Her burning personal desire to get to the Mountain West, to making the most of her education and her love of the sheep industry, is a perfect match for what we need to continue our growth in the WWGA.”

When Crane assumes the role in July, she will serve as the public face and spokesperson for the organization and will manage its day-to-day functions, including serving as WWGA’s primary contact with key partners, agency staff and governmental leaders.

“I could not be more excited to take part in the legacy of premier wool and sheep production in the state of Wyoming. It’s an honor to be chosen to work with and support the producers in this state,” Crane said.

Crane currently serves as an assistant professor and sheep and meat goat Extension specialist at Kansas State University. Crane succeeds Amy W. Hendrickson who is retiring from the position after nine years, but remains working during the interim to ensure a smooth transition.

Source: Wyoming Livestock Roundup

 

Small Ruminant Practitioners Award Research Grant

The American Association of Small Ruminant Practitioners has awarded Dr. Philippa Gibbons, Texas Tech University, its first research grant for her proposed study Relationship Between Thoracic Auscultation, Thoracic Ultrasonography and Thoracic Radiographs in Small Ruminants. This award is just shy of $23,000.

“The AASRP Research Committee is excited to contribute to the AASRP’s strategic focus on supporting research that provides clinically relevant information our members can use in practice,” said AASRP Research Committee Chair Dr. Virginia Fajt. “We received 12 excellent submissions to this year’s request for proposals, which was a great showing for the first year of the grant.” Fajt adds that all 12 grants were reviewed by experts, and after consideration by the research committee, the AASRP Board of Directors made the final selection.

The project is a collaboration between the Texas Tech School of Veterinary Medicine, Oklahoma State College of Veterinary Medicine and the Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine.

“The project will look at the relationship between thoracic auscultation, ultrasound and radiographs in sheep and goats,” Gibbons explained. “As veterinarians, we know that diagnosing respiratory disease in sheep and goats by auscultation alone can be challenging, so the aim of this project is to determine the sensitivity and specificity of auscultation, ultrasound and radiographs, and which combination is most helpful to diagnose respiratory disease. Clinical cases will be used and lung sounds will be recorded using a recordable stethoscope. The lung sounds, ultrasound and radiograph images will also be stored for future use for training veterinary students.”

The research committee modeled the request for proposals and review criteria off the criteria used by the American Association of Bovine Practitioners Foundation for their clinical research grants. The committee would like to acknowledge the scientific reviewers who gave their valuable time to provide feedback and comments about the proposals: Oche Andrew Adogwa, Melanie Boileau, Joan Burke, Lionel Dawson, Sarah Depenbrock, Sherrill Fleming, Derek Foster, Gretchen Grissett, Jennifer Halleran, Maggie Highland, Matt Miesner, Rachel Oman, Scott Radke, Emily Reppert, Jennifer Schleining, RC Scimeca, Clifford F. Shipley, Philip Skuce, Jamie Stewart, Cindy Wolf and Amelia Woolums.

“We hope to be able to fund projects every year, and we look forward to the contributions clinical research can make to improve the health and welfare of small ruminants and elevate the standards of small ruminant practice,” Fajt said.

Source: AASRP

 

Australian Market Records Third Straight Increase

The Australian wool market continues to improve, recording overall gains for the third consecutive series with all sectors of the market selling at higher levels than in the previous week.

Although quantities traditionally start to decline this time of year, wool continues to flow onto the market. This week there were 41,298 bales on offer nationally – 1,145 more bales than in the previous week. Widespread strong competition helped push prices higher across the board as buyers fought hard for the wool on offer. Main buyer interest continued to focus on the higher yielding (higher than 63 percent dry), lower vegetable matter types (less than 1.2 percent vm), but all types and descriptions recorded rises as buyers attempted to secure quantity in the rising market.

By the end of the week, the individual Merino Price Guides for Merino fleece had risen by between 8 and 69 cents. These rises combined with solid increases in the skirting, crossbred and oddment markets resulted in a 26 cent rise in the AWEX Eastern Market Indicator. The EMI closed the week at 1,427 Australian cents.

Currency is often mentioned as a driving force in market movements for Australian wool, predominately as the bulk of Australian wool is traded in U.S. dollars. This week, currency had a profound effect as the AUD dropped below 70 U.S. cents for the first time since late January. The last time the AUD was lower was a further 18 months back. The reduced AUD meant buyer purchases in USD represented good value compared to last week’s prices. This was reflected when viewing the EMI in USD terms, the EMI actually lost ground in USD terms, falling by 3 U.S. cents, closing the week at 994 U.S. cents.

Next week the national offering increases again as 46,129 bales are currently expected to be offered.

Source: AWEX

 

Administration to Review China 301 Tariffs

As the China 301 tariffs approach the four-year mark, the Biden Administration is moving forward with a review process (Federal Register Notice linked here) associated with all tariff tranches (Lists 1, 2, 3, and 4A) as required under statute by the Trade Act of 1974 where the Section 301 mechanism is authorized.

The four-year review process dictates that the U.S. Trade Representative must notify representatives of domestic industries which benefit from the trade actions of the opportunity to request their continuation. This is effectively what was just announced. Although it is a virtual certainty that there will be continuation requests made, absent such a continuation request on record, the tariffs will collectively sunset at the four-year marks for List 1 and 2.

List 1 tariffs were first levied July 6, 2018, and List 2 tariffs went into effect on Aug. 23, 2018. From a legal standpoint, Lists 3 and 4A – which were imposed later – are both considered “modifications” to Lists 1 and 2. For the textile industry, List 4A contains the majority of finished textile and apparel products as well as products removed from earlier lists. Lists 1, 2, and 3 contain various inputs and intermediary goods, chemicals/dyes and textile machinery. Outside of products with current exclusions in place, the additional duty rate is currently 25 percent for Lists 1-3 and 7.5 percent for List 4A.

This first step in the statutory review process is only relevant to domestic supporters of the tariffs and is being conducted at a broad level in terms of product scope (i.e., not individual product-by-product). Representatives of domestic industries – companies and associations – are being given the opportunity to comment if the tariffs have benefitted them or their industry and request that they be extended.

If any continuation requests are received, the tariffs will not sunset at the four-year marks for Lists 1 and 2 – which include 3 and 4A because these are “modified” lists – and a second phase review will be launched. In the second stage, there will be an opportunity for comments both for and against the tariffs, and comments presumably will be invited at a more granular level in terms of product scope. However, neither the timing for the second phase nor the process/evaluation criteria have been announced yet.

Source: National Council of Textile Organizations

 

Consumers Build a Bold Brunch With American Lamb

The days are getting longer, the sun is feeling warmer and patio brunch season is here. The American Lamb Board launched a Spring Brunch consumer campaign and promotional contest focused on bold and flavorful American lamb.

“Many consumers have not cooked lamb for breakfast before and this was a great opportunity to show them how easy and fun it can be,” says Peter Camino, ALB chair from Buffalo, Wyo.

The Spring Brunch themed content was shared through ALB’s primary social media channels, newsletter and digital advertising. The contest component of the promotion led consumers to share how they would host an enjoyable brunch for friends and family.

Ten lucky consumers were selected out of hundreds of applicants to receive an entertaining prize pack, which included all the necessities to organize a brunch gathering. Winners received enough product to host a party of eight, which included: 5 pounds of ground American lamb, The Real Dill bloody mary mix, a $100 gift card to Farm Girl Flowers, “Baaaaa-runch” aprons, name tents and complimentary take-home bags for each guest.

The campaign featured brunch recipes on the American lamb consumer website such as Moroccan Eggs with American Lamb and Harissa Yogurt, Skillet Huevos Rancheros with American Lamb and Ground American Lamb and Vegetable Frittata.

Source: ALB