Annual Convention Registration Opens Today
Registration for the 2025 American Sheep Industry Association Annual Convention opens today. The Scottsdale (Ariz.) Plaza Resort will host the convention on Jan. 15-18, 2025.
Early bird registration rates are available now through Dec. 2 at a discounted rate. After that date, online registration is available at the standard rate through Dec. 13. Any registrations not completed by Dec. 13 will need to be completed onsite in Scottsdale the week of the convention.
A panel on solar grazing with sheep is in the works for the opening session on Thursday afternoon and the industry-wide Welcome Reception will follow that evening. Make plans to visit vendors in the Exhibitor Fair on Thursday afternoon and Friday morning.
The annual RAMPAC Fundraiser – a separate, ticketed event – will be Friday evening. One significant change this year is that the Make It With Wool Fashion Show will be a stand-alone event. There is no reception or dinner planned as part of the annual convention for Saturday evening.
ASI is offering just one tour this year. The tour will visit Caywood Farms – a fourth-generation, family-operated farming operation – near Casa Grande, Ariz.
Click Here to register.
Click Here to book your accommodations at the Scottsdale Plaza Resort.
YEE Sets Lambing School for November
The American Sheep Industry Association’s Young and Emerging Entrepreneurs are planning an in-person lambing school for Nov. 23 at the Codington County Extension Complex in Watertown, S.D.
The on-day lambing school will focus on the preparation and basics of lambing. The school will educate and empower beginning sheep producers to be confident and successful in the lambing barn, improving lamb survival. The course will cover topics such as nutrition pre- and post-lambing, basic equipment and facility needs, disease, problems, and steps of preparation and action to be taken before, during and after lambing.
Participants will receive hands-on instruction on how to successfully assist ewes when the need arises and will be able to practice their skills on a life-size ewe model designed to demonstrate difficult births. All ages and skill levels are welcome to attend.
ASI’s YEE group received a grant from the National Sheep Industry Improvement Center to develop training – both online and in-person – for beginning sheep producers. The lambing school will be one step in fulfilling the objectives of that grant.
The cost to attend is $10 and is payable by cash or check on the day of the school.
Click Here to register.
Australian Wool Market Records Solid Rise
The Australian wool market recorded a solid overall increase in this series, buoyed by increased buyer demand across all sectors. On the first day of selling – from the opening lot – buyer activity was noticeably stronger and the spirited bidding helped push prices higher.
By the end of the day, movements in the individual Micron Price Guides for Merino fleece in Sydney and Melbourne ranged between unchanged and plus 32 cents. As Fremantle did not suffer the falls felt in the Eastern centers on the second selling day last week, the movements in the West were smaller. The MPG movements there ranged between minus 1 and plus 9 cents. With minimal movements in the skirting and crossbred sectors and a stronger carding market, the benchmark AWEX Eastern Market Indicator gained 9 cents for the day. This was the largest daily rise in the EMI since August.
The strong buyer sentiment carried into the second selling day, where only Sydney and Melbourne were in operation. Again, from the opening lot it was apparent that further price increases were in the cards. By the close of the second selling day, the movements in the Merino fleece MPGs ranged between unchanged and plus 25 cents. The EMI added another 8 cents. This marked the 11th selling day in a row where the EMI posted a single-digit movement.
The EMI closed the week at 1,104 Australian cents for a weekly gain of 17 cents. The two daily rises in the EMI in this selling series was only the third time in the 2024-25 selling season that this has occurred. The 17-cent rise in the EMI was equal to the highest weekly rise this season, which was recorded in Week 4 on July 24. The EMI also rose in USD terms. The EMI closed the series at 763 U.S. cents for an increase of 14 U.S. cents.
Click Here for the ASI Conversion Chart – AWEX Prices to USD Per Pound.
Source: AWEX
Let ASI Know About Your Shearing School
The American Sheep Industry Association is excited about upcoming shearing schools that will take place this fall and in the spring of 2025. The schools provide an important opportunity to bring new shearers into the industry while also assisting developing shearers in their professional journey.
ASI asks that you share the dates, locations and any additional information you have with the association so that all shearing schools can be included in ASI’s calendar of events. Please email details to [email protected] or call 303-771-3500, ext. 102 when they are finalized.
Additionally, ASI can provide materials for shearing instruction. These include printed shearing manuals ($20 each); shearing videos and the manual on a USB drive ($15 each); a shearing pattern poster ($5 each); and the Code of Practice for Preparation of Wool Clips booklet ($14). Prices do not include shipping. Contact [email protected] for bulk orders, or purchase online at SheepUSA.org/shop.
Wool Lab Seeks Manager
The Bill Sims Wool and Mohair Research Laboratory in San Angelo, Texas, is seeking a new manager. The manager will plan, organize, direct and manage day-to-day activities of the commercial wool testing lab while developing procedures for administration of the program. The position reports to the director of the San Angelo Research and Extension Center.
For questions regarding this position, contact Dr. Paul De Laune at 940-552-9941 or [email protected], or Christie Ketring at 325-657-7306 or [email protected].
Click Here for the full job description.
Source: Texas A&M AgriLife
Sheep GEMS Provides Project Update
The Sheep GEMS project has enabled producers to capture genetic information from their animals with the intent to simultaneously make genomic predictions of breeding values, verifying parentage and identifying genetic condition status. Such multiple uses of a single genotyping platform will help avoid the extra costs of running DNA tests separately for these different purposes.
Our objective was to develop and validate a process to accurately obtain genetic conditions as one outcome of genotyping with a common medium-density (50K markers) single nucleotide polymorphism platform (assay), and to estimate frequencies of those genetic conditions in American sheep breeds. The first of those genetic conditions – TMEM154 – was covered in a prior Sheep GEMS update, which explained favorable and unfavorable genetic effects on susceptibility to ovine progressive pneumonia.
Samples from 15,586 sheep were genotyped from four breeds in the National Sheep Improvement Program: Katahdin (12,495), Rambouillet (1,276), Polypay (1,292) and Suffolk (523). Genotypes for five genetic conditions, namely: OPP susceptibility (TMEM154), scrapie susceptibility (PRNP), double muscle (MSTN), callipyge (CLPG) and booroola fecundity (FecB) were determined using 66 SNP extracted from the 50K platform. Each targeted SNP marker was replicated two to eight times each on the assay. A total of 11 SNP were used to determine the TMEM154 variants present. Variants for PRNP codons 136 and 171 were determined by combining information from six SNP markers.
The accuracy of assigning genetic status was validated using 15 reference DNA with known genotypes submitted blindly to a commercial laboratory. The consistency of the genotypes for repeats of an SNP on the array also was evaluated. Following in-house laboratory-based quality control of the assay, the acceptance of a genotype for reporting to a producer involved two steps. First, at least 60 percent of the replicated marker SNP on an animal needed to be assigned a genotype. Second, amongst those SNP, at least 60 percent needed to detect the same genotype. This strategy resulted in 98.8 percent of the animals having genetic status scored for PRNP. Where genotypes were accepted, scrapie susceptibility was assigned based on PRNP codons 136 and 171 genotypes. Genetic conditions for MSTN, CLPG and FecB were based on the allele present at a single SNP marker.
It is not surprising that there were no animals from any of the four breeds in this dataset that contained the CLPG or FecB mutations. The CLPG mutation originated in the Dorset breed. Its detrimental impact on tenderness of loin muscle has led to a strong push for its removal from American populations. The use of the booroola fecundity mutation has mostly been limited to intensive accelerated lambing production systems, with minimal implementation in the United States.
The frequency of the MSTN mutation – which originated in the Texel breed – was also small. In Katahdins, 4.3 and 0.4 percent of animals carried one or two copies, respectively. In Suffolks, those equivalent values were 6.2 and 0.2 percent. The MSTN variant was not detected in either of the Rambouillet or Polypay breeds. Lines within breeds that are targeted for use as terminal sires would benefit the most from increased selection for MSTN. Genetic condition status of PRNP differed appreciably among Katahdin, Polypay, Rambouillet and Suffolk breeds. Most Polypay (92 percent) were deemed scrapie resistant, with a majority of Katahdin (93.3 percent), Suffolk (92.5 percent) and Rambouillet (83.5 percent) either resistant or rarely susceptible to this disease. However, 15.8 percent of Rambouillet were characterized as highly susceptible to scrapie.
Selection to increase the amount of scrapie resistant genotypes is considered a key part of the National Scrapie Eradication Program effort in the United States. An evaluation of any unintended consequences of selection for scrapie resistance or reduced susceptibility to OPP will be evaluated within the Sheep GEMS project going forward.
For further information contact Dr. Brad Freking ([email protected]) or Dr. Ron Lewis ([email protected]).
Acknowledgements. We thank U.S. sheep associations and breed organizations, the National Sheep Improvement Program, and 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. Mention of a trade name, proprietary product, or specific agreement does not constitute a guarantee or warranty by the USDA and does not imply approval of the inclusion of other products that may be suitable. USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
Source: Sheep GEMS
Tastes of the Tailgates Inspires Game Day Dishes
The American Lamb Board’s new Tastes of the Tailgates promotion kicks off this October and will attract hundreds of college game-day fans with delicious American lamb dishes.
Throughout October, 12 hosts will share American lamb with their fellow fans at a tailgate for their favorite college football team. The American Lamb Board chose three hosts with the following gameday personalities: Tailgate MVP – signature cut: rack of American lamb; Crowd Pleaser – signature cut: shoulder or boneless leg; Couch Quarterback – signature cut: ground lamb.
Each of the 12 participants will submit a 30- to 60-second video of their tailgate adventures.
Three lucky winners will get an American lamb prize pack based on:
- Best tailgate video.
- Most creative American lamb dish.
- Best winning record for your college team.
“This is just one more way to reach a new demographic with American lamb,” said ALB Chair Jeff Ebert. “It’s a great way to showcase American lamb as an option for casual parties like tailgating and backyard barbecues. We hope this will inspire more fans to start cooking American lamb.”
American lamb fans can access recipes for their own tailgate adventures at AmericanLamb.com. The new tailgate section is filled with recipes for any kick-off celebration, whether at the stadium or at home. Throughout the football season, ALB will also be sharing amazing tailgate-inspired recipes through its social media channels.
To amp up the promotion, ALB has teamed with social media influencer Cooking with Darryl to share American lamb tailgate recipes and to host a tailgate giveaway on his social channels. Darryl has nearly three million followers on TikTok.
Source: ALB
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.
USDA Announces Funds Available for Climate-Smart Practices
On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that up to $7.7 billion in assistance for Fiscal Year 2025 to help agricultural and forestry producers to adopt conservation practices on working lands. Of this allocation, up to $5.7 billion will be designated toward climate-smart practices using Inflation Reduction Act dollars, and then $2 billion comes from Farm Bill funding.
The latter $2 billion is available for Farm Bill conservation programs such as the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, Conservation Stewardship Program, Agricultural Conservation Easement Program and the Regional Conservation Partnership Program. This announcement and action supports President Joe Biden’s Investing In America agenda.
Click Here to learn more.