Research Update: Lamb Carcass Quality

As the lamb industry evolves and deals with competition from cheaper imported products, the quality of American lamb is more important than ever, so the ASI Research Update podcast looks at Lamb Carcass Quality this month with Cody Gifford, Ph.D., from the University of Wyoming.

“I think there are a lot of different interpretations of what that means. In lamb grading standards, we really use two different metrics. One of those being lean quality, or to add a little more description to that would be evaluating color of the lean, firmness of the lean, texture of the lean and then certainly some estimate of intramuscular fat,” Gifford said.

“That’s balanced with conformation of the carcass, which is really the overall thickness, fullness and width of the carcass relative to length. And so those two primary factors are balanced against maturity of the animal to ultimately end up with an overall quality grade. Officially, we have five quality grades that can be utilized. But in today’s current grading report, you really see that choice and prime – the top two quality grades that are available – are really the ones that are being utilized.”

Flavor can certainly be linked to carcass quality, Gifford said, and that has driven extensive flavor research in recent years.

“We want to avoid anything that could lead to an inferior eating experience,” Gifford added.

So, what does an optimal lamb carcass look like?

“I think that is driven by many of the different markets,” Gifford said. “One thing that is pretty unique about the lamb industry is that the final customers of those particular products often times have specific specifications in mind. Because of the versatility in some of those specifications that customers are pursuing, I think we end up with a lot of different size carcasses that ultimately still have a home now when it comes to marketing.”

Click Here to listen to the podcast.

 

Producer Enrollment Open for ALB Climate-Smart Grant

The American Lamb Board received a U.S. Department of Agriculture Climate-Smart Commodities Grant to quantify the impacts of targeted sheep grazing. The program is designed to measure and report carbon sequestration, soil health, and other associated benefits and ecosystem services provided by prescribed sheep grazing.

In addition to working with multiple universities, the grant allows up to 150 sheep producers to enroll in the program to amplify climate-smart sheep practices, environmental data and metrics beyond the four pilot grazing sites. Enrolled producers will work with a technical assistance provider to establish operational plans, implement recommended changes and organize farm data to estimate emissions.

Producers enrolled in the program will be paid up to $7,000 to develop and implement climate-smart sheep management practices and measure and report emissions/LCA. The enrollment application is currently open.

Click Here to apply through an online form.

“The Climate-Smart Grant is an excellent way for producers to implement sound management practices that benefit long-term production and receive funds to help offset costs,” says ALB Chair Jeff Ebert. “This grant can supply more than $1 million to producers nationwide looking to improve the environmental health and productivity of their operations.”

Accepted producers will be notified by Dec. 15, and the program will begin on Jan. 1, 2025.

Producer Eligibility:

To be eligible for the payment, producers must:

• Establish Farm Records with USDA’s Farm Service Agency.
• Complete an AD-2047 (Customer Data Worksheet to facilitate the collection of customer data for Business Partner Records).
• Certify highly erodible land conservation and wetland conservation via Form AD-1026.
• Certify that they are not a foreign person.
• Certify that they are not receiving funds from other government programs – such as EQIP – for the same practices on the same acreage.
• Agree to share farm data to calculate emissions and calculate carbon sequestration associated with implemented climate-smart management practices.

Applicants that qualify as small or underserved will be given priority. Underserved producers include beginning farmers, socially disadvantaged farmers, veteran farmers, limited resource farmers and women farmers.

Click Here for more information, including the anticipated program elements, or contact [email protected].

Source: ALB

 

Australian Wool Market Ends Recent Slide

The Australian wool market recorded a small increase in this series.

The first day of selling, buyer activity was subdued with sale results mixed across microns and centers. The movements in the individual Micron Price Guides for Merino fleece ranged between plus 15 and minus 19 cents. Varied results in the other sectors resulted in the benchmark AWEX Eastern Market Indicator falling by 1 cent for the day. It was the fifth consecutive selling day where the EMI dropped. A weaker Australian dollar meant the fall was larger in USD terms. The EMI dropped by 7 U.S. cents to 732 U.S. cents.

The second day of selling was in complete contrast to the first. Buyer sentiment was buoyant, and bidding was noticeably stronger. By the end of the day, movements for the Merino fleece MPGs ranged between unchanged and plus 26 cents, with only the 17.5-micron MPG in the North falling (by 10 cents). The EMI ended its downward run, adding 5 cents for the day.

This rise pushed the EMI into positive territory for the week as it closed 4 cents higher at 1,091 Australian cents. This was just the second weekly rise in the EMI for the current season. With the finer microns recording larger falls than the medium to broad microns in the last few months, the differentials between microns has continually reduced. This is best displayed by comparing the 17- and 21-micron MPGs in the South. The current difference in these MPGs is 368 cents. If we go back 12 months, these MPGs were trading at 1,767 cents and 1,277 cents respectively for a difference of 490 cents.

Wet weather continues to disrupt shearing in the West and limiting quantity. Fremantle will only require one day of selling next week. Despite this, the national offering is expected to rise slightly as there are currently 33,830 bales on offer.

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

Source: AWEX

 

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.

FSIS Updates Guidelines on Meat, Poultry Labeling

At the end of August, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service announced the availability of updated guidelines that makes recommendations intended to strengthen the documentation that supports animal-raising or environmental-related claims on meat or poultry product labeling. The action stems from the President Joe Biden’s Executive Order on Promoting Competition and the initiative to protect consumers from false and misleading labeling.

Included in the update, FSIS promotes the use of third-party certification to substantiate animal-raising or environment-related claims. Third-party certification of animal-raising or environment-related claims is used to ensure that such claims are truthful and evade bias by having an independent organization verify that their standards are being met on the farm for the raising of animals and for environmental stewardship. FSIS’s revised guidelines also emphasize more robust documentation for environment-related and animal-raising claims.

Additionally, the recent revision recommends that establishments using “negative” antibiotic claims (e.g., “Raised Without Antibiotics” or “No Antibiotics Ever”) implement routine sampling and testing programs to detect antibiotic use in animals prior to slaughter or obtain third-party certification that includes testing.

Click Here for FSIS’s advance copy of the updated Guidelines on Substantiating Animal-Raising or Environment-Related Label Claims submitted to the Federal Register.