Sheep Center Appointments Announced

Feb. 27, 2004 -- On Tuesday, Secretary of Agriculture Ann M. Veneman announced appointments to the National Sheep Industry Improvement Center (NSIIC) Board of Directors. William (Bill) Blake of Michigan was reappointed to the board while Clark Willis of Utah was appointed to his first term.

Blake will continue to serve in a position reserved for ?expertise in lamb, wool or goat product marketing.? He has been involved with meat cutting and marketing for more than 60 years in the upper Midwest and Great Lakes area with 25 years being devoted to regional marketing director for the American Sheep Industry Association (ASI).

Willis will fill a position reserved for an ?active producer of sheep or goats in the U.S.? He brings with him a life-long background as a sheep producer as well the diversity of being a rural appraiser, ranch consultant, rural realtor and livestock nutrition specialist. Willis is the executive director of the Utah Wool Growers Association.

?We are very pleased to see the appointments of both Bill and?Clark. ASI nominated both of these men for their dedication to the industry and their ability to carry forward the important programs and funding opportunities?the Center will be involved with in future years,? stated ASI President Guy Flora of Ohio.

The Board of Directors consists of seven voting members chosen from the sheep and goat industries.?ASI secured congressional authorization of the Center in the?1996 Farm Bill to provide financial assistance through a variety of funding mechanisms for the enhancement and marketing of sheep?products in the United States with an emphasis on infrastructure development.

Staff contact: Peter Orwick, ext. 33

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