In American Lamb Board News
March 31, 2005
Texas A&M Study on the Effectiveness of the Lamb Checkoff
At the American Lamb Board's (ALB) Annual Meeting in January, Texas A&M University released preliminary results from their economic study, "Is the Return Greater than the Investment for the American Lamb Industry." The study found that ALB promotional efforts have successfully increased demand for lamb.
The Texas A&M study is designed to help the Board evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of the lamb checkoff and assist in the design and adjustment of the program's long-run strategic plan. The study was funded in part by a grant from the National Sheep Industry Improvement Center.
The preliminary results of the study show that during the time period the lamb checkoff has been promoting American lamb (2002 to 2004), roughly 10 additional pounds of lamb were consumed per dollar spent, which translates to $50 in additional lamb sales.
American Lamb Board Elects New Officers
The American Lamb Board (ALB) elected new officers at their annual board meeting in Reno, Nev., Jan. 26, 2005. Spence Rule of Brighton, Colo., was re-elected to serve as chairman of the American Lamb Board; Nick Forrest of Oxford, Ohio, was re-elected to serve as the vice-chairman; Joanne Evans of McConnellsburg, Pa., was re-elected to serve as the treasurer and Teddie Crippen of Redmond, Ore., was elected to serve as the secretary. The officers will serve one-year terms.
Rule represents lamb feeders on the ALB, but is also a sheep producer and packer. He has served on the boards of the American Sheep Industry Association, the National Lamb Feeders Association and the National Sheep Industry Improvement Center.
"I'm very excited about the opportunities that lie ahead for American lamb," says Rule. "I want the ALB to continue to be a unifying force for the U.S. sheep industry."
Forrest, representing lamb producers on the ALB, operates a commercial flock of 25 to 30 ewes. Forrest is part of a local producer co-op that supplies American lamb to the niche ethnic markets. Forrest and his wife, Kathy, also provide American lamb cooking demonstrations for people having parties in their homes. The demonstrations are designed to educate people at the local level on where to buy American lamb and how to prepare it.
Joanne Evans, representing seed stock producers on the Board, raises breeding sheep for the commercial producer as well as lambs for freezer trade. She and her husband, Jim, operate a veterinary practice specializing in embryo transfer and reproductive health of cattle. Evans has served as the chairman of the Pennsylvania Sheep Checkoff and as treasurer of the Pennsylvania Sheep and Wool Growers Association.
Teddie Crippen, the marketing director for Superior Farms, Inc. since 1988, represents first handlers on the Board. Prior to working for Superior Farms, Inc., Crippen was a merchandiser and buyer for Safeway Stores. She has served as the National Sheep Association vice president and chairs the National Meat Association's Small Stock Committee.
New Industry Marketing Tools Now Available
Several new marketing tools were developed as a result of the lamb checkoff to help the industry promote American lamb at a local level. Please contact the American Lamb Board to order materials at 866-327-LAMB or visit www.americanlamb.com
Price (includes standard ground shipping)
- Recipe Brochures
- Up to 100 copies are available at no charge
- 100-250 = $10.00
- 250-500 = $15.00
- Cut Posters
- $10.00 for first poster
- each additional poster is $5.00
- Cut Flyers
- Up to 100 flyers are available at no charge
- 100-250 = $10.00
- 250-500 = $15.00
- Metal Sign
- $20.00 per sign
American Lamb Board
7900 E. Union Ave., Suite 1003
Denver, CO 80237
Lamb Checkoff Promotes American Lamb for Holiday Celebrations
The American Lamb Board (ALB) promoted American lamb as a simple, yet elegant dish for Valentine's Day. A newspaper release featured Chef Lambassador Brooke Vosika's recipe for rosemary grilled lamb loin chops with cranberry and peppered apple relish. The release was sent to more than 8,000 daily newspapers across the country. In addition, Chef Vosika prepared his American lamb dish on a Satellite Media Tour, which was distributed to eight television stations and six radio stations.
St. Patrick's Day revelers savored Chef Lambassador Jen Jasinski's culinary revolution of Irish American fare - American lamb loin marinated in Guiness and clover honey. ALB distributed a feature-style newspaper article to daily newspapers featuring Chef Lambassador Jen Jasinkis's St. Patrick's Day recipe.
Americanlamb.com has a New Look
The American Lamb Board's (ALB) Web site, www.americanlamb.com, has a fresh, new look to complement the "American Lamb. From American Land." media campaign. Flash animation is incorporated on the home page to tempt visitors with a variety of colorful American lamb dishes while clouds roll through the mountain landscape and key messages softly play up the landscape. Additionally, a Foodservice section was created to house foodservice recipes, trends, cuts and other culinary, industry-related materials. The Buy and Prepare section of the Web site has become "Lamb 101" - a more versatile term for the content and materials located in this section. Be sure to check out the recipe database as there are several new and exciting consumer and foodservice recipes available.
ALB Retail Promotions
The lamb checkoff is working to take back space in the retail case for American lamb. This year, the American Lamb Board's (ALB) retail promotions strategy is to closely partner with retailers and suppliers to create customized and individualized promotions that stretch the budget and make the greatest impact in key markets.
A holiday promotion in Philadelphia kicked-off the Board's new retail promotion strategy. Through a partnership with Catelli Bros., ALB offered all Acme stores a discount on lamb loins and racks. In addition to delivering television media to drive store traffic and in-store communications, ALB was able to leverage the support of Catelli who contributed discount book advertisements, labels and product discounts to produce a very retailer-friendly promotion.
The Philadelphia promotion successfully impacted American lamb sales with a very modest promotion budget, thanks to the partnership with the supplier and retailer. The promotion increased the number of loins sold by more than 49,800 lbs. in a four-week period compared to the same period a year ago, increasing sales by more than $226,000 compared to the year prior. That's a 74-percent increase in the number of loins sold and a 69-percent increase in sales year-over-year.
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