Four New Members Elected to the ASI Board of Directors
March 31, 2005
March/April 2005 -- Four U.S. sheep producers were newly elected to the American Sheep Industry Association (ASI) Executive Board at the 2005 ASI/National Lamb Feeders Association convention in Reno, Nev., on Jan. 29, 2005.
Brant Miller of Bowdoinham, Maine, was elected to represent ASI's Region I, which is comprised of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont.
Miller has been a sheep producer for more than 20 years, raising a small farm-flock consisting of 20 to 30 North Country Cheviot crossbred ewes. In addition to being a sheep producer, Miller is a self-employed consulting engineer, specializing in facilities management and indoor air quality. He currently serves on the ASI Public Lands Committee and is the director for both the Maine Sheep Breeders Association and the Agricultural Council of Maine. Previously, Miller had served on the ASI Financial Review Committee.
"I am looking at this opportunity as a way to further contribute to the industry and bring the perspective of Region I to the leadership of the industry," says Miller.
Elected to serve as the ASI Region II (Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia) representative was Bill Sparrow, Jr. of Durham, N.C.
Sparrow and his wife, Margie, live on a third-generation, forage-based family farm raising approximately 85 Katahdin ewes. Before producing sheep with his father, Sparrow was employed by the North Carolina Agricultural Research Service as a consulting engineer and research station superintendent.
Sparrow has served on the ASI Board of Directors since 1988 with terms on the Biennial Review Task Force, Nominating Committee, Financial Review Committee and the Legislative Action Council. In addition, he has served as president of the North Carolina Sheep Producers Association and was a member of the Lamb Checkoff Task Force, which led to the establishment of the American Lamb Board. Currently, he serves as the superintendent of the North Carolina State Fair Junior Market Lamb Show and on the North Carolina Farm Bureau Specialty Livestock Advisory Committee.
"I feel honored to be elected to serve on the board and hope my participation will help advance the goals of the association and open it to all segments of the industry," says Sparrow.
Jim Bristol of West Branch, Mich., was elected to serve as the ASI representative from Region III, which consists of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin.
Bristol, his wife, Sherrie, and their two daughters manage the family farm consisting of 180 ewes. In addition to his purebred and commercial sheep operation, Bristol is also a wool buyer for Mid-States Wool Growers Cooperative Association and is a commercial sheep shearer and shearing contractor. He shears between 15,000 and 20,000 sheep per year in the Michigan and Ohio area. Currently, Bristol serves on the American Wool Council and is the ASI Shearing Task Force chairman. He is also president of the Michigan Sheep Breeders Association. Additionally, Bristol is involved with 4-H, Future Farmers of America (FFA), Alpha Gamma Rho, the Farm Bureau and the Northern Michigan Lamb and Wool Festival.
"I learned in 4-H and FFA the importance for a farmer to be involved in producer organizations to keep our industry strong. Part of my daily farm chores is to assist my state association and ASI to improve the lamb and wool business which keeps our family farms profitable and safe for future generations," says Bristol.
Elected to serve as the ASI Region V (Texas) representative was DA Harral of Fort Stockton, Texas.
Harral, his wife, Angela, and five children run a range operation consisting of Rambouillet sheep, meat goats and Angus and Limousine cattle. Currently, Harral serves as the director of the Pecos County Farm Bureau, on the ASI Legislative Action Committee and the ASI Sheep Insurance Task Force. He is a former president of the Texas Sheep & Goat Raisers' Association, a former director of the Region F Water Planning Group, Texas Water Development Board and was a member of the Lamb Checkoff Task Force.
"I'm looking forward to the opportunity to contribute to the executive board," says Harral. "I think it is extremely important to provide a real future for the industry and create a sense of confidence for producers. Programs, such as the sheep insurance and the lamb checkoff, which ASI led, are doing just that."
In addition to the new members, two ASI Executive Board members were re-elected to their second term. Lyndon Irwin, Ph.D., from Bois D'Arc, Mo., was re-elected to serve as ASI's Region IV (Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota) representative and Richard Hamilton, from Rio Vista, Calif., was re-elected to serve as the Region VIII (Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington) representative.
Members continuing their service on the board include Mark Marley, the Region VI representative from Roswell, N.M.; Margaret Soulen Hinson, the Region VII representative from Weiser, Idaho; and Cleve Dumdi, the National Lamb Feeder representative from Junction City, Ore.
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