ASI Elects New Officers
March 31, 2005
March/April 2005 -- Officers of the American Sheep Industry Association (ASI) Board of Directors were elected at the ASI/National Lamb Feeders Association convention in Reno, Nev., on Jan. 29.
Paul Frischknecht, a Manti, Utah, sheep producer was elected president, Burdell Johnson of Tuttle, N.D., was elected vice president and Glen Fisher of Sonora, Texas, was elected to serve the office of secretary/treasurer.
Frischknecht and his wife, Marla, run Frischknecht Livestock, which is comprised of approximately 6,000 Rambouillet/Columbia crossbred ewes, cattle and irrigated farmland. Prior to being elected president, Frischknecht served as the association's vice president and secretary/treasurer; as chair of its Predator Management and Public Lands Committees; and as vice chair of ASI's Resource Management Council.
Frischknecht, a practicing attorney, currently serves on the Utah Sheep Board, as president of the Manti LaSal National Forest Wool Growers Association and as director of the Utah Wool Marketing Association.
He is a former president of both the Utah Wool Growers Association and the Washington, D.C.-based Public Lands Council. Frischknecht has served on the National Animal Damage Control Advisory Committee, the Utah Governor's Agriculture Advisory Board, the Snow College Institutional Council, the Utah Board of Big Game, the Utah State Lands Grazing Advisory Council and Board and the Bureau of Land Management Richfield, Utah, District Grazing Advisory Board.
"My new position is one I do not take lightly. I am honored and dedicated to serve the sheep industry. Indicators show a bright future for our industry, not without challenges but with which we can deal," comments Frischknecht.
Burdell Johnson, a fourth-generation sheep producer and his wife, Theo, raise Columbia and Hampshire ewes, and feed sheep through the family business, Diamond J Livestock. He also raises cattle and grows several crops, including corn, wheat, barley, oat and sunflowers.
He is the former secretary/treasurer for ASI and served as the Executive Board Region IV representative, which is comprised of Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota. Johnson has also served on ASI's Legislative Action Council and numerous other committees, including Resolutions, Predator Management, Nominating, Strategic Planning, 2002 and Goat.
Johnson has been recognized for his involvement in agriculture, for which he has earned three awards - the 1996 North Dakota State University Outstanding Agriculturist Award, the 1999 State Friend of Extension and the 1999 Conservation Farm Award. He is a past chairman of the North Dakota Ag Coalition and currently serves on the North Dakota State Board of Ag Research and Extension.
"I feel honored being selected to represent the producers of the American sheep industry. We are currently experiencing a very positive cycle in the industry. Hopefully by working together, we can keep it going in that direction and expand it further," says Johnson.
Glen Fisher of Sonora, Texas, was elected secretary/treasurer.
Fisher manages Askew-Fisher Ranch, located on 18,000 acres of land in west Texas. He runs approximately 1,800 Rambouillet ewes bred mainly to Suffolk bucks. In addition to sheep, he raises 400 cows including 250 registered Angus and Polled Hereford cattle.
Before being elected to the office of secretary/treasurer, Fisher served the past three years on the ASI Executive Board and as chairman of the American Wool Council. In addition to ASI, he has served as president of the Texas Sheep and Goat Raisers' Association, director of the National Sheep Industry Improvement Center and director of the Texas Polled Hereford Association. Fisher managed the Sonora Wool and Mohair Co. for 16 years and has also been involved in numerous civic and local organizations.
Commenting on his election to the office, Fisher says, "I am proud to be involved with a great organization such as ASI, and am honored to be elected to the office of secretary/treasure. ASI's leaders and staff are excellent, and I will work to represent every sheep producer in the United States."
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