Stiff Competition to Attend the 2005 Leadership School
The 2005 Leadership School, sponsored by the National Lamb Feeders Association (NLFA), will be held July 10-14, in Columbus, Ohio, under the direction of Roger High, Ohio sheep extension associate and Henry Zerby, Ph.D., The Ohio State University extension meat specialist. This is the first time the Leadership School has been held in Ohio. In addition to visiting some of the most successful sheep operations in the eastern United States, participants will take part in the three-day LAMB 509 Short Course developed by The Ohio State University teaching, extension and research personnel.
LAMB 509 is a hands-on study of the lamb product from farm to retail.
According to High, ?LAMB 509 is a unique learning environment where students evaluate the live animal, participate in carcass evaluation, grading, fabrication and then compare the value of the live animal with the final value of the wholesale cuts.?
Participants will be immersed in discussions comparing production techniques, examining the factors that create a high-quality product, analyzing consumer attitudes and identifying what each producer can do to make his or her sheep operation more competitive and profitable.
Program topics include: ultrasound evaluation, grid pricing, grading procedures, carcass and retail fabrication, muscle-quality measurements, microbiology and food safety, as well as taste evaluation and consumer attitudes.
NLFA is looking for highly motivated, sheep industry representatives, interested in attending the 2005 Leadership School who are willing to share their learning experience with fellow producers when they return home.
There is no fee to apply, but applicants must be more than 20-years-old. Each applicant is responsible for the cost of travel to and from Columbus, Ohio. NLFA covers the cost of meals, lodging, tour-related expenses and supplies.
With only 32 available openings in the 2005 Leadership School, the competition to attend is getting stiff. Interested individuals are encouraged to submit their applications as early as possible. The application deadline is June 1, 2005.
Applicants will be notified of their acceptance as soon as possible after the deadline and will be required to submit the $100 registration fee to secure their placement in the class.
Application forms may be requested from NLFA, or downloaded from the NLFA Web site: www.nlfa-sheep.org.
For more information about the 2005 Leadership School, please contact NLFA: (503) 370-7024 or e-mail info@nlfa-sheep.org.
Take a Virtual Tour of the Howard Wyman Sheep Industry Leadership School
The office of the National Lamb Feeders Association (NLFA) is already receiving applications for the combined 2005 Howard Wyman Sheep Industry Leadership School and the LAMB 509 Short Course to be held this summer at The Ohio State University. This combined program is going to be one of a kind; so, if you have ever thought about attending, this is the year to do so.
For anyone unfamiliar with the annual Howard Wyman Sheep Industry Leadership School, sponsored by the NLFA, you will now be able to take a virtual tour of a typical school with the help of a new promotional DVD. The virtual tour DVD allows the viewer to experience, through photos of previous schools, what the school is like and to gain insight into what can be learned by attending one of these annual, but extremely limited, programs.
Funded by a grant from the National Sheep Industry Improvement Center, copies of the DVD were distributed to state sheep associations in April. If there is an upcoming meeting, educational seminar or other special event planned where a group of interested sheep producers might take the Leadership School virtual tour, please contact your state sheep association office or the NLFA office to request a copy.