Sheep Center Grants Awarded

Jan. 9, 2004 -- The National Sheep Industry Improvement Center (NSIIC) issued a press release this week announcing that 15 applicants had been offered funding for their competitive grants through the Sheep and Goat Industry Grant Initiative (SGIGI). Linda Campbell, NSIIC chair, indicated 70 applications requesting more than $2.6 million dollars vied for the $300,000 available.

The primary objective of the grants is to fund a number of diverse projects that will benefit the U.S. sheep or goat industries through product or business development, producer information or education, marketing and promotion for sheep or goats or their products, and/or genetic retention or animal health at the regional, national or international level.

Grant recipients include the following organizations. A summary of their projects can be found at NSIIC.

• American Boar Goat Assn.
• American Sheep Industry Assn.
• Connecticut Sheep Breeders Assn.
• Louisiana State University
• Melton/Southern Wool & Skins
• Mountain States Lamb Co-op
• National Lamb Feeders Assn. (school)
• National Lamb Feeders Assn. (Summit)
• Producers? Marketing Cooperative, Inc.
• Purdue University
• Small Farm Produce, LLC
• Redlands Community College
• Texas Agricultural Extension Station
• Texas Hair Sheep Producers coalition
• University of Tennessee, Martin

The American Sheep Industry requested funding to research and develop a price risk-management program for sheep producers to protect against significant revenue shortfall, as well as to facilitate in optimizing the production, marketing and management of their operations.

According to Campbell, ?It is encouraging to know that there is this kind of enthusiasm and optimism in the goat and sheep industries to generate so many quality ideas that can help benefit our industries.?

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