USDA Accepting Nominations for NSIIC Board
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service is seeking nominees for one producer position and one expert in finance and management to serve three-year terms on the National Sheep Industry Improvement Center Board of Directors.
The American Sheep Industry Association is a recognized by USDA as a Certified Nominating Organization to submit nominations. USDA selects appointees from candidates nominated by a CNO – an organization with a principal interest in the production of sheep in the United States and whose membership consists primarily of active domestic sheep producers.
The sheep producer director and director with finance and management emphasis are currently served by Leo Tammi of Virginia and Burton Pfliger of North Dakota. ASI is looking to submit two nominations for each position. Applications for nomination must be submitted to ASI Executive Director Peter Orwick at porwick@sheepusa.org by April 23.
The board of directors comprises seven voting members and two non-voting members. Voting members include four active American sheep producers, two members with expertise in finance and management and one member with expertise in lamb or wool product marketing. Non-voting members include USDA’s under secretary for marketing and regulatory programs and under secretary for research, education and economics.
The National Sheep Industry Improvement Center was established as part of the 2008 Farm Bill and administers a grant program designed to improve the infrastructure of the American sheep industry by strengthening and enhancing the production and marketing of sheep and sheep products.
Click Here for more information.
Katahdin Group Plans Symposium and Sale
The Eastern Alliance for Production Katahdins plans to host its first-ever Annual Symposium and Sale on July 9-10 at the Washington County Fairgrounds in Abingdon, Va.
An educational session will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on July 9, including breakout sessions led by experienced EAPK members, industry experts and small ruminant researchers on topics that will appeal to producers of all skill levels. Lunch will be provided.
The weekend will feature an auction of National Sheep Improvement Program-enrolled breeding stock in a unique format. The classes of sheep to be sold will include: mature rams 2 years of age and older; yearling rams; yearling ewes; ram lambs; ewe lambs; and pens of ewes/lambs. All consigning and bidding will be handled exclusively online through Willoughby Livestock. Consignors are encouraged to bring their animals to the event for bidder inspection, but this isn’t required. Attendance and sale bidding are available to members of the general public.
More details will be announced at a later date.
Click Here for more information.
Prepare for Lambing with the ASI Research Update Podcast
Minnesota veterinarian and sheep producer Cindy Wolf discusses preparations for lambing in the latest ASI Research Update Podcast.
Click Here to listen to the podcast.
Consumers Increase Meat Consumption During 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic changed the way food consumers shop and eat, and meat reaped the benefits.
A consumer survey conducted by 210 Analytics in January 2021 looked at trends among 1,501 shoppers leveraged against 16 years of trend lines and showed everything changed in 2020. The survey addressed all meat – imported and domestic – sold through retail food outlets during the 52 weeks prior to Dec. 27, 2020, in the United States. The Power of Meat report was sponsored by CRYOVAC and presented at the 2021 Annual Meat Conference.
For 2020, retail meat department sales grew 11 percent in pounds and 19.2 percent in dollars. Fresh meat sales were up 20.7 percent in dollars and 11.2 percent in pounds while processed meats increased 16.2 percent (dollars) and 10.5 percent (pounds). In total, that came to $82.5 billion and 21.8 billion pounds. The study concluded that lamb retail sales – domestic and imported – increased $97 million and 9 million pounds.
According to the study, meat dollar sales at retail outlets spiked 52.3 percent over 2019 in March of 2020 (42.1 percent in pounds), then gradually declined through the summer. Sales were still up 12.9 percent compared to 2019 in December. At 10 months into the pandemic, 42 percent of consumers were still trying different types of meat and new brands.
“During the pandemic and continuing into 2021, the American Lamb checkoff put emphasis on helping consumers learn more about what our great product offers, how to prepare it, and all the opportunities to satisfy their family’s desire for variety and flavor,” says American Lamb Board Chairman Gwen Kitzan of Newell, S.D.
For a copy of the complete study, contact rae@americanlamb.com and for a list of the Top 10 Findings of the 2020 Power of Meat, Click Here.
Source: ALB
ASI SheepCast: ESA, ELDs, Infrastructure & Research
This week, the ASI SheepCast looks at the grizzly bear decision, the Modernizing Ag Transportation Act, reviews the release of the president’s infrastructure package, delves into wool’s sustainability, and how lamb is featuring in the news.
Click Here to listen to the podcast.
Faribault Makes Leadership Changes
The former CEO of American-made men’s footwear brand Allen Edmonds is taking charge at one of Minnesota’s most iconic heritage brands, Faribault Woolen Mill Co., with plans to expand into new product categories and step up distribution.
Paul Grangaard spent a decade leading Wisconsin-based Allen Edmonds before leaving in 2017 to form CircleRock, an American-made menswear brand with a store in Linden Hills (Minn.) called House of Style. Earlier this year, CircleRock announced its partnership with the Mooty family, which re-opened the mill in 2011 after a two-year closure. It is one of the last woolen mills operating in the United States. Under the partnership agreement, Grangaard will serve as chairman and CEO of Faribault Woolen Mill Co., and Paul Mooty, who was leading the ownership group he established with his cousin Chuck Mooty, will serve as vice chairman of its board of directors. CircleRock co-founder Ross Widmoyer – a former executive at Allen Edmonds and Target – is Faribault’s new president and chief operating officer.
“The experience and expertise that the CircleRock team brings are exactly what we need to build this business,” Paul Mooty said in a statement. “I’m especially excited about what this consolidation means for the men and women who have rebuilt Faribault Woolen Mill over the last nine years. This combination is now about accelerating and investing further in our success.”
Click Here to read the full article.
Source: Twin Cities Business
National Scrapie Eradication Program – February 2021 Report
Classical scrapie was confirmed in a black face sheep sampled through routine slaughter surveillance in January 2021. As of Feb. 28, 12,097 animals have been sampled for scrapie in FY 2021: 11,569 animals were sampled at slaughter and 528 on-farm (9,021 were sheep and 3,076 were goats).
Click Here to view the full report.
Source: USDA/APHIS
Australian Market Ticks Upward Once Again
The Australian wool market recorded overall positive movement for the second consecutive series. This week was the final buying opportunity before the annual Easter recess, meaning wools needed for immediate shipment had to be purchased this week. The shortened week (due to the Good Friday holiday) meant that Melbourne was restricted to a two-day sale.
Despite this restriction, the national quantity increased to 44,220 bales. The national offering continues to track above last year’s levels. To date there have been 65,486 more bales offered – an increase of 5.4 percent. For the month of March, there were 224,217 bales offered for sale in the auction system – the largest March offering for 10 years. Strongest buyer demand was in the finer microns and this was reflected in movements in the individual Micron Price Guides for 18.5 micron and finer, which rose across the country by 8 to 56 cents. In a rare occurrence, the Western region recorded the highest greasy price nationally this series as a line of 14.4-micron weaner fleece wool sold for 2,199 cents.
There was still solid support for the medium/broad Merino wools. The movements in the MPGs for 19.0 to 22.0 micron ranged between -12 and +12 cents. The AWEX Eastern Market Indicator added 15 cents for the series, closing at 1,300 Australian cents. The EMI is at a very similar level to the corresponding sale of the previous season. At the same time last year, the EMI was at 1,287 Australian cents.
For the first time in a month, the entire crossbred sector recorded positive movement. The MPGs for 26.0 to 32.0 gained between 2 and 20 cents. The oddments recorded minimal movements this series. This was reflected in the Merino Carding Indicators, which moved by an average of 4 cents. Next week is the annual one-week Easter recess. Sales resume in the week beginning Monday, April 12.
Source: AWEX