ASI Board of Directors Approves Annual Budget
The American Sheep Industry Association Board of Directors unanimously approved the association’s fiscal year 2021-22 budget. Five ballots on budgets and dues categories – as recommended by the ASI Executive Board – were addressed in online voting this month.
Membership dues collected from each of the association’s 45 state affiliates go directly toward lobbying efforts in Washington, D.C. Fundraising by the association – including the annual convention, advertising in association publications, etc. – makes up the remainder of the Fund II budget.
The Wool Trust provides funds for ASI’s marketing of American wool. Programs ranging from education on wool handling to marketing American wool overseas and use of wool in products for the United States military are included in this budget. State associations benefit from the Wool Trust through the Wool Outreach program, which provides funds for local wool projects.
“With unanimous approval of the budgets and dues rates, ASI is positioned to provide more than $4 million in programs and benefits to the American sheep industry,” said ASI President Susan Shultz of Ohio.
New program expenditures include updating the Sheep Safety and Quality Assurance program as part of the American Wool Assurance program, implementation of the next levels of AWA, an updated Targeted Grazing program and a new shearing program. Details on each of these projects will be announced as they reach implementation and completion.
Membership dues for state associations, associate members and individual members all remained the same as the previous year.
Research Update Podcast Looks at Copper Boluses
In this month’s ASI Research Update podcast, Dr. Joan Burke of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service discusses Copper Boluses for Parasite Treatment.
“There’s something in the toolbox that is available to producers that many aren’t even aware of or know little about,” said podcast host Jake Thorne of Texas A&M AgriLife. “Copper oxide wire particles might be the missing piece to your parasite management protocol.”
Burke said she looked into copper oxide wire particles as a way to develop research that would have a significant impact on farmers and ranchers and their sheep flocks.
“It was recognized more than 20 years ago that there was a need for alternatives to chemical dewormers because of dewormer resistance,” she said, adding that the use of copper oxide wire particles allows for organic livestock production. “Early on, copper oxide wire particles had been discovered to be effective against barber pole worm. Copper oxide wire particles are sold commercially as boluses or in gel capsules with little particles of copper oxide within.”
Click Here to listen to the podcast.
Wool Growers Should Check LDP Rates
Weekly updates to repayment rates for Marketing Assistance Loans from the U.S. Department of Agriculture have created Loan Deficiency Program payments in several categories for American wool this week.
As has been the case for all of 2021, there is an LDP of 40 cents per pound greasy for ungraded wool. But changes in weekly rates have created available LDP payments for graded wool in three micron categories (20.6 to 22, 22.1 to 23.5 and 23.6 to 25.9). LDP payments for graded wool are per pound clean.
Click Here for more information.
Wool Included in USDA Update to CFAP 2
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is updating the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program 2 for contract producers of eligible livestock and poultry and producers of specialty crops and other sales-based commodities, including wool.
CFAP 2 – which assists producers who faced market disruptions in 2020 due to COVID-19 – is part of USDA’s broader Pandemic Assistance for Producers initiative. Additionally, USDA’s Farm Service Agency has set an Oct. 12 deadline for all eligible producers to apply for or modify applications for CFAP 2.
USDA is amending the CFAP 2 payment calculation for sales-based commodities (including wool), which are primarily comprised of by specialty crops, to allow producers to substitute 2018 sales for 2019 sales. Previously, payments for producers of sales-based commodities were based only on 2019 sales, with 2019 used as an approximation of the amount the producer would have expected to market in 2020. Giving producers the option to substitute 2018 sales for this approximation provides additional flexibility to producers of sales-based commodities who had reduced sales in 2019.
Visit farmers.gov/cfap2/wool for more information on CFAP 2 eligibility and payment details related to wool.
Source: USDA
ALB Produces Chef Education Videos
The American Lamb Board is developing new educational and inspirational videos for chefs.
The first video – being produced by the Culinary Institute of America as a service to ALB – will feature CIA Chef Instructor Rebecca Peizer breaking a lamb carcass into primals and discussing the most popular cuts from each primal. The video will be used as part of the American Lamb Curriculamb for culinary students and chefs, and also CIA’s program at https://www.ciaprochef.com/americanlamb/.
The second video is being produced in partnership with Chefs Roll Inc. The social media video will highlight lamb’s diverse uses on Chef Adam Hegsted’s menus at Baba in Spokane, Wash. Hegsted features local seasonal items on his menus – including several dishes with American lamb. The video shows the chef preparing Shakshuka (Red Pepper Stew) with lamb sausage, Clams and Lambs with crispy braised lamb shoulder, and Lamb Shank Tagine.
“These video tools help to teach culinary students and chefs about the many cuts of lamb and how they can best be prepared,” said ALB Executive Director Megan Wortman. “Watch for these new videos on the American Lamb Board website and social media.”
Source: ALB
USSA Creates Suffolk Entrepreneurs Fund
The United Suffolk Sheep Association has created the Suffolk Entrepreneurs Fund to support the development of educational programs and materials of the breed to the American sheep industry.
The fund will support youth events, as well as research for the development of the breed. Anyone with an idea for promoting the Suffolk breed to the larger sheep industry is eligible to apply for support.
Click Here to learn more and for an application.
Source: USSA
Rolling Plains Sheep & Goat University Set for Tuesday
The annual Rolling Plains Sheep and Goat University will be hosted Tuesday by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service office in Baylor County at the Cliff Styles Activity Center, 1205 Archer Road, Seymour, Texas.
“Each year, this program draws more interest, and we’re excited to be able to offer this education to a growing number of producers in our region,” said Josh Kouns, AgriLife Extension agriculture and natural resources agent for Baylor County.
Presentation topics include:
- Parasite Control in the Flock, Jake Thorne, AgriLife Extension sheep and goat program specialist, and Reid Redden, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension state sheep and goat specialist, both from San Angelo, Texas.
- Marketing, Blake Osterman, Bowie Sheep and Goat Commission owner, Bowie, Texas.
- Multi-species Grazing, T.J. McEwen, Wellington State Bank Bowie Branch president, Bowie.
- Nutrition, Thorne and Redden.
- Producer Panel for Beginners.
The program will begin at 10 a.m., and a $10 fee will be due at the door. An RSVP is requested to Kouns at josh.kouns@ag.tamu.edu or by calling 940-889-5581 by today.
Source: Texas A&M AgriLife
Grants Available for Northeastern Producers
The Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center (based in Vermont) is now accepting applications for its Goat and Sheep Dairy Supply Chain Grant program. The grants will fund projects that expand the goat and/or sheep dairy supply chain within the Northeast United States region. Grants will range from $15,000 to $50,000 with a 25 percent match commitment.
“Funded projects will increase consumer awareness of goat/sheep dairy products, develop market channels and distribution opportunities to increase goat/sheep dairy product placement, support innovative strategies to increase consumption of goat/sheep dairy products, and/or increase business revenues related to goat/sheep dairy products,” according to the center.
Applications are due Sept. 30.
Click Here for more information.
Source: Dairy Sheep Association of North America
Australian Market Ends Recent Slide
In welcome news to both buyers and sellers, the Australian wool market stopped its downward slide, instead recording overall positive movement this series following two weeks of large losses.
As Fremantle did not require a sale this week, the national offering reduced to 28,243 bales – 6,182 fewer bales than the previous series. This smaller than normal selection attracted strong buyer support from the outset, pushing prices higher. Despite the increased levels, many sellers were unwilling to accept the prices on offer, resulting in high passed-in rates. The high passed-in rates further reduced the amount of wool that buyers could accumulate, putting increased pressure on the wool yet to be sold, again helping the market to rise.
By the end of the series, the individual Micron Price Guides in Sydney and Melbourne rose by between 1 and 89 cents. The largest gains were experienced in the finer microns in Melbourne. The Southern MPGs for 18.5 micron and finer rose by 52 to 89 cents. These rises helped push the AWEX Eastern Market Indicator up by 15 cents, which closed the week at 1,350 Australian cents.
The Merino skirtings followed a similar path to the fleece. General gains of between 20 and 40 cents were experienced, again 18.5 micron and finer were most affected. The crossbred sector recorded minimal change for the series. The MPGs for 26.0 to 32.0 micron all traded within 7 cents of the previous week.
A small selection of oddments was the only sector of the market to record an overall loss for the series, albeit a minimal one. The Merino Carding indicators dropped by an average of 4 cents. Fremantle returns to the fold next week, bolstering the national offering.
Source: AWEX
USDA Issues FAQ on Packers & Stockyards Act
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has issued a new Frequently Asked Questions document related to the enforcement of “undue and unreasonable preferences” under the Packers and Stockyards Act.
The FAQ document explains how USDA will address the December 2020 final rule on undue preferences (read the final rule HERE).
The announcement comes before two expected proposed rulemakings on the Packers and Stockyards Act, which were first published in the Spring 2021 Unified Regulatory Agenda. The first proposed rulemaking will clarify the scope of the Act, while the second will address unfair practices that violate the Act.
Source: U.S. Cattlemen’s Association