ASI Annual Convention: It’s Not Too Late
Online registration for the 2022 ASI Annual Convention: Where There’s a Will, There’s a Wave closes at 5 p.m. eastern time today.
After that, any additional registrations will need to be handled onsite at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina the week of the convention, which is set for Jan. 19-22. ASI looks forward to hosting nearly 300 registrants and a dozen affiliated organizations at the in-person convention in San Diego. A mask mandate has been extended in California through Feb. 15.
Click Here for registration and hotel information.
Save the Date: ASI Spring Trip
The American Sheep Industry Association’s Spring Trip to Washington, D.C., is set for March 14-16. The annual gathering allows sheep producers to visit with members of Congress, as well as leaders at government agencies ranging from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to the U.S. Department of the Interior.
Sheep producers interested in taking part in the Spring Trip should contact their state association leadership to begin the process. Participants will fly into the nation’s capital on Monday, March 14, and visit with agency leaders the next morning. Congressional visits will follow that afternoon and into Wednesday.
ASI will host a reception and BBQ on Wednesday evening. Participants will be joined at the reception by Congressional leaders and staff.
Wool Council Offers Shearer-Mentor Grants
The American Sheep Industry Association Wool Council has developed a new grant totaling $15,000 with the goal of helping develop beginner and intermediate shearers and keeping them in the industry.
The grant is open to developing shearers and their mentors (those who are helping train them). Developing shearers will receive $500 at the beginning of the program to help them with equipment and/or to supplement their work when they are shearing a low number of head each day.
Developing shearers will then receive $1,000 upon completion of the program, which includes sending videos of their progress and a written summary. Mentors will receive $1,500 upon completion, which includes a written summary and documentation of how they assisted the developing shearer.
Applications must be submitted by Jan. 15.
Click Here for the application.
SheepCast: Convention, Lamb Imports & Supply Chains
This week, SheepCast takes a look at the upcoming American Sheep Industry Association Annual Convention, provides an update on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Lamb Import Rule, and looks at the Biden Administration’s effort to strengthen the domestic meat supply chain.
Click Here to listen to the podcast.
MWGA Donates $100,000 to New Montana Wool Lab
The Montana Wool Growers Association held its annual Convention in Billings in December and a highlight of the event was 2021 MWGA President Ken McKamey presenting a check for $100,000 to Montana State University President Waded Cruzado for the Montana Wool Lab building project.
The origin of the donated funds came from the Montana Wool Growers Education and Research Endowment. Commonly called the “Memorial Fund,” most of the money in the fund came from donations in memory of sheep industry leaders. These memorial donations have been growing with hopes of spending the funds on sheep industry improvements and research. The 2021 Montana Legislature approved $5 million for the wool lab project, with an additional $1 million to be raised from industry. This donation goes toward meeting that fundraising goal.
The Montana Wool Lab is currently located on the north end of MSU Bozeman’s campus in a building built in 1947. The Montana Wool Lab serves sheep producers, researchers and the wool industry in Montana and across the United States.
Source: MWGA
ALB Offers Resource Database
Increasing flock productivity and improving the ability to deliver upon consumer demands is a major focus of the American sheep industry. The American Lamb Board has gathered existing resources that address these topics of importance to all segments of the industry. This free Best Practices Resource Database is available at www.LambResourceCenter.com.
“A universal tool being asked for by all segments of the industry is a database that is easily accessible to search for existing resources that address a wide variety of production topics,” says Gwen Kitzan, ALB chair. “We’ve compiled these resources and made them available as a downloadable database that is searchable, but not an endorsement.”
A wide range of educational resources is included in the Best Practices Resource Database. Information formats include:
- Videos
- Articles and fact sheets
- Textbooks
- Peer-reviewed journal articles
- Webinars and online courses
- Websites
Topics in the database include:
- Animal handling
- Animal health
- Environmental stewardship
- Genetics and selection
- Survivability
- Nutrition
- Meat quality
- Reproduction management
- Birth management
- Forages and grazing
Those who have educational resources that might fit this database can submit them through an online form. An editorial board will make final acceptability decisions.
Click Here to check out the Best Practices Resources Database.
Source: ALB
Associate Director Position Open at PLC
The Public Lands Council is looking for a passionate, talented individual to join its growing Washington, D.C., policy team. The associate director will support and assist the executive director in advocating and communicating with Congress, the administration, agencies and industry stakeholders on issues related to administration of grazing permits on federal lands, and issues related to factors affecting public lands grazing operations, including interface with: the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service, National Marine Fisheries Service, White House Council on Environmental Quality, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service and Natural Resource Conservation Service.
This is a joint position, and the associate director will perform a shared role with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. The deadline to apply is Jan. 10.
Click Here for the full job description and application process.
Source: PLC
Video of the Week
Catch the sons and daughters of “celebrities” as they tackle chores at the Saddleback Ranch near Steamboat Springs, Colo. Sheep shearing is first up for the stars of E!’s Relatively Famous: Ranch Rules.
The crew was provided with instruction by a professional shearer and the American Sheep Industry Association’s shearing pattern poster makes an appearance in the episode, as well.
Click Here to watch a sneak peak of the series – including the crew’s unfortunate decision to wash a sheep before shearing.