ASI Photo Contest Deadline is Aug. 1

The deadline to enter the ASI Photo Contest is now just a month away, as photos must be submitted by 5 p.m. mountain time on Aug. 1. Winning entries will be featured in the October issue of the Sheep Industry News.

Rules and prizes for the 2022 contest are the same as last year. Photographs entered in the contest will be judged on clarity, content, composition and appeal.

More than $1,000 will be awarded, with awards of $125 going to the first-place photographer in each of the five categories listed below; $75 for the runner-up in each category; and a $50 prize for third place in each of the five categories. Only the top three photographers in each category will be notified of their winnings.

Photographers are advised to submit photographs in the largest file size possible. Also, judges and ASI staff encourage entrants to provide both horizontal and vertical photos. This will better assure these talented and creative photos can be shared in future issues of the Sheep Industry News, as well as in the 2023 ASI Calendar and other American sheep industry publications.

The five categories in this year’s contest are:

• Shepherd/Shepherdess – Photographs of producers, shepherds or others working with sheep.
• Scenic (East) – Photographs of sheep outdoors located east of the Mississippi River. Photos entered in this category cannot include people.
• Scenic (West) – Photographs of sheep outdoors located west of the Mississippi River. Photos entered in this category cannot include people.
• Working Dogs and Protection Animals – Photographs in this category should show herding dogs, livestock guardian dogs or any other livestock protection animals in their natural environments. Photos must also include sheep in some fashion as proof that these truly are working animals.
• Open – Photographs with subject matter that does not fall into the four above-listed categories.

Entries should be emailed to kyle@sheepusa.org with the subject line of ASI Photo Contest. Those mailing photos should send them to ASI, Attn: Photo Contest, 9785 Maroon Circle, Suite 360, Englewood, CO 80112.

Click Here for complete contest rules.

 

S.D. Extension Plans Emerging Producers Program

The South Dakota State University Extension Small Ruminant Team is inviting sheep producers to participate in its Emerging Sheep Producers Program. This program is designed for sheep producers who want to develop or improve a full or part-time sheep operation.

Participation in the SDSU Extension Emerging Sheep Producers Program is an opportunity to increase knowledge of all aspects of the sheep industry and improve skills needed to be successful shepherds. The program is open to people with 10 years or less of management experience in sheep production. If not currently involved in sheep production, participants must show a strong desire to manage a sheep operation in the future. The program will run from September 2022 through August 2023.

Program delivery will be a nine-session course that is a combination of workshops, webinars, hands-on field days and networking opportunities. Throughout the course, participants can expect to receive hands-on experience working with sheep and a step-through process of developing a personalized business management plan. Whether a participant has 10 or thousands of sheep, this course is designed to help mitigate risk and increase overall success in raising sheep. Participants can also expect additional assistance through personalized, one-on-one consultation visits to their own operation or with mentors, if needed.

Program Overview

• Applicants must complete and submit a registration form by July 31.
• Applicants must be older than 18 years of age with 10 years or less of management experience in sheep production. If not currently involved in sheep production, participants must show a strong desire to manage a sheep operation in the future.
• Up to 20 people will be selected to participate based on an application. Couples and family members are welcome to apply from the same operation.
• Funding for this project is based upon work supported by USDA-NIFA under Award Number 2021-70027-34694 and registration fees. Participant registration fee is $200 per person or $300 per couple if members of S.D. Sheep Growers Association, or $250 per person or $350 per couple if not members of S.D. Sheep Growers Association (fee includes 1 year S.D. Sheep Growers Association membership).
• Registration fee will be due upon acceptance into the program. Participants receive a lambing kit, American Sheep Industry Association’s Sheep Production Handbook, grazing stick, and other great print and digital resources valued at more than $250.

Click Here to learn more.

Source: SDSU Extension

 

Consignments Needed for Penn. State Ag Progress Days

The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s Livestock Evaluation Center invites consignments of breeding sheep and goats to be sold at an Aug. 11 auction during Penn State Ag Progress Days in Pennsylvania Furnace, Penn.

Prior to the sale, the department will join PSU College of Agricultural Sciences, Delaware Valley University and the Pennsylvania Sheep and Wool Growers Association in hosting a field day where national experts will share cutting-edge methods for protecting flocks and raising the highest quality sheep and goats.

The sale and field day will be held at the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s Livestock Evaluation Center on the grounds of the Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center where Ag Progress Days is held every August. Both events are free and open to the public.

The Sheep and Goat Field Day will include presentations on:

• Small Ruminant Quality Assurance by William Fritz, Ph.D., of Delaware Valley University
• Veterinary Client-Patient Relationships by Roselle Busch, D.V.M., of University of California- Davis
• Selecting Your Way Out of Parasite Problems and Potential Consequences by Scott A. Bowdridge, Ph.D., of West Virginia University
• Marketing Lambs and Kids in Pennsylvania by Camren Maierle of Penn State Extension and a panel of sheep and goat buyers

Consignments of breeding meat bucks, rams, does and ewes – born between Sept. 1, 2020 and March 31, 2022 – are invited. Purebred stock must have registration certificates. Each animal must have Scrapie Identification and a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection signed by an accredited veterinarian. Consignments must register by July 15 to be included in the printed catalog. Late consignments will be accepted through Aug. 5.

Visit agriculture.pa.gov for more information on the sale and a full schedule of the Sheep and Goat Field Day, or contact Livestock Evaluation Center Manager Greg Hubbard at 814-238-2527 or ghubbard@pa.gov.

Source: State of Pennsylvania

 

Australian Market Falls Off to Close Season

This week marked the final sale of the 2021-22 wool selling season and after three weeks of consecutive rises, the Australian wool market was unable to continue its upward path. Instead, the market recorded an overall loss, driven by falls in the Merino fleece types.

After a non-sale week in the previous series, Fremantle returned to the selling roster pushing the national offering up to 43,055 bales. At the conclusion of the series, the total amount of wool put through the auction system was 1,861,928 bales – 122,766 more than the previous season for an increase of 7.1 percent.

The individual Merino Micron Price Guides across the country fell by between 5 and 125 cents. The result of these falls was a 44-cent drop in the AWEX Eastern Market Indicator for the week. This was the largest weekly fall in the EMI since August 2021. Interestingly, the drop is within one cent of the 45-cent fall in the EMI at the final sale of last season. The EMI closed the week and the season at 1,430 Australian cents. In the past 12 months, the EMI has risen by 7 cents – a small 0.5-percent increase. This is compared to the 313-cent rise in the EMI during the 2020-21 season.

The total dollar amount sold for the 2021-22 season finished well above the previous year. This season, the total value of wool sold was $2,619.57 million, compared to $2,246.72 million last season for an increase of $372.85 million.

Next week is the first sale of the 2022-23 wool selling season. This sale is traditionally one of the largest of the year, as sellers wanting to offer in the new financial year take the first opportunity. This year is no different and currently there are expected to be 52,182 bales on offer in Sydney, Melbourne and Fremantle.

Click Here for the Full Australian Wool Market Report.

Source: AWEX

 

USDA Offers New Features in Market News App

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced this week that additional commodities and features are now available on the free USDA Market News App, which provides producers and others along the supply chain with instant access to market information about conventional and organic products. The app was designed to make it easy for all producers to navigate and access the information on a mobile phone.

Version 2.0 includes access to three additional commodity areas, as well as the ability to filter searches to see reports by Commodity Area and Market Type, the ability to add reports to Favorites and Subscriptions by Commodity Area and Market Type, an improved way to manage subscriptions and a calendar feature that provides access to previously released reports.

USDA launched the first version of its free Market News app in February 2022, with access to about 800 livestock, poultry and grain market reports. Today’s updated version of the app includes market reports for conventional and organic dairy, cotton and specialty crop commodities. It also offers greater access to market information by increasing the total number of Market News reports available on the app to nearly 1,500.

The free USDA Market News app is available in both iOS and Android versions and may be downloaded through the Apple and Google Play stores. Search for USDA Market News Mobile Application to download the app and begin exploring its potential.

Sheep producers are reminded that the ASI Market News app includes appropriate market reports, as well as valuable sheep industry tools and calculators. The ASI Market News app is also available on both the Apple and Google Play stores.

Source: USDA

 

ALB Serves Lamb Message at CAFÉ Conference

The American Lamb Board served an assortment of lamb information to food educators in June, with a presence at the Center for the Advancement of Foodservice Education Leadership Conference in Portland, Maine.

The effort reached around 100 high school culinary education/Pro Start leaders as well as post-secondary educators from various universities, colleges and community colleges.

“This is a great way for ALB to connect with culinary educators,” says Peter Camino, ALB chair from Buffalo, Wyo.

During this year’s conference, ALB distributed and promoted educational materials on both days of the event. At the information fair, lamb fabrication booklets and approachable recipe brochures were distributed along with an assortment of American lamb promotional items.

For the opening reception, former Culinary Director of the Southern Maine Community College Chef Wilfred Beriau prepared and served an Indonesian Lamb Brochette to attendees. The main day of the conference brought an opportunity to reach culinary educators through a trends presentation. ALB’s foodservice consultant gave a brief presentation on the American lamb industry, followed by Chef Matt Ginn of Evo Kitchen + Bar in Portland, who gave a presentation on lamb in Eastern Mediterranean cuisine. Following ALB’s plan to attract culinary educators on a tight budget by highlighting approachable lamb dishes with global flavors, he focused on kebabs and skewers. Chef Ginn prepared and sampled lamb dishes he uses at his restaurant – lamb kefte, lamb leg kebabs with toum marinade and makenek.

ALB’s reach into culinary education goes beyond the personal appearance at CAFÉ. As a sponsor, ALB is recognized on the CAFÉ website and allowed to offer Curriculamb, a comprehensive culinary education resource on American lamb, in emails to culinary educators. In addition, CAFÉ attendees will be added to ALB’s foodservice newsletter distribution.

By sponsoring and participating at CAFÉ, ALB continues to reach Foodservice educators, providing them with the information and tools they need to share the benefits of American lamb with their students.

Source: ALB