ASI Research Update: External Parasite Control
The March ASI Research Update podcast focuses on External Parasite Control with Dr. Cassandra Olds of Kansas State University.
“While winter is still in full swing for most of us, longer days and warmer temperatures are right around the corner, and that means green grass, baby lambs and parasites,” said podcast host Jake Thorne of Texas A&M University. “The label ‘parasite’ is really quite all encompassing, and while considerable attention is placed on those that harm sheep from inside the GI tract, just as importantly many parasites create havoc for livestock from the outside.”
External parasites are diverse in nature, and include those who fly, bite, sting and suck blood while making a nuisance of themselves. But that nuisance can take a turn for the worse if left to its own devices.
“It really comes down to what your unique situation is,” Olds said. “The best thing you can do is get familiar with these insects and the biology. Then you can start making educated decisions on where is this insect breeding, what is it doing and how can I get rid of it to the best of my abilities.”
Olds said it’s possible for external parasites to create problems for multiple species of livestock and domestic animals on diverse operations. Some parasites might affect everything from sheep to cattle to horses and dogs, while others are specific to the host. Most animals suffer from lice, for example, but they all have their own species of lice.
“If it’s on the incorrect host, they don’t recognize it as a host,” she said. “Sheep and goats tend to share things a lot more. Goats are going to have the closest shareability if you want to call it that.”
Click Here to listen to the podcast.
ALB Releases Annual Report
“It’s been three years since our rebranding, and the American Lamb Checkoff lit a fire with consumers this past year,” said 2021 American Lamb Board Past Chair Gwendolyn Kitzan in the board’s just released Fiscal Year 2021 Annual Report. “What could have been months of downturn for our industry has sparked some of the best sales increases we’ve seen.”
The 2021 American Lamb Board Annual Report is available at LambResourceCenter.com.
In 2021 – as in 2020 – ALB responded to the changes brought about in the American sheep industry by the COVID-19 pandemic and other situations with strategic action, seizing new opportunities to expand lamb’s place in the U.S. diet and economy. In Fiscal Year 2021 – Oct. 1, 2020 to Sept. 30, 2021 – ALB had a total budget of $1.6 million, allocated as follows: $995,040 for promotion, $236,365 for communications, $106,098 for research, $132,640 for U.S. Department of Agriculture oversight and $132,009 for administration.
Promotions continued to be a primary part of ALB’s work during the past year. As confined consumers turned to their outside grills, so did ALB. Its Food Blogger Network was expanded to include outdoor cooking experts for a total of 24 paid partnerships with a social media reach of 6.9 million, who contributed 34 new American lamb recipes with photos and videos. Total media reach hit 20 billion impressions and 4,400 lamb articles. Consumer media gave considerable coverage to the ALB Outdoor Cooking Poll, which kicked off a series of seasonal social media promotions. ALB’s new take on Lamb Lover’s Month and holiday cooking rounded out seasonal promotions.
Virtual events also hit the spot to take the place of traditional face-to-face activities. Outdoor cooking workshops, an American Culinary Federation butchery demo and Homemade Consumer Cooking Classes were immensely popular. Taziki’s Mediterranean Café add a heavily promoted American Lamb Burger to its menu, and Lebanese Taverna rolled out a holiday takeout pack at its Washington, D.C.-area restaurants.
In 2021, ALB partnered with Premier 1 Supplies to sponsor a video series on lamb quality for sheep producers. Produced by the North Dakota State University Extension Service, the series is available at LambResourceCenter.com. ALB also provided promotional tools to help the industry reach consumers with American lamb’s message and assisted local lamb groups in reaching out through its Lamb Promotional Partnership Program. And ALB made plans to sponsor the American Lamb Summit, scheduled for Aug. 8-11.
Providing the latest information requires an investment in research. ALB is in the midst of a multi-phase flavor profiling project with Texas Tech and Colorado State universities. Phase III found Rapid Evaporative Ionization Mass Spectrometry is accurate in predicting flavor attributes that correlate with consumer sensory panel testing. The knowledge will enable classifying lamb into flavor profiles to market lamb more successfully to consumers with differing preferences.
Meanwhile, a new multi-year study at Michigan State University is identifying lamb’s environmental footprint to provide accurate data and opportunities for industry improvements.
Source: ALB
Dispelling Myths About Sheep Shearing
With shearing well under way in many parts of the country, sheep producers might face questions from those unfamiliar with the industry about how and why sheep must be sheared. The AmericanWool.org blog has a resource for producers who find themselves in this situation.
Sheep Shearing: The World’s Oldest and Most Misunderstood Dance features insight from the professionals at Right Choice Shearing in North Texas covering everything from why sheep must be shorn to how shearers and producers deal with nicks during the process.
Click Here to read the blog post.
Australian Market Drops Slightly
The Australian wool market recorded an overall loss this series, although there were some price increases in selective pockets with certain types across the three region regions recording positive movements.
In the Merino fleece types, the movements in the Micron Price Guides across the country ranged between +14 cents (on the 18 micron MPG in Fremantle, bringing it more in line with the other centers) and -50 cents (on the 17 micron MPG in Melbourne, bringing it more in line with Sydney). The skirting market was the strongest performing sector for the week as overall these types were generally fully firm to 15 cents dearer. The exception was wool carrying more than 5 percent vegetable matter, which eased slightly. The crossbreds recorded minimal change as the MPGs for 26 to 30 micron ranged between -2 and +3 cents.
By the end of the series, the various market movements had the net result of pushing the AWEX Eastern Market Indicator lower. The EMI dropped by 14 cents, closing the week at 1,407 Australian cents. Due to currency movements – the Australian dollar was 1.1 cents higher than in the previous series – when viewed in U.S. dollar terms, the market had an overall positive movement. The EMI added 5 U.S. cents for the series, closing at 1,026 cents.
Although the EMI has fallen away from its highest point of the 2022 calendar year – it reached 1,449 cents in Week 31 – it is still trading 49 cents higher than its opening level of the year and 97 cents above its level of the corresponding sale of the previous season.
Next week’s national offering remains relatively large, with 2,342 more bales rostered than this week as 52,546 bales are currently expected to be offered nationally. Sale days will be Wednesday and Thursday due to a Monday Public Holiday in the Western region.
Source: AWEX
Content Creators Get a Taste of American Lamb
The American Lamb Board is participating this week in the Tastemaker Conference, a premier food blogger conference and community for food content creators. The conference draws hundreds of food influencers for networking opportunities and educational sessions with food brand representatives.
“A core strategy of our long-range plan is to grow awareness and increase usage of American lamb” said ALB Chairman Peter Camino of Buffalo, Wyo. “This conference is a great opportunity to increase lamb consumption and demand by building awareness and inspiring year-round usage of American lamb through food influencer relationships.”
ALB is providing information about the adventurous flavor, culinary versatility and variety of cuts of American lamb at the conference’s networking session.
Attendees will have the opportunity to participate in a cooking class excursion hosted by ALB. Participants will cook and enjoy an American lamb brunch, featuring lamb benedict, lamb patty breakfast sandwiches and complimentary beverages.
Source: ALB
FMCSA Continues Emergency Declaration
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration hereby declares that the continuing national emergency warrants extension of the modified Emergency Declaration No. 2020-002. The extension of the modified Emergency Declaration continues the exemption granted from certain requirements in Part 395 of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations for the 50 states and the District of Columbia as set forth below.
FMCSA issued Emergency Declaration No. 2020-002 in response to the March 13, 2020 declaration of a national emergency under 42 U.S.C. § 5191(b) related to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and the immediate risk COVID-19 presents to public health and welfare. FMCSA has previously modified Emergency Declaration 2020-002 to expand and remove categories of supplies, equipment and persons covered by the Emergency Declaration to respond to changing needs for emergency relief. On Dec. 1, 2021, FMCSA extended the modified Emergency Declaration No. 2020-002 and associated regulatory relief through Feb. 28, 2022, in accordance with 49 CFR § 390.25.
FMCSA is continuing the exemption and associated regulatory relief in accordance with 49 CFR § 390.25, because the presidentially declared emergency remains in place and because, although the number of COVID-19 cases began to decline in the United States following widespread introduction of vaccinations, persistent issues arising out of COVID-19 continue to affect the U.S., including impacts on supply chains and the need to ensure capacity to respond to variants and potential rises in infections. Therefore, a continued exemption is needed to support direct emergency assistance for some supply chains.
This notice continues the relief granted in Emergency Declaration 2020-002, as modified on June 15, 2020, Aug. 15, 2020, Dec. 1, 2020, and Aug. 31, 2021, through May 31, 2022 subject to the restrictions and conditions set forth herein unless modified or terminated sooner. This extension of the modified Emergency Declaration addresses national emergency conditions that create a need for immediate transportation of essential supplies and provides necessary relief from the FMCSRs for motor carriers and drivers.
The extension of the modified Emergency Declaration No. 2020-002 provides regulatory relief for commercial motor vehicle operations providing direct assistance in support of emergency relief efforts related to COVID-19 and is limited to transportation of (1) livestock and livestock feed; (2) medical supplies and equipment related to the testing, diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19; (3) vaccines, constituent products, and medical supplies and equipment including ancillary supplies/kits for the administration of vaccines, related to the prevention of COVID-19; (4) supplies and equipment necessary for community safety, sanitation, and prevention of community transmission of COVID-19 such as masks, gloves, hand sanitizer, soap and disinfectants; (5) food, paper products and other groceries for emergency restocking of distribution centers or stores; (6) gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, and ethyl alcohol; and (7) supplies to assist individuals impacted by the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic (e.g., building materials for individuals displaced or otherwise impacted as a result of the emergency).
Direct assistance does not include non-emergency transportation of qualifying commodities or routine commercial deliveries, including mixed loads with a nominal quantity of qualifying emergency relief added to obtain the benefits of this emergency declaration. To be eligible for the exemption, the transportation must be both (i) of qualifying commodities and (ii) incident to the immediate restoration of those essential supplies.
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Source: FMCSA