American Sheep Magazine March 2026

AMERICAN SHEEP | NEWS FROM THE AMERICAN SHEEP INDUSTRY

REGION 7 Region 7’s caucus focused on practical priorities: advocating for an H-2A Adverse Effective Wage Rate adjustment for herders, strengthening predator control and Wild life Services funding, and supporting public-facing lamb and wool promotions in WY, ID, and MT. Members also discussed the loss of the Double J lamb processing plant and the fallout from producers not being paid for lambs delivered for harvest, plus the need for a USDA risk-management product tailored to sheep. The group reviewed the 201 trade case and potential remedies to compete with imported lamb. We also thank John Noh as he exits the Executive Board, and welcome David Julian (WY) and Garrett Julian (WY) on their new ASI Executive Board and ALB appointments.

ACROSS AMERICA

REGION 8

REGION 8 Region 8 caucus discussion surfaced several shared chal lenges across the West. Washington producers flagged the shortage of rural large-animal veterinarians; UC Davis repre sentative Rosie Busch said she would raise the need with the Vet School to help recruit from rural communities. Members also talked through the nationwide lack of wool scouring capacity, ongoing backlogs, and the difficulty of getting wool sold or processed. In Oregon, producers noted continued Forest Service grazing-permit constraints tied to wolves and bighorn sheep. California priorities remained labor availability and lamb imports, along with concern about Superior Farms’ continued inactivity in the lamb-buying market. Final commit tee recommendations are due Feb. 6.

REGION 7

REGIO

REGION 6

REGION 5

REGION 6 In Region 6, Colorado innovators are turning low-value wool into a practical tool for drought-stressed potato ground and it’s already earning national attention. After meeting Utah producer Albert Wilde (Croydon, UT) at ASI convention, Sherry Haugen brought 1,000 pounds of his wool pellets to the San Luis Valley—where water is tight and coarse wool is piling up in sheds. Early trials near Center, Colorado found the original pellets were too fluffy for standard drilling equipment. So Sherry teamed up with soil scientists, farmers, and an ag engineer (also a sheep producer) to create a more compact, field-friendly pellet, with potential to include a microbial inoculant. Center Conservation District Director Mattea Frell won the American Wool Council’s digital poster contest for the concept—working toward a mobile pellet mill capable of about 500 lbs/hour to tackle drought resilience and wool storage at once.

REGION 4 Region 4 is starting the year with momentum. In the southern part of the region, light slaughter lamb prices are running at record highs, with budgets showing lambs competing favorably with row-crop options like soybeans. We’re also proud to celebrate ND member Dr. Chris Schauer, honored at Convention with the Peter Orwick Camptender Award. Looking ahead, the region continues advocating for strong funding and resources for scientists at the USDA Meat Animal Research Center (NE), work that supports genetic progress and producer profitability nationwide. Now, like everyone else, Region 4 is ready for warmer weather and the start of lambing season.

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