Sheep Industry News August 2022

UWYO's Newman Selected For Sheep Heritage Scholarship H aving already earned fi ve degrees and working on a sixth, Courtney Newman isn't completely sure if another is in her future. But the Colorado native – who has called the University of Wyoming home since 2018 – has no doubt that she'll continue to be involved in the sheep industry. Newman went on to intern with Mountain States Rosen for a summer, which led to collaborating with Dr. Cody Gi ff ord of the University of Wyoming on a research project entitled Estimating Commercial Lamb Carcass Value Within USDA Yield Grade and Camera Grade as Carcass Weight Changes . She's also interned with Superior Farms at the company's Denver plant.

Newman was selected as the winner of ASI's 2022 Sheep Heri tage Foundation Scholarship, which awards $3,000 to a deserving student pursuing an advanced degree in an area of study that will lead to the advancement of the American sheep industry. "I'm so honored and very thankful for the opportunity to receive this scholarship," she said. "It will make a huge diff erence in my studies." Working on her master's degree in Laramie, Wyo., Newman is looking at how blockchain technology might fi in with the Ameri can sheep industry. "A digitized database that is shared and modifi d cryptographi cally, blockchain technology would allow us to preserve each past transaction and give each member on the system a copy of all prior transactions related to the item, adding value for the increased available information," she wrote in her scholarship application. "We are currently working on three proof-of-concept studies relat ing to wool, small- and medium-sized meat processors, and live animals/animal health. "Blockchain technology is an emerging technology and not much tangible work has been done to see where it fi s into the agri culture model. Consumers keep asking for more information about where their food comes from and blockchain may be a solution to help pass this information along, providing more value back to the producer. A combination of proof-of-concept work and multiple surveys will allow us to see where the industry is at in terms of acceptance, perceptions, and will help us begin to understand the costs and ben efi ts associated with the integration of technology. Th project has an expected completion date of May 2023." A professional student for the past seven years, Newman acquired associate's degrees in ag business and animal science from Aims Community College before attending the University of Wyoming. She's since completed three bachelor's degrees in animal science, ag business and economics. "Th ough my ag business and economics studies, I became familiar on a surface level with blockchain technology," Newman said. "I have a background on the goat side because my family had a herd of dairy goats. I went to Wyoming for livestock judging and was introduced to wool judging, which brought me into the sheep industry."

Newman also led the university's eff orts to receive certifi ation of its sheep fl ock through ASI's American Wool Assurance Pro gram. Th school's fl ock was the fi rst in the United States to reach Level III – Certifi d status in the 2-year-old program. "I'm grateful that this scholarship is truly an investment in the future generation of our industry," wrote Dr. Whit Stewart of the University of Wyoming in recommending Newman for the schol arship. "Having received this prestigious scholarship in 2015, I can say that Courtney is more deserving than I was at that stage in my career. She's the type that reassures me that our industry will be in good hands amidst the challenges the future will bring."

Courtney Newman

38 • Sheep Industry News • sheepusa.org