Sheep Industry News August 2024

NSIP Sees Leadership Change in 2024 A fter nearly a decade of leading the National Sheep Improvement Program, Rusty Burgett announced earlier this year he was leaving the organization. animals with breeding values that are specifically bred for their production needs.

Secondly, is the geographic spread of NSIP. When I started, NSIP membership was centered in the Midwest and a few pockets of the East. Now, NSIP membership has expanded into 38 states from coast to coast and border to border. Finally, are the genetic technical advances made throughout the livestock world. The term molecular genet ics is no longer a foreign word to many sheep producers. Due to the reduced cost of DNA analysis and the vision of sheep seedstock producers, NSIP is now offering Genomi cally Enhanced EBVs for Katahdins, with other breeds in line to follow. SGUSA: It sounds as if you have enjoyed a positive period of change with NSIP. The entire sheep industry would like to thank you for leading the industry in the field of genetics and wish you the very best with your new position. David, welcome. Could you please share with us a little of your background and history? DAVID: I grew up in the Eastern Upper Peninsula of Michigan. My family’s farm was established in 1887. While originally dairy farmers, by the time I was old enough to be involved they had transitioned to beef cattle, hay and small grains. My dad blames me for the sheep segment of the farm, which is essentially a 4-H project that got out of control. I attended Michigan State University from 2013 to 2017, where I majored in animal science and minored in agrono my with related course work in agribusiness management. I worked at the MSU Sheep Teaching and Research Center, and this gave me a great introduction into sheep being selected utilizing NSIP data as both the Suffolk and Dorset flocks were enrolled at that time. Following college, I trav eled to Lebanon, Ind., to work on the cutting edge of repro ductive technologies acting as the assistant farm manager of Reproduction Specialty Group under owner and founder Dr. Tad Thompson. After my time with RSG, I moved back to Michigan to be the manager of Wheaton Hampshires, one of the oldest continuous breeders of purebred livestock in the Midwest. There, I learned invaluable lessons concerning the presenta tion and marketing of livestock. Building on those lessons learned at Wheaton Hampshires, in 2022 I became the sale coordinator for the Michigan Beef Expo. During my tenure in that position, we saw a 90-percent increase in cattle sold.

David Scales has since been hired to guide NSIP in the years to come. Sheep Genetics USA caught up with both of them to discuss NSIP’s past and future. SGUSA: Rusty, can you tell us how long you were with NSIP and where you are headed next? RUSTY: I started serving as the executive director of NSIP beginning in 2015. I have recently accepted the as sistant professor of practice position at Iowa State Univer sity as the director of all the university’s livestock working farms. I will retain my engagement in the sheep industry as I plan on continuing with an NSIP Polypay flock in Central Iowa.

SGUSA: We expect that you have seen several changes through these past nine years with NSIP, can you expand on some of those? RUSTY: Sure, many of those changes have occurred within NSIP and others have been more general to the sheep genetic community. First, is probably the expanded adoption and recognition of Estimated Breeding Values within our industry. EBVs have long been the standard for measuring genetic merit for other species of livestock in the United States, and it is great to see their adoption in the sheep industry. We are now seeing commercial producers partnering with seedstock producers in order to have access to the

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