Sheep Industry News August 2025

ASI Seeks Nominees for American Lamb Board

T he U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricul tural Marketing Service is seeking nominees to fill four positions on the American Lamb Board, as the terms of current members will expire in early 2026. The American Sheep Industry Association (ASI), a certified nominating organization, is now gathering nominations for the following positions:

The current directors whose terms are expiring in clude Jeff Ebert (KS), Gary Visintainer (CO), and Don Hawk (OH), all of whom are term-limited. ASI must submit at least two nominees for these three seats. Ben Lehfeldt, ASI president, said: “Having served on the Lamb Board several years ago, I can say the opportunity to be a director is exciting and well worth considering. I encourage you to contact ASI or your state association for the forms and put your hat in the ring.” USDA is also accepting nominations for one pro ducer and one expert in finance and management to serve three-year terms on the National Sheep Industry Improvement Center (NSIIC) Board of Directors. Bob Buchholz and Faye Schalesky currently hold these seats and are up to serve another term. Nominations for NSIIC are due by September 8, 2025. ASI Taking Nominations for the NSIIC by August 22, 2025. For a list of certified nominating organizations, nomination forms, and additional information about the Lamb Board, visit lambresourcecenter.com or the AMS American Lamb Board webpage. For more information, contact Peter Orwick, ASI Executive Director, at (303) 771-3500, ext. 103, or peter@sheepusa.org.

• One producer with 100 or fewer lambs • One producer with more than 500 lambs

• One feeder at large • One first handler

Either the small-scale (≤100 lambs) or large-scale (>500 lambs) producer must be from Region II (west of the Mississippi River). The feeder at large must be from Region I (east of the Mississippi River). Any U.S. producer, feeder, or first handler who owns or purchases lambs may be considered. Candi dates must be nominated by a certified nominating organization and submit a completed application. Final appointments will be made by the Secretary of Agriculture from among the submitted nominees. ASI encourages interested individuals to visit www. sheepusa.org or contact the ASI office for a nomina tion form. Completed forms must be returned to ASI by August 22, 2025.