Sheep Industry News December 2024

NSIIC Appointments Announced

T he U.S. Department of Agriculture announced in late October the appointment of one producer and one expert in finance and management to each serve as members on the National Sheep Industry Improvement Center Board of Directors. The newly appointed members will serve three-year terms from January 2025 to January 2028. Newly appointed members are: • Producer – Stephen Clements, Philip, S.D. • Expert in Finance and Management – James W. Per cival, Xenia, Ohio. American Sheep Industry Association President Brad Boner of Wyoming appreciates the appointment of direc tors from the extensive slate of nominations he submitted this spring on behalf of ASI. “Not only are the choices very strong to support the center, but the timing is very helpful to ensure the full board is in place for the ASI Annual Con

vention in January 2025,” he said. The board is composed of seven voting members and two non-voting members. Voting members include four active U.S. sheep producers, two members with expertise in finance and management, and one member with exper tise in lamb, lamb product or wool marketing. Non-voting members include USDA’s Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs and Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics. The National Sheep Industry Improvement Center was established as part of the 2008 Farm Bill – at the request of ASI – and administers a grant program designed to im prove the infrastructure of the American sheep industry by strengthening and enhancing the production and marketing of sheep and sheep products. The USDA Agricultural Mar keting Service provides oversight of the center. Source: USDA/AMS

S aturday lunch at the 2025 ASI Annual Convention will feature a musical act for the first time since ASI’s last trip to Scotts dale, Ariz., in 2020. Gordy and Debbie – a multi-award winning duo and stars of the popular A Tribute to George Strait dinner show in Branson, Mo. – will take the stage at the Terraza on Jan. 18. That’s the same outdoor tent at the Scottsdale Plaza Resort that hosted Gary Mule Deer when ASI last vis ited the area nearly five years ago. The two have been entertaining music fans for more than 25 years. They met during a singing competition in Branson – which is known as the Live Music Show Capital of the World – nearly 20 years ago. Their friendship blossomed, and the couple married in 2006. In 2021, they chose to close their popular Branson show and move to Mesa, Ariz., where they continue to perform regularly. They also travel extensively in the Midwest during the summer to escape the Arizona heat. Gordy & Debbie Set For Scottsdale

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