Sheep Industry News February 2022

AWA Program Now Offering Evaluations, Ranch Groups

HEATHER PEARCE Wool Production ProgramManager Launched in 2020, the American Wool Assurance Program continues to develop and grow, with the goal of helping producers sell more wool while expanding the number of buyers for their wool. "We have seen great interest among both domestic and interna tional wool buyers, some of which are willing to pay a premium. As with any marketing decision, we recommend growers discuss possibilities with their warehouse, pool or wool buyer," said ASI Deputy Director Rita Samuelson. Additionally, there is growing interest from American produc ers in the program, many of whom have already completed the Level I Educated certification by going through the online module and have been awaiting the opportunity to take that next step for ward to Level II and become Processed Verified by being reviewed by an evaluator. “Last summer, ASI launched the first of three levels in the AWA program. Level 1 is educated, Level II is Process Verified and Level III is Certified," said Samuelson. "ASI is excited to announce that trainers – evaluators – will be available for growers to become Process Verified." Level II certification requires a second-party review by a trained evaluator. More than 15 individuals have completed the evaluator train ing and are now ready to start providing those necessary evaluations to allow producers to become Level II certified. The Level II review will provide an added level of comfort about the procedures in place when growing and harvesting wool. Evaluators of this second level will use operation plans, records, interviews and observations in looking for compliance with AWA standards. The evaluators bring sheep experience and have been trained in recent months to provide consistent, objective and trustworthy evalu ations. To become an evaluator, they had to have sheep experience or education, complete online courses, attend virtual training sessions with an auditor, and complete written and oral exams. Evaluations not only allow growers to become accredited in AWA Level II – which allows them to mark wool packs with an AWA logo and for buyers to verify the wool as AWA Process Verified – but also can help growers in advancing their operation practices and to prepare for a third party-audit, which is required for Level III certification. Wool producers interested in working with an evaluator, should visit AmericanWoolAssurance.org/member-contacts/.

Ranch Group Certified. When multiple growers in an area signing up for a Ranch Group, they can: • Reap the benefits of achieving a fully certified status; • Decrease auditing costs by only a portion of the members being audited every four years; • Pool wool to create larger lots of certified wool; • Have the opportunity to share information and learn about best practices. For more information and to form a Ranch Group, please see AmericanWoolAssurance.org/wp-content/uploads/AWA-Ranch Group-Form.pdf. ASI developed the Ranch Group aspect of the program because it believes there's a need for allowing producers to work together in the certification process. It's another way in which this voluntary assurance program has benefitted from producer input. AWA GUIDE A new AWA Guide is available to help you understand more about the program, it’s standards and what is needed for a second-party evaluation or third-party audit. Check it out atAmericanWool Assurance.org/wp-content/uploads/AWA-Guide.pdf. ACCREDITATION BEFORE SHEARING A reminder, before you shear and have your wool clip ready, produc ers might want to become accredited. To get started and become Level I accredited, simply complete the AWA and Sheep Safety and Quality Assurance learning courses in the member home section of the website, at AmericanWoolAssurance.org/members/.

RANCH GROUPS Ranch Groups are now available to help growers become AWA

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