Sheep Industry News February 2023

The Last Word KYLE PARTAIN Sheep Industry News Editor

ASI Needs Volunteers

I f you might be interested in serving on one of ASI's councils or committees, now is the time to reach out to your state executive to express that interest. The ASI Executive Board will meet in the next month or so to make council and committee assignments for 2023, and you don't want to be left out. Serving as a member of these groups is a great way to get more involved with the association on the national level. While it doesn't require the time commitment of serving on the Executive Board, it will allow you the opportunity to see how ASI operates through out the year. Most councils and committees have a handful of Zoom meetings or conference calls throughout the year to address issues that might arise in their specific areas. Each council and committee also meets in person during the ASI Annual Convention.

ASI HAS FIVE COUNCILS:

• Wool Council • Lamb Council • Legislative Action Council

• Resource Management Council (with two committees) * Public Lands Committee * Predator Management Committee

• Production, Education & Research Council (with two committees) * Animal Health Committee * Genetic Stakeholders Committee

In addition, ASI offers a Young Entrepreneurs group for sheep producers under the age of 40. ASI accepts nominations for council/ committee positions from each of its state affiliates. Interested producers should check with their state executive and express interest no later than the end of February. Councils and committees are a great place for producers who are interested in serving on the ASI Executive Board – or even as an ASI officer – in the future to get started in volunteering with the association. Involvement with ASI's councils and committees will provide you with the perfect opportunity to network with producers from all across the country. And the variety of topics covered by councils and committees means there's something for everyone. Are you interested in wool and its many uses? Then the Wool Council might be the place for you. Raising hair sheep strictly for meat? Then consider applying for a spot on the Lamb Council. Members of the ASI Executive Board generally serve as chairs or co-chairs of each council, and are often assigned to councils that cater to their specific interests or talents. For instance, John Noh's dad served in the Idaho State Senate for more than two decades and politics have always been an interest of his. So he serves as co-chair of the Legislative Action Council with Tammy Fisher of Texas, who worked in Washington, D.C., for several years before returning to the family ranch. In recent years, the Executive Board has generally met in Washington, D.C., before the annual ASI Spring Trip to determine coun cil and committee assignments for the coming year. I believe that will be the plan again this year, but that's subject to change as a new officer team was elected last month at the ASI Annual Convention in Fort Worth, Texas. Speaking of Fort Worth, with the American sheep industry's largest yearly gathering fresh in your mind, I'd like to point out that things will be a bit different in 2024 when Denver once again plays host to the convention. The Mile High City was originally sched uled to host the 2021 convention, which was shifted to a virtual format due to the pandemic. ASI's contract with the Denver hotel was then rolled into 2024 – the next available year. But the hotel already had a conflict with our usual mid- to late-January dates, so next year's ASI Annual Convention will begin on Jan. 10. That might not sound like a big difference from the past two years, but it will make a huge difference for the ASI staff. We're used to the time between Halloween and New Year's Day being one of the busiest times of the year. But planning for the convention re quires a huge amount of coordination with the host hotel, bus companies, tour hosts, etc., and it's not unusual for their staffs to take significant time off during the holiday season. With that in mind, registration deadlines will be earlier than ever. Those deadlines haven't been set yet, but I want to encourage you to start thinking now about the year ahead and your plans for attending in Denver.

30 • Sheep Industry News • sheepusa.org

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