Sheep Industry News February 2024

ALB Announces Grazing Workshops

R apid development of utility scale solar farms across the country has stimulated significant need for sheep grazing as a means of vegetation manage ment. There are also increasing opportunities for sheep grazing contracts in wildfire-prone areas and vineyards. Sheep grazing helps to eliminate dried plants that might otherwise become wildfire fuel and grazing in vine yards and other areas helps clear weeds while reducing or eliminating herbicide use. These paid grazing contracts present tremendous opportunity for growth of the American sheep flock, improving the availability and price competitiveness of American lamb, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions through green energy produc tion and biological vegetation management. These grazing opportunities offer current and emerging sheep producers the opportunity to increase their profitability and grow flock numbers. Training is needed to ensure sheep producers are prepared to take advantage of these grazing contract opportunities. “Improving the sustainability of the U.S. sheep industry through profitable growth is a top priority of the American Lamb Board,” said former ALB Chair Peter Camino. “ALB

is committed to ensuring new and expe rienced shepherds receive education and resources to become successful contract grazers.” ALB’s grazing workshops are designed to outline new and existing opportunities through targeted grazing across the United States, including fire suppression, vineyards and solar grazing. Producers who attend will have an op portunity to learn about the in-depth process of using sheep to provide a grazing service. From animal performance to contracts and

business setup, the goal is to provide grazers with the tools to be successful service provid ers and profitable shepherds. The three grazing workshops in 2024 will be in:

• Temple, Texas, May 8-10. • Roxboro, N.C., May 20-22. • California, Summer.

Attendance is limited to 50 producers per workshop and the registration fee is $200. For more information and to register, contact Camren Maierle at Camren@americanlamb. com.

USDA Announces 2024 Wool MAL Rates

T he U.S. Department of Agriculture Commodity Credit Corpo ration announced in late December the Marketing Assistance Loan rates for 2024 crop graded wool by micron class. Loan rates for ungraded wool are unchanged and remained the same from the prior crop year. Marketing Assistance Loans and Loan Deficiency Payments – which are marketing tools available to producers upon harvest or shearing – are available for graded wool, ungraded wool and mohair. Unshorn pelts are eligible for LDP only. The unshorn pelt LDP rate is based on the ungraded wool LDP rate multiplied by the average weight of an unshorn pelt (6.865 pounds). Here are the rates (per pound, clean basis) for graded wool:

• 20.6 to 22 microns: $3.43. • 22.1 to 23.5 microns: $3.18. • 23.6 to 25.9 microns: $2.27. • 26 to 28.9 microns: $1.04. • 29 microns and higher: $0.76. The loan rate for ungraded wool remains $0.40 per pound on a greasy basis. Marketing Assistance Loans provide producers interim financing at harvest time to meet cash flow needs without having to sell their com modities when market prices are typically at harvest-time lows. Loan Deficiency Payments are payments made to producers who, although eligible to obtain a CCC loan, agree to forgo the loan in return for a pay ment on the eligible commodity. Visit SheepUSA.org/resources-woolldp for weekly LDP rates and for more information on the programs.

• Less than 18.6 microns: $4.43. • 18.6 to 19.5 microns: $3.93. • 19.6 to 20.5 microns: $3.64.

34 • Sheep Industry News • sheepusa.org