Sheep Industry News September 2022

Summit Takes Critical Look At American Lamb Industry

W hile it's important to promote the quality and value of American lamb to the consumer, it's also important to take a critical look at that same product on a regular basis in an effort to provide customers with the best possible eating experience. After all, second chances are hard to come by. The second Lamb Summit – presented by the American Lamb Board and Premier 1 Supplies in conjunction with Michigan State University and the Michigan Sheep Producers Association – was conducted on Aug. 8-9 in East Lansing, Mich., with the goal of doing just that. "In private, we must consistently ask

those that are train wrecks." In a session entitled A Global Perspective on Lamb Quality and Productivity , the three industry veterans discussed past trips to Australia and the emphasis the country's sheep producers place on eating quality. "They are so focused on eating quality," said Karissa Isaacs, who grew up on a sheep ranch in Colorado and worked on lamb flavor research in college and with ALB before joining Superior Farms. "They knew what we were working on and they wanted to buy our REIMS technology (which Texas Tech's Dale Woerner, Ph.D., has

been using for flavor research). They are go ing to push to be the leaders, so we have to be aggressive in our research." From a processor's perspective, Isaacs said the diversity of sheep produced in the United States hinders the use of technology. "We can't be fully automated when we're going from a 40 pound lamb to a 100 pound lamb," she explained. Of course, flavor quality can be just as much a result of poor cooking methods, as well. Which is why chef education (profes sionals and home cooks alike) continues to be a top priority for the American Lamb Board. And that was one of many reasons why Ohio's Nick Forrest was chosen as the win ner of the 2022 Lamb Quality Advocate award, which included a $25,000 cash prize from Premier 1. "There's no one in the past 20 years in the

how can we make it better?" said Premier 1 Founder Stan Potratz in his opening remarks at the summit, adding that the company has changed nearly everything about its popu lar fencing products since they were first introduced. "I'm critical about anything that I'm involved in," Potratz said in evaluating the second Lamb Summit. "I look at the last one and think it was amazingly successful, but we made some missteps. We had a lot of large producers from the West attend. I valued that, and I valued their input and comments. This one in the East, was intended to be for a different group. But the needs remain the same in that we need to keep focusing on getting better in terms of the product we produce and how it competes with offshore lamb in terms of the final eating experience." More than half of the lamb consumed in

Above: Premier 1 Founder Stan Potratz addresses the crowd during the opening session of the second Lamb Summit. Left: Travis Hoffman, Ph.D., evalu ates lamb carcasses during a first-day breakout session.

the United States is imported from Australia or New Zealand. And imports from the United Kingdom will begin arriving in the near future, which makes the quality of American lamb all the more important if it is to compete against cheaper imports. "One of the more chilling and telling memories of this summit was one where Karissa (Isaacs), David (Fisher) and Reid (Red den) discussed what our competitors are doing in Australia. Even though I’ve been there and seen it myself, to hear them tell it was very memorable," Potratz said. "I highly encourage the U.S. sheep industry and its leaders to talk more about the need to improve and to be bold enough to handle criticism. Some of the U.S. lamb is the best possible eating experience I’ve ever had, but there have also been some train wrecks. We must figure out how to avoid

United States who's been a bigger advocate for the lamb industry. He does lot of things," Potratz said. "You need to subscribe to his Facebook page and be his friend. If you do, every day you’re going to get something about the lamb industry coming through on that page. You'll OD on lamb pictures. Years ago we served on the lamb board together. He was president and I was there as chief trouble maker. I think he was an excellent president. We are grateful that he has such a passion for lamb." Forrest didn't know ahead of time that he would be receiving the award. "This is a shocker. I don't know what to say. I have to get a bigger billfold, I guess," Forrest said when he was presented

See LAMB SUMMIT on Page 22

September 2022 • Sheep Industry News • 21