Sheep Industry News September 2022

President’s Notes SUSAN SHULTZ ASI PRESIDENT

BringingVolunteer Leaders Together

T his year, we planned our ASI Executive Board summer meeting to be held in conjunction with the American Lamb Board meeting in Denver in late July. It was a great opportunity to network with all the volunteer leaders that serve on these two boards and discuss future col laborative opportunities to move our industry forward. Despite the constant threat of fires and ongoing drought in several regions, the conversations were positive. ALB continues to move forward with an industry-wide sustainability task force that includes representatives from ASI. The ASI Executive Board spent time working through the business of the association, which included: evaluating finances and recommending budgets for Fiscal Year 2023; discussing committee and council initiatives; and continuing to work on

improving communications between the organization, our producers and our consumers. Speaking of communicating with our consumers and the general public, the consensus from both boards is that the sheep industry has a very positive sustainability story that needs to be shared with consumers. Sustainability can be defined in many ways. One definition for sustainable agricul ture is that it is economically viable, socially supportive and environmentally sound. The sheep industry is situated in a good position in the full spectrum of animal agriculture to share its diverse set of posi tive stories, which detail our sustainability. We hope to con tinue to work with ALB to share this positive message. My best.

Members of the ASI Executive Board include: Back row from left: Steve Clements of South Dakota (Region 4), John Noh of Idaho (Region 7), Bronson Corn of New Mexico (Region 6), Anne Crider of Illinois (Region 3), Lisa Weeks of Virginia (Region 2), Laurie Hubbard of Pennsylvania (Region 1), Bob Harlan of Wyoming (NLFA). Front row from left: Sarah Smith of Washington (Region 8), ASI Secretary/Treasurer Ben Lehfeldt of Montana, ASI Vice President Brad Boner of Wyoming, ASI President Susan Shultz of Ohio, ASI Past President Benny Cox of Texas, and Tammy Fisher of Texas (Region 5).

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