Sheep Industry News September 2024

President’s Notes BRAD BONER ASI PRESIDENT

Closing Out a Busy Summer B y the time most of you read this, we will be in the throws of the ram sale season here in the Mountain West. September and early October find ram sales in Wyoming, Montana, South Dakota and Utah. I am excited to see more and more rams with estimated breeding values generated by the National Sheep Improvement Program being offered at these ram sales. In my opinion, this is an important step in improving our ge netics here in the United States. I hear California and Idaho state sales, as well as the NSIP Center of the Nation Sale in Spencer, lowa, all experienced strong prices for rams this summer. The ASI Executive Board had its summer budget meeting in Deadwood, S.D., in late July. The priority for this sum mer meeting is for the Executive Board to discuss, amend if necessary, and approve the Fiscal Year 2025 Wool Trust Budget that was presented to us by the Wool Council. I would like to thank all the members of the Wool Council, Co Chair Kate Harlan and the ASI staff for the work they put into this budget. In addition, the Fiscal Year 2025 Fund II budget proposed to the Executive Board by ASI staff was discussed and approved. Those two budgets for 2025 have been emailed to the full ASI Board of Directors for approval. It was also approved to keep the annual ASI dues for our state members, which are the same as they have been for some time now at 3.5 cents per stock sheep and $8 per member. On July 8-10, three Executive Board members attended the Solar Farm Summit in Chicago. I would like to thank the American Lamb Board for allowing ASI to share booth space at the Summit. According to a report from those who attended, a robust discussion surrounding agrivoltaics ensued. It was decided that I should name a working group to see what opportunities exist for ASI with the agrivoltaics industry. Members of the working group are Joe Pozzi, Lynn Fahrmeier, Ryan Indart, Larry Hopkins and myself. We will work to have a recommendation on how ASI should best proceed by convention time in January. I am excited to report that Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack has appointed ASI’s Erica Sanko to serve as a member of the Agriculture Trade Advisory Committee for meat and meat products. She will serve on the livestock committee that is one of seven such advisory committees to U. S. Trade Representative Ambassador Kathrine Tia. This is a slot that ASI has funded at industry expense since the early 1990s, beginning with Jim Butler, the former director of the National Wool Growers Association. This will benefit the American sheep industry by having a seat at the table, so we are better able to inform the government of our issues surrounding international trade. I remind all that a referendum will be held in early November in Denver to determine the fate of the second largest lamb processing plant in America. The time to join the effort is this month with your financial support. Learn more at StoptheBanProtectJobs.com. Until next time, keep it on the sunny side.

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