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Sheep Numbers Increase for First
Time Since 1990
The American Sheep Industry Association
has roots dating back to 1865. That’s the
year the National Wool Growers
Association, the United States’ oldest
national livestock organization, came into
existence. In 1989, it merged into today’s
national organization, the American Sheep
Industry Association (ASI).
ASI is a federation of 42 state associations
representing the interests of more than
67,000 sheep producers nationwide who, as
of July 2004, were raising approximately 7.7
million sheep. With an over-riding goal to
promote the well-being and profitability of
the U.S. sheep industry, ASI works to
represent all producers -- from East to West,
farm flocks to range operations as well as the
nation’s lamb feeders. The heart and soul of
ASI are the thousands of farm and ranch
families across America who are active in the
sheep business.
Earlier this year, the industry accomplished
a monumental milestone and a primary ASI initiative when the National Agricultural
Statistics Service (NASS) confirmed an
increase in the U.S. sheep inventory. NASS’s
announcement of a 10 percent increase in
breeding ewes as of Jan. 1, 2005, marked the
first growth in the industry since 1990.
“This report of growth in sheep numbers
was great news for the entire industry and
hit a priority goal of ASI to strengthen our
industry,” states Peter Orwick, ASI executive
director. “Due to serious market conditions,
ASI filed an industry adjustment plan in
1999 and took an extremely aggressive
course-of-action to assist all segments of the
industry in improving competitiveness. A
temporary trade restriction on imports and
the launch of a dozen new programs, from
price support to marketing and animal
health, occurred in the subsequent five
years. These programs, combined with
strong live-lamb prices since 2002 and the
lessening of drought conditions, restored
optimism for producers to increase their
flock size. More sheep strengthens all sectors of the industry and indeed
improves our
competitiveness.”
Confirmation of better times for the wool
sector was also evident over the last 12
months with wool prices improving another
6 percent.
“We are proud that our wool marketing
programs launched with new funding in
2001 have helped drive competitive pricing
for U.S. wool. We helped strengthen the
customer base in the United States and
expanded internationally, with our wool
now being exported to a dozen countries
around the world, consuming nearly two-
thirds of our production,” continues
Orwick.
Just as the spectrum of the U.S. sheep
industry is wide and varied, so are the
interests of ASI. For this reason, the
association has five councils, comprised of
industry leaders, in place to define, develop
and execute policy on the tough and ever-changing issues affecting the industry.
These
five councils are: wool, lamb, research and
education, resource management, and
legislative action.
Wool. The largest division of ASI, the
American Wool Council (AWC), works to
improve the American wool industry and to
promote the usage of American wool – both
in domestic and international markets. The
AWC assists U.S. wool handlers, warehouses
and mills in generating strong competition
for U.S. wool, leading to the export of about
60 percent of the annual wool clip and
procuring the U.S. military as the No. 1
domestic customer for American wool. In
six years of programming and cooperation
with wool marketers and mills, the AWC
has consistently closed the gap between U.S.
and Australian wool prices. In 2004, the
price gap between the wools of these two
countries narrowed to its closest in 50 years.
The AWC also continues to develop new
products, such as washable wool and a
wool/Nomax blend, that are geared toward
the military and domestic markets.
Lamb. The American Lamb Council has
long promoted American lamb through
retail and foodservice promotions, as well as
outreach to culinary professionals and food
editors. In 2000 and 2001, the Lamb
Council implemented a new approach to
lamb promotion and merchandising
utilizing $5 million in grant funds.
Following this new program, which developed a new consumer identity for
American lamb, the council assisted ASI in
establishing The American Lamb Board, a
checkoff-funded organization with
producers, feeders and packers paying for
promotion and research efforts. The
American Lamb Board is completely
separate from ASI, and with the new
industry funds, was able to take over
promotion, marketing and research
responsibilities for American lamb in late
2002.
Research and Education.
A profitable
livestock industry relies on maintaining and
improving the health and productivity of its
animals. ASI’s efforts in this arena include
working with the U.S. government and
industry groups on disease prevention and
control, production research and education,
market information and analysis, and
product safety and quality. In 2001, ASI
secured the implementation of the National
Accelerated Scrapie Eradication Program,
the most aggressive scrapie eradication
program in the world, designed to eradicate
a disease that seriously impedes the U.S.
sheep industry’s global competitiveness.
Continued development and improvement
on the Sheep Safety & Quality Assurance
(SSQA) Program, as well as working with
the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation on
the creation of a livestock risk protection
program for sheep are designed to assure the
industry’s long-term viability.
Resource Management.
Land, water,
predator and other environmental issues are
extremely important to U.S. sheep
producers. ASI works with other industry
organizations, state and federal agencies and
state sheep producer organizations to assist
sheep producers in the management of
grazing, predator control, land-use and
wildlife.
Legislative Action.
In Washington, D.C.,
ASI is the recognized voice for sheep
producers. ASI champions sheep producers’
causes in the nation’s Capitol to ensure that
key programs are funded and that key pieces
of legislation are passed to ensure the
continued health and profitability of the
U.S. sheep industry. State leaders, working
with ASI, negotiated the implementation of
the $85 million Lamb Meat Adjustment
Assistance Program (LMAAP), which was
designed to help stabilize the lamb market
and assist producers in competing with
foreign competitors in the marketplace. ASI
has been a forerunner in successfully
fighting for the Wildlife Services Agency’s
programs at local, state and federal levels.
Additionally, the industry was successful at
including a marketing loan program for
wool and unshorn pelts in the 2002 Farm
Bill, as well as securing disaster assistance
during the recent severe drought conditions
across much of the sheep producing regions
of the United States.
A major strength of the sheep industry is its
unity. When it comes to setting a successful
and profitable course for the industry, ASI
believes there is no one better equipped for
this task than the American sheep producer.
Through the insight of its producer-
powered leaders, the industry looks forward
to a viable and profitable future.
Contact Information:
www.sheepusa.org.
American Sheep Industry Association
Director of Industry Information
9785 Maroon Circle, Suite 360
Englewood, CO80112
303-771-3500, ext. 35
303-771-8200 -- Fax |
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