The Eastern U.P. Lamb Producers held their annual
lamb pool on October 8 at the Chippewa County Fairgrounds.
This group of producers has approximately 30-40 members
and includes producers from the U.P. as well as Northern
Michigan.
This year 1356 sheep were delivered to the
fairgrounds with the help of Doug Brooks, Manager of United
Producers of Manchester. Numbers were up along with prices
compared to previous years.
MSBA Welcomes new Executive Director
The MSBA Board of Directors is pleased to announce that
Maury Kaercher of Kalamazoo has agreed to serve as new Executive
Director for the Michigan Sheep Breeders Association. Mr.
Kaercher recently retired after 28 years as Extension Agricultural
Agent in Kalamazoo County. Maury is well-known throughout
the state for his devotion and passion for the agricultural
community. He comes to us well-prepared to represent the
sheep industry and looks forward to serving producers involved
in all types of sheep production. If you are not already
acquainted with Maury, you will be able to pick him out
of the crowd because he is the tall, lanky guy.
Maury can be contacted by email at: kaercher@msu.edu or
269-569-9592
PROMOTIONAL SIGNS AVAILABLE
The MSBA Promotional Committee has a sign available for
purchase. This sign is 24 X 18 made of corrugated vinyl
with two grommets at the top, one on each side. It is double
sided so it can be viewed from both sides. Use this sign
at your Farm, at a Fair, Festival or Farmers Market. There
are four lines to list your Farm Name, Name, Address, Phone
Number, Website. The sign will be made with your name on
it specifically.
Should you have any questions please contact:
Neil Kentner at 517-676-3254
American Sheep
Industry Association Reveals the "Let's Grow with twoPlus
Campaign"
Video Contest and New Website Announced
Denver, Colo. – The U.S. sheep industry
is finding itself amidst an encouraging time: lamb prices
are at an all-time high, the wool market is the highest
it’s been since 1989 and the cull ewe and pelt markets
are very lucrative. However, from the farm gate through
to the lamb and wool processing level, there is a shared
concern about meeting the demand for lamb and wool production
in the United States.
Lamb processors, from the commercial market channel to the
rapidly growing nontraditional markets, are clamoring for
a greater supply of lamb. In 2011, two major announcements
to carry American lamb in our nation’s grocery stores
occurred: Kroger, one of the nation’s largest grocery
store chains, launched an American lamb branded campaign
and Super Walmart made a commitment to exclusively carry
American lamb in its stores. And the nontraditional market
channels, which include on-farm sales, farmers markets and
small processors serving ethnic communities, have grown
exponentially over the years. In fact, one-third of the
U.S. lamb crop has moved outside the traditional industry
infrastructure to feed this nontraditional lamb market.
As an industry, we must supply the traditional market channel
to keep American lamb in the nation’s largest grocery
store chains and restaurants all while meeting the emerging
demand for American lamb in the nontraditional markets.
This robust demand for product is also being experienced
in the wool market. The U.S. military, the largest domestic
consumer of U.S. wool, is excited for the opportunity to
clothe our troops in high-performance washable wool products.
The equipment that makes washable wool-top has been installed
in the United States and is being used for a variety of
domestically produced wool products that are already reaching
the military and commercial markets.
A strategy to strengthen the lamb and wool industry’s
infrastructure by increasing the number of sheep in production
is vital for the long-term sustainability of the industry.
This is why the American Sheep Industry Association (ASI)
is calling on sheep producers, both large and small, from
east to west, to help accomplish the goal of growing our
flock. ASI has come up with a formula to address these shortages
within just a few years, it’s called Let’s Grow
with twoPLUS. With three goals in mind, the primary objective
of this campaign is to encourage current producers to expand
their sheep numbers by 2014. This initiative will result
in 315,000 more lambs and 2 million more pounds of wool
for the industry to market.
The three goals are: encourage producers to increase the
size of their operation by two ewes per operation or by
two ewes per 100 by 2014; encourage sheep producers to increase
the average birthrate per ewe to two lambs per year; and
encourage producers to increase the harvested lamb crop
by 2 percent – from 108 percent to 110 percent.
ASI has developed a website (www.growourflock.org) and materials
to help spread the word of the initiative. The site includes
a video explaining the twoPLUS program, Let’s Grow
partners who are participating in the campaign, resources
for producers, an open forum for producers to communicate
with one another and a section for media promotion.
To garner excitement about the rollout of this campaign,
ASI and the American Lamb Board (ALB) are inviting producers
to join in the twoPLUS video competition. If you have a
story to share about growing your flock, we want to hear
it! Tell us how you are going to incorporate the twoPLUS
goals into your operation and showcase the production efficiencies
you are utilizing to increase your flock size. We also want
to hear your thoughts on how you can have an impact on the
size of the national sheep flock.
The winner of the video contest will be featured as a Let’s
Grow partner on the new website and win a Summer Grilling
Picnic Pack courtesy of ALB, which includes a cooler, blanket,
hat, t-shirt, metal sign, water bottle and apron. All entries
will receive a thank-you gift for your time and participation.
To enter, create a short original video (no longer than
five minutes) and upload it to Youtube.com. Then email the
link of your video and your contact information (name, address,
email and phone number) to amy@sheepusa.org. Entries will
be judged on creativity, appropriateness and effectiveness.
The submission deadline is June 30, 2011, and the grand-prize
winner will be announced on ASI’s and ALB’s
Facebook page by mid-July.
Additional Let’s Grow activities and resources will
be revealed throughout the year to continue the promotion
of the campaign and assist producers in meeting the goals
of increased production.
Benne’s receive National Recognition
at ASI Convention
True leaders and innovators of sheep management
practices that have ultimately built a true sustainable
operation, Max and Beverly Benne of Sturgis, Mich., were
the recipients of the Environmental Stewardship Award. Partners
in a southwest Michigan farm, the Bennes have 170 head of
sheep in addition to hogs, corn, soybeans, snap beans, wheat
and hay, and have put into place a wide range of environmental
practices that enhance the soil, water, air and wildlife
habitat that surrounds the farm operation. The Benne Farm
has completed a Comprehensive Nutrient Management Program
and is verified in the Michigan Agricultural Environmental
Assurance Program (MAEAP) in the livestock, farmstead and
cropping phases. Beyond MAEAP, Benne Farms is actively involved
in Farm Service Agency and National Resources Conservation
Services programs that have helped the operation utilize
conservation tillage methods, plant buffer strips and windbreaks
to minimize soil erosion, develop wildlife refuge, refine
irrigation systems for water use efficiency and implement
many other conservation practices. In addition, the farm
has been accepted into the federal Conservation Security
Program (CSP) which assists farmers in implementing proactive
conservation practices on working farmland. The CSP assistance
has helped Benne Farms with rotational grazing and improvements
to pasture and timberland.
Michigan Make It With Wool contestant
wins Jr. Nationals
Make It With Wool contestants from Michigan
did very well at Nationals this year. Erika Waalkes from
Grand Rapids took top honors in the Junior category and
will be the wool ambassador for 2011. This is the first
time in history that a Michigan contestant has won the National
contest. Representing Michigan at the senior level was Erin
Mirgon of Midland and she did very well earning a 5th place
ranking. State Director, Deanna Humphrey deserves much gratitude
for conducting the contest for Michigan young people.
2011
Shepherds Weekend a Great Success
Sheep Producers Honored
The Michigan Sheep Breeders Association
honored their outstanding producers of the year and the distinguished
Service to the Michigan Sheep Industry Award at the recent
Shepherd's Weekend held January 8th and 9th at the Lexington
Hotel in Lansing. Over 200 sheep producers attended the annual
banquet when the awards were presented.
Harvey Warrick of Adrian was this year's recipient for the
Service to the Michigan Sheep Industry Award. This award is
given in recognition of his many years of dedication and work
that he has devoted to improving the organization and his
involvement in sheep industry issues throughout the country.
Mr. Warrick has been on the Board of Directors for MSBA for
several terms and chaired the Legislative committee through
many of those years. He stays current on issues in the sheep
industry and is constantly working to improve his own flocks
of Lincoln and Suffolk sheep. Mr. Warrick is tireless in his
desire to move the sheep industry forward in this state.
Harvey Warrick
Purebred Producer of the Year is Neil Kentner of Mason. Mr.
Kentner, with his son, Justin, raise Wensleydale and Jacob
sheep with a focus on wool production and products. He has
been active with the organization and within the industry
for over 30 years, being an early pioneer in sheep A.I. and
introducing Wensleydale sheep to this country. He is a sheep
and poultry judge and involved is all facets of the industry.
Neil and Justin Kentner
Ron and Julie Dingerson, of Woodland, were
honored as the Club Lamb Producers for 2010. The Dingerson
family have been raising and selling quality club lambs since
their daughters were in 4-H over 30 years ago. Their reputation
for prize-winning lambs is represented in many county fairs
around the state. Ron has served on the Board of Directors
and has been a source of help for many new 4-H members and
sheep producers.
Larry and Sarah Hagadorn of Johannesburg became this year's
Commercial Producers of the Year. Shepherding a grass-based
flock of North Country Cheviots, the Hagadorns have developed
an exemplary grazing system and quality pastures that produce
grass-fed lambs entirely on pasture. They have dedicated themselves
to easy-care ewes and are producing excellent breeding stock
for other commercial flocks. The Hagadorns have hosted picnics
and educational forums on their farm and are always willing
to share their knowledge of sheep production.
Board
of Directors Election
The following individuals were elected
to the MSBA Board at the organization's annual meeting:
Brenda Reau, Pat Henne, Isaac Matchett,
Dale Thorne, Harvey Warrick
Free
MSBA Promotional DVD Available
The Michigan Farm Bureau has produced
a DVD for the MSBA to be used for interesting folks in
becoming sheep producers. It is free to anyone that would
like to use it to promote sheep production. Contact Pat
Tirrell for a copy. MSBA members should have a copy so
you can contact one of them to show it at appropriate
functions. You can use the directory on this website to
find members in your area.
Click here to view the video on line or view video
here:
How
to Contact Richard Ehrhardt, MSU Sheep Specialist
