By Jennifer Dorsett
Field Editor
The American Lamb Board (ALB) continues to implement a long-term plan to increase awareness of and demand for American-raised lamb.
As part of those efforts, ALB updated its resource center website. The organization’s site, LambResourceCenter.com, pulls together resources from ALB, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and more.
The updated online presence will better serve sheep raisers, feeders, direct marketers, educators and processors, ALB Vice Chairman and longtime sheep raiser David Quam said.
“We just relaunched the website the first week of June, and we’re really proud of how it turned out,” Quam said. “It’s an industry-focused site to connect processors, producers and other people who are or want to be in the lamb industry. The site has a totally new design with updated content and simplified navigation that makes it more useful.”
Features include a pricing calculator called the Direct Marketing Lamb Business Management Tool, a publications archive, industry news and market reports.
The Lamb Board section explains what the what the checkoff program does, how it works and how to pay, while the promotional tools area features a variety of paid and free items that can be ordered for events.
There is also a members-only login area for American lamb industry users to order additional promotional materials and access other resources.
In addition to the industry-focused website, ALB has a website for consumers.
The site, AmericanLamb.com, offers resources for consumers on the different cuts of meat and cooking techniques for each, recipes and a section that introduces consumers to the industry’s story from pasture to plate.
“People want to know, now more than ever, where their food comes from—is it safe, is it good for them, how it’s raised, that sort of thing,” he said. “Folks are staying at home and cooking more, and they go online to find answers to these types of questions, so it’s a good time to have updated information out there.”
Having the answers readily available and offering transparency in sheep-raising practices makes consumers more likely to buy and trust American lamb, he said.
And like so many other agricultural commodities, the lamb market has not escaped the effects of COVID-19.
Although retail purchases remain fairly steady, Quam noted some grocery stores are reducing lamb offerings and replacing the shelf space with cheaper proteins because of the economic downturn.
“The market has definitely gone down, and it’s been a real struggle for sheep raisers,” he said. “Retail business hasn’t been so bad but losing the foodservice sector has really hurt us. American lamb is well-thought of at the restaurants, but we can’t sell it to them if they’re not open.”
ALB has seen much success in previous years hosting its annual Lamb Jam event. Through the ticketed dinner series, chefs from popular area restaurants showcase the versatility and tastiness of American lamb.
“Lamb Jam has been very successful in getting out lamb to audiences in urban areas,” Quam said. “We’ve actually been able to track data showing an increase in lamb purchases in those areas where there’s been a Lamb Jam event, so we know it’s working, but of course we had to put those on hold this year because of the pandemic.”
Instead, ALB is trying another approach this summer by working with H-E-B’s team of registered dietitians.
Books and educational materials were sent to the dietitians detailing lamb’s nutritional benefits. Quam explained ALB will work with consumers at the retail level to promote American lamb. Data will be returned to ALB regarding consumer attitudes and shopping trends in response to the promotion.
“They’ll be hosting cooking demonstrations at stores, and H-E-B will have coupons on lamb products throughout July and August, which are the peak of the American grilling season,” he said. “We’re very excited to see how this works, because it’s an opportunity to reach families across the state of Texas and really highlight how healthy and delicious American lamb is.”
ALB is currently hosting the American Lamb Challenge through June 30, which encourages consumers to submit a meal idea and video of them cooking the recipe to win prizes. For each person who completes the challenge, ALB is donating to the hunger-relief organization Feeding America.
For more information on the industry website, visit LambResourceCenter.com. For more consumer information, visit AmericanLamb.com.