By Jennifer Whitlock
Field Editor
One Texan is among the four new members set to serve on the American Lamb Board (ALB).The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced David Fisher of Sonora was appointed to serve beginning January 2022.
The ALB directs research, information and promotional programs for American lamb. The program’s goal is to develop and expand the markets for sheep and sheep products. Under the program, producers, seedstock producers and feeders pay an assessment of $.007 per pound, and first handlers pay $0.42 per head.
Fisher is a Tom Green County Farm Bureau member and fifth-generation rancher on the western edge of the Texas Hill Country. He raises about 1,400 mostly finewool ewes and 1,000 Boer-Spanish cross meat goats, as well as a 275-head commercial Angus cattle herd.
“I’m passionate about the sheep business,” he said. “We’re the largest sheep producing state in the country, and we have a really diverse and dynamic market here.”
Sheep is a premium commodity because of its diversity, according to Fisher.
In addition to the traditional wool and meat sectors, there’s fast-growing demand in what the industry calls the ethnic market, which utilizes younger, light-weight lambs.
And many consumers are drawn to lamb for the first time as they seek different protein options to fit lifestyle choices or diets.
“The demand is there. New consumers are picking it up all the time because they want to try new, exciting things. So, I think there’s huge growth potential,” he said.
Fisher has been active in the Texas Sheep and Goat Raisers Association (TSGRA) and American Sheep Industry Association (ASI) for many years. Currently, he serves as district director for TSGRA and an ASI Wool Council committee member. Fisher is also a board member for Producers Marketing Cooperative, Inc., a producer-owned sheep and goat co-op marketer.
The other newly appointed ALB members include Jimmy Parker of Alabama, Stephen Schreier of Minnesota and Andrew Allman of Colorado. Each new board member will serve three-year terms from January 2022 to January 2025.
ALB has 13 directors—six producers, one seedstock producer, three feeders and three first-handlers. Two producers appointed to the board must own 100 or less lambs annually; one producer must own 101 to 500 lambs annually; and three producers must own more than 500 lambs annually. At least one feeder must feed less than 5,000 lambs annually and at least one must feed more than 5,000 lambs annually.
The 13-member board is nominated by certified industry organizations, appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, funded through the national American Lamb Checkoff and overseen by USDA.
Additional information on ALB can be found at AMS’s Lamb Board webpage or the ALB Resource Center.