With 85.1 percent of the nation’s sheep industry voting in favor of the lamb checkoff program, the American Lamb Board is encouraged to receive the go-head for continuation of their promotion efforts of one of the finest proteins available to consumers, said ALB Chairman A.H. "Chico" Denis III.
Producer members of the U.S. sheep industry voted at U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency offices during February 2009 to continue the deduction on sheep sales to support the marketing of American lamb in the second referendum since the inception of the program in 2002.
"This is the second referendum since the inception of the program and both have recorded overwhelming approval for an industry-funded lamb promotion," said Peter Orwick, Englewood, Colo.-based American Sheep Industry Association executive director. "Sheep producer volunteers encouraged a yes vote in the referendum to keep this valuable tool alive in the fight for a piece of the meat market in the United States.
"This promotion effort is designed for American lamb only and is the key to providing additional visibility for domestically grown lamb in the meat cases of the nation’s retailers as well as in the restaurant trade," Orwick added.
The lamb referendum - known as the Lamb Promotion, Research and Information Order - requires the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture to conduct a referendum no later than seven years after assessments first begin, and that date was July 1, 2002.
Volume voting requires producers and seedstock producers to confirm the total number of domestic lambs owned and produced during 2008. Likewise, feeders vote the total number of lambs owned and fed during the same period, and first handlers state the total number of lambs slaughtered.
The USDA monitors activities of the American Lamb Board, comprised of six producers, three feeders, one seedstock producer and three first handlers. Denis, a lamb feeder in Vancourt, 20 miles east of San Angelo, was elected chairman in 2008.
"Before 2002, lamb production in the United State was declining, and imported lamb made strong inroads in the U.S. market as the domestic share of total lamb consumption fell," Denis said.
In 2002, the U.S. produced about 207.5 million pounds of lamb/mutton. Approximately 80 percent of U.S. sheep are raised for lamb production, Denis said. The majority of American sheep are grain fed, which leads to a milder flavor. The average dressed weight of an American lamb is 65 pounds.
ASI President Glen Fisher of Sonora said the lamb program is the only livestock checkoff program that has producers, feeders and meat packers all contributing funds to the promotion effort. He relays that the vote had to be approved on both the individual votes as well as the volume of sheep represented. In the volume vote, a record setting 93 percent supported the referendum.
"The promotion board and its programs deliver benefits to the lamb market, and it has also been extremely successful in avoiding conflict among industry segments, so much so that the principal concern around the referendum was motivating folks to vote when there was little to no controversy over the issue," Fisher said.
According to a 2008 study conducted by Texas A&M University, the lamb checkoff is working to effectively increase lamb consumption and sales nationwide. ALB’s lamb promotion programs have generated roughly eight additional pounds of total lamb consumption per dollar spent on advertising and promotion.
"As the program grows, we find more effective ways to promote American lamb and to deliver our messages of freshness, flavor and versatility directly to the consumer," said Margaret Magruder, past Chair and one of the original board members. "We thank the producers, the feeders, seedstock producers and the first-handlers for their continued support of the American Lamb Board, and we look forward to working with all of you to elevate American lamb as the top choice for the U.S. consumer."
In San Angelo, fresh lamb is available at Angelo State University Meat Market, 7945 Grape Creek Road, and daily at H-E-B Food Store, 3301 Sherwood Way.
