Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the appointment of four members to serve on the 2017 American Lamb Board. Each appointee will serve 3-year terms.
The newly appointed board members are: James W. Percival, Xenia, Ohio, and Diane Josephy Peavey, Hailey, Idaho, representing producers; Dale Thorne, Hanover, Michigan, representing feeders; and Greg Ahart, Sacramento, California, representing first handlers.
The board is composed of six producers, three feeders, one seedstock producer, and three first handlers. The Secretary of Agriculture appoints approximately one-third of all board members each year.
Since 1966, Congress has authorized the establishment of 22 industry-funded research and promotion boards. They empower farmers and ranchers to leverage their own resources to develop new markets, strengthen existing markets, and conduct important research and promotion activities. USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service provides oversight, paid for by industry assessments, which ensures fiscal accountability and program integrity for participating stakeholders.
From: USDA
American Lamb Board
The lamb R&P program operates as the American Lamb Board. 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 pound. Importers are not assessed.
These assessments, totaling about $2.5 million annually, fund the American Lamb Board, which runs the industry’s research and promotion activities under AMS oversight. USDA-certified organizations nominate and the Secretary of Agriculture approves the13 Board members.
In 2002, AMS issued the Lamb Promotion, Research, and Information Order, which created the program under the authority of the Commodity Promotion, Research, and Information Act of 1996 (pdf).
Organizational Structure
The 13-member Board is comprised of representatives from two geographical regions: One is the area east of the Mississippi River, and the other is the area west of the Mississippi River. The Board is composed of:
- Six producer representatives: At least two must come from each region, and the other two will be appointed at the Secretary of Agriculture’s discretion
- Three feeder representatives (feeders appointed to the Board cannot all come from one geographic region)
- Three first handlers
- One seedstock producer
Of the six producers, two must own annually 100 or fewer head of lambs, one must own between 101 and 500 head of lambs, and three must own more than 500 head of lambs.
Of the three feeders, at least one must feed fewer than 5,000 head of lambs annually, and at least one must feed 5,000 or more head of lambs annually. The third feeder will be appointed at the Secretary’s discretion.
All Board members serve 3-year terms. No Board member will serve more than 2 consecutive 3-year terms.
View the list of Board members (pdf)
Visit the American Lamb Board’s Web Site >
Nominations & Membership
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS: If you are interested in becoming a member of the American Lamb Board, you:
- Must be a producer, feeder, seedstock producer, or first handler who markets or handles lamb or lamb products in the United States and pays the mandatory assessment.
- Must be nominated by a certified producer organization and submit a completed application.