Welcome to Mountain State Lamb

Snake River at the Flying Saddle, Alpine, WY

Join us in Alpine, WY
July 15-17

The headquarters for this year’s annual meeting is the Flying Saddle Resort in beautiful Alpine, WY. Located just 30 minutes south of Jackson, the resort is nestled in Wyoming’s scenic Star Valley, on the banks of the Snake River. We have an informative and fun schedule planned and you will not want to miss this opportunity to relax and network with your fellow producers.

We kick off our meeting Wednesday evening, July 15, with a welcoming reception at 7 pm. This is always a great time to visit with other members and sample the great lamb appetizers we have lined up. The Flying Saddle will allow our group to start checking in at 12 pm that day, and if you wish, you can grab lunch in the restaurant.

Thursday, July 16, will feature a breakfast buffet from 7 -8 am followed by our Annual Business Meeting. This is your chance to get an update on the Co-op and your meat company. With the purchase of the remainder of MSR, this last year, we will have much to discuss. Dr. Dennis Stiffler, Mountain States Rosen CEO, will join us for an update on the progress our meat company is making. We plan to end the day with a Lamb Sirloin BBQ by the river.

Friday, July 17, will feature an educational session and Lamb Tour. There are around 100,000 sheep grazing in the mountains surrounding Alpine in the summer time. Many of these are Co-op lambs and we will give you a scenic tour of the area, view ewes and lambs grazing the mountainside, and learn about the advantages and challenges of grazing on forest allotments. We will wrap up our annual meeting with a lamb banquet dinner.

There are many opportunities for activities at the resort and in the area. The Flying Saddle features a new indoor pool, volleyball net, horseshoe pit, and tennis court. This is an excellent area for white water rafting, fishing, and Jackson is just 30 minutes north for more nightlife and shopping.

Enclosed is a registration form. Your $140 registration covers meeting expenses and three meals a day on Thursday and Friday. Please fax or mail your registration to the office by July 6. Guests are welcome for meals and the tour, but will also need to make registrations by July 6. Please call the office for rates if you are bringing guests or children.

The rooms are filling up so if you have not made your reservation do so today. We have rented the entire resort, but any unused rooms will be released after July 1. The reservation number is 877-772-4422 or 307-654-4422. The cost is $99 per night.

Nights are cool in Alpine and the country is incredibly beautiful. You will probably want to pack a jacket, camera, bug spray and comfortable shoes. Don’t forget the swimsuit or tennis racket if you want to take full advantage of the resort. We are looking forward to a great time together and hope to see you there!

Child Ranch Tops Grid at $8.17

Jon and Vickie Child, Cokeville, Wyoming marketed the top lambs in May. With 85% of the lambs being Yield Grade 2, they returned $8.17 on the marketing grid and another $4.31 per head in natural premium for a combined average premium per head of $12.48.

The average lamb marketed through Mountain States Lamb in May returned $4.11 in grid premiums and the average pelt brought $6.37.

We will be recognizing all our top producers from this last year at our annual meeting.

National Sheep Forum August 1

Spencer, Iowa will host a huge sheep sale and education forum on August 1. It is a unique event and last year buyers from 12 states attended. The focus of the seminars will be on feeding programs, the economy’s impact on the flocks and picking the ram with the right EPDs for each individual flock. Dennis DeWitt, livestock field specialist, with Iowa State University Extension, said “the seminars will explain how to use genetics to improve your sheep profitability. Then you have the opportunity to purchase rams and ewes based upon the genetic potential.” For more information on the National Sheep Improvement Program, log on to
www.nsip.org.

GET GRILLING

The American Lamb Board is promoting lamb this summer with their Get Grilling campaign. This is a great time to promote our product with family and friends. Here are three quick new recipes. For more grilling recipes go to www.americanlamb.com.

Mint Raspberry American
Lamb Chops:
Combine 1⁄3 cup of olive oil, 2
tablespoons raspberry vinegar, 1
tablespoon of chopped fresh mint
and 1 minced garlic clove. Place
four loin chops (1 inch thick) in
marinade and refrigerate for at
least one hour. Grill for 9-10 minutes
for sweet and tangy lamb
chops.

Soy Ginger American
Lamb Burgers:
Create Asian-inspired burgers
by combining ¼ cup lemon juice,
¼ cup soy sauce, ¼ cup honey, 1
teaspoon grated ginger and 1
minced garlic clove and add to 1
pound of ground American Lamb.
Form mixture into four ½ inch
thick patties and grill 5 minutes
for rare; 7 minutes for medium rare;
9 minutes for medium; and
11 minutes for medium-well.

Yogurt Curry American
Lamb Kebabs:
For kicked-up kebabs, mix ½
cup plain yogurt, 2 teaspoons
curry powder, 1 minced garlic
clove, and 1½ teaspoons lemon
pepper in a non-reactive bowl. Cut
1½ pounds of boneless leg into 1
inch cubes and place in yogurt
mixture. Cover and refrigerate for
2-3 hours. Remove lamb from
marinade and thread four cubes
(alternating with vegetables) on
eight pre-soaked wooden skewers.
Grill the kebabs approximately 4
minutes per side, or to desired
degree of doneness.