Welcome to Mountain State Lamb

Oxarango Photo

Michael Jorajuria, nephew of Tini Auza, grills up a huge batch of lamb chops at the Auza home during the annual meeting. MSLC Board members, Frank Moore and Jay Hasbrouck check the progress.

Optimism in Flagstaff

Mountain States Lamb Cooperative members celebrated a strong lamb market and a successful year for their meat company at their July annual meeting in Flagstaff, AZ.

The event kicked off with an outdoor welcoming reception sponsored by JBS. During the business meeting on Thursday, producers reviewed the 2009 performance of the Co-op and Mountain States Rosen.

Becky Gitthens, CPA, MSLC Director of Finance and Operations presented the audited consolidated financials for Mountain States Lamb Cooperative. As a consolidated entity, the Co-op and MSR turned in a solid financial return for the members and the Co-op announced a patronage dividend of $2.00 per share on the 2009 delivery. The cash portion of the dividend is .40 and checks will go out to members in the next few weeks.

Mountain States Rosen’s, CEO, Dr. Dennis Stiffler, updated the shareholders on the market development and impressive performance of the MSR team through the last twelve months. Stiffler discussed the opportunities for the growth of both lamb and veal, and the marketing initiatives MSR is implementing.

Frank Moore, MSLC Board Chairman, reminded members of the vision that led to the formation of Mountain States Lamb Cooperative and the incredible progress that has been made over the last eight years through members consistently providing their meat company with some of the best quality lamb in the country. He reiterated the importance of every member filling their shares and honoring their commitment to the Co-op. Moore encouraged members to keep in mind that they are owners of the country’s premier domestic lamb company and the success of that company continues to depend on members providing it with a quality product.

Guest speakers also addressed the membership. Kevin Quam, JBS Lamb, talked about operations at the lamb plant. Mike Wheeler, Nugget International, gave an update and outlook on the pelt market. Jay Joy, Relationship Manager at CoBank, discussed CoBank’s performance and gave an informative presentation on improving the relationship with your banker.

Thursday evening, the membership enjoyed a social hour sponsored by Nugget, followed by a wonderful Lamb BBQ, with all the trimmings, at the home of Tine and Shirley Auza. The Auza’s generous hospitality made the whole evening a very special event.

On Friday, the group loaded a tour bus and spent the day touring the Grand Canyon. Tine Auza stepped into the role of tour guide and enhanced the bus ride by pointing out places of interest and telling stories about the area and the sheep industry in Arizona. The annual meeting was wrapped up with a banquet dinner featuring succulent Osso Bucco (lamb shanks).

A BIG THANK YOU TO THE FOLLOWING SPONSORS FOR MAKING OUR ANNUAL MEETING A SUCCESS:

DOUBLE J FEEDERS

HOUGHTON HAMPSHIRES

MARTIN AND SHIRLEY AUZA

MOUNTAIN STATES ROSEN

NUGGET INTERNATIONAL

POWELL LAMB POOL

JBS LAMB

Helle Livestock markets top lambs in both June and July

Helle Livestock, Dillon, Montana, topped the market grid in June and July. In June, Helle marketed a load of natural lambs, which were 83% yield grade 2’s. They earned an average of $5.15 per head on the marketing grid and another $4.29 per head in natural premiums bringing the total average premium per head to $9.44.

During July, Helle Livestock earned an average of $5.77 per head on a load of commodity lambs which graded 96% Y2’s. Double J, Ault, Co. fed both loads. The average pelt returned $9.33 in June and $10.68 during July.

Mastitis Survey Participation Requested

The greatest cause for death in the first two weeks of a lambs' life is STARVATION!

Mastitis, an infection or inflammation of the mammary gland in the ewe, is a major cause of this undesirable result. There are a variety of causes of mastitis, e.g. staph, strep, mycoplasma, ovine progressive pneumonia or trauma.

Most lambs from mothers with mastitis weaken and die from starvation or become "milk thieves" in a passionate effort to survive. The little robbers then become the world's best transmitter of mastitis organisms to any of the ewes from whom they rob milk. The ewe may survive the effects of mastitis but will likely be culled prior to the next breeding season due to a bad bag.

How many lambs starve to death due to lack of milk production from either acute bacterial mastitis or hard bag? Whether it is the loss of the ewe or the lamb(s) or costly treatments, it translates into a loss in profits. Is your flock affected by this malady? To what extent? Producers are being asked to participate in a survey being conducted by Optimal Ag and Optimal Livestock Services to determine the magnitude of the economic loss to the sheep industry attributed to mastitis. The data collected will support requests for funding to conduct further research on diminishing the negative impact of mastitis on the sheep industry and develop educational materials to disseminate important information relevant to producers.

To participate in this survey, go to https://optimalag.justsurvey.me/536823607265. The link is also posted to the American Sheep Industry Association home page at www.sheepusa.org.

9th Annual Meeting
Greeley, Colorado
July 20-22, 2011