ALB releases report and new strategic plan

The American Lamb Board (ALB) released its Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 report and a new strategic plan on Jan. 19.

The report’s intent is to inform Mandatory Lamb Checkoff stakeholders of its work to mitigate the effects of outside forces and take advantage of opportunities.

About ALB

ALB is an industry-funded national research, promotion and information checkoff program working on behalf of all American commercial seedstock producers, feeders, direct marketers and processors to build awareness and demand for American lamb.

Funding comes through mandatory assessments paid by all industry segments. The board is appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture and represents all industry sectors, geographic regions and sizes of production.

In addition, ALB is overseen by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and supported by staff in Denver.

ALB’s budget averages $2.5 million with two-thirds of the budget devoted to American lamb promotion. By law, the boards expenditures for administration are limited to 10 percent less of projected revenues.

Please see ALB on page A11

If you haven’t noticed, Wyoming’s Senators are in the news often and in a positive way. I thought it would be interesting to see what committees they are members of.

Our senior Sen. John Barrasso has been busy as usual. He is still the number three ranked Republican in the Senate and the ranking member of the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, in addition to being on both the Committee on Finance and the Committee on Foreign Relations.

Within these committees, he is on the Subcommittee on Energy; the Subcommittee on National Parks; the chairman of the Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests and Mining; the Subcommittee on Water and Power; the Subcommittee on Energy, Natural Resources and Infrastructure; the Subcommittee on Health Care; the Subcommittee on International Trade, Customs and Global Competitiveness; the Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health Policy; the Subcommittee on Europe and Regional Security Cooperation; the Subcommittee on Multilateral International Development, Multilateral Institutions International Economic, Energy and Environmental Policy and the Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Transnational Crime, Civilian Security, Democracy, Human Rights and Global Women’s Issues.

Barrasso is sponsoring legislation to prevent the Biden administration from cancelation of student loans. He is also involved in a bill to protect private water rights.

Barrasso and other senators are sponsoring a bill, the Strategic Production Response Act, to prohibit the Secretary of Energy from tapping the Strategic Petroleum Reserve for reasons other than a severe energy supply interruption until the Secretary of Interior issues a plan to increase oil and gas production on federal lands and waters. I imagine Biden will veto this action, but one has to try. Barrasso is a busy man.

Sen. Cynthia Lummis is busy with her work on the Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs; the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation and the Committee on Environment and Public Works.

Within these she is on the Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Protection; the Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation and Community Development; the Subcommittee on Securities, Insurance and Investment; the Subcommittee on Communications, Media and Broadband; the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Space and Science; the Subcommittee on Surface Transportation, Maritime, Freight and Ports; the Subcommittee on Tourism, Trade and Export Promotion; the Subcommittee on Clean Air, Climate and Nuclear Safety; the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife and Water and the Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

She is now the chairman of the Senate Western Caucus. This caucus was founded by Barrasso in 2009.

Lummis is a cosponsor on a bill to expand affordable housing access for low-income families, a bill to protect the U.S. agriculture industry against foreign influence, legislation to prevent the student loan forgiveness, a bill to prohibit the approval of new abortion drugs and a bill to protect social security benefits and military pay in the event the debt limit is reached.

We are proud to call Barrasso and Lummis Wyoming senators. We respect their knowledge and appreciate their hard work.

I haven’t mentioned Rep. Harriet Hageman, as she has only been on the job for a month. She has been appointed to the House Judiciary Committee and Committee on Natural Resources, along with some subcommittees.

With her ag and natural resource background, we know she will make us proud. She has our support, and we wish her the best.