Chicken, Lamb, and Beer

Late last month, I attended the American Sheep Industry (ASI) annual conference in Scottsdale, Arizona. As president of the California Wool Growers Association, I represent California on the ASI board of directors. I'm also a member of the Production, Education, and Research Committee, as well as the Resource Management Council. As usual, I enjoyed getting to interact with sheep producers from all over the country. And, as usual, I found that the informal conversations we had in Scottsdale were far more productive - and interesting - than the actual meetings themselves.

On Friday afternoon, several of us "sneaked" out of the formal luncheon and walked a few blocks to another restaurant. My friends Ryan Mahoney, Jeff Clark, and John Kidwell (from Emigh Livestock in California) were joined by AJ Neilson from Colorado and Dr. Rosie Busch from UC Davis. Over burgers and beers (at least I had a beer), we discussed the future of the U.S. sheep industry.

Now my friends at Emigh Livestock - and AJ Neilson and Dr. Busch - are in a position to influence the future of our industry. Their work matters - partially due to the scale of their operations; mostly due to their intellect and foresight. Our own sheep operation is extremely small by comparison. And yet we all share a passion for sheep production - which became the focus of our lunchtime conversation.

One of the most significant challenges for sheep producers in the U.S. is the diversity of our production - and our lunch was a great example of this. Emigh Livestock produces lamb and wool at a large scale. They raise western whiteface sheep (mostly fine wool) and crossbred lambs. They market internationally. We raise coarse wool sheep, largely because of our wetter climate. We market closer to home.

Initially, our conversation centered on the challenges that this diversity entails. Unlike commercial chicken production, the lamb industry is not well integrated. The large-scale chicken companies (like Foster Farms and Tyson, for example) control all stages of production - from genetic selection to the marketing of the final product. Chicken, largely, tastes the same all over the U.S. Despite our efforts to integrate, sheep production is much more independent and diverse. The ewes that are productive in the drier climate of the Central Valley and Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, for example, don't work well in the wetter climate of the Sierra Foothills. Worldwide, there are more than 1000 distinct breeds of sheep. While not all of these breeds are raised commercially, there is significant diversity in commercial production, as well. In the United Kingdom, there are more of the crossbred ewes we raise here in Auburn (called "mules") than there are sheep in California. The wool that we produce is different from the wool that Emigh Livestock markets; so is the lamb.

Someone at the table posed the question, "Is there an industry where diversity is embraced - and economically successful?" Since most of us are Californians, the wine industry immediately came to mind. But as we talked further (and I suppose this might be due to the Arizona-brewed beer I had with lunch), we turned our attention to craft beer.

As a beer enthusiast, I think we live in the Golden Age of Beer. "Commodity" beer (Coors, Miller, and Budweiser) is widely available and very successful; but so are regional beers like Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Fat Tire Ale, and Lagunitas IPA. On an even more micro scale, breweries like Knee Deep, Crooked Lane, and Moonraker here in Auburn (and Grand Canyon Brewing, whose Sunset Amber Ale I enjoyed with lunch) are successfully turning hops, water, yeast, and malted grain into profits. Admittedly, I don't like every beer I've tasted, but somebody does! I know that not every brewer is successful, but many are - and their diversity is a strength!

As we talked, we became more convinced that we could learn something from the pioneers of the craft brewing business - people like Ken Grossman at Sierra Nevada Brewing. Brewers have embraced diversity; we in the business of producing lambs have struggled with it. And so an idea was born - what if we as sheep producers invited craft brewers to share their insights? What if we held a conference that was focused on pairing beer with lamb - with the ulterior motive of learning how craft brewers succeed?

Last week, I shared this idea with some fellow sheep producers back here at home - that's the reason we go to conferences after all, right?! After I contrasted the chicken business with lamb production - and suggested that we organize a workshop with craft brewers - my friend Rob Thompson said, "Well that sounds like a whole lot more fun than a chicken meeting!" And while fun doesn't necessarily pay the bills, I think Rob is right. We're in the sheep business, in part, because of the diversity and independence it affords us. And it does sound like fun!