Leading the industry: Boner elected as ASI Secretary/Treasurer

New Orleans, La. – At the conclusion of the 2019 American Sheep Industry Association (ASI) Annual Convention, a new slate of officers was selected, and among them, Wyoming’s Brad Boner of Glenrock was elected as Secretary/Treasurer of the board. 

“I strongly believe there’s more opportunity in the sheep industry right now than in the last 50 years, both for lamb and wool,” Boner says. “Hopefully my experience in the producer, feeder, packer and wholesaler sectors can help the sheep industry takes advantage of these opportunities and comeup with sustainable solutions that help every sector.” 

Boner was elected after a nominating committee selected him for the position. Nominations were also taken from the floor, and candidates were voted on by a Board of Directors. 

“The vote comes down to our Board of Directors, which includes one member from each state that pays ASI membership,” he explains. 

While the Secretary/Treasurer position is a two-year obligation, Boner says that traditionally, the commitment to service extends up to six years.
“Historically, the Secretary/Treasurer moves up to Vice President and President positions,” he describes. “With each position, officers stand for election, so there is the possibility of a challenge from the floor, but traditionally, the Secretary/Treasurer transitions to President for a total of six years of service.”

“ASI is a tremendous organization filled with tremendous people,” Boner comments. “It’s an honor to be able to give back to an industry that has given me so much.” 

Other officers

Benny Cox of San Angelo, Texas was elected President to succeed Mike Corn of New Mexico. 

Cox started his career in the livestock industry in the late 1960s with his employment at Producers Livestock Company. Today, he remains employed at Producers as the sheep and goat sales manager. 

His personal involvement in sheep – whether it be in production, feeding or trading – has lasted more than 35 years. 

Susan Shultz of DeGraff, Ohio was elected Vice President after serving as Secretary/Treasurer the past two years. With her husband Bill and son Joe, Shultz operates Bunker Hill Farm, a fourth-generation diversified family farm. 

They breed black-faced terminal sires primarily for the western range commercial industry and are committed to genetic improvement through the use of objective measurements and the National Sheep Improvement Program. She was co-chair of ASI’s Production, Education and Research Council, chair of the Roadmap Productivity Improvement Committee and chair of ASI’s Let’s Grow Committee.

Industry issues

As he begins his service, Boner says the sheep industry faces a number of issues and the ASI convention was filled with good ideas to address growing challenges. 

“As an industry, we’re working to be more positive in our messages,” he says. “We also continue to be more proactive instead of reactive, so we can begin to address issues before they happen.” 

In Wyoming and surrounding states, Boner explains one big issue is the conflict between Bighorn sheep and domestic sheep.

“The Bighorn sheep issue is huge, and it will continue to be huge. We’re still fighting against losing grazing allotments,” he says. “We also face lawsuits from Western Watersheds Project and other groups in this area.” 

The U.S. Sheep Experiment Station and funding for research is another area of concern for the industry. 

“On the positive side, our American Wool brand continues to grow,” Boner says. “We continue to see good demand for wool domestically and internationally.”

As ASI continues to attack issues from both political and production perspectives, he adds, “We will continue to promote our products, and our political activities will keep us busy, as well.”

Saige Albert, managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup, compiled this article from interviews with Boner and ASI press releases. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.