Sheep Industry News July 2025

The Last Word KYLE PARTAIN SHEEP INDUSTRY NEWS

Time to Say Goodbye I t’s only fitting that the first ASI Annual Convention I attended took place in Scottsdale, Ariz., in 2016. I worked what will most likely be my last ASI Annual Convention earlier this year at the wonderful Scottsdale Plaza Resort. At the time, it felt like my journey in this industry had come full circle. Joining ASI on May 27, 2015, I never could have imagined spending 10 years here. That’s longer than I’ve worked anywhere in my entire 30-plus year career. On that first day, I didn’t know the difference between a wool sheep and a hair sheep – or that there was even such a thing as a hair sheep. I went on to produce 120 issues of the Sheep Industry News – 121 if you count this one, which I was around long enough to get about three-quarters done. By the time you’re reading this, I’ll be a few weeks into my new adventure working for RV News – a business-to-business magazine covering everything in the recreational vehicle industry. I like tackling new challenges. In the mid-1990s, I fell in love with rodeo while working as a sportswriter in Texas. I went on to spend 20 years covering the sport in some form. I remember telling ASI Executive Director Peter Orwick in my initial interview that I’d simply run out of ways to say a guy had won the bull riding, and that’s why I wanted to make a change and come to work at ASI. A decade later, I could say the same about the sheep indus try. There are still plenty of stories to tell, but it’s time to let someone else tell them. I can’t count – I’m not very good at math – how many sheep producers have invited me into their homes, barns and pastures in the past 10 years. I’ve bounced around the cabs of old trucks as they headed up the worst U.S. Forest Service roads to some of the most beautiful places you can imagine. To those of you who allowed me a glimpse into your daily lives, please know that you were my favorite part of the job. Enjoying lamb burgers, chops, stews and more at your kitchen tables are memories I’ll continue to cherish. In the time I spent here, I watched my son grow from a child into a young adult. I watched my waistline first expand and then contract. I got divorced and accepted that hair no longer wanted to grow on top of my head. The industry has seen its ups and downs, as well, during that time. Lamb prices have yo-yoed. The wool market has suffered through the pandemic and trade wars. But there’s a renewed excitement like I’ve never seen in the industry with the development of solar grazing in recent years. Hopefully, that will help lift the entire industry to new heights. To my friends on the ASI staff, I have to say thank you for your support through the years. Like the time I was trapped with three oth ers in an elevator during the San Diego convention and Christa Rochford texted to ask if any of the firefighters sent to rescue us were hot.

22 • Sheep Industry News • sheepusa.org root for the American sheep indus try in the future. I’ll continue to eat lamb and wear wool while sharing the positive stories of both with anyone who will listen. Chris Jones wondered if we had established a “pee corner” in a ref erence to The Office television show that several of us hold so dear. I was overwhelmed by their concern for my safety. There’s not enough space in this issue to thank everyone who helped me learn the ins and outs of the American sheep industry. But thank you to all of you for your help along the way. Just know that I’ll continue to