Young Leaders that Step Up Selected to Represent American Lamb
The American Lamb Board (ALB) and the American Sheep Industry Association (ASI) Young & Emerging Entrepreneurs Committee selected Brittany Cole Bush and Blake Ball to represent American Lamb producers at LambEx 2026. The world’s premier event for sheep, lamb and wool education will be held in Australia.
The young producers were selected following a competitive application process and will participate in the Global Sheep Forum’s Young Leaders Program during the LambEx conference. This unique program connects young producers and leaders from around the globe, fostering the exchange of ideas and networking opportunities, as well as valuable insights into the latest innovations shaping the sheep industry.
Brittany Cole Bush is a 40-year-old owner-operator of Shepherdess Land and Livestock Co., a commercial-scale, targeted grazing operation near Ojai, California. She is also the founder and director of a non-profit vocational training program for grazing practitioners working with sheep and goats to provide ecosystem and fire prevention services, and owner-operator of Shepherdess Holistic Hides, which specializes in regionally sourced sheep hides sold to premium markets. She holds a bachelor’s degree in agroecology from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and has completed the Sheep & Goat Grazing Academy through University of California Extension, and Spanish immersion studies at Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.
Her career has focused on targeted grazing vegetation management, including near some of the most densely populated urban areas of the Bay Area. She has studied at sheep operations in Spain and France and has explored options for sheep skin processing byproducts.
She serves on the California Range Management Advisory Committee, advising the California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection and representing members of the California Wool Growers Association.
“I am enlivened to learn new innovations and efficiencies, create new relationships, and maintain the enthusiasm I have for not only the American Sheep Industry but communities and industries around the world that raise sheep,” says Brittany. “Our biggest opportunity lies in inviting new individuals into the industry who bring fresh ideas and hope, while learning from those who have persevered in the industry for generations.”
Blake Ball, 39, of Lewisville, Idaho, gained his sheep producing experience on his family’s ranch. There he worked with alfalfa forage crops, potato production, and sheep, raising 200 bummed lambs in one year alone on the waste milk from three large nearby dairies. He has studied statesmanship at George Wythe College, and is fluent in Spanish, as well as some German and Guarani. He is currently part-owner of a 5,000-acre ranch running sheep and cattle, as well as row and forage crops. He and his sister own Ball Brothers Meat Company to direct market their meat.
He is a trained sheep shearer and wool classer, and is proficient in the use of ultrasound. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Idaho Wool Growers Association on the Ram Sale Committee and Public Lands Committee.
“Even though taking care of sheep is basic animal husbandry, I see nuanced ways to do things every time I visit another operation, and I believe seeing how it is done in other countries would be the same,” says Blake. “I also believe that in helping others we help ourselves. My role is to continue to find ways to add value to and empower others.”
As representatives of the U.S., both young leaders will showcase their leadership potential by contributing to global conversations about the future of the sheep industry.
Along with the Global Sheep Forum’s Young Leaders Program at LambEx, the pair will be take part in several educational and leadership programs in the U.S. throughout 2025-2026, including the July 2025 Lamb Summit, the 2026 ASI Convention next January, and the National Lamb Feeders Leadership School in June 2026.
Source: American Lamb Board
