Long Time Sheep Leader To Retire

After 28 years of dedicated service, Peter Orwick, executive director of the American Sheep Industry Association, has announced his plans to retire. When Orwick first took the helm, the association faced major challenges, including limited funding, no lamb or wool promotion, and growing pressure over predator control. Through his leadership, the organization has made a remarkable turnaround and is now positioned for continued success as he prepares to pass the reins on to the next generation. Orwick reflects on some of the biggest changes he has witnessed over the years.

“We see lamb demand continue to increase. And part of that was as those meat counters got emptier and emptier and 20 and 21 people went further down the case and they started, you know, lamb was, was still there, and they ate it and kept coming back. So we continue to see that growth. The flip side to wool is we had so many people that went to work from home hybrid that we are still dealing with the impact of less business wear, less wool suits, wool slacks. That's two things that we could look at, just in the last five years that have continued to impact our operation.”

Orwick said he plans to retire at the end of this year.