2024 American Lamb Board News

This summer, ALB recruited 12 party hosts to gather guests for a lambventures celebration with American Lamb and WOW, did our hosts deliver. From backyard grills to garden feasts, this summer was all about celebrating with friends, family, and flavorful American Lamb.  From lamb burgers to kabobs to smoked shoulders, the party hosts promoted the versatility of American Lamb for summer grilling.

The 2025 Lamb Jam tour visited Denver at the Botanic Gardens on Aug. 20 and was another great success! The sold-out event was a beautiful summer evening filled with delicious American Lamb bites, refreshing drinks, and wonderful company.

The American Lamb Board (ALB) recently held a Targeted Grazing Workshop in Easton, Maryland, where 28 producers from nine states gathered to discuss opportunities for growing sheep production in the United States through solar grazing. This was the sixth workshop of its kind since the program started in 2024.

Seattle Lamb Jam set sail on July 30 aboard The HIYU, a floating ferry boat that brought the magic of Lamb Jam to Lake Union. Guests enjoyed a scenic evening with stunning views, lively music, and incredible lamb bites from seven of Seattle’s top chefs.

The 2025 American Lamb Summit, held on July 23-25 at the University of Idaho in Moscow, marked a significant milestone for the US sheep industry, drawing industry leaders, producers, and educators together to explore innovations and strategies for growth. This year’s event was the third summit of its kind, which focused on enhancing the competitiveness of American Lamb.

The American Lamb Board has officially announced the return of its popular campaign, the Summer Lambventures Grill-Off, for 2025. This year's initiative aims to enhance consumer engagement by introducing a competitive twist that features both amateur and professional hosts. The campaign runs from May 19 to July 6, 2025, with a public voting period from July 15 to August 29, culminating in the announcement of the winner in early September.

The Q1 2025 U.S. Quarterly Lamb Report conducted by Midan Marketing shows many positive trends for American Lamb despite relatively flat numbers. The report compares lamb sales from Q1 2024 to Q1 2025. Overall, lamb sales were down slightly in the U.S. for the first 13 weeks of the year, with a 1.4 percent decline in sales and a 3 percent decrease in volume. American Lamb sales fared slightly better, down 1.2 percent in volume sales and a marginal growth of 0.4 percent. However, these numbers don’t give the full picture.

The American Lamb Board sponsored the 2025 Center for the Advancement of Foodservice Education (CAFE) conference in June. The conference, themed “The Need for Change,” was a three-day event bringing together culinary educators, program directors, and industry leaders from across the country to explore forward-thinking strategies in culinary education. Thanks to the sponsorship, American Lamb was highlighted as a key topic at the conference.

The San Francisco stop on the 2025 Lamb Jam Tour turned out to be a sensational, sold-out event dedicated to the delights of American Lamb! Held on June 18th at The Midway, this gathering brought together 200 enthusiastic lamb lovers for an evening filled with bold flavors, culinary artistry, and unforgettable experiences.

The American Lamb Board (ALB) recently held its second Targeted Grazing Workshop of 2025 in Kankakee, Illinois, attracting 32 producers from seven states. The workshop, sponsored by Pivot Energy, aimed to explore expansion opportunities within the U.S. sheep industry and included collaboration with the American Solar Grazing Association to provide a solar grazing certification for participants.

The American Lamb Checkoff, overseen by the American Lamb Board (ALB), was established in 2002 to consolidate industry resources, increase awareness, expand demand, and enhance industry profitability.

This summer, the American Lamb Board is emphasizing cut variety and seasonal versatility by teaming up with Homemade and leading Lambassadors to offer trendy and accessible recipes that showcase American Lamb as the ideal summer protein. The recipes span from elegant dinner party main courses to casual grilling favorites—all aimed at inspiring home cooks and increasing lamb demand during the peak of grilling season.

The 2025 Lamb Jam Tour made a stop in Washington, D.C., on May 21. The event transformed Autoshop, an exceptional event space in the vibrant Union Market District of Washington, D.C., into a lamb-lover’s paradise.

Are you ready for the 2025 American Lamb Summit 

Register today to join us for engaging discussions, expert insights, and networking opportunities with fellow lamb producers, ranchers, and industry leaders.

As a result of the American Lamb Board’s New York media visit, Food52 features Lambassador Kareem El-Ghayesh, the pitmaster behind KG BBQ in Austin, Texas, as he cooks up Lamb Bacon, Lamb Rack, and a special chimichurri with host Noah Tanen. In this episode of Food52's Recipe Drop, Kareem blends his Egyptian heritage with Texas-style barbecue, bringing big flavor and fresh perspective to these delicious lamb cuts.

While many consumers are intimidated by preparing lamb and lack the confidence to cook at home, a new Power of Meat Study showed that 87 percent of consumers are interested in recipes and tips about indulgent, involved cuts to make premium, restaurant-quality meals at home confidently.

Summer is the perfect time to introduce consumers to the taste of American Lamb. Those new farmers market shoppers may just be waiting to become big fans of American Lamb.

The 2025 Austin Lamb Jam event on April 16 was a highly successful, sold-out event, celebrating American Lamb through a curated tasting experience featuring eight of Austin’s top chefs. The event welcomed several Texas lamb producers, along with Austin-based influencers, food media, and culinary personalities, helping expand the event’s reach and amplify American Lamb messaging through local networks and social media coverage.

The American Lamb Board proudly sponsored a new culinary event: The Chef Conference. This immersive, multi-day gathering brought together some of the country’s most talented chefs, innovators, and thought leaders.

With the season of renewal bringing sprigs of meadow grass and a new crop of lambs for many producers, the American Lamb Board is launching its new Easter & Spring Entertaining Campaign to help consumers add American Lamb dishes to their spring menu.

Atlanta knows how to Jam. Lamb Jam that is. The 2025 Lamb Jam made its first stop in the Big Peach on March 26, offering Lamb & Libations in celebration of family-operated farms and ranches raising sheep in the U.S.

ALB recently attended the 2025 Annual Meat Conference (AMC). Sponsored by FMI and the Meat Institute, this educational event brings together all segments of the retail meat industry to learn how to improve meat and poultry marketing, operations, and profitability.

Get ready for a mouthwatering experience! Chefs from seven major cities across the U.S. are gearing up to showcase their finest dishes prepared with American Lamb at exciting happy hour events running through September. 

The American Sheep Industry Association prepares an annual market report for the American Lamb Board summarizing key statistics and trends in the sheep industry. Here are some highlights from the 2024 report: 

Every year, the American Lamb Board (ALB) allocates funds through the Cooperative Funding Program for local sheep producer groups, lamb suppliers, and direct marketers to share marketing costs for promoting American Lamb. ALB is currently accepting applications until April 30, 2025.

Registration is currently open for the 2025 American Lamb Summit, an educational conference that brings together all segments of the sheep industry to discuss the latest trends and opportunities to increase the competitiveness of the US sheep industry. The Summit, which will be held at the University of Idaho this year, combines expert speakers in a conference setting, hands-on learning at the University’s Meat Lab and the Sheep Center, and small group discussions focused on industry-leading topics selected by attendees. 

Are you a passionate sheep producer eager to expand your horizons? The American Lamb Board and the American Sheep Industry Association (ASI) Young & Emerging Entrepreneurs Committee present an exciting opportunity for you to participate in the Global Sheep Forum’s Young Leaders Program, which takes place during LambEx, the world’s premier event for sheep, lamb, and wool education, in Australia in August 2026. 

For over a decade, the American Lamb Board (ALB) has celebrated February as Lamb Lovers Month—the perfect time to enjoy delicious American Lamb. With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, ALB is serving up inspiration for romantic, cozy meals at home.

Lamb Jam, a coast-to-coast celebration of American lamb featuring top chefs from 7 markets, is kicking off during Lamb Lovers’ month in February.