U.S. Producers Represent American Lamb Industry in Global Sheep Forum Young Leader Program
The American Lamb Board (ALB) selected two emerging leaders through a competitive application process to represent the United States in the Global Sheep Forum's 2026 Young Leader Program in Australia and New Zealand. Cole Bush of Ojai, California, and Blake Ball of Idaho joined young sheep producers from around the world for an international leadership and educational experience focused on innovation, collaboration, and the future of the global sheep industry.
Meet the U.S. Representatives
Cole Bush is an entrepreneur, educator, and advocate whose work spans prescribed grazing, sheep production, meat, fiber, sheepskins, and land stewardship. As the founder of Shepherdess Land & Livestock, Shepherdess Holistic Hides, and Grazing School of the West, she has spent more than a decade using sheep and goats as natural tools for wildfire mitigation and ecological land management. Her commitment to sustainable agriculture, workforce development, and preserving the traditions of shepherding made her an outstanding representative of the U.S. sheep industry.
Blake Ball is a fourth-generation sheep rancher from Idaho who manages approximately 3,500 head of sheep with plans to continue expanding his operation. After serving a church mission in Argentina, where he became fluent in Spanish, Blake returned to the family ranch and discovered his passion while herding sheep across the open range from Idaho's desert valleys to its mountain ranges. In addition to ranching, he provides custom trucking, shearing, and feeding services for fellow producers while exploring direct-to-consumer marketing and other innovative ways to add value to sheep production. Together with his wife, Carlianne, Blake is raising their eight children on the family ranch, inspiring the next generation of sheep producers.
Australia: Innovation and Industry Leadership
The program began with an educational tour across Victoria and South Australia, providing participants with firsthand exposure to Australia's progressive sheep, wool, and lamb industries. Throughout the tour, the group visited commercial sheep operations, processing facilities, wool handling centers, feedlots, retailers, and research organizations to learn how Australian producers are advancing productivity, sustainability, animal welfare, and market development.
Young leaders from the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the United Kingdom exchanged ideas with producers, researchers, and industry experts while exploring advancements in genetics, biosecurity, wool marketing, processing, and sustainable production systems. The experience highlighted the value of international collaboration and demonstrated how producers around the world are addressing many of the same opportunities and challenges.
Participants also attended LambEx 2026, Australia's premier sheep, lamb, and wool industry conference. Held every two years, LambEx brings together producers, researchers, processors, marketers, educators, and industry leaders to share the latest research, technology, and innovations shaping the future of the sheep industry. Through keynote presentations, educational sessions, farm tours, trade exhibits, and networking opportunities, the conference fostered meaningful discussions and global connections.
New Zealand: Learning from Pasture-Based Production
The program concluded with an educational tour across New Zealand's North and South Islands, where participants experienced one of the world's most efficient pasture-based sheep production systems. Visits included commercial sheep and beef farms, genetics and breeding operations, processing facilities, and organizations dedicated to producer education, sustainability, and market development.
Throughout the New Zealand tour, participants explored how producers are adapting to changing consumer expectations while maintaining profitability through improved genetics, grazing management, environmental stewardship, and producer collaboration. Discussions also focused on traceability, animal health, export markets, and strategies to improve productivity while reducing environmental impacts.
For Bush and Ball, the experience offered valuable opportunities to compare production systems, exchange ideas with peers from around the world, and build lasting professional relationships. The knowledge and perspectives gained throughout the program will help strengthen their own operations while contributing to the continued advancement of the U.S. sheep industry.
By investing in young producers through opportunities like the Global Sheep Forum Young Leader Program, the American Lamb Board continues its commitment to developing future industry leaders, encouraging innovation, and strengthening the long-term success and global competitiveness of the U.S. sheep industry.