Meet the board
Doug Edge
President, American Australian White Sheep Breeders Association, Pendleton, Indiana.
As President of the American Australian White Sheep Breeders Association (AAWSBA), I am deeply committed to advancing the Australian White breed and supporting breeders in achieving their goals. The Australian White is an exceptional breed known for its superior meat quality, adaptability, and ease of management, and I am proud to play a role in promoting its growth and success in the United States.
My journey in agriculture has been both diverse and rewarding. I currently serve as the Chief Strategy Officer for Reproduction Specialty Group Inc. (RSG), where I develop strategies to deliver innovative solutions in livestock management, genetics, and nutrition. I am also a founding Director of the RSG Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering youth, promoting thought leadership, and building a sustainable future for the small ruminant industry. The foundation’s mission is to support young producers by providing opportunities to gain knowledge, resources, and access to quality livestock genetics. I helped establish the Gene Bank program, which enables producers to donate unused genetics to be made available to youth through a grant program and to educational institutions for research. Through initiatives like the First Flock-Herd program, we help the next generation of producers get started with their own breeding stock. Additionally, our vision includes promoting the expansion of new breeds, such as the Australian Whites, to meet the challenges of tomorrow.
In my role with AAWSBA, I am passionate about fostering collaboration among breeders, strengthening our brand, and building a strong membership support structure to ensure the sustainability and advancement of the Australian White breed. My goal is to help breeders realize the full potential of their flocks while expanding the reach and reputation of this remarkable breed within the livestock industry and among consumers.
When I’m not working on industry initiatives, I enjoy spending time with my wife, Lisa, and our family. It is an honor to serve the Australian White community, and I look forward to continuing to support breeders as we build a bright future together.
David Krider
Vice President, American Australian White Sheep Breeders Association, Seymour, Missouri, after December 2022, Marion Junction, Alabama.
Fortunately, because of my business, livestock fence and water supplies, I was able to travel all around the USA and about 20 other countries visiting with livestock producers and view their operations. We have been operating grazing operations involving sheep, goats, cattle, both dairy and beef and have watched the goal in livestock production go to quantity not quality.
Our favorite class of livestock has always been sheep, and while we have had some very good USA lamb, we have had some I would rather not eat. The eating experience seems to be down on the list of production traits. While traveling to other countries I can’t remember any lamb that I didn’t like. The eating experience seems to be a higher priority in places like Australia and New Zealand that produce an abundance of lamb, maybe that is why they consume more per person than the USA.
When I was introduced to the Australian White Sheep, and noticed along with the standard high production traits, we still get paid on pounds, the emphasis was on the quality of the eating experience, perhaps the only breed that has been developed with that in mind.
This trait alone has the potential to increase the demand for lamb in the USA, and because of the current genetics available, we have saved about 15 years in developing this breed.
I am very pleased to be part of introducing this Australian White Sheep to producers who want to keep the quality up.
Sonia Craig
Secretary/Treasurer, American Australian White Sheep Breeders Association, Payette, Idaho.
In our quest to find a better ram to produce better lambs in the hair sheep world, we came across the Australian White. We were impressed with the breed’s consistency in shape, hair, and size. After a great deal of research and combing the internet for information, I was introduced to Luke Jones, where I purchased my first ram. While that first year was not without disappointment, the few lambs we got out of him made our resolve even stronger to pursue the Australian White genetics. After a purchase of a second ram, our 2022 lamb crop consists of over 200 Australian White F1 lambs. We are very happy with them, the growth, the consistency in appearance, hair quality, and overall attitude is proving the breed is worth the effort.
I am pleased to be part of this group with like goals, to produce a quality lamb that is consistent and of high eating quality.