Denver, Colo. – Nick Forrest, of Oxford, Ohio, received the McClure Silver Ram Award at the American Sheep Industry Association’s (ASI) annual convention. This award is given to an individual for their history of service to the sheep industry.

Forrest has come up through the leadership ranks, starting with the Ohio Sheep Improvement Association (OSIA), where he served as president in 1999. He also served three years for the Ohio checkoff program. He served on the American Lamb Board for two terms, including as chairman of the board. However, Forrest, and his wife, Kathy, are probably best known for their American Lamb Roadshow, which has evolved over the years.

“We go around the country, whether it is a state or national convention, a breed convention or just a group of producers,” Nick Forrest said. “We educate the producers on ways of cooking lamb, the versatility of cooking lamb, how good it is for you, and we share maybe three or four simple recipes using lamb. We let them see how easy it is to do, and then they get to eat the samples.”

The roadshow started out as a sort of a Tupperware Party, Forrest said. The host would invite people to their home and Nick and Kathy would demonstrate how to prepare several lamb dishes, which they then served to the guests. Nick frequently talked at other events about the lamb and marketing business. 

At one point, the couple did a cooking show and ended up catering an event in Texas for 70 producers, who appreciated the great spread. Afterward, the gentleman who had arranged the event said they needed to take that show on the road. That a was the start of the American Lamb Roadshow.

“We can do anywhere from 45 minutes up to two and a half hours,” Forrest said. “It’s pretty cool. We have been to county fairs in Idaho, we’ve been at a sugar beet festival in Colorado, we went to the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival in September. We were in Virginia three times last year at different sites, and we were at a farm city tour in Kentucky.”

Two years ago, the Forrests did a roadshow for more than 200 people at Jim Mansfield’s farm in Kentucky. Mansfield markets his lamb to Whole Food Stores. Mansfield was so impressed he hired the Forrests to do weekly demonstrations at various Whole Food Stores promoting lamb. But the Forrests don’t just promote lamb, they also raise them.

“We’re expanding since our son, Jeremy (Dr. Jeremy Falk), came back from Idaho. He is an FFA adviser at Ross High School,” Forrest said. “Now he has kids at his school wanting to buy lambs from him to show at the county fair so we’re expanding our lamb business. We have a flock of crossbreds that we use for kids for FFA and 4-H. Then we have some customers that like the carcasses.

“Kathy has a flock of White Dorpers that is growing,” he said. “She really enjoys them. It is a hair sheep that we market mostly for seedstock; they’re for our customers that want smaller carcasses. We’re trying to accommodate everybody.”

Forrest said that one of the most rewarding things about being in the sheep business was the friendships they have made and maintained through their involvement. Along with those friendships comes a lot of respect from people in the industry. He was nominated for the McCord Silver Ram award by the OSIA.

“Nick continues to be very involved in both the Ohio and American sheep and lamb industry programs, doing multiple lamb cooking demonstrations across the country,” said Roger A. High, executive director of the OSIA and the Ohio Sheep and Wool Program. “He has a true passion for promoting lamb to a wide variety of lamb consumers and is a tremendous asset to the entire lamb industry.”

Added Susan Schulz, past president of the ASI and OSIA, and a member of the award nominating committee, “Nick and his wife Kathy have been outstanding ‘lambassadors’ for our sheep industry. He is very deserving of this national award. He travels the country and talks with people about the virtues of lamb. He uses His great sense of humor to put on a wonderful demonstration with his wife Kathy. He is a great guy and we are very proud of him.”