For 10 years, Bellwether Services has provided solutions to businesses and government agencies in the areas of: International Trade, Retail Manufacturing, Retail Business Intelligence, Spend Analysis, e-Sourcing, Supply Chain Optimization, Sustainability Policy Development, and Lean Six Sigma (Business Improvement).
Grimm's Deutsches Wörterbuch s.v. "Kuhschelle" points to a 1410 mention in a Frankfurt archive; the OED lists 1440 as the earliest attestation of a bell-wether, the leading sheep of a flock, on whose neck a bell is hung.
They have a dedicated following and have inspired other characters in the line: Madra Lord, Violet Waters, Ivy Jordan, Trent Osborn, Zita Charles, real-life movie actress Marsha Hunt, and the mysterious Oona Bellwether.
After Republican victories in both of those bellwether races, Howell's administration targeted the Fall 2010 CRNC field program towards specific states, which they believed contained the greatest potential for state-level and congressional gains, in the November elections.