Positive numbers in the U.S. sheep industry

The U.S. sheep industry continues to expand. Over the last year, the industry has documented increases in both sheep and lamb inventory numbers and in the total number of operations with sheep.

Two separate reports published in the last week by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), indicate the sheep industry is setting forth positive trends.

On Jan. 1, 2006, the Sheep and Goats report showed the total sheep and lamb inventory number as 6.23 million head, up 2 percent from both 2005 and 2004. The inventory began increasing in 2005 and has shown two consecutive year-to-year increases for the first time since 1987 and 1988.

Breeding sheep inventory also increased 2 percent, from 4.53 million head to 4.64 million head on Jan. 1, 2006. Ewes one year old and older, at 3.66 million head, were 2 percent above last year.

The number of operations with sheep totaled 68,280 during 2005, up 1 percent from both 2004 and 2003. During the same time period, the number of other livestock operations decreased 1 percent to 3 percent.

According to NASS, operations with 500 head of sheep or more account for 47.3 percent of the total U.S. sheep inventory. Operations with one to 99 head of sheep account for 28.7 percent of the total inventory, while those operations with 100 to 499 head of sheep account for 24 percent of the inventory.

"We have proven, as an industry, we can increase sheep numbers in the United States," said Paul Frischknecht, president of the American Sheep Industry Association. "These numbers indicate that we are not only being successful in expanding our U.S. flock size, but we are also attracting new operations to the sheep business."

To access the complete reports, go to: http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/reports/nassr/livestock/pgg-bb/ or http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/reports/nassr/other/zfl-bb/.

Date: 2/23/06