Growing the U.S. Sheep Flock

The U.S. sheep industry is finding itself amidst an encouraging time: lamb prices are at an all-time high, the wool market is the highest it’s been since 1989 and the cull ewe and pelt markets are very lucrative.

However, from the farm gate through to the lamb and wool processing level, there is a shared concern about meeting the demand for lamb and wool production in the United States. Lamb processors, from the commercial market channel to the rapidly growing non-traditional markets, are clamoring for a greater supply of lamb.

The American Sheep Industry Association (ASI) is calling on sheep producers, both large and small, from east to west, to help accomplish the goal of growing our flock. ASI has come up with a formula to address these shortages within just a few years, it’s called Let’s Grow with twoPLUS.

With three goals in mind, the primary objective of this campaign is to encourage current producers to expand their sheep numbers by 2014.

1. Encourage producers to increase the size of their operation by two ewes per operation or by two ewes per 100 by 2014.
2. Encourage sheep producers to increase the average birthrate per ewe to two lambs per year.
3. Encourage producers to increase the harvested lamb crop by 2 percent – from 108 percent to 110 percent.

ASI has developed a web site (www.growourflock.org) and materials to help spread the word of the initiative.

Let's Grow with twoPLUS

Source:  Sheep Industry News, May 2011.