Lamb and Sheep Numbers Down
After two consecutive years of gains, the most recent report on lamb and sheep showed that there are fewer head in the U.S.
USDA Livestock Analyst Shayle Shagam said the reason is simple, price. In 2014, prices were $159 per hundredweight.
“By 2016 that price had dropped down to just under $135 per hundredweight and we do expect to see prices averaging in the mid to low $130 range during 2017.”
The USDA report shows a two percent decline in both the all sheep and lamb herd totals and breeding sheep and lamb numbers.