Sheep Industry Expanding Due to Profitability

The lamb and wool market is wrapping a pretty steady 2016 with a minimal decline at the end of the year which is typical according to President of American Sheep Industry Association Exeuctive Board Burton Pfliger.

And those small declines are masking what is a very positive story Pfliger said.

“The reality is that it’s probably one of the most profitable sectors of the ag commodity market that there is right now is lambs.”

Pfliger noted the price for lambs is dropping slightly with the return of mountain lambs, but is still not falling as bad as beef, corn or other commodities.

With the stability in the sheep market, Pfliger said that has brought a lot of interest to the industry.

“I’ve had a number of people that are cattle producers that are adding anywhere from 100 to 400 ewes this year simply because of the profitability of them. And they’re not adding to their land base so they do complement each other that way.”

Pfliger said there is some concern regarding how bighorn sheep interact with domesticated sheep and whether or not that increases risk for disease, but they are looking to continue funding research for definitive answers.

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