NEW YORK SHEEP INVENTORY DECREASES

New York sheep and lambs totaled 67,000 head on January 1, 2008, according to Stephen Ropel, Director of USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, New York Field Office.  Down 9 percent from the 74,000 head of the previous year. 

A total of 45,000 lambs were born in New York during 2007, 6,000 head below the 2006 total.  Breeding ewes one year old and older in 2007 totaled 43,000 head, yielding a lambing rate of 105 per 100 ewes, which is 15 percent below the rate of 2006. 

New York wool production during 2007 totaled 320,000 pounds, down 11 percent from a year earlier.  The average price received for wool decreased 0.05 cents per pound to 0.20 cents.  The value of production was down 29 percent to 64,000 dollars. 

All sheep and lamb inventory in the United States on January 1, 2008, totaled 6.06 million head, down 2 percent from 2007. After consecutive increases in 2005 and 2006, inventory has now declined for the past two years.  Breeding sheep inventory decreased to 4.51 million head on January 1, 2008, down 2 percent from 4.61 million head on January 1, 2007. Ewes one year old and older, at 3.62 million head, were 2 percent below last year. 

Market sheep and lambs on January 1, 2008, totaled 1.55 million head, down slightly from January 1, 2007.  Market lambs comprised 95 percent of the total marketings. Twenty-four percent were lambs under 65 pounds, 14 percent were 65 - 84 pounds, 26 percent were 85 - 105 pounds, and 36 percent were over 105 pounds. Market sheep comprised the remaining 5 percent of total marketings.  The 2007 lamb crop of 4.05 million head, was down slightly from 2006. The 2007 lambing rate was 110 lambs per 100 ewes one year old and older on January 1, 2007, down 1 percent from 2006. 

Shorn wool production in the United States during 2007 was 34.5 million pounds, down 4 percent from 2006.  Sheep and lambs shorn totaled 4.71 million head, down 3 percent from 2006. The average price paid for wool sold in 2007 was $0.88 per pound for a total value of 30.3 million dollars, up 23 percent from 24.5 million dollars in 2006.  The information in this release is available by free email subscription by subscribing to New York reports at www.nass.usda.gov/ny.

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02-04-08