E-mail: nass-ny@nass.usda.gov
(518) 457-5570

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contact:  Bryan Combs
Monday, February 2, 2009

www.nass.usda.gov/ny

                     NEW YORK SHEEP INVENTORY DECREASES

New York sheep and lambs totaled 62,000 head on January 1, 2009, according
to Stephen Ropel, Director of USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics
Service, New York Field Office.  This is down 5 percent from the 65,000
head of the previous year.

A total of 44,000 lambs were born in New York during 2008, unchanged from
the 2007 total.  Breeding ewes one year old and older in 2008 totaled
43,000 head, yielding a lambing rate of 102 per 100 ewes, which is
unchanged from the 2007 rate.

New York wool production during 2008 totaled 260,000 pounds, down 19
percent from a year earlier.  The average price received for wool decreased
0.05 cents per pound to 0.30 cents.  The value of production was up 22
percent to 78,000 dollars.

All sheep and lamb inventory in the United States on January 1, 2009,
totaled 5.75 million head, down 3 percent from 2008.  Breeding sheep
inventory decreased to 4.25 million head on January 1, 2009, down 4 percent
from 4.43 million head on January 1, 2008. Ewes one year old and older, at
3.40 million head, were 4 percent below last year.

Market sheep and lambs on January 1, 2009, totaled 1.50 million head, down
1 percent from January 1, 2008.  Market lambs comprised 95 percent of the
total marketings. Twenty-three percent were lambs under 65 pounds, 11
percent were 65 - 84 pounds, 21 percent were 85 - 105 pounds, and 39
percent were over 105 pounds. Market sheep comprised the remaining 5
percent of total marketings.

The 2008 lamb crop of 3.71 million head, was down 5 percent from 2007. The
2008 lambing rate was 105 lambs per 100 ewes one year old and older on
January 1, 2008, down 3 percent from 2007.

Shorn wool production in the United States during 2008 was 33.0 million
pounds, down 5 percent from 2007.  Sheep and lambs shorn totaled 4.43
million head, down 5 percent from 2007. The average price paid for wool
sold in 2008 was $0.99 per pound for a total value of 32.5 million dollars,
up 7 percent from 30.2 million dollars in 2007.  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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2-2-09