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SHEEP & LAMBS

KANSAS AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS
Kansas Department of Agriculture
PO Box 3534
Topeka, KS 66601-3534
Phone: 785-233-2230

Released: January 28, 2000
Press Release

SHEEP AND LAMB INVENTORY

KANSAS: All sheep and lamb inventory in Kansas on January 1, 2000 totaled 100,000 head (see table 1), unchanged from last year, according to Kansas Agricultural Statistics.

Breeding sheep inventory, at 65,000 head, was 7 percent below the January 1, 1999 inventory. The inventory of ewes one year and older, at 52,000 head, was down 9 percent from last year. The inventory of rams 1 year old and older, at 4,000 head, was unchanged from the previous year. Replacement lambs totaled 9,000 head, unchanged from last year.

The 1999 lamb crop, at 63,000 head, was down 10 percent from 1998 (see table 2). The 1999 lambing rate was 111 per 100 ewes 1 year old and older on hand January 1, 1999, compared with a lambing rate of 106 in 1998. The number of operations with sheep in 1999 totaled 1,500, down 100 from 1998.

Market sheep and lambs on January 1, 2000 totaled 35,000 head (see table 3). Of these, 12,000 were under 65 pounds, 5,000 weighed 65-84 pounds, 10,000 weighed 85-105 pounds, 5,000 weighed over 105 pounds, and 3,000 were market sheep.

UNITED STATES: All sheep and lamb inventory in the United States on January 1, 2000, totaled 7.03 million head, down 3 percent from 1999 and 10 percent below two years ago. Inventory has declined since 1942 when it reached a peak of 56.2 million head.

Breeding sheep inventory declined to 5.16 million head on January 1, 2000, down 3 percent from January 1, 1999's 5.30 million head. Ewes one year old and older, at 4.23 million head, were 2 percent below last year.

The 1999 lamb crop of 4.72 million head was down 6 percent from 1998 to a new record low. The 1999 lambing rate was 109 per 100 ewes one year old and older on January 1, 1999, compared with 110 in 1998.

Market sheep and lambs on January 1, 2000, totaled 1.86 million head, down 3 percent from January 1, 1999. Market lambs comprised 96 percent of the total. Twenty-four percent were lambs under 65 pounds, 17 percent were 65 - 84 pounds, 26 percent 85 - 105 pounds, 29 percent were over 105 pounds, and 4 percent were market sheep.

The number of operations with sheep during 1999 totaled 66,800, down 3 percent from 1998 and 8 percent from 1997.

Sheep inventory value and value per head for Kansas and the U.S. will be published in the prices report on February 29, 2000

Table 1-- SHEEP AND LAMBS ON FARMS BY CLASSES, JANUARY 1
Class Kansas United States
1998 1999 2000 % of '99 1998 1999 2000 % of '99
- - - 1,000 Head - - - Percent - - - 1,000 Head - - - Percent
All Sheep & Lambs 120 100 100 100 7,825 7,215 7,026 97
Market 40 30 35 117 2,214 1,916 1,863 97
Breeding Sheep & Lambs
    Replacement Lambs under 1 Year Old
9
9
9
100
839
774
730
94
    Ewes 1 Yr. & Older 66 57 52 91 4,570 4,322 4,228 98
    Rams 1 Yr. & Older 5 4 4 100 203 203 206 101

Table 2-- KANSAS AND UNITED STATES LAMB CROP
Year Kansas United States
Breeding Ewes 1 Yr.+, Jan. 1 Lambs Saved per 100 Ewes 1+, Jan. 1 Lamb
Crop 		Breeding Ewes 1 Yr.+, Jan. 1 Lambs Saved per 100
Ewes 1+, Jan. 1 		Lambs
Crop
1,000 Number - - - 1,000 - - - Number 1,000
1994 98 92 90 5,844.4 102 5,968 .2
1995 87 115 100 5,403.6 104 5,643 .2
1996 90 100 90 5,134.3 104 5,361 .3
1997 84 101 85 4,911.6 109 5,356 .3
1998 66 106 70 4,569.5 110 5,007 .0
1999 57 111 63 4,322.0 109 4,719 .0

Table 3-- MARKET SHEEP & LAMBS: NUMBER BY WEIGHT GROUP, JANUARY 1
Item Kansas United States
1999 2000 % of 1999 1999 2000 % of 1999
1,000 Head Percent 1,000 Head Percent
Market Lambs
Under 65 Lbs.
 15 .0 12 .0 80 490 .4 450 .6 92
65-84 Lbs.
 6 .0 5 .0 83 328 .1 313 .0 95
85-105 Lbs.
 5 .0 10 .0 200 513 .0 477 .0 93
105 Lbs. +
 1 .0 5 .0 500 502 .0 542 .4 108
    Total
 		27 .0 32 .0 119 1,833 .5 1,783 .0 97
Market Sheep
 3 .0 3 .0 100 82 .5 80 .0 97
Total Market Sheep & Lambs
 		30 .0 35 .0 117 1,916 .0 1,863 .0 97


WOOL PRODUCTION

Kansas shorn wool production during 1999 (see table 4) was 630,000 pounds, down 3 percent from a year earlier. Sheep shorn, at 90,000 head, showed a 3 percent decrease from 1998. Average fleece weight from shorn wool was 7.0 pounds per head, unchanged from 1998. The average price paid for wool sold in 1999 was $0.19 per pound, down 23 cents from 1998. Total value of shorn wool was $120,000, down 56 percent from 1998. U.S. shorn wool production during 1999 was 46.5 million pounds, down 5 percent from 1998. Sheep and lambs shorn totaled 6.15 million head, a decrease of 4 percent from 1998. The average price paid for wool sold in 1999 was 38 cents per pound for a total value of $17.9 million, down 39 percent from $29.4 million in 1998.


Table 4-- WOOL PRODUCTION AND VALUE
Year Sheep Shorn 1/ Weight per Fleece Shorn Wool Production Price per Pound Value
1,000 Head Pounds 1,000 Pounds Dollars 1,000 Dol.
Kansas
1998 93 7.00 650 .42 273
1999 90 7.00 630 .19 120
United States
1998 6,428 .0 7.66 49,255 .60 29,415
1999 6,150 .0 7.57 46,549 .38 17,852
1/ Includes shearing at commercial feedyards.

Doug Hartwig & Quentin Wearne, Agricultural Statisticians
Eldon J. Thiessen, State Statistician
Eddie Wells, Deputy State Statistician

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