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SHEEP & LAMBS

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

Released: January 31, 2003

SHEEP AND LAMB INVENTORY

KANSAS: All sheep and lamb inventory in Kansas on January 1, 2003 totaled 90,000 head (see table 1), down 10 percent from last year. Breeding ewes at least a year old decreased 6,000 head, while total market animals dropped by 1,000.

Breeding sheep inventory, at 56,000 head, was 14 percent below the January 1, 2002 inventory. The inventory of ewes one year and older, at 47,000 head, was down 11 percent from last year. The inventory of rams 1 year old and older, at 2,500 head, was down 500 from the previous year. Replacement lambs totaled 6,500 head, down 2,500 head from last year.

The 2002 lamb crop, was 62,000 head, down 14 percent from 2001 (see table 2). The 2002 lambing rate was 117 per 100 ewes 1 year old and older on hand January 1, 2002, compared with a lambing rate of 124 in 2001.

Market sheep and lambs on January 1, 2003 totaled 34,000 head (see table 3). Of these, 14,500 were under 65 pounds, 3,500 weighed 65-84 pounds, 6,500 weighed 85-105 pounds, 6,500 weighed over 105 pounds, and 3,000 were market sheep.

The number of operations with sheep in 2002 totaled 1,400, down 100 from 2001.

UNITED STATES: All sheep and lamb inventory in the United States on January 1, 2003, totaled 6.35 million head, down 5 percent from 2002 and 9 percent below two years ago. The inventory has trended down since 1942 when it reached a peak of 56.2 million head.

Breeding sheep inventory declined to 4.68 million head on January 1, 2003, down 5 percent from 4.91 million head on January 1, 2002. Ewes one year old and older, at 3.79 million head, were 5 percent below last year.

The 2002 lamb crop of 4.36 million head was down 3 percent from 2001 and established a new record low. The 2002 lambing rate was 110 per 100 ewes one year old and older on January 1, 2002, unchanged from 2001.

Market sheep and lambs on January 1, 2003, totaled 1.67 million head, down 6 percent from January 1, 2002. Market lambs comprised 96 percent of the total. Twenty-six percent were lambs under 65 pounds, 17 percent were 65 - 84 pounds, 24 percent 85 - 105 pounds, 29 percent were over 105 pounds, and 4 percent were market sheep.

The number of operations with sheep during 2002 totaled 64,170, down 1 percent from 2001 and 3 percent from 2000.

Sheep inventory value and value per head for Kansas and the U.S. will be published in the Agricultural Prices report on February 28, 2003.

Table 1-- SHEEP AND LAMBS ON FARMS, by Classes, January 1
Class Kansas United States
2001 2002 2003 % of 2002 2001 2002 2003 % of 2002
- - - 1,000 Head - - - Percent - - - 1,000 Head - - - Percent
All Sheep & Lambs 110.0 100.0 90.0 90 6,965.0 6,685.0 6,350.0 95
Market 39.0 35.0 34.0 97 1,998.0 1,772.0 1,668.0 94
Breeding Sheep & Lambs
    Replacement Lambs under 1 Year Old
9.0
9.0
6.5
72
675.0
733.5
701.5
96
    Ewes 1 Yr. & Older 58.0 53.0 47.0 89 4,091.0 3,980.0 3,789.0 95
    Rams 1 Yr. & Older 4.0 3.0 2.5 83 201.0 199.5 191.5 96

Table 2-- KANSAS AND UNITED STATES, Lamb Crop
Year Kansas United States
Breeding Ewes
1 Yr.+, Jan. 1 		Lambs Saved per 100
Ewes 1 Yr.+, Jan. 1 		Lamb
Crop 		Breeding Ewes
1 Yr.+, Jan. 1 		Lambs Saved per 100
Ewes 1 Yr.+, Jan. 1 		Lamb
Crop
- - - 1,000 - - - Number - - - 1,000 - - - Number - - 1,000 - -
1998 66.0 106 70.0 4,569.5 110 5,007 .0
1999 57.0 111 63.0 4,322.0 110 4,733 .0
2000 52.0 138 72.0 4,229.0 109 4,622 .0
2001 58.0 124 72.0 4,091.0 110 4,495 .0
2002 53.0 117 62.0 3,980.0 110 4,360 .0
2003 47.0 -- -- 3,789.0 -- --

Table 3-- MARKET SHEEP & LAMBS: Number by Weight Group, January 1
Item Kansas United States
2002 2003 % of 2002 2002 2003 % of 2002
1,000 Head Percent 1,000 Head Percent
Market Lambs
Under 65 Lbs.
 13 .0 14 .5 112 435 .9 429 .3 98
65-84 Lbs.
 4 .0 3 .5 88 299 .9 285 .7 95
85-105 Lbs.
 7 .0 6 .5 93 415 .6 398 .5 96
105 Lbs. +
 7 .0 6 .5 93 549 .0 481 .7 88
    Total
 		31 .0 31 .0 100 1,700 .4 1,595 .2 94
Market Sheep
 4 .0 3 .0 75 71 .6 72 .8 102
Total Market Sheep & Lambs
 		35 .0 34 .0 97 1,772 .0 1,668 .0 94


WOOL PRODUCTION

Kansas shorn wool production during 2002 was 525,000 pounds, down 9 percent from a year earlier (see table 4). Sheep shorn, at 73,000 head, showed a 10 percent decrease from 2001. Average fleece weight from shorn wool was 7.2 pounds per head, up slightly from 2001. The average price paid for wool sold in 2002 was 30 cents per pound, up 10 cents from 2001. Total value of shorn wool was $158,000, up 37 percent from 2001.

U.S. shorn wool production during 2002 was 41.2 million pounds, down 4 percent from 2001. Sheep and lambs shorn totaled 5.45 million head, down 4 percent from 2001. The average price paid for wool sold in 2002 was 53 cents per pound for a total value of $21.8 million, up 42 percent from $15.3 million in 2001.


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
2001 81 .0 7.1 575 0.20 115
2002 73 .0 7.2 525 0.30 158
United States
2001 5,689 .0 7.6 43,016 0.36 15,311
2002 5,453 .0 7.5 41,150 0.53 21,792
1/ Includes shearing at commercial feedyards.

Dave Ranek & Sherri Hand, Agricultural Statisticians
Eldon J. Thiessen, State Statistician
Eddie Wells, Deputy State Statistician

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