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SHEEP & LAMBS

KANSAS AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS
Kansas Department of Agriculture
632 SW Van Buren, Rm. 200, PO Box 3534
Topeka, KS 66601-3534
Phone: 785-233-2230

Released: January 30, 1998

SHEEP AND LAMB INVENTORY

KANSAS: All sheep and lamb inventory in Kansas on January 1, 1998 totaled 120,000 head (see table 1), down 20 percent from last year, according to Kansas Agricultural Statistics.

Breeding sheep inventory, at 80,000 head, was 20 percent below the January 1, 1997 inventory. The inventory of ewes one year and older, at 66,000 head, was down 21 percent from last year. The inventory of rams 1 year old and older, at 5,000 head, was down 17 percent from the previous year. Replacement lambs totaled 9,000 head, down 10 percent from last year.

Market sheep and lambs on January 1, 1998 totaled 40,000 head. Of these, 17,000 were under 65 pounds, 7,000 weighed 65-84 pounds, 10,000 weighed 85-105 pounds, 3,000 weighed over 105 pounds, and 3,000 were market sheep.

The 1997 lamb crop, at 85,000 head, was down 6 percent from 1996. The 1997 lambing rate was 101 per 100 ewes 1 year old and older on hand January 1, 1997, compared with a lambing rate of 100 in 1996. The number of operations with sheep in 1997 totaled 2,000, up 100 from 1996.

UNITED STATES: All sheep and lamb inventory in the United States on January 1, 1998, totaled 7.62 million head, down 4 percent from 1997 and 10 percent below two years ago. Inventory has slowly declined since 1942 when all sheep and lambs reached it's peak of 56.2 million head.

Breeding sheep inventory declined to 5.54 million head on January 1, 1998, down 5 percent from January 1, 1997's 5.85 million head. Ewes one year old and older, at 4.53 million head, were 6 percent below last year.

Market sheep and lambs on January 1, 1998, totaled 2.08 million head, down slightly from January 1, 1997. Market lambs comprised 96 percent of the total. Twenty-three percent were lambs under 65 pounds, 15 percent were 65 - 84 pounds, 30 percent 85 - 105 pounds, 28 percent were over 105 pounds, and 4 percent were market sheep.

The 1997 lamb crop of 5.24 million head was down 1 percent from 1996. This compares with the previous record low of 5.28 million head set a year ago. The 1997 lambing rate was 108 per 100 ewes one year old and older on January 1, 1997, compared with 103 in 1996.

The number of operations with sheep during 1997 totaled 74,710, down 4 percent from 1996 and 8 percent from 1995.

NOTICE: NASS will discontinue the April & November sheep estimates beginning 1998. The July report will be continued.

Sheep inventory value and value per head for Kansas and the U.S. will be published in the prices report on February 27, 1998.

Table 1-- SHEEP AND LAMBS ON FARMS BY CLASSES, JANUARY 1
Class Kansas United States
1996 1997 1998 % of '97 1996 1997 1998 % of '97
- - - 1,000 Head - - - Percent - - - 1,000 Head - - - Percent
All Sheep & Lambs 160 150 120 80 8,461 7,937 7,616 96
Market 55 50 40 80 2,234 2,087 2,079 100
Breeding Sheep & Lambs
    Replacement Lambs under 1 Year Old
10
10
9
90
863
794
804
101
    Ewes 1 Yr. & Older 90 84 66 79 5,128 4,836 4,527 94
    Rams 1 Yr. & Older 5 6 5 83 236 220 206 94
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 Lambs
Saved 		Breeding Ewes 1 Yr.+, Jan. 1 Lambs Saved per 100
Ewes 1+, Jan. 1 		Lambs
Saved
1,000 Number - - - 1,000 - - - Number 1,000
1992 120 98 118 7,089.9 102 7,216 .3
1993 105 100 105 6,536.0 98 6,379 .2
1994 98 92 90 5,804.2 102 5,897 .4
1995 87 115 100 5,300.3 106 5,606 .1
1996 90 100 90 5,128.1 103 5,281 .8
1997 84 101 85 4,836.1 108 5,244 .8

Table 3-- MARKET SHEEP & LAMBS: NUMBER BY WEIGHT GROUP, JANUARY 1
Item Kansas United States
1997 1998 % of 1997 1997 1998 % of 1997
1,000 Head Percent 1,000 Head Percent
Market Lambs
Under 65 Lbs.
 22 .0 17 .0 77 489 .3 484 .8 99
65-84 Lbs.
 7 .0 7 .0 100 368 .3 309 .2 84
85-105 Lbs.
 12 .0 10 .0 83 637 .8 618 .1 97
105 Lbs. +
 4 .0 3 .0 75 506 .9 583 .2 115
    Total
 45 .0 37 .0 82 2,002 .3 1,995 .3 100
Market Sheep
 5 .0 3 .0 60 84 .9 84 .0 99
Total Market Sheep & Lambs
 50 .0 40 .0 80 2,087 .2 2,079 .3 100


Charles Ruckman & Quentin Wearne, Agricultural Statisticians
Eldon J. Thiessen, State Statistician
Eddie Wells, Deputy State Statistician

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