Sheep numbers down, both in North Dakota and nationwide
The sheep and lamb inventory in North Dakota as of Jan. 1, 2008, indicated a drop of five percent from the previous year, according to a report from the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service North Dakota Field Office in Fargo.
Last year the state reported 100,000 head of sheep and lambs but the latest figures show the state's flock has shrunk to 95,000 head, according to this once-a-year survey. This is the smallest flock since records began in 1920.
Records also showed there were 840 sheep and lamb operations in the state during 2007, down from 910 operations in 2006, but above the record low reported in 2004.
The goat inventory in North Dakota was estimated at 2,250 head, down 100 from Jan. 1, 2007.
Minnesota's sheep and lamb inventory was down three percent from last year, with 145,000 head reported. The number of goats in the state was placed at 11,000 head, down 11 percent from a year ago.
Total sheep in the U.S. as of Jan. 1, 2008, was 6.06 million head, down two percent from a year ago. The nation's sheep flock has declined for the past two years after increases in 2005 and 2006. The number of goats increased three percent nationwide to 3.02 million head.
Looking at category breakdowns for North Dakota, the breeding sheep inventory stood at 72,000 head, down eight percent from last year with ewes making up 58,000 head of that number, rams 2,000 and replacement lambs 12,000 head. Market sheep and lambs totaled 23,000 head up from 22,000 head last year.
The 2007 lamb crop totaled 80,000 head, unchanged from last year. The 2007 lambing rate was 129 per 100 ewes compared with 136 lambs per 100 ewes in 2006.
Shorn wool production in the state was estimated at 625,000 pounds, a decrease of 10 percent from 2006. Sheep and lambs shorn totaled 72,000 head down from 80,000 in 2006. The average price paid for wool in 2007 was 65 cents per pound compared to 60 cents in 2006. The total wool value was $406,000, which was three percent less than in 2006.
