Kentucky sheep inventories decrease, goat inventories mixed

Kentucky office, National Agricultural Statistics Service

Sheep and lambs inventories in Kentucky decreased from last year while goat inventories were mixed, according to the Kentucky Field Office of the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service.

All meat and other goats in Kentucky were estimated at 79,000 head, unchanged from January 2009. Milk goats, at 6,500 head, were down 500 head from the previous year’s estimate.

The total number of sheep in Kentucky on January 1, 2010, was estimated at 37,000 head, a decrease of 3,000 from the previous year’s estimate. All breeding sheep and lambs were estimated at 29,000 head, and all market sheep and lambs were estimated at 8,000 head. Breeding ewes decreased by 2,000 to 23,000, and breeding rams decreased by 500 to 1,500 head. Replacement lambs numbered 4,500, a decrease of 1,500 head from 2009. Lamb crop for 2009 increased by 1,000 from last year to 28,000 head.

All sheep and lamb inventory in the United States on January 1, 2010, totaled 5.63 million head, down 2 percent from 2009. Breeding sheep inventory decreased to 4.19 million head on January 1, 2010, down 1 percent from 4.25 million head on January 1, 2009. Ewes one year old and older, at 3.34 million head, were 2 percent below last year. Market sheep and lambs on January 1, 2010, totaled 1.44 million head, down 4 percent from January 1, 2009. Market lambs comprised 94 percent of the total marketings. Twenty-five percent were lambs under 65 pounds, 12 percent were 65-84 pounds, 19 percent were 85-105 pounds, and 38 percent were over 105 pounds. Market sheep comprised the remaining 6 percent of total marketings. The 2009 lamb crop of 3.69 million head was down 1 percent from 2008. The 2009 lambing rate was 108 lambs per 100 ewes 1 year old and older on January 1, 2009, up 3 percent from 2008.

All goat inventory in the United States on January 1, 2010, totaled 3.04 million head, down 1 percent from 2009. Breeding goat inventory totaled 2.53 million head, down 1 percent from 2009. Market goats and kids totaled 518,000 head, down 2 percent from a year ago. Kid crop for 2009 totaled 1.94 million head for all goats, down 1 percent from 2008. Meat and all other goats totaled 2.54 million head on January 1, 2010, down slightly from 2009. Milk goat inventory increased to 355,000 head, 6 percent above January 1, 2009, while angora goats were down 19 percent, totaling 150,000 head.