LOUISVILLE, Ky. — According to the Kentucky Field Office of the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service both sheep and lamb inventories and goat inventories increased in Kentucky from last year.
The total number of sheep in Kentucky on January 1, 2018, was estimated at 50,000 head, an increase of 2,000 from the previous year’s estimate. All breeding sheep and lambs were estimated at 39,000 head and all market sheep and lambs were estimated at 11,000 head. Breeding ewes were increased to 31,000, but breeding rams remained constant at 2,000 head. Replacement lambs numbered 6,000, unchanged from 2017. Lamb crop for 2017 decreased by 3,000 from last year to 35,000 head.
All sheep and lambs inventory in the United States on January 1, 2018 totaled 5.23 million head, down slightly from 2017. Breeding sheep inventory at 3.83 million head on January 1, 2018, decreased 1 percent from 3.88 million head on January 1, 2017. Ewes one year old and older, at 3.01 million head, were 1 percent below last year. Market sheep and lambs on January 1, 2018 totaled 1.40 million head, up 2 percent from January 1, 2017. Market lambs comprised 94 percent of the total market inventory. Market sheep comprised the remaining 6 percent of total market inventory. The 2017 lamb crop of 3.20 million head was down 2 percent from 2016. The 2017 lambing rate was 105 lambs per 100 ewes one year old and older on January 1, 2017, unchanged from 2016.
All meat and other goats in Kentucky were estimated at 57,000 head, up 1,000 head from January 2017. Milk goats at 6,000 head, were up 500 head from the previous year’s estimate.
All goats and kids inventory in the United States on January 1, 2018 totaled 2.62 million head, down 1 percent from 2017. Breeding goat inventory totaled 2.16 million head, down slightly from 2017. Does one year old and older, at 1.60 million head, were 1 percent below last year’s number. Market goats and kids totaled 459 thousand head, down 2 percent from a year ago. Kid crop for 2017 totaled 1.64 million head for all goats, down slightly from 2016. Meat and all other goats totaled 2.10 million head on January 1, 2018, down 1 percent from 2017. Milk goat inventory was 380 thousand head, up 2 percent from January 1, 2017, while Angora goats were down 7 percent, totaling 142 thousand head.
— USDA, NASS, Kentucky Field Office
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