All sheep and lamb inventory in Indiana on January 1, 2015, was estimated at 50,000 head, unchanged from 2014, according to Greg Matli, State Statistician of the USDA, NASS, Indiana Field Office. The breeding sheep inventory, at 43,000 head, was unchanged from last year. Market sheep and lambs totaled 7,000 head, also unchanged from last year. The 2014 Indiana lamb crop was 43,000 head, down 1,000 from the previous year.
All sheep and lamb inventory in the United States on January 1, 2015, totaled 5.28 million head, up 1 percent from 2014. Breeding sheep inventory increased to 3.94 million head on January 1, 2015, up 1 percent from 3.90 million head on January 1, 2014. Ewes one year old and older, at 3.11 million head, were 1 percent above last year. Market sheep and lambs on January 1, 2015, totaled 1.35 million head, unchanged from January 1, 2014. Market lambs comprised 94 percent of the total market inventory. Twenty-four percent were lambs under 65 pounds, 12 percent were 65 – 84 pounds, 20 percent were 85 – 105 pounds, and 38 percent were over 105 pounds. Market sheep comprised the remaining 6 percent of total market inventory.
The number of sheep and lambs shorn in Indiana, 35,000 head, was down 1,000 from the previous year. Indiana shorn wool production in 2014 was 210,000 pounds, down 5 percent from 2013. The average price paid for wool in Indiana was $0.46 per pound, a decrease of 36 cents from the previous year. The total value of wool was $97,000, 46 percent below the 2013 value.
Shorn wool production in the United States during 2014 was 26.7 million pounds, down 1 percent from 2013. Sheep and lambs shorn totaled 3.68 million head, also down 1 percent from 2013. The average price paid for wool sold in 2014 was $1.46 per pound for a total value of 38.9 million dollars, down 1 percent from 39.2 million dollars in 2013.
As of January 1, 2015, there were 11,500 milk goats in Indiana, down 300 from a year earlier. The Indiana meat and other goat inventory was 31,000 head, 400 head below the January 1, 2014, inventory.
All goat inventory in the United States on January 1, 2015, totaled 2.68 million head, up 2 percent from 2014. Breeding goat inventory totaled 2.20 million head, up 2 percent from 2014. Does one year old and older, at 1.65 million head, were 3 percent above last year’s number. Market goats and kids totaled 471 thousand head, up 2 percent from a year ago. Kid crop for 2014 totaled 1.71 million head for all goats, up 2 percent from 2013. Meat and all other goats totaled 2.15 million head on January 1, 2015, up 2 percent from 2014. Milk goat inventory was 365 thousand head, up 2 percent from January 1, 2014, while Angora goats were up 8 percent, totaling 160 thousand head.