Let's Grow Our Flock

The U.S. sheep industry is finding itself amidst an encouraging time:

lamb and wool prices are at an all-time high and the cull ewe and pelt markets are very lucrative. However, from the farm gate through to the lamb and wool processing level, there is a shared concern about meeting the demand for lamb and wool production in the United States.

Lamb processors, from the commercial market channel to the rapidly growing nontraditional markets, are clamoring for a greater supply of lamb. In 2011, two major announcements to carry American lamb in our nation’s grocery stores occurred: Kroger, one of the nation’s largest grocery store chains, launched an American lamb branded campaign and Walmart made a commitment to exclusively carry American lamb in its stores. And the nontraditional market channels, which include on-farm sales, farmers markets and small processors serving ethnic communities, have grown exponentially over the years. In fact, one-third of the U.S. lamb crop has moved outside the traditional industry infrastructure to feed this nontraditional lamb market. As an industry, we must supply the traditional market channel to keep American lamb in the nation’s largest grocery store chains and restaurants all while meeting the emerging demand for American lamb in the nontraditional markets.

This robust demand for product is also being experienced in the wool market. The U.S. military, the largest domestic consumer of U.S. wool, is excited for the opportunity to clothe our troops in high-performance washable wool products. The equipment that makes washable wool top has been installed in the United States and is being used for a variety of domestically produced wool products that are already reaching the military and commercial markets.

A strategy to strengthen the lamb and wool industry's infrastructure by increasing the number of sheep in production is vital for the long-term sustainability of the industry.