Published: November 29, 2006 03:07 pm            

Quality, ethnic demand drive lamb meat sales

Last year was a record high year for lamb meat sales — and it now looks like 2006 will match those numbers, said Philip Berg, instructor with the Pipestone Lamb and Wool Program at Minnesota West Community and Technical College in Pipestone.

“Quality of the lambs being sold is one key to this strong consumer demand, but even more so is the growing East and West Coast ethnic diversity,” Berg said. “Per capita consumption is only 1.3 pounds but with our nation approaching 300 million population, that still translates to some good numbers for total lamb meat consumption.”

A good indication of the growing market is the fact that over 40 percent of lamb meat consumed in America is imported.

“The best kept secret in Minnesota agriculture is the Minnesota sheep industry,” said Bob Padula, president of the Minnesota Lamb and Wool Producers Association. He said that because the industry somewhat fluctuates with lamb and wool prices, good money the past several months is seeing a decided growth in the number of sheep operations in Minnesota. Most recent U.S. Department of Agriculture data indicated about 2,600 sheep operations in the state.

Stronger consumer demand is indicated by four of the past five years showing good profitability in the sheep business, Berg said.

Pricing for 138-pound to 143-pound choice and prime shorn slaughter lambs at Sioux Falls on Oct. 5 was $95 to $99. The Sioux Falls packer slaughtered 1,024 head of sheep and lambs that day compared with 885 on that same date in 2005.

Producers pay a fee to join the Pipestone Lamb and Wool Program. Fees vary depending upon flock size and distance from the Pipestone center. Program activities include management workshops, farm visits, short courses, bus tours, enterprise analysis, on-farm demonstrations, a newsletter and a toll-free, 24-hour phone service to answer questions.

“We do a four-day Sheep for Profit school each summer that brings in producers from across the nation.” Berg said. For 2007, the school will take place July 11-14 at the Pipestone college.

There have been times when the wool program didn’t produce enough revenue to even pay the shearer. Granted, wool is still not an important profit item to ewe flock owners, but Marshall-area producer Lila Schmidt said it now almost covers the cost of shearing.

“The wool program is important to our total revenue picture,” Schmidt said. “Wool right now isn’t going to make or break us, but at least we’re getting a check again. Some of my wool I turn into quilt bats. We sleep on a wool mattress pad. Anyone who has done that would never go back to a regular mattress. Wool has life. It always springs back. It’s cushy.

“People need to appreciate the real thing. Wool is wool. No synthetic will ever be like wool,” Schmidt said.

        

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