New Holland, Pennsylvania, is one of the largest and most important (live) goat markets in the US. In 2017, more than 93,000 goats were sold there. The following graph was created using data from the weekly weighted-average market reports published by USDA AMS (LN_LS322). It shows per-head prices for 60 to 80-lb. Selection 1, 2, and 3 goat kids. The yellow columns show the number of goats that were sold each week (Monday sale). The two largest runs of goats occurred in the two sales that preceded the major Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha (Festival of the Sacrifice). Ramadan began on ~May 26 and ended on ~June 24. Both (Roman) Easter and Orthodox were April 16. The graph shows significant price di
More than 218,000 sheep and goats were sold at the New Holland Sales Stables in New Holland, Pennsylvania in 2017. About 57 percent of the sales were sheep; 43 percent were goats. New Holland is one of the largest and most important sheep and goat markets in the US. All of the animals were sold to non-traditional markets, as the sale barn is in close proximity to the ethnic markets in the Northeast. As expected, sheep and goat receipts were highest in the sales preceding various religious holidays. A special sheep and goat sale was held August 28-30 (Monday-Wednesday), immediately prior to the Muslim Festival of the Sacrifice (Eid al-Adha). During this 3-day sale, sheep receipts totaled 7323
The Westminster Stockyard closed for good on February 1, 2018. The Maryland stockyard had been in operation since 1936. The reason given for the closing of the stockyard was financial difficulties. The auction was previously closed for a year (2014-2015) after fire damaged the facility. A lot of farmers relied on the stockyard. It will be an inconvenience to take livestock to more distant markets. The closing of the Westminster Stockyard leaves Maryland with just three livestock auctions: Four States Livestock Auction in Hagerstown, Grantsville Stockyard in Grantsville, and Friend Stockyard in Accident. Anyone with questions should call the auction house at (410) 848-9820 and leave their in
Michigan State University Extension, in partnership with other Land-Grant Universities, is conducting a nationwide survey of food-animal producers to learn more about how the VFD rules that have been in effect just over a year have impacted animal agriculture. Managing the health of your flock or herd is a primary responsibility of all farmers. The Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD) rules that went into effect January 1, 2017 may have impacted how you manage flock/herd health. The rules limited the use of medically important antibiotics to disease prevention, control or treatment, and only when a veterinarian writes a VFD for their use. We would like to learn how those rules have affected your
The Sheep & Lamb Inventory on January 1, 2018, totaled 5.31 million head, down slightly from 2017. The breeding sheep inventory was 3.83 million head on January 1, 1% lower than 2017. Ewes one year of age and older were also down 1%. Market sheep totaled 1.4 million head, up 2% from 2017. The 2017 lamb crop of 3.2 million head was down 2% from 2016. The 2017 lambing rate was 105 lambs per ewe one year and older on January 1, 2017. It was unchanged from 2016. Shorn wool production in the United States during 2017 was 24.7 million pounds, down 5% from 2016. Four percent fewer sheep and lambs were shorn in 2017, as compared to 2016. The average price paid for wool in 2017 was $1.47 per pound.
Hypothermia and exposure are major killers of newborn lambs and kids, especially those born during the cold winter months. Lambs/kids with low birth weights and/or from large litters are especially vulnerable. Kids seem to be much less cold tolerant than lambs. Hair sheep lambs may have an advantage over wooled lambs, due to their thicker birth coats. There are many strategies for dealing with the risks posed by cold weather. In some cases, it may be necessary to move lambing and kidding to the warmer months. Good indoor housing is a prerequisite for lambing and kidding in the winter. Cold is okay, but ewes/does need a dry, draft-free place to give birth and bond with their offspring. At the
