Sheep Industry and Sheep Breeds

For my 4-H project books, I needed to summarize a chapter of the resource book. This was my summary for the market lamb book.

Sheep Industry and Sheep Breeds

          The American sheep industry, run by 110,000 men and women, work to produce wool, meat, and lambs. The sheep industry uses multiple operations to produce their product. Each operation helps to produce a specific thing. 

           Purebred flocks produce purebred sheep from a specific breed to sell to commercial flocks. Purebred producers look to better the breed they raise by breeding for structural correctness, size, growth, and breed traits like out of season lambing. Commercial flocks produce lamb and wool. Rather than focusing on specific breed traits, they crossbreed to economically get the maximum amount of wool and lambs per ewe as possible. They emphasize reproductive and growth traits. 

           Club lamb flocks produce lambs to be shown, like 4-H lambs. Although they’re sometimes purebred, they are often crossbred like a commercial flock in order to get the necessary traits. Heavily muscled, fast growing lambs are most desirable. Lamb feeders purchase lambs, normally from commercial breeders, and raise them to slaughtering age. 

            Sheep operations can also be classified by location, size, and feeding program. Farm flock sheep operations normally have 30-200 ewes, and often produce purebred sheep or club lambs. Producers place emphasis on the amount of lambs born per ewe, size, carcass traits, and growth rates. Columbia, Dorset, Hampshire, Suffolk, Corriedale, Shropshires, and crossbreed are most popular on a farm flock operation. Range sheep operations are normally in the western US and have around 1,000-5,000 ewes. Rambouillet, Targhee, Columbia, Corriedale, and Polypay breeds are common for their hardiness. The ewes are selected for their wool, but lambs are marketed for slaughter. Black-faced rams are often used for breeding slaughter lambs. 

            Breeds are normally classified by their uses. Ram breeds, used for terminal sires, include Cheviots, Oxfords, Shropshires, Southdowns, Hampshires, and Suffolks. Ewe breeds with good mothering abilities include Corriedales, Targhees, Merinos, Rambouillets, and Finn Sheep. Dual-purpose breeds, used for ram or ewe breeds, include Columbias, Lincolns, Dorsets, Montadales, Cheviots, Romneys, and Polypays. Fine-wool breeds incline the Merino and Rambouillet. Medium-wool breeds make up the majority of sheep breeds, including Cheviots, Columbias, Corriedales, Dorsets, Hampshires, Montadales, Finn Sheep, Oxfords, Polypays, Shropshires, Southdowns, Suffolks, and Targhees. Medium to Long-Wool Breeds include Lincoln’s and Romneys. 

           When selecting a sheep, research their breed, or in a crossbred sheep, breeds, to learn what traits are desirable. You can contact a breed association to learn more from experts.