Cl4—Lancaster Fs*~ ng r Saturday, February 2,1980
fa.
UNIVERSITY PARK -
The possiblity of an ex
panding sheep industry in
Pennsylvania is very real,
participants in a sheep
producers conference at the
University Park Campus of
Penn State were told
recently.
“A choice is to look at our
own problems and do
something about them,”
Clair Engle, Extension
animal scientist at Penn
State, told the group.
“The sheep industry will
expand when producers set
forth to become personally
involved and also establish a
basic game plan.
“It’s important to involve
people indirectly in your
industry. And this means
government, ag-related
businesses, financial and
educational institutions.
“Efforts should be made
by the state association of
sheep producers to meet and
establish some financial
dialogue with the state
bankers association. This is
most critical to young
producers wanting to ex
pand,” Engle said.
Cattle on
HARRISBURG - Penn
sylvania cattle feeders had
79,000 cattle and calves on
feed January 1, 1980 for
slaughter market, down
eight percent from last year
according to the Penn
sylvania Crop Reporting
Service.
Marketings of fed cattle
during the October-
December quarter at 19,000
were unchanged from the
same quarter a year earlier.
Placements of cattle and
calves on feed during the
October-December quar
ter totaled 50,000, also
unchanged from the same
period a year ago.
Expected marketings
during the January-March
1980 quarter, if realized at
25,000, would be four percent
less than were marketed
during the same period a
year ago
In the 23 major cattle on
feed states, the total number
of cattle and calves on feed
sheep industry likely for expansion ,
He emphasized the need to
establish a basic game plan.
Such a basic plan was
created in 1975 by the
leaders of the American
sheep industry. It calls for
action to halt the decline m
numbers and to gradually
increase growth over a 15-
year period. The plan is
ambitious. It seeks to in
crease the live market
weight of lambs from
current 100-105 pounds to an
average of 125 pounds.
The price discrimination
due to carcass weight at best
appears to reflect the
inequities in buying,
packing, grading and
marketing lambs rather
than the preferences of the
ultimate consumer.
It also calls for doubling
our lamb production over the
next 10-year period. Penn
sylvania is now producing
about 297 million head.
-Increase the weaned
lamb crop by 25 percent. To
be profitable the lamb
weaning percentage must be
greater than 150 percent.
-Increase ewe numbers by
50 percent. Presently, it is 12
to 18 million.
feed down 8 percent
was 11.7 million head. This
number was down seven
percent from January 19,
1979 and eight percent below
January 1,1978.
Placements during the
October-December 1979
quarter were 8.10 million,
seven percent below 1978 and
15 percent lower than the
1977 fourth quarter. Other
disappearances of 571,000
leaves a net placement of
7.53 million.
Marketings of fed cattle
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-Increase wool production
by 50 percent, from current
average fleece weight of 7
pounds to 9 pounds or
greater.
And all these goals are
achievable, urged Engle.
A committee of 40
members are currently
working on a blueprint for
the expansion of Penn
sylvania’s sheep industry
which will be presented to
the Pennsylvania Lamb and
Wool Growers Association
for adoption. This expansion
program will include both
short-term and long-term
tasks.
Some favorable factors
cited by Engle to increase
sheep production in Penn
sylvania and the Northeast
include:
-Large acreages of un
profitable land which is of
little or no use for most
agricultural production but
could be used for raising
sheep.
-A greater emphasis on
expanding demand for and
use of wool.
-In clothing, we can adjust
with wool, not the ther
mostat.
for slaughter during the
October-December 1979
quarter were 5.73 million, 15
percent below 1978 and six
percent below 1977.
Cattle feeders intend to
market 6.38 million during
the January-March quarter
of 1980. If this total is
realized, the first quarter
marketings would be five
percent below 1979 and six
percent below the same
period of 1978.
ill
-We can produce a more
tender product with sheep on
roughage than with beef
cattle and do it within one
season.
-In the U.S., 2 out of every
3 slaughtered lambs are
marketed in Northeastern
states.
Producers and potential
lamb producers m Penn
sylvania have the advantage
of supporting the few
existing lamb processing
plants in ' Pennsylvania,
Maryland, and New York.
Some problems are that
many people who don’t eat
lamb have never tried it.
This means Americans
would eat more lamb if they
tried some of the many
delicious ways it can be
prepared for eating.
Currently, about 5 million
lambs are being slaughtered
yearly in the U.S. Those
numbers could be doubled
without any reduction in
market value to the
producer. Presently, only 85
percent of the domestic
demand for lamb is being
produced in the United
States.
There are too many self
styled breeders without
accurate knowledge of the
end results of their products.
Performance records are
important as a tool for
merchandising. We should
have larger flocks, 100-head
commercial ewe flocks or
larger, believes Engle.
Other problems are
skimpy funding for
research; predation;
producer financing facilities
and fencing costs; and
generally sheep producers
have been reticent to accept
new ideas.
New management
techniques are available to
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