howeenterprise.com
Monday, March 11, 2019
Page #18
Texas sheep, goat prices, inventories down slightly amid strong market SAN ANGELO – Markets for goat and sheep meat and fiber continue to be relatively strong despite softening prices and lower inventories, according to a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service expert. Bill Thompson, AgriLife Extension economist, San Angelo, said production data from the sheep and goat fiber and meat markets reveal mixed signals about their place among Texas livestock. Sheep and goat numbers are down, but prices remain high relative to their respective five-year averages and demand for meat, hair and wool continues to grow. SHEEP Sheep inventories are down in the U.S. and in Texas, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data, as markets for lamb meat and wool continue to perform well, Thompson said. Lamb prices are down slightly, but consumers in traditional ethnic markets and emerging markets continue an upward demand trend. “Whether you’re talking about chops or ground meat, most large grocers have lamb on hand because of its popularity,” he said. Wool prices have dipped some since record highs of around $7 per pound in 2018, but remain very strong at more than $6.50 per pound, Thompson said. Production of wool also dipped slightly. Thompson said the dip in sheep inventories for meat and wool and the subsequent dip in prices are surprising because of price strength and consumer demand. “We would expect wool production and sheep numbers to come back because wool prices are so strong,” he said. “The decreases are not big, but they are still decreases. You would think the market would take account of the strong prices and grow the production side of the market.” Thompson said the Rambouillet market dropped significantly, and they were replaced with hair sheep. Labor costs associated with shearing Rambouillets and better parasite tolerance in hair sheep likely contributed to the change, he said. GOATS Texas continues to be the top producer of goats by a large margin, Thompson said. Texas’ goat herd as of Jan. 1 was estimated at 740,000 and is larger than the next 10 states combined, which have a total of 631,000 goats. But the state’s inventory of meat and mohair goats fell 3 percent from 2018, he said. The total U.S. inventory fell 1 percent to just over 2 million animals.
low temperatures and wind chills were reported. Some moisture was received with the cold front. Pastures and rangelands were in poor to fair condition. Calving “The goat markets were banner for season was almost complete. Cattle the last few years, but inventories were turned out on winter wheat fields, which were mostly in fair to keep dropping,” Thompson said. good condition. Colder conditions “Imports and the value of the and extremely windy conditions dollar may have something to do with that, but there is still room for made it difficult for farmers to producers to pencil out pretty good plow and prepare for planting. profits.” COASTAL BEND: Extreme wet conditions halted or delayed most One possible deterrent for goat producers, especially those new to fieldwork. Local row-crop the industry, could be the animals’ producers were expected to need two to three weeks of dry propensity for escape, property conditions before fieldwork could damage and general resume. Some corn and sorghum “mischievousness,” he said. fields were planted before rains and colder temperatures arrived. Predation also continues to be a Some corn was planted into top concern for sheep and goat shredded cotton stalks. Growers producers, Thompson said. were waiting for warmer Producers south and west of San conditions before planting cotton. Angelo have faced challenging Rangeland and pasture conditions losses by incorporating continued to improve but were management practices, including extremely wet with standing water the use of guardian dogs. reported in many areas. Hay “It’s been tough, but producers are producers were fertilizing as soil getting better results with guardian moisture allowed. Pastures were greening up and full of winter dogs,” he said. “They will have a weeds. Hay and supplemental huge impact on the industry, but feeding continued. Livestock it’s just taking time for producers to learn how to train them and use showed signs of reduced body conditions, but were expected to them effectively.” improve rapidly with the onset of warmer, drier conditions. Despite weakening price trends and lower inventories, Thompson EAST: Dreary, wet conditions said he expects demand for sheep and goat meat and their respective persisted across the district with fibers to continue an upward trend. more rain in the forecast. Flooding of rivers and lakes continued. Soils were too wet for any activity. “There is high demand for wool and mohair for clothing, especially Pasture and rangeland conditions were mostly fair to good. Subsoil high-end, high-quality natural fabrics,” he said. “Consumers want and topsoil conditions were adequate to surplus. Tractors were natural. They want getting stuck in many counties. environmentally friendly and sustainable along with quality. The Producers were still running low market for meats continues to grow as well as traditional consumers are wanting more while new consumers are trying those meats and making them trendy.” U.S. mohair production was up 2 percent to 755,000 pounds in 2018, Thompson said, with 62 percent of production coming from Texas.
AgriLife Extension district reporters compiled the following summaries: CENTRAL: Conditions were good with adequate moisture. More rainfall was received across the district. Rains hindered plantings by farmers, but some greening was seen in Bermuda grass. Pastures were in good to fair condition with a lot of clover and spring grasses. Wheat continued to look good across the district. Stripe rust was found in many fields, and instances of powdery mildew were also reported. Extremely cold temperatures and hard freezes were in the forecast. Cold temperatures were expected to impact early blooming varieties of this year’s peach crop. Damage to some small-grain crops was expected. Livestock were in good condition. Corn planting began on a limited basis. Stock tanks were full. Nearly all counties reported good soil moisture and good overall rangeland, pasture and crop conditions. ROLLING PLAINS: Near-record
on or out of hay. Some Anderson County producers were buying corn stalk bales. Ryegrass was greening up. Cherokee County producers were grazing cattle more and slowing down on feeding their herds. Cattle were in fair to good condition. Sale numbers were way down at sale barns in Houston County. Wild pigs continued to cause problems. SOUTH PLAINS: Subsoil and topsoil moisture levels remained very dry due to lack of moisture and windy conditions. Temperatures dropped, and there was a slight chance of rain in the forecast. Producers were preparing for spring planting. Winter wheat, pastures and rangeland needed moisture. Cattle were in good condition. PANHANDLE: Much of the district continued to suffer from lack of moisture and drought conditions, although the northwest corner of the district received some moisture. Winter wheat continued to struggle without rain or snowfall events, and some producers were running irrigation systems to help. Producers with wheat fields across the district were deciding whether to continue grazing cattle for gains or to pull them off to grow grain. Producers were top dressing with fertilizer and spraying wheat for weeds where there was moisture. Preplant fieldwork for summer crops was underway. Ranchers across the district were supplementing cattle as pastures and cattle conditions declined. NORTH: Most counties reported adequate to surplus topsoil page 20
