MONTANA SHEEP NUMBERS ON INCREASE 



Sheep numbers have been increasing 

 steadily in Montana since 1923 and with 

 a population of 3,206,000 on January 1, 

 1928, are at their highest point since 

 1915. The peak of sheep numbers was 

 reached in 1901, when 6,417,000 sheep 

 were reported on farms and ranges in the 

 state. 



That Montana farmers and sheepmen 

 are steadily increasing their flocks is 

 shown in the accompanying classification 

 of she€p on January 1, It is seen that 

 the number of both old ewes and of ewe 

 lambs kept for breeding on January 1, 

 1928, was the greatest in four years. 



TREND or SHEEP 



SHEEP ON MONTANA FARMS 



1925 1926 



On feed for market 105,000 100,000 



Ewes 1 yr. and over for breedine: 1,880,000 2,079,000 



Ewe lambs for breeding 526,000 627,000 



Other lambs 10,000 10,000 



Rams and wethers 58,000 64,000 



2,880,000 



TOTAL SHEEP 2,579,000 



SHEEP OUTLOOK IN MONTANA 



The principal factors affecting the immediate outlook are (1) A prospective 

 1928 lamb crop larger than in 1927 based on a 6.5 per cent increase in present 

 (January 1) numbers of sheep compared with a year ago and assuming lambing 

 conditions to be at least as favorable as last year. (2) A consumer demand for 

 lamb during 1928-29 that is not likely to improve sufficiently to offset the pros- 

 pective increase in production. (3) A favorable outlook for wool based on light 

 present stocks in this country with a strong foreign market outlook for wool. 



Taken by and large, and considering the importance of lamb prices from the 

 standpoint of the Montana producer, the outlook for sheep and wool is not a 

 bullish one. If the welfare of the Montana sheepmen in the future may be ex- 

 pected to vary with the welfare of the sheepmen of the country, as it has done 

 in the past, then the conclusion that "the outlook" indicates the need of consid- 

 erable caution in regard to further expansion of the production of "marked lambs," 

 becomes as good advice for the Montana sheepman as it is intended to be for 

 sheepmen generally. 



Returning to the lamb production outlook, it is noted that despite the 1927 

 losses of Western lambs in the spring storms last year the total lamb crop held 

 up close to that of 1926 due to the increased production of native lambs. Inspected 

 slaughter of sheep and lambs during 1927 was fully as large as in 1926, while 

 the number of sheep and lambs on feed on January 1, 1928 was about 450,000 

 head, or 10 per cent larger than a year ago. In the feeding situation last winter 

 it was noted that the corn belt states, particularly those east of the Mississippi, 

 fed fewer lambs while feeding increase came very largely as a result of the 

 operations in northern Colorado and western Nebraska. 



The 1928 crop of early California lambs is expected to be a record crop and 

 under present conditions indicate a heavy movement to eastern markets in April 

 and May. A spring movement of grass wethers and yearlings from Texas as 

 large as or larger than 1927 is also indicated. All of which points to a supply of 

 all sheep and lambs for slaughter during the first half of 1928 considerably larger 

 than a year ago, and the largest for the period since 1914. 



The size of the 1928 lamb crop will determine the supply of lambs for the 

 last half of 1928 with the probabilities now favoring a larger supply than for this 

 same period in 1927. 



Yearly slaughter since 1924 has continued to steadily rise to a point in 1927 

 that was 7.5 per cent larger than in 1924, or an average yearly increase during 

 the four year period of 1.9 per cent. 



On the other hand, total sheep numbers have risen 9.1 per cent during this 



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