Missouri Agricultural Statistics Service

Gene Danekas, Director

For Immediate Release: January 28, 2005


Missouri Goat Inventory Pegged at 45,000 Head

(Columbia, Mo.) - "January 1 marked the inaugural effort by USDA-NASS to
determine the Missouri population of goats on farms," according to Gene
Danekas, Director of Missouri Agricultural Statistics Service. 

The January 1, 2005 inventory of all goats and kids totaled 45,000 head.
In previous years, only Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico conducted annual
goat surveys and published estimates. January, 2005 marks the first year
for an expanded national goat survey that included all states.

All meat/other goats, at 34,800 head, made up the largest portion of the
all goat and kids inventory. All milk goats and kids totaled 8,600 head,
and all angora goats and kids totaled 1,600 head. 

All goat inventory in the United States on January 1, 2005, totaled 2.5
million head. Breeding goat inventory totaled 2.1 million head and
market goats totaled 0.4 million head. On January 1, 2005, meat and all
other goats totaled 1.97 million head, milk goats totaled 283,500 head
and angora goats totaled 274,000 head. The 2004 kid crop was 1.67
million head for all goats. 

First Sheep Inventory Increase in 6 Years

The January 1, 2005 inventory of all sheep and lambs in Missouri totaled
65,000 head, up 8 percent from January 1, 2004. This is the first
increase in all sheep and lamb inventory since 1999. The number of
breeding sheep and lambs was up 7 percent to 57,500 head. There was a 23
percent increase in the number of replacement lambs to 8,000 head. The
number of ewes one year old and older increased 4 percent to 47,000
head. The number of market sheep and lambs totaled 7,500 head, up from
6,000 head in 2004. Of that total, 1,000 head were market sheep and
6,500 head were market lambs. There were 2,000 lambs weighing less than
65 pounds, up from a year ago; 1,000 lambs in the 65-84 pound weight
group, unchanged from last year; 1,500 lambs in the 85-105 pound weight
group, down from a year ago; and 2,000 lambs over 105 pounds, up from
last year. 

The 2004 lamb crop, at 60,000 head, was up 9 percent from the 2003 lamb
crop of 55,000 head. The 2004 lambing rate was 133 lambs per 100 ewes
one year old and older on January 1, 2004, up from the 2003 lambing rate
of 115. 

Wool production in Missouri during 2004 totaled 375,000 pounds, up 1
percent from the 370,000 pounds produced in 2003. The number of sheep
and lambs shorn, at 61,000 head, was up 15 percent from 53,000 a year
earlier. 

All sheep and lamb inventory in the United States on January 1, 2005,
totaled 6.14 million head, up slightly from 2004, but 3 percent below
two years ago. The inventory has leveled off and is showing a slight
increase for the first time since 1990.