Sheep Farming Fading In U.S.

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32253, 23 March 1970, Page 9

Sheep Farming Fading In U.S.

(New York Times News Service, through N.Z P.A.) LONGMONT (Colorado) Sheep farming is fading in America, and the fault is mostly man’s. Man is needed to tend sheep, to eat them and to wear the wool clipped from their hides. Americans are failing on all three counts, and with that failure the lonely ways of ■ tending sheep are vanishing ■ from the land. With inflation, 1970 started off with high prices for ;lamb, the best prices in the last two years. But most I sheep ranchers believe the reprieve is only a temporary one, and they have already sold their lambs for delivery later this year. Back in 1883. the biggest year for sheep raising in the

nation’s history, there were 51.1 million producing ewes. Today there are only 17.5 million. Per capita consumption of lamb (sheep promoters never talk of mutton any more) has been in a long, spasmodic decline. Department of Agriculture projections for 1970 predict that each man, woman and child in the country will eat 109.71 b of beef this year, compared with 3.41 b of lamb. At the same time, synthetic fabrics have cut sharply into the wool market. In spite of Government backing wool prices are near 1940 levels. But most discouraging of all to sheep farmers is their labour problem. Few men can be found who are willing to lead the lonely life of the shepherd. The pay is about $240 a month. ,