Sheep
In 2007 there were over 6 million sheep housed on 70,000 sheep farms in the U.S. (80% of sheep are owned by large sheep operations, and 17% are owned by small producers.) Sheep production was at its highest in 1945, when there were 56 million sheep being farmed.
Most of the income for sheep farmers comes from the sale of lambs for meat, and then wool, and finally other by-products such as milk and cheese. Sheep meat accounts for 6% of the world's total meat consumption, and 1.3 % of the world's cheese. American producers tend to breed dual-purpose animals, valued for both meat and wool.
Breeds
- There are more breeds of sheep than breeds of any other livestock species. Worldwide, there are more than 200 distinct sheep breeds.
- Fine wool sheep, such as the Merino, account for more than 50% of the world's sheep population. They are found extensively in Australia, South Africa, South America, and the western U.S.
- Long wool sheep are found in high rainfall areas such as England, Scotland, New Zealand and the Falkland Islands.
- Hair sheep are mostly found in Africa and the Caribbean.
