WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The number of sheep, lambs, milk and meat goats in Indiana has increased over the past year and those familiar with the industries see reasons for growth.

Indiana’s inventory of sheep and lambs as of Jan. 1, 2021, was 60,000, up from 57,000 a year earlier, according to a Feb. 1 report from the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). Since 2017, the state’s annual inventory has ranged from 56,000-60,000.

The number of milk goats was up from 13,000 a year ago to 14,000 in January, NASS said. Inventory has increased about 1,000 head annually over the last three years. Inventory of meat and other goats was 38,000 in January, up from 37,000 last year. Numbers have ranged from 33,000-38,000 annually over the past five years.

Nationwide, the sheep and lambs inventory was nearly 5.2 million head, down 1 percent from Jan. 1, 2020. Milk goats, at 420,000, were down 3 percent. All meat and other goats were down 2 percent, to nearly 2.1 million head.

The general health of the sheep industry – including prices – seems to be “pretty good,” said Michael Neary, Purdue University extension sheep specialist.  “There seems to be a level of optimism. (The industry) has stabilized and seems to be relatively healthy.”

Recent increases in the price of feed could present a challenge, he said. Indiana has the advantage of having a few small packing houses in the state and access to fairly large population centers, Neary noted. Generally, markets have been good and the ethnic market is very good, he added.

Nationally – and regionally – the industry is impacted by commodity prices, feed grain prices, the general markets and weather, Neary said. “Nationwide, the numbers are down 1 percent and that’s not a lot. Nationwide, the industry has been fairly stable the last five years, with some ups and downs.”

The average price paid for wool in the state was 82 cents a pound in 2020, up 13 cents from 2019, NASS said. The total value of the state’s wool was $201,000, up 19 percent. Nationwide, the average price paid was $1.66, for a total of $38.4 million, which was down 15 percent from 2019.

The price of wool in Indiana is due to the grade of wool produced in the state, Neary said. “Most of the breeds here are used for meat, and wool is sort of a by-product,” he explained. “Other areas of the country will utilize sheep more for wool and will sell it for more. On average, Indiana is not known to produce a large quantity of high-quality wool.”

Some Indiana producers are raising hair sheep, which have hair instead of wool, Neary said. Hair sheep are easier to take care of – they don’t need to be shorn – and are used for meat.

Indiana has about 2,000 producers, though there could be more, he said. The number of producers has remained relatively stable. The average size flock has 25-30 ewes.

Brenda Lightner, president of the Indiana Dairy Goat Association (IDGA), said goat numbers may be up in the state due to high 4-H participation and the dairy goat association’s youth initiative.

“The dairy goat (and meat goat) 4-H project is seeing growth in counties around the state,” she said. “Goats, in general, are the fastest growing livestock species in most counties in the state. This is, in part, a shift from other livestock breeds due to the cost of feeding other species (such as swine and cattle), and the market prices for goats when sold through livestock auctions. The market price for goats entering the slaughter channel has continued to rise while other species, especially swine, has plummeted.”

In 2019, IDGA began a youth showmanship series to encourage youth participation, training and development, Lightner said. “This added dairy goat showmanship to the already competitive and popular showmanship offerings in Indiana for other livestock species. While COVID-19 impacted the series in 2020, the launch in 2019 added awareness and interest in dairy goats that likely impacted the (NASS) numbers.”

There are factors that would account for an increase in dairy goat numbers nationwide and not just in the state, Lightner pointed out. Those include ethnic market demand, homesteading or backyard mini-farms, the farm-to-table movement and an awareness of the health benefits of goat milk, she noted. “During this time of pandemic, families are spending more time at home. The demand for milking goats has increased as people add them for the first time, or keep additional head in their milking program given the extra time available for milking and management.”