06/09/2026
Saw this on a sheep site this evening but it definitely correlates to goats as well. This is one reason we entered the Norrth Dakota buck test. I think that the feed conversion data could be a game changer to determine which lines or animals are converting feed to lbs at the highest level.
We’ve got a lot of decisions to make about the future of the sheep industry in the United States.
My hope is that producers start looking beyond the marketing claims and really begin running the numbers. It’s one thing to hear about lambs reaching 110-120 pounds, but it’s another thing entirely to examine what it takes to get them there. Were they raised primarily on grass, or were they supplemented with free-choice hay, grain, feed tubs, and other inputs along the way?
The question isn’t just how much a lamb weighs. The question is: What did it cost to get there?
In many parts of the United States, the highest price per pound is often paid for lambs in the 70-85 pound range. If that’s where the premium market exists, wouldn’t it make sense to develop genetics that can consistently hit that target weight on grass with minimal inputs?
Every bale of hay, every pound of grain, every feed tub, and every extra day on the farm cuts into profit. Depending on the operation, those costs can easily reduce actual profitability by 20-40%.
This isn’t meant to criticize any breed or any breeder. There are some outstanding genetics available today. My point is simply that we should evaluate sheep based on profitability, not just performance numbers.
At the end of the day, the most profitable sheep may not be the heaviest sheep. It may be the one that reaches the market’s sweet spot with the least amount of overhead.
As producers, we owe it to ourselves to run the numbers, understand our markets, and make breeding decisions that maximize profit—not just production.
