By Emmy Powell
Communications Specialist

Texas sheep producers are seeing growth in their flocks, with the state’s total inventory increasing by 5% over the past year, according to the latest U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) report. The Texas inventory of all sheep and lambs totaled 670,000 head at the beginning of January, up from last year’s level of 640,000 head.

Of those, 520,000 head were breeding sheep and lambs, up 4% from the 2024 numbers. Breeding ewes aged one year and older also rose by 4%, reaching 405,000 head.

Replacement lambs also saw an increase, totaling 87,000 head.

“The increase in Texas is encouraging, given the challenges faced in recent years but high demand and good prices has incentivized producers,” said Tracy Tomascik, Texas Farm Bureau associate director of Commodity and Regulatory Activities.

The 2024 lamb crop grew by 1% to 340,000 head. Market sheep and lambs in Texas increased by 7% to 150,000 head, with lambs for market up 11,000 head from the previous year. However, sheep for market decreased slightly to 4,000 head.

In 2024, Texas producers sheared 190,000 sheep and lambs, which is 7% less than 2023 numbers.

Texas wool production dropped 4% to 1.20 million pounds, despite an increase in average fleece weight to 6.3 pounds. The total value of wool production fell to $2.34 million, down 1%. The price per pound is up 3% to $1.95.

The U.S. sheep and lamb inventory stood at 5.05 million head as of Jan. 1, 2025, showing a slight increase from 2024.

The breeding sheep inventory reached 3.68 million head, with ewes one year and older totaling 2.88 million head. The 2024 lamb crop increased slightly to 3.04 million head, with a lambing rate of 106 lambs per 100 ewes. Market sheep and lambs totaled 1.37 million head.

U.S. wool production declined by 1% to 22.5 million pounds in 2024, with fleece weights remaining at 7.1 pounds. The total value of wool production fell by 9% to $32.1 million, with the price per pound dropping 8% to $1.43.

“Despite the growth in flock numbers, challenges remain for producers, including fluctuating feed costs and ongoing drought concerns in some regions,” Tomascik said. “Threats from predators are also an issue. Even with trapping and fencing efforts, losses to predators can take a toll on herd size and profitability.”

The estimates were gathered through a USDA survey of 25,000 producers nationwide.