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Marketing them
Sheep and goats produce many marketable products including meat, fiber, dairy, and vegetation control through grazing. Meat from sheep and goats can be sold through traditional markets like auctions or cooperatives, or through non-traditional direct marketing to consumers. Fiber from sheep and goats can also be sold traditionally through pools or warehouses, or directly to consumers as raw fiber or value-added products. Dairy from sheep and goats has similar regulations to cow dairy but with more limited infrastructure and competition from imports. Sheep and goats can also provide vegetation control services through solar grazing programs.
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Marketing them
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- 2. Sheep & Goats producemany marketable products. Meat Fiber Dairy Vegetation control (grazing) Agrotourism Research and biomedical
- 3. MEAT The primary productfrom sheep/goats and an important by- product of dairy and fiber animals • Sheep • Lamb – under one year of age • Yearling mutton – between 1 and 2 years of age • Mutton – over one year of age • Goat • Cabrito – young goat • Chevon
- 4. Issues and challenges •Low per capita consumption • Lamb – about 1 lb. per person • Goat – about 0.25 per person (Cornell estimate) • Less infrastructure, especially for goats • Stiff competition from imports, mostly from Australia • Higher per unit costs of Sheep Goat Beef Pork Chicke n Turkey Seafoo d 1 0.25 57 54 65 17 16
- 5. Opportunities • Demand exceedssupply • Though per capita consumption is low, it is much higher among people of certain ethnicities, nationalities, and religions, e.g., Muslim, Hispanic, Orthodox Christian. • Many of today’s immigrants are lamb and goat eaters. • Population demographics and immigration patterns favor an increase in demand for sheep and goat meat.
- 6. Marketing alternatives for meat TRADITIONAL •Public auction • Electronic auction • Marketing cooperatives • Abattoir (slaughterhouse) • Order buyer, dealer • Store or restaurant NON- TRADITIONAL • Direct to consumer • Live animals • Whole or half carcasses • Retail cuts • On-farm slaughter
- 7. Pros and consfor selling to auction Pros • Convenient, especially nearby auctions • Can sell almost any sheep or goat • May have special sales prior to major holidays • Auctions are bonded; guaranteed payment Cons • Selling fees can be high • Transportation costs can be high • Shrink can be high • “Price taker”: price not known ahead of time • Prices can be volatile, esp. at small volume auctions
- 8. Know how toread a sale report
- 9. Tips for selling to anauction • Timing – prior to holidays • Optimal weight for your production system/profit • Optimal condition – flesh, fat, sex, tails • Aim for highest net
- 10. What is anethnic market? • Much lamb and almost all goat is consumed by ethnic markets. • Group of consumers who share a common background, culture, religion, national identity, or language. • Generally, refers to cultures other than the majority culture in the marketing area.
- 11. HOLIDAY RELIGI ON 2021 2022 20232024 2025 Eid ul-Adha: Festival of the Sacrifice Muslim July 20-23 July 9-10 Jun 28-29 Jun 16-17 Jun 6-7 Muharramm/Hajra: Islamic New Year Muslim Aug 9-10 July 29-30 July 18-19 July 7-8 June 26-27 Mawlid al-Nabi: Prophet's Birthday Muslim Oct 18-19 Oct 7-8 Sept 26-27 Sept 15-16 Sept 4-5 Ramadan (month of fasting) Muslim April 12-May 11 April 2-May 1 Mar 22-Apr 20 Mar 10-Apr 8 Feb 28-Mar 29 Eid ul-Fitr: Festival of Fast Breaking Muslim May 12-13 May 2-3 Apr 21-22 Apr 9-10 Mar 30-31 Pesch (Passover) Jewish Mar 27-Apr 4 Apr 15-23 Apr 5-13 Apr 22-30 Apr 12-20 Rosh Hashanah Jewish Sept 6-8 Sept 25-27 Sept 15-27 Oct 2-4 Sept 22-24 Nov 29-Dec Dec 25-Jan Ethnic holiday calendar, 2021-2025 Source: sheepandgoat.com * *
- 12. Pros and consof direct marketing PROS • You set price • No selling fees or commission • Greater income/profit potential • Connection with customers CONS • Scheduling slaughter • High slaughter and processing costs • Time consuming
- 13. Slaughter options for direct marketers •Federal (USDA) Inspection • State Inspection • Custom-exempt • Personal exemption 9/3/20XX 13
- 14. Federal (USDA) Inspection • Highest levelof inspection • Pre- and post-mortem inspection of animal • Can sell retail cuts (if properly labeled) • Nationwide sales
- 15. State inspection • In cooperationwith USDA FSIS • “At least equal to” federal standards. • About half the states don’t have state meat inspection; Maryland does not • Generally, cannot sell meat across state-lines.
- 16. Custom Exempt • Processingfor owner(s) of animal Need to sell live animal and have customer pay processing • Exempt from continuous inspection • No pre- or post-mortem inspection of animals • Once or twice-yearly inspections of facility • Meat is stamped “not for resale”; cannot be sold, traded, bartered, or given away
- 17. Personal exemption • Exemptfrom any inspection • On-farm slaughter for personal use (family, guests, employees) • Slaughter animal of own raising. • Meat cannot be sold, traded,
- 18. More about on- farmslaughter • A person may purchase livestock and slaughter it on-site, so long as seller doesn’t participate in the slaughter and/or processing (per US code). • Some states may have more stringent regulations and prohibit on-farm slaughter by customer. • Regulations are sometimes interpreted differently and sometimes
- 19. Tips for direct marketing • Knowwhat your animals are worth • Calculate your total costs • Know what your customers want • Provide good customer service
- 20. American Lamb Check- off •Money used to promote American lamb • Owed regardless of marketing method • Owed on every sheep and lamb, regardless of age and sex • Live weight assessment of $0.007 per pound • First handler (owner at time of slaughter) https://americanlamb.com https://www.lambresourcecenter.com
- 21. Fiber • Wool (sheep) •Fine | Crossbred | Medium | Long (coarse) | Carpet • White | Natural colored • Mohair (Angora goats) • Cashmere (Cashmere goats) • Other – Pygora, Cashgora
- 22. Marketing alternatives for fiber TRADITIONAL •Wool pools; Maryland no longer has one • Wool warehouses • Order buyers (sometimes shearer) • Options for marketing goat fibers are more limited NON- TRADITIONAL • Direct to the consumer • Raw fiber (fleeces) • Value-added • Roving, yarn • Blankets and apparel • Felted items
- 23. Pelts (skins, hides) •Pelt credit for commodity lambs (large processors) • Another potential profit center • Can do it yourself or have hides professionally tanned • Prepare hides for professional tanning by • Working closely with processor • Stretching, trimming, and
- 24. Dairy • Similar situationas meat: most cheese is imported. • Dairy is one of the most regulated foods • Standards and licensing requirements are usually similar to cows. • Regulations vary by state – e.g., some allow sales of raw milk or cheese made from raw milk;
- 25. Other marketing options fordairy • Home consumption of milk/milk products • Feed milk to other livestock • Sell as pet food (check state regulations) • Make soap and lotion
- 26. Get paid tograze • Sheep best for controlling grasses and forbs. • Goats best for controlling brush and browse. • Sheep more suitable for solar grazing. • Usually, dry females are used • High health standard for animals – may need health papers and rabies vaccinations. • Need trailer to transport animals https://solargrazing. org
- 27. SUSAN SCHOENIAN Sheep &Goat Specialist University of Maryland Extension [email protected] www.sheepandgoat.com www.sheep101.info www.wormx.info Facebook @MDSmallRuminant https://go.umd.edu/MDSmallRum inantYouTube