Chasing Markets

An article in this week's New York Times tells how farmers are planting more cotton this year because cotton prices are high. This winter, ewes sold for a premium as farmers rushed to breed more sheep in response to high lamb prices. Is it good business sense or a case of foolishly chasing the dollar? For us, farming is a supplemental income, and we don't try to wring every ounce of profit from the land. Instead we make farming decisions based on our customer base and what the land will sustain. But like larger farmers, we are at the mercy of unpredictable weather. Last year's dry weather in summer and fall meant fewer sheep could graze on the pastures and we had to supplement with hay. But if we have too few sheep grazing, then we have to mow more. We also have to make breeding and production decisions a year in advance. The gestation period for sheep is five months, and lambs go to market between seven and 12 months of age.

If we produce a large lamb crop this year, we might have to supplement pastures with hay. If lamb prices go down, then we might have a loss.

Instead of producing more lambs this spring, we are opting for having a small number of lambs available for market year-round.

Unlike some sheep breeds, Katahdins can be bred year-round. This year, we bred some ewes for spring lambing, and we'll breed some for fall. This will give us lambs to butcher year-round. While it may not produce the greatest profits, it won't mean great losses if the market crashes. More importantly, it meets our goals of providing humanely-raised meat and being kind to the land.