The sheep industry across the West is facing what some consider a crisis, threatening the survival of ranching operations. Extreme volatility in prices has combined with the effects of a harsh drought to make this a brutal year in the sheep business. "I'm in my 60s and this is the worst year I've ever seen," said Doug Livingston, a retired sheep rancher who now works as a sheep broker. Livingston is trying to help an eastern Utah rancher sell out his herd and get out of the business. "I think there's a lot of ranchers, sheepmen, who would give it up if they could," he said. "But there are no buyers." It's an ironic and baffling twist for embattled sheep ranchers, so much so that some have demanded a federal investigation. A year ago, the price of lambs intended for slaughter was soaring to all-time record levels. This year, the bottom fell out. As one sheepman put it, "everything went down the toilet." The price now for lamb "on the hoof" is about half to a third of what it was a year ago, according to Sanpete County rancher Phil Allred. A fifth-generation sheepman, Allred said he's sure many ranchers would sell out if they could. "It does threaten the future of it," he said. "For me, myself, I'm old enough that if I didn't have three sons working with me, I wouldn't be here."...more
Here's the KSL news report:
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