Lamb Industry Needs More Integration, Marketing

[TopManagers.ca]

A Research Assistant at the George Morris Centre says the sheep industry needs a better relationship with processors and retailers.

Terri-Lyn Moore says the lack of intergration in the industry means producers aren't necessarily creating the lamb the marketplace wants.

Moore says the industry may need to look at a new grid pricing system.

She says producers aren't getting the signals from the processors and retailers about what type of lamb should be shipped.

Moore also says the industry needs to work on marketing.

George Morris Centre http://www.georgemorris.org/

[WoolyBear]

There has been virtually NO sharing of information between packers and producers. Many producers don't finish their lambs, but rather pass them off to feedlots (as is the case in the Beef industry). There are very few packers that even have a marketing grid that is reliable and repeatable. Much of it (as I am told) is based on a graders opinion of the carcases and is not measurable with an unbiased approach.

Another issue is the number of breeds of sheep being marketed out there. The Lakeland college in Alberta is currently conducting carcass trials using just 5 of the recognized terminal breeds. Until we can bring ourselves to create a more uniformed output the industry is in some degree of trouble.

WE DO NOT need to be integrated as we see in the pork or poultry industry. We need constructive input from packers that clearly tells the producer what they are wanting, and are willing to grade according to a grid that is not biased towards the packer, but towards the goal of producing a better lamb.

[cakadu]

I would also add that we need a processor to stick to what they tell us they want. It is no wonder that at times plants have trouble getting lambs when they say they would like them one way and then on delivery say something different. Once a breeding program is set, it cannot be changed i.e. bred ewes and resulting lambs.

If those in the cattle industry feel that information coming back to producers is limited, it is even more so (read that non-existant) in the sheep industry.