Source: USDA AMS Agricultural Analytics Division (www.ams.usda.gov/services/market-research/aad) Lamb Markets Overview – September 2019

PRODUCTION: Commercial lamb and mutton production increased 4% in July to 11.9

million pounds, 2% below the July 2018 level. Commercial sheep and lamb slaughter in 

July rose 7% 188,300 head, 5% over last year. The average sheep and lamb live weight

lost three pounds to a 127 pound average, 8 pounds lighter than a year ago. The average 

dressed lamb carcass weight, at 66 pounds, was down 2 pounds from last month and 4 

pounds from last year. Mature sheep slaughter increased 14% in July to 10,000 head, 

8% more than in July 2018. Stocks of lamb and mutton in cold storage in July increased 

8% to 43.1 million pounds, 2% over the level in July 2018. 

GRADING: The volume of lambs graded Choice and Prime by the USDA during the 

month of August increased 12% over July but 3% under 2018. The Mountain States 

region saw the largest increase in lambs graded with an overall 21% increase for the 

month led by a 22% rise in Choice lambs. Nationally, the number of lambs qualifying for 

the Choice grade gained 13% from last month but was 2% under August 2018 while the 

Choice share of all lambs graded gained a percent to 93%. The Ohio Valley continued 

to post increases in lambs qualifying for Choice, up 14% in August. Only the Northwest 

had a decline in Choice lambs, down 1% for the month. Nationally, the share of lambs 

qualifying for YG 3 gained 3% as lamb yields shifted to the mid-range with fewer YG 1-

2 and YG 4-5 lambs. Lambs in the Ohio Valley had the biggest shift to the middle with 

a 9% rise in YG 3. With 57%, the Northwest had the most lambs qualifying for the YG 2 

grade. 

Lamb Markets Overview

A monthly publication of the USDA AMS Livestock and Poultry Program, Agricultural Analytics Division September 2019

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

millions of pounds

Commercial Lamb/Mutton Production

2019 2018 2017

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

millions of pounds

Lamb in Cold Storage 2019 2018 2017

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

YG1 YG2 YG3 YG4 YG5

Regional Choice Lamb by Yield Grade - August 2019

Northwest

Rocky Mntn

Upper Midwest

Ohio Valley

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

YG1 YG2 YG3 YG4 YG5

Choice Lamb by Yield Grade % - August 2019

19-Jul

19-Jun

18-Jul
Source: USDA AMS Agricultural Analytics Division (www.ams.usda.gov/services/market-research/aad) Lamb Markets Overview – September 2019

LIVE MARKETS: The volume of slaughter lambs trading on a direct negotiated basis in 

August, at 17,200 head, declined 14% from July, 18% above August 2018. Prices declined 

5% (from $161.26 to $153.70 per cwt.) in August, 6% over 2018. In auction trading, the 

average monthly price in August for traditional Choice & Prime 2-3, slaughter lambs in 

Sioux Falls, SD, was $152.51 per cwt, down 2% from July on monthly receipts of 7,112

head, 25% more than in July. In San Angelo, TX, the monthly average price of Choice 

and Prime 2-3 wooled and shorn non-traditional slaughter lambs was $151.98 per cwt, 

down 9% for the month with receipts of 8,924, down 27% in sales from July. At the New 

Holland, PA, sale in July, the monthly average price for Choice and Prime 2-3 wooled and 

shorn non-traditional slaughter lambs was $190.86 per cwt., down 4% for the month on 

total monthly receipts of 12,558, 2% over July. 

LAMB IMPORTS: The overall volume of fresh and frozen imported lamb carcasses and 

cuts in July, at 15.4 million pounds, increased 11%, 20% under July 2018. Fresh imports

rose 12% in volume and held share at 43% while frozen lamb import volume was up 10% 

for the month. Australia was the source nation for 74% of lamb imports including 80% 

of the fresh imports and 68% of frozen imports. New Zealand accounted for 24% of total 

lamb imports with Chile, Uruguay, Mexico, and Canada rounding out the volume. Chile 

continues to send primarily lamb carcasses as did Uruguay although that nation also sent 

a small volume of shoulder cuts. Mexico and Canada sent a smattering of bone-in nonspecified cuts, frozen for Mexico and fresh for Canada. 

Imports of whole and half lamb carcasses, primarily in frozen form, rose 40% from June 

with a tenfold rise in fresh imports. Carcasses gained a percentage point in share, 

increasing to 5%. The overall volume of lamb leg imports rose 97% and accounted for 

10% of imports with fresh leg imports rising 23% while frozen volume gained 120% as 

marketers begin to stage for fourth quarter business. Imports of loin cuts increased 13% 

on a 16% rise in fresh product. Frozen loin material declined 57% in volume in July. Loin 

cuts continued to account for 12% of imports. Shoulder imports, 13% of imported 

volume, saw an overall 56% increase in volume, driven by a 141% increase in frozen with 

fresh kicking in a 14% increase. 

The volume of imported bone-in lamb meat decreased one percent and lost 4% of 

import share to 34%. A 5% increase in fresh product was more than offset by a 4% 

decline in frozen lamb. Imports of other boneless lamb cuts, not identified, decreased 

9% in July and decreased import share by nearly 6 percentage points to 25%. As with 

their bone-in counterparts, fresh imports rose 4% but fell to a 17% decline in frozen 

imports.

120

130

140

150

160

170

180

190

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

dollars per cwt

Negotiated Direct Slaughter Lambs (CH/PR wooled/shorn) 2019 2018 2017

120

135

150

165

180

195

210

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

dollars per cwt

Sioux Falls Auction Slaughter Lambs (CH/PR wooled/shorn) 2019 2018 2017

8

11

13

16

18

21

23

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

millions of pounds

Imported Lamb Cuts (fresh and frozen) 2019 2018 2017
Source: USDA AMS Agricultural Analytics Division (www.ams.usda.gov/services/market-research/aad) Lamb Markets Overview – September 2019

DOMESTIC MEAT TRADE: The volume of trading of Choice and Prime, 1-4 lamb 

carcasses in August gained 61% but still fell 8% short of matching the August 2018 

trading volume. The gross lamb carcass cutout declined 1% to $3.93 per pound, 5% 

above last year. The volume of negotiated wholesale trading of fresh and frozen 

domestic boxed lamb cuts in August erased July’s loss, gaining 46% for the month, 9% 

over August 2018. Negotiated trading of fresh cuts increased 41% in volume and 

accounted for 84% of total sales – a 3% decrease. The volume of frozen cut trading was 

up sharply – 81% over July.

Traded volume of all lamb cuts increased in August as marketers began to prepare for 

the fall demand period. Prices were mostly weak to lower. Trading of trotter-off legs

rose 48% with a 2% drop in price to $3.81 per pound while boneless legs gained 70% in 

sales volume with a 1% drop in average price to $5.37 per pound. Sales of medium 8-

rib racks were up 60% and the average price was down 3% (from $8.84 to $8.55 per 

pound). Frenched racks sales gained 38% but prices were unchanged at $16.41 per 

pound). The volume of trimmed 4x4 loins trading increased 37% while prices dropped 

a percent to $5.21 per pound. Foreshank trading volume gained 44% but the average 

price lost 5% (from $4.33 to $4.11 per pound). Trading of square-cut shoulder cuts was 

up 47% in volume and posted the only price gain for the month, up 4% (from $3.10 to 

$3.23 per pound). Trading of ground lamb increased 72% for the month and prices were 

unchanged at $5.78 per pound. 

IMPORTED MEAT TRADE: The overall volume of negotiated sales of imported boxed 

lamb cuts decreased 14% in August, 2% above the August 2018 level. Sales of fresh 

product declined 24% for the month while frozen cut sales dropped 25%. Imports 

accounted for 63% of all boxed lamb cut sales in August, a 13% decline in share. 

Prices for most fresh Australian cuts 

were higher in August except for 

foreshanks which saw a 2% drop in 

the average sale price. The volume of 

foreshank sales also declined, down 

28% in August. Fresh shoulder cuts 

posted the largest price increase, 

gaining 4% although sales volume was 

down 37%, the largest sales volume 

decline of all fresh cuts. Fresh leg cut 

sale prices gained 3% but volume was 

reduced by 26% for the month. Fresh 

racks posted a 2% gain in sales price 

for the month but trading volume was 

down 25%. 

3.7

3.7

3.8

3.8

3.9

3.9

4.0

4.0

5

10

15

20

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

cutout dollars per pound

head in thousands

Lamb Carcass Sales vs. Lamb Cutout (CH & PR, 1-4)

2019 hd 2018 hd 2019$ 2018$

3.0

4.0

5.0

6.0

7.0

8.0

9.0

10.0

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

millions of pounds

Fresh/Frozen Domestic Boxed Lamb Cut Movement 2019 2018 2017

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

2.70

2.75

2.80

2.85

2.90

2.95

3.00

3.05

3.10

3.15

3.20

3.25

3.30

200

250

300

350

400

450

500

550

dollars per pound

pounds in thousands

Shoulders, Square-Cut (207) volume v. price 2019 2018 2019$ 2018$

Negotiated Sales of Imported Lamb - Aug.

(change in primal price and sales volume)

Fresh price lbs. price lbs.

racks 102 75 -- --

loins 101 69 -- --

legs 103 74 -- --

shoulders 104 63 -- --

foreshanks 98 72 -- --

Frozen

racks 100 51 100 64

legs 100 84 -- --

shoulders 96 46 -- --

foreshanks 100 53 -- --

percent change

Australia New Zealand
Source: USDA AMS Agricultural Analytics Division (www.ams.usda.gov/services/market-research/aad) Lamb Markets Overview – September 2019

Sales of frozen Australian cuts down across the board in volume while prices were 

unchanged to lower. Frozen shoulders saw a 4% price decline and volume declined 

54%. Frozen Australian racks also endured a 51% drop in sales volume but prices held 

at July levels. Foreshanks saw a similar drop in the magnitude of sales, down 47% and 

prices were unchanged. Sales volume of frozen Australian legs fared best during August, 

down 16% while price held steady. Sales of imported frozen New Zealand racks realized 

a 36% drop in volume but the average sales price for the month was unchanged. 

RETAIL MARKETING: Supermarket feature activity for lamb cuts, both domestic and 

imported, fresh and frozen, declined sharply in August, down 45% from the level of 

promotion conducted in July and 24% below the August 2018 rate. Featuring of most 

leg cuts decreased with a few more ads for butterflied legs in store circulars. Leg cut 

promotions lost 2% of ad share – down to 8% - while featuring dropped 68%. Features 

for loin chops in retail outlets fared best in August, increasing ad share to 51% despite a 

29% drop in featuring. Promotions of shoulder chops commanded 28% of lamb ads 

during the month but the level of activity was down 53% from July with little change in 

the average ad price. Most of the decline was in a 56% drop in featuring of blade chops 

but round bone chops had their own issues – down 44% from July. Rack cuts enjoyed 

some summer attention with 11% of ad share but the level of offering was down 32%. 

Ground lamb disappeared rapidly from ad space in August, down 77% from an active 

July period and the average ad price jumped sharply on the reduced test – up 34%. 

Breast and foreshank cuts were largely on vacation in August. 

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

millions of pounds

Negotiated Sales of Imported Lamb (fresh and frozen)

2019 2018 2017

August 2019 37.3%

August 2019 62.7%

July 2019 23.6%

July 2019 76.4%

August 2018 35.7%

August 2018 64.3%

domestic

imported

0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0% 60.0% 70.0% 80.0% 90.0%

Domestic vs. Imported Boxed Lamb Sales - share of fresh/frozen product sold)

1.0

2.0

3.0

4.0

5.0

6.0

7.0

8.0

7.0

7.5

8.0

8.5

9.0

9.5

10.0

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

feature activity (1,000's)

dollars per pound

Retail Featuring - Bone-in Loin Chops

19 activity 18 activity 19$ 18$

1.0

2.0

3.0

4.0

5.0

5.0

5.5

6.0

6.5

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

feature activity (1,000's)

dollars per pound

Retail Featuring - Shoulder Blade Chops

19 activity 18 activity 19$ 18$
Source: USDA AMS Agricultural Analytics Division (www.ams.usda.gov/services/market-research/aad) Lamb Markets Overview – September 2019

leg 8%

loin 51%

rack 11%

shoulder

27%

breast 0.7%

grnd/stew 2%

shank 0%

August Retail Feature Share

leg 10%

loin 40%

rack 9%

shoulder 32%

breast 1%

grnd/stew 6%

shank 2%

July Retail Feature Share

PRODUCTION: 1/ Jul 19 Jun 19 change DIRECT SLAUGHTER LAMB: Aug 19 Jul 19 change

Sheep Meat Production (lbs.)................... 11,900,000 11,400,000 104 CH/PR, wooled/shorn (head).............................. 17,200 20,100 86

Commercial Sheep Slaughter (head)......... 188,300 175,300 107 price ($/cwt)................... 153.70 161.26 95

Fed. Insp. Lamb Slaughter (head)............... 152,600 142,700 107 *AUCTION SLAUGHTER LAMB (shorn/wooled):

Live Sheep Weight (lbs.).............................. 127 130 98 Sioux Falls, CH/PR, 2/3 (head)........................... 7,112 5,711 125

Dressed Carcass Lamb Weight (lbs.)......... 66 68 97 price ($/cwt)...................... 152.51 154.99 98

New Holland, CH/PR, 2/3 (head)...................... 12,558 12,305 102

COLD STORAGE: price ($/cwt)................... 190.86 199.72 96

Lamb/Mutton in Storage (lbs.)..................... 43,055,000 40,025,000 108 San Angelo, CH/PR, 2/3 (head).......................... 8,924 14,123 63

price ($/cwt)................... 151.98 167.08 91

IMPORTS: 

Total Fresh/Chilled (lbs.).................................6,572,413 5,891,626 112 LAMB CARCASS:

Total Frozen (lbs.).............................................8,775,931 7,969,701 110 National Lamb Carcass Sales (head)............... 11,741 7,283 161

Total (lbs.).........................................................15,348,344 13,861,328 111 Lamb Carcass Gross Cutout ($ per pound)...... 3.93 3.97 99

LAMB GRADED: Aug 19 Jul 19 change BOXED LAMB CUTS:

Choice (head)................................................ 82,795 73,055 113 Domestic Fresh Boxed Lamb Sales (lbs.)......... 5,421,059 3,837,374 141

Prime (head)................................................... 6,672 6,491 103 Imported Fresh Boxed Lamb Sales (lbs.)......... 5,167,970 6,671,245 77

(current month grading numbers are preliminary and subject to change) Imported Frozen Boxed Lamb Sales (lbs.)......... 5,707,853 7,588,078 75

1/ - meat production, commercial slaughter, and live weight includes sheep and lamb; Fed. Insp' lamb slaughter and dressed weight are young lambs only. 

Quick Overview
Source: USDA AMS Agricultural Analytics Division (www.ams.usda.gov/services/market-research/aad) Lamb Markets Overview – September 2019

Pasture and Range Condition: In August, pasture and range conditions across the country shifted 

downward with a 15% shift from Excellent/Good to Fair/Poor. A similar but slightly more pronounced shift 

in conditions in the major lamb production regions occurred in August. Overall, 43% of the nation’s 

pastures and ranges were rated to be in good condition, a 7% decline from July while conditions rated as 

good in lamb regions dropped 8% to 42%. Most of the gain during the month was in the fair rating with 

poor and very poor seeing little change from the prior month. Of the major lamb production regions, 

Rocky Mountain pastures continue to have the best combined good and excellent rating with 63%, a 9% 

decrease from July. Colorado and Montana pastures had the highest good rating during the month. 

Conditions in the Upper Midwest saw a similar decline in condition, down 8%, with most of the loss shifting 

to a fair rating. Minnesota continues to enjoy the best conditions in that region. The Northwest had the 

weakest conditions again this month with only 35% rated good or better and 39% as poor or lower, a sharp 

decline from July. The poorest conditions in the Northwest were seen in California. 

 (derived from the Weekly NASS Crop Progress reports issued May to November); Regional Consists - Ohio Valley (MI, NY, 

OH, PA); Upper Midwest (IA, MN, WI); Rocky Mountain (CO, ID, MT, SD, UT, WY); Northwest (CA, OR, WA). Ratings based 

on percentages described as excellent, good, fair, poor, and very poor. 

LAMB PELTS/WOOL: In August, the average estimated per pelt credits returned to producers for unshorn 

pelts decreased across most types with Supreme pelts incurring the highest decline and the credit for 

damaged pelts seeing a slight increase. The share of unshorn pelts decreased 5% from July to 41% of all 

pelts. Credits for shorn pelts declined for all types with Supreme pelts seeing the largest decline. 

Trading of domestic wool was untested in August. 

Northwest

Rocky Mountain

Upper Midwest

Ohio Valley

Lamb regions

% 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65

Aug. Range Conditions - Good to Excellent

July

July

July

July

July

August

August

August

August

August

Northwest

Rocky Mountain

Upper Midwest

Ohio Valley

Lamb regions

% 30 35 40 45 50 55

Aug. Range Conditions - Good

Aug Avg Lamb Pelt Credit Prices

credit change credit change

Supreme -0.85 -1.07 -0.95 -0.79

Premium -1.20 -0.20 -1.10 -0.35

Standard -2.15 -0.15 -2.40 -0.81

Fair -2.15 -0.15 -1.90 -0.15

Mixed -1.53 -0.15 -2.53 -0.15

Damaged -1.73 0.15 -2.53 -0.15

Consist % 41% 59%

Unshorn Shorn