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

PRODUCTION: Commercial lamb and mutton production decreased 5% in January to 

12.5 million pounds, unchanged from January 2018. Commercial sheep and lamb 

slaughter in January declined 7% to 186,800 head, 6% more than in January 2018. The 

average sheep and lamb live weight gained 3 pounds to a 134 pound average, 8 pounds

lighter than a year ago. The average dressed lamb carcass weight was up a pound to 69

pounds, 4 pounds lighter than in January 2018. Mature sheep slaughter was down 19% 

in January at 8,200 head, 11% over 2018. Stocks of lamb and mutton in cold storage in 

January increased 5% at 38.4 million pounds, 43% above the January 2018 level. 

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

month of February was down 14% from January and 22% below the February 2018 level. 

Nationally, the number of lambs qualifying for the Choice grade decreased 15% but

remained at a 94% share of all lambs graded. The Midwest was the only region to see 

an increase in lambs graded for the month but, with 13% of all lambs graded, this rise 

was not enough to affect the downward trend. Within the Choice grade, graded lambs 

shifted towards the leaner end of the scale with a decline in the number of lambs 

qualifying for YG 3-4 while YG 2 numbers rose 4% and YG 1 was up 1%. Much of this 

shift occurred in the Rocky Mountain region. Lambs graded in the Ohio Valley region

ran counter to this trend and had a yield shift from lean to more finished, primarily with 

a drop in YG 2-3 and a rise in YG 4. 

Lamb Markets Overview

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

10

11

11

12

12

13

13

14

14

15

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

millions of pounds

Commercial Lamb/Mutton Production

2019 2018 2017

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

YG1 YG2 YG3 YG4 YG5

Choice Lamb by Yield Grade % - February 2019

19-Feb

19-Jan

18-Feb

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

YG1 YG2 YG3 YG4 YG5

Regional Choice Lamb by Yield Grade - Febuary 2019

Northwest

Rocky Mntn

Upper Midwest

Ohio Valley

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

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

February, at 15,600 head, increased 9% from January, 10% above February 2018. Prices 

were largely unchanged from week-to-week to finish the month unchanged at $132.20

per cwt., 2% below February 2018. In auction trading, the average price for traditional 

Choice & Prime 2-3, 90-150 lbs. slaughter lambs at Sioux Falls, SD, increased 5% for the 

month but was down 8% from February 2018. Receipts for the month were down 25%

for the month but were 45% over the level of a year ago. In San Angelo, TX, the average 

price of Choice and Prime 2-3 wooled and shorn non-traditional slaughter lambs 

declined 4% (from $134.22 to $128.93 per cwt.) for the month, down 7% from last year. 

At the New Holland, PA, sale, the average price for Choice and Prime 2-3 wooled and 

shorn non-traditional slaughter lambs in February was down 3% (from $168.96 to 

$164.70 per cwt.), 13% below the February 2018 monthly average.

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

cuts rose 15% percent in December as holiday demand crested. The consist of imported 

cuts shifted from higher end leg and rack cuts for the holiday season to shoulder and 

loin cuts popular with consumers in chop form for the winter months. This reflects an 

8% increase over December 2017 volumes. Imports of fresh and of frozen lamb were 

mixed with fresh volume down 5% and frozen volume up 41% from the prior month. The 

share of fresh cuts imported dropped 9% to 48% as the market shifted from holiday 

demand mode into moving into the new year. Australia remained the primary source of 

lamb imports with 73% of lamb imports in December, an increase of 5% share all coming 

from a corresponding drop in imports from New Zealand. Imports from Uruguay rose 

sharply in volume from the previous month but accounted for less than half a percent of 

all imports. Some fresh cuts from Canada and a mix of fresh and frozen cuts from Mexico 

rounded out the month. 

Imports of whole and half lamb carcasses, virtually all in frozen form, increased 57% in 

December, 38% more volume than in December 2017. The share of all imported lamb 

cuts rose one percent. Imports of lamb legs dropped sharply as the holiday season 

passed, down 27% for the month with a 4% drop in import share, accounting for 6% 

total. The volume of imported shoulder cuts, fresh and frozen, rose 17%, led by a near 

doubling of frozen imports as marketers look to January business. Import volume of loin 

cuts decreased 4%, primarily in fresh form, as loin chops are a popular offering in retail 

outlets during the cold months. The volume of imported bone-in lamb meat increased 

8% and lost 2% import share. This is a 16% increase over December 2017 import levels. 

Imports of other boneless lamb cuts, not identified, increased 42% in volume and nearly 

7% in share to tie with their bone-in counterparts for an equal 35% share of the volume 

of all imported lamb cuts in December. 

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

100

110

120

130

140

150

160

170

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

dollars per cwt

San Angelo Auction Slaughter Lambs (CH/PR wooled/shorn) 2019 2018 2017

8

11

13

16

18

21

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

millions of pounds

Imported Lamb Cuts (fresh and frozen) 2018 2017 2016
Source: USDA AMS Agricultural Analytics Division (www.ams.usda.gov/services/market-research/aad) Lamb Markets Overview – March 2019

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

carcasses in February rose 21% over January’s reduced numbers but was one percent 

below February 2018. The gross lamb carcass cutout was down one percent (from $3.83

to $3.78 per pound), 2% above February 2018. The volume of negotiated wholesale 

trading of fresh and frozen domestic boxed lamb cuts in February was up 9% for the 

month, one percent above last year. Negotiated trading of fresh cuts rose 9% in volume 

and accounted for 85% of total sales. The volume of frozen cut trading increased 11%

for the month and accounted for 15% of total domestic volume sold. 

In February, traded volume for nearly all lamb cuts was up over January trading as 

marketers have begun to position themselves for the coming Easter/Passover demand 

period which occurs in the second half of April this year. The volume of wholesale sales 

of fresh trotter-off legs rose 33% with a 2% decline in price (from $3.68 to $3.60 per 

pound). This volume was 13% below last year’s level and the average price was up one 

percent. Boneless legs saw a 5% decrease in sales with a 2% increase in price for the 

month. This volume of sales was 31% below the 2018 level but the price was unchanged. 

Rack cuts saw similar trends with sales of medium 8-rib fresh racks up 2% during the 

month but 28% behind February 2018. The average price gained another percent (from 

$8.87 to $9.00 per pound), 9% over last year. Sales of frenched racks rebounded up 18% 

for the month but with a one percent decline in the average sale price (from $16.58 to 

$16.48 per pound). The volume of trimmed 4x4 loins trading recovered from January, 

up 30% with a 3% decline in the average price (from $5.32 to $5.15 per pound), 4% below 

last year. Foreshank prices were down one percent (from $4.25 to $4.22 per pound) for 

the month and from a year ago. Trade volume was rose 26% for the month, unchanged 

form February 2018 trading. Square-cut shoulder prices declined 2% (from $2.81 to 

$2.76 per pound) while sales volume was unchanged, 15% behind February 2018. 

Trading of ground lamb declined 3% for the month with a one percent increase in price 

(from $5.75 to $5.80 per pound). 

IMPORTED MEAT TRADE: The 

overall volume of negotiated sales of 

imported boxed lamb cuts decreased 

12% in February, 3% over February 

2018. Sales of fresh product decreased 

16% for the month while frozen cut 

sales were down 2%. Imports 

accounted for 71% of all boxed lamb 

cut sales in January, down 2% in share 

from December. 

In February, the overall volume of sales 

of fresh Australian boxed lamb cuts 

increased 3%, led by shoulder cuts

with an 89% rise in sales volume. 

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 Domestic Boxed Lamb Cut Movement 2019 2018 2017

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

5.1

5.2

5.3

5.4

5.5

5.6

20

40

60

80

100

120

pounds in thousands

dollars per pound

Loins, Trimmed 4x4 (232) volume v. price 2019 2018 2019$ 2018$

Feb.. Negotiated Sales of Imported Lamb

(change in primal price and sales volume)

Fresh price lbs. price lbs.

racks 100 91 -- --

loins 72 63 -- --

legs -- -- -- --

shoulders 154 189 -- --

foreshanks -- -- -- --

Frozen

racks 97 114 98 98

legs 85 68 -- --

shoulders 96 54 -- --

foreshanks 135 284 -- --

Australia New Zealand

percent change

3.7

3.7

3.8

3.8

3.9

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

Average prices for fresh cuts were mixed with rack prices unchanged and loin prices 

down 28% on reduced sales. Shoulder prices rebounded during the month to average 

54% over January levels. There were no reported sales of fresh imported legs during the 

month, not unusual at this point ahead of the Easter/Passover season. Loin cuts declined 

37% in volume while sales volume of racks was down 9% during the month. There were 

no report sales of fresh imported foreshanks in February. 

Sales volume of frozen Australian lamb cuts was unchanged in February after posting a 

large decline in January. Average prices for frozen Australian lamb cuts were mostly 

lower except for foreshanks where prices increased 35%. Sales volume of frozen 

foreshanks nearly tripled during the month. Frozen rack prices declined but sales volume 

was up 14%. Frozen shoulder cuts saw a 4% decline in price and sales tonnage declined 

by half from January as sellers focused on fresh shoulders. Average prices for leg cuts 

declined 15% and sales volume was down 32%. Sales of frozen imported lamb rack cuts 

from New Zealand declined 2% in volume and in price for the month. 

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

imported, fresh and frozen, rose sharply in February over January’s reduced, postholiday trading, up 29% in volume and 60% over February 2018’s lackluster feature rate.

Featuring of loin chops saw a 90% increase with 34% marketing share with a 10% rise in 

the average ad price (from $8.72 to $9.60 per pound). Shoulder chops, dominate in store 

ads in January, had a 7% reduction in feature activity with a 30% share of marketed lamb 

cuts. Most of the decline in featuring was led by blade chops, down 23% in activity but 

with a 5% rise in the average ad price. Featuring of round bone chops increased 45% 

but only accounted for 37% of promotions. This increase in features of round bone 

chops is nearly three times more active then the pace of February 2018, 

Bone-in legs saw no ad space in February, but butterflied offerings enjoyed a 58% in 

increase in activity, but at a 5% drop in ad price. Boneless legs also saw a 5% reduction 

in ad price, but offerings rose 7%. Overall, leg cuts in total nearly doubled their share of 

ad space to 14% of cuts marketed during the month. Surprisingly, offerings of racks in 

February were fairly consistent from the prior month, down only 4% but with a 6% drop 

in ad price, as retailers looked to clear hold-over supplies from the late December 

marketing period. The share of features for the month dropped to 8% overall. Ground 

lamb had a 55% rise in feature activity with a 22% drop in ad price as consumers enjoyed 

their shepherd’s pie, the perfect late winter comfort food. Shank cuts enjoyed an 18% 

rise in supermarket promotional activity in February, but the average ad price declined 

12%. Breasts saw a sharp rise in featuring, nearly 4 times the pace of January but the 

average ad price was unchanged at $3.99 per pound. Retail activity is expected to rise 

into late March-early April ahead of the Easter (April 21) and Passover (April 19-27) 

demand periods. 

0.0

1.0

2.0

4.5

5.5

6.5

7.5

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

feature activity (1,000's)

dollars per pound

Retail Featuring - Shoulder Round-Bone Chops

19 activity 18 activity 19$ 18$

1.0

2.0

3.0

4.0

5.0

6.0

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$

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

leg 14%

loin 34%

rack 8%

shoulder

30%

breast 0.9%

grnd/stew 11%

shank 2%

February Retail Feature Share

leg 8%

loin 23%

rack 10%

shoulder 43%

breast 1%

grnd/stew...

shank 3%

January Retail Feature Share

PRODUCTION: 1/ Jan 19 Dec 18 change DIRECT SLAUGHTER LAMB: Feb 19 Jan 19 change

Sheep Meat Production (lbs.)............... 12,500,000 13,200,000 95 CH/PR, wooled/shorn (head)........................ 15,600 14,300 109

Commercial Sheep Slaughter (head)... 186,800 201,800 93 price ($/cwt)................... 132.20 132.53 100

Fed. Insp. Lamb Slaughter (head)......... 157,500 166,100 95 AUCTION SLAUGHTER LAMB:

Live Sheep Weight (lbs.)........................ 134 131 102 Sioux Falls, CH/PR, 2/3, 90-150 lb. (head)... 935 1,252 75

Dressed Carcass Lamb Weight (lbs.)...... 69 68 101 price ($/cwt)................... 140.27 133.69 105

New Holland, CH/PR, 2/3, 90-150 lb. ($/cw 164.70 168.96 97

COLD STORAGE: San Angelo, CH/PR, 2/3, 90-150 lb.

Lamb/Mutton in Storage (lbs.)............... 38,376,000 36,454,000 105 Shorn price ($/cwt)................... 129.40 134.10 96

Wooled price ($/cwt)................... 128.45 134.33 96

IMPORTS: 

Total Fresh/Chilled (lbs.)...........................7,547,517 7,915,909 95 LAMB CARCASS:

Total Frozen (lbs.).......................................8,336,550 5,894,713 141 National Lamb Carcass Sales (head)............ 10,124 8,386 121

Total (lbs.)...................................................15,884,067 13,810,622 115 Lamb Carcass Gross Cutout ($ per pound)... 3.78 3.83 99

LAMB GRADED: Feb 19 Jan 19 change BOXED LAMB CUTS:

Choice (head).......................................... 75,866 88,982 85 Domestic Fresh Boxed Lamb Sales (lbs.)...... 4,495,639 4,124,693 109

Prime (head)............................................. 5,140 5,546 93 Imported Fresh Boxed Lamb Sales (lbs.)... 3,411,992 4,047,266 84

(current month grading numbers are preliminary and subject to change) Imported Frozen Boxed Lamb Sales (lbs.)... 6,771,544 7,508,036 90

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 – March 2019

Pasture and Range Condition: This report will be issued again starting in April 2019. 

(derived from the Weekly NASS Crop Progress reports issued April 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 February, the average estimated per pelt credits returned to producers for shorn 

pelts were unchanged while the credits for unshorn pelts adjusted slight with the credit for Supreme unshorn 

pelts down $0.03 per pelt and the credit for Premium grade unshorn pelts up $0.09 per pelt. The share of 

unshorn pelts decreased 11% in February, accounting for 68% of all pelts sold. 

Trading of domestic wool in February, both clean and greasy, was inactive through the month. 

February Avg Lamb Pelt Credit Prices

credit change credit change

Supreme 2.25 -0.03 0.38 0.00

Premium -0.13 0.09 -0.88 0.00

Standard -1.00 0.00 -1.25 0.00

Fair -0.75 0.00 -1.75 0.00

Mixed -1.00 0.00 -2.38 0.00

Damaged -1.88 0.00 -2.38 0.00

Consist % 68% 32%

Unshorn Shorn