1

In 2012, combined sales of U.S. sheep, goats, and their products (milk, wool, 

and mohair) totaled $939.7 million, accounting for 0.2 percent of total U.S. 

agriculture sales. Three states – Texas, California, and Colorado – accounted 

for just over 

a third of 

sheep and 

goat industry 

sales. The 

2012 Census 

of Agriculture 

provides a 

comprehensive 

picture of 

the industry, 

which involved 

114,756 farms 

in 2012.

Sheep and Goat Farming 

94 percent of farms are family or individually operated.

United States Department of Agriculture

National Agricultural Statistics Service

www.agcensus.usda.gov

(800)727-9540

ACH12-19/January 2015

Highlights

Three states. . . 

. . . accounted for 34 percent of 

2012 sales of sheep, goats, and 

the milk, wool, and mohair they 

produced.

Top States in Sales

($ millions)

Texas 122.1

California 108.1

Colorado 87.2

Wyoming 51.3

South Dakota 43.6

Iowa 43.0

Idaho 42.2

Utah 36.1

Oregon 31.6

Montana 31.2

Industry Size, Value, and Location

Sales of Sheep, Goats, and their Products as Percent of Agriculture Sales, 

by County, 2012

percent

< 1

1 - 4

5 - 9

10 - 24

25 +

U.S. = 0.2%

Source: USDA NASS, 2012 Census of Agriculture.

Industry sales in 2012 consisted of 

sales of sheep and lambs ($663.6 

million), goats ($152.1 million), sheep 

and goat milk ($92.2 million), wool 

($28.9 million), and mohair ($2.8 

million). Combined sales were about a 

third higher in 2012 than in 2007, the 

last time the agriculture census was 

conducted. 

Sheep and Lambs. U.S. farmers had 

a combined inventory of 5.4 million 

sheep and lambs at the end of 2012, 

down 8 percent from 2007. The number 

About the Numbers 

A slight change in how the 2007 and 

the 2012 agriculture censuses counted 

sheep and goat products means the 

sales data are not directly comparable. 

Sales totals for 2007 include “sheep, 

goats, and all their products,” whereas 

2012 sales totals only include “sheep, 

goats, sheep and goat milk, wool, and 

mohair.”

Top Counties: Sheep and Lamb Inventory 

(thousand head)

Weld, CO 204.7

Kern, CA 114.6

Tulare, CA 93.5

Fresno, CA 67.2

Apache, AZ 63.9

Solano, CA 58.3

Imperial, CA 56.7

Crockett, TX 55.1

Minidoka, ID 55.0

Converse, WY 54.6

Does not include counties withheld to avoid disclosing 

individual data. 

Source: USDA NASS, 2012 Census of Agriculture.
2 USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Producer Characteristics

The 2012 Census of Agriculture identified characteristics 

of those responsible for day-to-day operations of farms 

specializing in sheep and goats. These farmers on average 

were slightly younger (56.5 years old) than principal operators overall (58.3 years old). Twenty-seven percent were 

women, nearly double the 14 percent of principal operators 

overall who were women. American Indians and Alaska 

Natives were 8 percent of principal operators of sheep and 

goat farms and 2 percent of principal operators of all farms.

Sheep and goat producers were more likely than other 

producers to derive income from non-farm sources. Ninety-one percent received less than a fourth of their income 

from farming. Thirty-nine percent considered farming their 

primary occupation. (Table 2)

Table 2 

Sheep and Goat Producers: Key Characteristics, 2007 and 2012

(principal operators of farms specializing in sheep and goat production)

2007 2012

All Farms

2012

percent

Gender

 Male 74 73 86

 Female 26 27 14

Age 

Under 45 years 22 19 16

45 to 64 years 54 53 51

65 years and older 24 28 33

Primary Occupation

 Farming 36 39 48

 Other 64 61 52

Percent of Income from Farming

 < 25% 91 91 70

 25% to 49% 3 3 8

 50% to 74% 3 3 9

 75% to 100% 3 3 13

Average Age (years) 54.8 56.5 58.3

Principal operator is the person responsible for day-to-day operation of the farm. A farm “specializing in sheep and goat production” has more than half of its sales come from that commodity.

Source: USDA NASS, 2012 Census of Agriculture.

To learn more about sheep and goat farming, the 2012 

Census of Agriculture, and how to access national, state, 

and county data, go to:

www.agcensus.usda.gov

of farms with sheep and lambs increased 6 percent in that 

time. The top states in 2012 sheep and lamb sales were 

California ($84.8 million), Colorado ($80.3 million), and 

Texas ($64.4 million). 

The top states in wool sales in 2012 were Wyoming ($3.1 

million), Montana ($2.9 million), and Utah ($2.8 million), 

accounting for 30 percent of total U.S. wool sales. 

Goats. The combined U.S. goat inventory was 2.6 million at the end of 2012, down 17 percent from 2007. The 

number of farms with goats decreased 11 percent. The top 

three states in goat inventory and sales in 2012 were Texas 

(878,900 head, $49.5 million in sales), California (140,000 

head, $8.5 million in sales), and Missouri (103,600 head, 

$6.5 million in sales). Eight of the top ten counties in goat 

inventory were in Texas.

Of the total goat inventory, 513,500 were milk goats, up 24 

percent from 2007. Wisconsin, California, and Iowa had 

the largest inventories of milk goats. These same states 

also had the highest combined sheep and goat milk sales, 

accounting for 39 percent of the U.S. total. 

Production Costs

Farms specializing in sheep and goat production (that is, 

farms with more than half of sales coming from sheep, 

goats, milk, wool, and mohair) had $642.5 million, or 68 

percent, of the industry’s sales. Such farms had $1.2 billion 

in production costs, with the purchase of feed the largest 

expense ($316 million, or 27 percent of total production 

costs). Per farm average costs were $15,974.

Farm Characteristics

Ninety-two percent of farms engaged in sheep and goat 

farming were family or individually operated in 2012, accounting for 66 percent of sales. Partnerships and corporations each accounted for 16 percent of sales. (Table 1) 

Three fourths of sheep and goat farms were 49 acres or 

smaller.

 

Table 1

Sheep and Goat Farms by Type of Operation, 2012

 % of Operations % of Sales

Family / Individual 92 66

Partnerships 4 16

Corporations 3 16

Other 1 2

All 100 100

Source: USDA NASS, 2012 Census of Agriculture.