It is boiled or smoked over a fire and savored as a delicacy. While few lambs are currently marketed from Kazakh farms, it is anticipated that lamb sales will grow in significance as the country proceeds in its transition to a market economy. As with wool, Kazakhstan has an advantage in that it is in close proximity to countries that are large consumers of sheep and goat meat. The Steppe Kazakhstan is a country of steppes and mountains. Most of the land is classified as either arid or semi-arid desert, receiving less than sixteen inches of rainfall per year.
Most crop land is irrigated.
Sheep are grazed on open, unfenced steppe. The steppe will not support rapid weight gains in lambs, thus accounting for the production emphasis on wool. Sheep are sent to mountain pastures for summer grazing. Flocks are watched over by shepherds on horseback, much like they are in the western United States. Yurts still provide seasonal housing for shepherds and their families.