The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1929-08-30
SHEEP AND WOOL
REVIEW FOR 1929

With a 1929 wool clip estimate
at 29,O77,OOO pounds Montana ha,
advanced from third place in ma.
tional production to second place
being exceeded now only by Texas
with S9,882,0O0 pounds. The IN.
creased vol production in recent
years has also carried Montana mr.
toward some of her old time rec.
0rds, the present clip being the
largest since 1914 when it was 30
!f(,OOO pounds In her palmiest
days of big sheep production under
open range conditions Montana 5
wool clip reached a peak of 81.
$4,000 pounds in 1904 from which
there was an irregular decline t.
10 millions pounds in 1920, the low
point In the period of 1892 to 1929
While it may be discouraging to
Montana wool producers to see the
largest clip in the past Is years 90
begging at this seasons relatively
low prices, the outlook for wool as
issued by the department of apri-
culture, this month, states that fur
ther material declines in wool pric.
es seem unlikely and some recov.
cry may take place before the enc
OF 1929. While wool production in
1929-3O will probably be at least as
large as that of 1928-29, demand
for wool in this country is expect.
ed to be well maintained and some
Improvement in the demand in for.
elgn countries may occur within 9
year.
The amount of wool shorn in the
United States was 2,753,0OO pounds
greater than in 1928. The total pro.
duction is estimated at 3O1, 500, OOC
pounds and is the largest on record
since 1894. The increased produc.
ton this year of nineteenth of one
per cent was due to an increase u1
4.1%o in the number of sheep shorr
which was largely offset by de
crease in the average weight pei
| fleece.
montana F1eeceS
Average fleece weight in Mon
tana for the 1929 wool clip was 81
pounds which was the same as il
1928. The average for the western
states was 7.6 pounds this year a
gainst 7.8 pounds last year. Among
western states, Montana rank
third in average weight of fleece
with Washington ranking first a
go pounds per fleece and Idaho a
8.8 pounds per fleece.
In the western states where a
bout 500 of the wool is produces
the average weight per fleece de
creased from 8 pounds in 1928 t,
7.6 pounds in 1929 which account
for most of the decrease in the u
S. average.
Midsummer Outlook
Marketings and slaughter o
lambs during the next ten month
are expected to be no longer tina
in the corresponding period of 1872
and 29, but are likely to be abov
those of other recent years. Will
the high level of consumer deman
for lamb of the past six month
may not be maintained, any fallin
off that may occur is not likely {
be sufficient to affect lamb price
materially. An active demand fn
feeder lambs is expected this fal
If this demand becomes great
may carry the price of feede
lambs so high as to reduce profit
on feeding below those realized tn
past year. The long time outloc
suggests the need of caution in RI
gard to further expansion in I'll
sheep industry.
Supply of Lambs
The lamb crop if 1929 was ;
bout 1e6or 100000 head smalle
than that of 1928 but about II
larger than the 1927 crop. II
twestern lamb states show a d.
crease of more than $50 or abol
, GOO, 900 lambs but this was part
offset by an increase of 40 or 81
Thousand head in the native Ian
! states. There was little differen'
T in the number of lambs saved p'
100 ewes in the native lamb stat'
/. in the two years.
, The largest decreases were
+ Wyoming, Utah, Nevada and Or
. gon.
Wool Stock in Foreign Countries
Stocks of raw wool at markets
leading foreign producing cou
]. tries which accumulated from Il
: large 1928 clip have recently be-
: reduced and on July 1 were b
little larger than year ago. II
stocks of wool tops in continent
conditioning houses at the end
June were nearly go larger tn;
they were year earlier.
Wool Imports
= Imports of combing and clothll
i wool into the u. S. during the fiji
! six months of 1929 were 1 1milli
= pounds greater than those for t
same period last year.
Wool Prices
# There has been sharp decll
# in wool prices in both domes
. and foreign markets during t
n past six months and current prit
= for fine woods and some medit
/. woods are at the lowest lev
n since 1922. Boston prices are NJ
Il 18 and % % lower than a ye
ago the decline being on fine a
n. coarse woods than on medl'
d. grades.