Sheep and Goats
SHEEP.
According to the USDA, there were around 6.3 million sheep on 73,814 U.S. farms in 2002. Just over 3.3 million sheep were slaughtered for food, producing 222 million pounds of meat. Lambs accounted for 95% of the slaughtered sheep. Most meat sold as lamb comes from animals that are younger than fourteen months old. Major lamb markets are metropolitan areas of the Northeast and West Coast with large populations of people from the Middle East, Greece, the Caribbean, and African countries. Demand for lamb meat in these markets is higher than the domestic supply. The USDA estimates that lamb imported from Australia and New Zealand satisfies one-third of U.S. demand. Lamb legs and loins are the preferred cuts of meat in the United States. Less desirable cuts are widely used in the pet food industry. Texas accounted for nearly one-sixth of the total sheep inventory during 2002, the largest of any one state.
Sheep herds have diminished significantly in the United States since 1942, when there were more than fifty million of the animals. As shown in Figure 4.1, per capita consumption of lamb and mutton (meat from adult sheep) in the United States decreased from nearly five pounds per year in the 1960s to less than one pound per year in 2003. The USDA blames competition from poultry, pork, and beef, and "declining acceptance of lamb" as the reasons for decreased consumption in the United States.
Nearly 5.5 million sheep and lambs were shorn in 2002, resulting in forty-one million pounds of wool. Wool production was down 60% from the late 1970s. Farmers raising sheep balance production of meat and wool animals depending on market demand. When demand for wool increases, fewer animals are sent to slaughter and vice versa. The 2002 Farm Bill implemented financial incentives for sheep farmers to produce more wool over the time period 2002–07. This is expected to increase domestic wool production.
GOATS.
The USDA estimates that 2.5 million goats were raised on 91,462 U.S. farms in 2002. Nearly 600,000 were slaughtered for food in federally inspected slaughterhouses. Most goat meat consumption in the United States is associated with ethnic populations (particularly Hispanics and people from the Middle East and Africa). Demand is seasonal and peaks around religious holidays, such as Christmas, Easter, and the Muslim holy month Ramadan. In 1997 the USDA estimated that approximately 11,000 goats were kept on U.S. farms for milk and cheese production.
During 2002 there were around 280,000 goats of the Angora breed raised for their mohair (long silky hair used to make fabrics). The vast majority of these goats (99%) were farmed in Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. Just over two million pounds of mohair were produced in 2002. Mohair goats are generally shorn twice a year, in the spring and the fall.
CONTROVERSY OVER WOOL AND HAIR COLLECTION.
Animal rights activists are opposed to the harvesting of wool and hair from sheep and goats. On its Web site in 2005, PETA claimed that animals suffer from brutal treatment and bloody wounds during shearing.
Bees
The USDA reports that 2.5 million honeybee colonies were kept in the United States in 2002, producing 171 million pounds of honey. Honey production was down 8% from 2001. California was home to 440,000 of the colonies, the most for any one state. Some animal rights groups are critical of beekeeping because the bees are kept in captivity. PETA claims that commercial bee-keepers often cut the wings off of queen bees to keep them from moving the hive.
Sericulture and Down Production
Other farming methods not widely practiced in the United States draw criticism from animal rights groups. These include sericulture (silkworm cultivation) and the plucking of downy feathers from geese and ducks. Sericulture is widely practiced in China to harvest silk fibers. The fibers are produced by silkworm larvae when they weave elaborate cocoons around themselves. The live larvae are boiled or baked to death in order to detach the silk fibers from the cocoons. Approximately 3,000 cocooned larvae are needed to produce a single pound of silk. Down production involves the plucking of soft underbelly feathers from geese and ducks. Plucking down from live birds is practiced in some eastern European countries and is considered cruel by animal rights activists and welfarists.
Rabbits
Although the USDA does not consider rabbits livestock animals, there is a meat rabbit industry in the United States. The Professional Rabbit Meat Association (PRMA) is a nonprofit organization devoted to growing and processing rabbits for meat, either commercially or in backyard operations. Rabbit meat is classified similarly to poultry. Young, tender rabbits are sold as fryers, while older rabbits are sold as stewers. The New Zealand white rabbit is the most popular meat breed.
According to an article in the November-December 2001 issue of the PRMA newsletter, approximately one million fryer rabbits are sold in the United States annually. Meat rabbit farming is far more prevalent in Italy and France, where up to 300 million of the animals are slaughtered for food each year (Max Raivio, "Modern Rabbit Production").
Rabbits are also farmed for fur and hair. The USDA's 2002 Census of Agriculture found that 10,073 American farms were raising 405,241 rabbits for their pelts or hair. The most popular fur rabbits are hybrid Rex rabbits featuring thick, plush fur. Angora rabbits are prized for their long silky hair. The hair is generally collected by plucking or combing the rabbits.
Bison
The USDA estimates that 4,132 farms had an inventory of 231,950 bison in 2002 and that 25,340 bison were slaughtered at federally inspected plants in 2002. Bison meat is being heavily marketed by entrepreneur Ted Turner of Atlanta, Georgia. In 2001 Turner opened a chain of restaurants called Ted's Montana Grills (http://www.tedsmontanagrill.com/) that feature bison meat. He also formed a company called U.S. Bison to market the meat to upscale restaurants and consumers. In June 2003 the Boston Globe reported that Turner owned 35,000 bison at his ranches in Montana, New Mexico, and Nebraska.
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