Outlook for 2012
2010 and 2011 were good years for the sheep industry.  And while prices are still pretty good, it appears there is a pretty strong downward trend right now (December 2011).  I expect lamb prices to be at least 15% lower in 2012 than 2011.  Fortunately, it would seem corn prices will also be quite a bit lower.

Alternative Feeds
The price advantage offered by DDGs, gluten and soybean hulls is starting to fade.  The prices of all of these feedstuffs have gone up dramatically in the past few months.  On a TDN basis, even $6 corn can be a better buy than these.  Gluten remains a cost effective protein source, but has to be fed with caution.  Corn stover is still a great value.  I think the best way forward is to be flexible enough to take advantage of any of these when prices fluctuate.

A word of caution, lower costs feedstuffs are not always cheaper.  In the summer of 2009 I fed a 35% gluten ration to my finishing lambs, which resulted in greatly reduced intakes, gains and feed efficiency.  When maximum intake is required, such as finishing lambs, beware of alternative feedstuffs.

Accelerated Lambing
I remain skeptical about accelerated lambing.  The concept has its appeal, but I feel that I can wean the same number of lambs per ewe with once a year lambing - and a lot less time and effort.

Fall Lambing
This would be great, if it worked.  Even with hormone manipulation and "out of season breeds", the settling rate for out-of-season breeding is too low to be viable.  Open ewes can be rolled into a second group, but the out of season lamb crops are much smaller than the in-season crops, and little economic progress is made.  In 2009, researchers have indentified some genes that control out-of-season breeding.  Perhaps in a few years, out of season lambing will become a viable option.

Bottle Lambs
Bottle lambs are a waste of time and money.  The only person making any money on bottle lambs is the guy selling milk replacer.   I have not bottle fed or artificially reared a lamb since 2007 and can't imagine doing it again.  All of my lambs are weaned by their dam.  In 2010, my daughter bottle fed a couple of lambs; it was a good project for her.

Buying Breeding Stock
When browsing the sites of many breeders, I'm often more interested in what they are not saying, than the contents of their site.  Very few people are publishing their flock performance data - why not?  Any site that only lists 'generic' information about a breed doesn't get too much interest from me.  Also, there is more to selecting good breeding stock than EPD's.  Udder scores, years of service, disposition, production system adaptation, conformation, health history and many other factors are important.

Show Sheep
I don't know what show sheep are trying to accomplish.  They aren't showing anything that really has to do with commercial lamb production.  I suppose there is some leeway for terminal breeds, but you really can't justify buying breeding stock by how it looks.  It really is a hobby that operates outside of the commercial segment of the industry.

Ram Lambs
I always buy rams as lambs a year before I need them.  I might give a ram lamb a dozen or so ewes, but usually follow up with a mature clean-up ram.  I buy ram lambs because they have the longest useful life, present fewer health risks and allow me to choose the 'cream of the crop'.

Ewe Lambs
It is well known that a great deal of flock health problems are introduced to a clean flock via the introduction of mature ewes from another flock.   It is also true that mature ewes have a more difficult time adjusting to a new flock's social hierarchy. I haven't bought a mature ewe since 2001.

Tails
I dock my lamb tails fairly long for the simple reason that it saves me time and money.  Short or missing tails predispose lambs to rectal prolapses.  In the last 6 years I have fed about 2000 purchased lambs.  I am very disappointed at the length of some of these tails, so much so that I will not even bid on lambs with very short tails. Nothing frustrates me more than going into my feedlot and seeing a lamb walking around with a prolapse. Not only do these lambs cost me a lot of time and money, but they are suffering needlessly.  I hope to see laws governing tail lengths in the not so distant future. 

To properly dock a tail, make sure that the stump covers the rectum and vagina.  If you are unsure, only dock the tail where it is fully wooled, do not dock on the pink skin!  If you sell feeder lambs, I guarantee you that your lambs will bring a higher price for this simple consideration that costs you nothing.  If you feed lambs and have problems with prolapses, start with the tails, you won't be disappointed.