International Markets - Livestock Genetics - Sheep

Ohio’s Sheep Industry

• Ohio is the largest sheep producing state east of the Mississippi River and ranks as the 12^th largest sheep producing state in the United States.

• With more than 3,200 sheep producers, Ohio has a wide variety of meat and fine wool breeds represented in its genetic base.

• Ohio sheep producers use a variety of breeding systems including purebred, crossbreeding, outcrossing, line breeding and inbreeding to tailor their lambs to meet market demands.

• Ohio is the home of a nationally recognized ram collection center which is prepared to market semen from the top purebred rams in the nation.

• Ohio is a leader in national sheep health and sheep health educational programs.

• Ohio is a leader in national carcass evaluation and carcass educational programs.

• Ohio sheep producers can supply top quality Scrapie resistant (RR) genetics.

Major Ohio Breeds: Border Cheviot, Columbia, Corriedale, Delaine, Dorper, Dorset, Hampshire, Katahdin, Merino, Polypay, Shropshire, Southdown, Suffolk, and Rambouillet