Greetings Fellow Shepherds,
Well here we are almost at Easter time already and what a nice mild winter we have endured so far this year. Most producers are well underway lambing, and I hope for a successful lamb crop for our producers with much better and hopefully steady prices for our lambs and culls. Ramadan has definitely brought excellent prices for these 80 – 100 lb lambs, as well as cash fat lambs in the $2.10 – $2.30 range. Cull ewes have finally seen a nice rally with your average culls that are in the 158 lb range bringing $0.65 – $1.00 lb with these heavy ewes over 300 lbs bringing $1.10+ lb.
There have been many calls and concerns regarding Superior Farms and the packing plant in Denver. It’s not closing at this point. There is however an initiative on the ballot this fall to vote on whether a slaughter-house can continue within the city limits of Denver.
The DLGC board is currently working on updating every producer’s biography for our records. The information we need and are asking for is current number of ewes, how many lambs are produced and marketed each year, etc. It has been Dakota Lamb Grower Co-op’s main objective to raise a high quality lamb that is very desirable for Superior Farms and all consumers. We want to continue to raise a consistent product that makes our Cooperative stand out in the industry.
As spring planting and those long busy days begin, let’s remember to not forget about doing the best we can with our lambs and perhaps 2024 will rewarded us with better pricing for our efforts. Whether it’s a fat lamb, breeding stock, or crops.
May you find all the tagged ears in your flock alive and well.
Riley Braaten, President
Call or text me at 701-640-8335
Dakota Lamb Growers Cooperative 