Sheep’s Milk
Wisconsin leads the nation in the number of dairy sheep farms and the production of sheep milk products. With 12 licensed dairy sheep flocks, Wisconsin produced 829,000 pounds of milk in 2009. Due to the unique component (6-8% fat and 5-7% protein) and flavor profile of sheep milk, the demand for sheep milk in Wisconsin has increased tremendously in the last few years. The majority of sheep milk produced in the state is manufactured into specialty cheeses.
In addition to fresh milk sales, the frozen milk market is important to Wisconsin producers. Wisconsin producers are currently shipping frozen milk to cheesemakers in New York, California and Washington. However, Wisconsin producers do not currently produce enough milk to fill the local and national markets, and the demand for sheep’s milk continues to increase. According to a 2009 dairy sheep survey conducted by the National Agricultural Statistics Service, 75 percent of all current dairy sheep producers plan to expand their operations in the next five years. Click here to view the 2009 survey results.
The Dairy Business Innovation Center has partnered with the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture to develop a new Wisconsin Dairy Sheep Initiative to provide support for emerging dairy sheep producers and processors. In an effort to provide technical and business planning support to new producers, the first ever Wisconsin Dairy Sheep School is planned for March 2010. Click below for registration information.
Wisconsin Dairy Sheep School in March 2010
Educational Materials
2009 Wisconsin Dairy Sheep Survey Results -- NEW!!
Dairy Sheep Fact Sheet - NEW!!
Principles of Sheep Dairying in North America
Proceedings of Great Lakes Dairy Sheep Symposia
Dairy Sheep Publication from National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service
System Solutions for Dairy Sheep, published by De Laval
Links
Wisconsin Sheep Dairy Cooperative
Dairy Sheep Association of North America
For more information, contact:
Claire Mikolayunas
Dairy Business Innovation Center
608-332-2889
Clairemikolay@gmail.com
For more information on sheep dairying in Wisconsin, visit the Dairy Sheep page on the Wisconsin Dairy Artisan website.