With millions of sheep grazing the pastures of farmers throughout the United States, it is a fact that lamb farmers are a different kind of breed themselves. The most substantial lamb farming occurs in the Western US with smaller flocks in the Midwest, SE, and NE.

Unlike other types of farming, you will find that the lamb which is raised to be slaughtered for your plate is well-cared for, and of the healthiest animals in the entire US. Sheep farmers raise lambs in the best possible way and are passionate about delivering meat that is of optimum quality. It is undoubtedly known to be in the best interests of a farmer to produce healthy, strong lambs as it directly influences the quality and taste of the meat.

American lamb farmers care deeply about the welfare and health of their lambs, and the animals are raised in a comfortable, healthy environment. They have adequate protection from predators and constant clean water sources. Lambs from US farmers are not subjected to artificial growth hormones and are reared on the highest quality natural forage.

You will not always find that a sheep farmer has cattle too, but the advantages of sheep farming are both biological and economical, especially when farming sheep in conjunction with cattle. Shared pastures are the recommended option, as cattle love coarser pastures, while the sheep prefer finer plant materials. The outlay to feed sheep is zero when a farmer has acres of unused pastureland.

Sheep forage on abandoned cropland, orchards, woods, waterways, and natural meadowland.

Farmers often market their lambs on grain for a short period, while most farmers market them directly from pastures. When a consumer buys meat, it will indicate whether the lamb has been grain-finished, grass-fed, organic or naturally fed. There is no specific lamb season since management systems, climates and geography are diverse; thus it is the aim of all farmers only to produce fresh, tender and delicious lamb throughout the year.

The most famous sheep breeds that are predominantly raised for meat will have a good carcass size and will be known as growing fast. While many sheep breeds are versatile and used as fleece and meat sheep, farmers prefer to concentrate on meat-specific breeds when raising lambs.

A popular meat breed is the Dorper as it gains weight fast and this breed is a crossbreed of Blackhead Persian and the Horned Dorset. Other commonly raised lambs include the Jacob, Cheviot, Polypay, Targhee, Black Bellied Barbados, Suffolk, and the Hampshire.