Dairy Sheep Symposium - the Department of Animal Sciences ...

Milk is supplied in two major forms, fluid and frozen. 2001 was the first year the WSDC has
shipped fluid milk to cheese processors. By contracting with a local bulk milk carrier, we were
able to ship a total of 79,533 pounds of milk between 14 different shipments to two cheese
processors. This capability significantly reduces the amount of labor on the farm as well as at
the cheese plant. All frozen milk sold this year was placed in milk bags (40# per bag) prior to
freezing and then frozen to –10C within 12 hours by placing these bags in commercial walk-in
freezers. While frozen milk requires more labor and equipment, it does make use of sheep milk’s
‘unfair advantage’ over other types of milk because it can be stored frozen for at least 12 mo. at -
15°F without appreciable chemical or biological degradation. This property allows the co-op to
supply milk on a year round basis while still operating seasonal dairies.
Future Opportunities for the WSDC
While the actual number of sheep dairies in the U.S. and Canada is unknown, estimates range
from 100 to 150 farms. Sheep milk produced on many of these farms is used to produce farmstead
products that are sold through a variety of outlets. Milk produced on other farms is produced
specifically for sale to off-farm processors. The WSDC is currently the only sheep dairy
cooperative in the U.S. and the largest sheep dairy cooperative in North America. The WSDC
sees a major opportunity for continuing to facilitate the introduction of sheep milk and sheep
milk products on a large-scale, (inter) national basis. This can be accomplished by increasing the
membership in the WSDC to increase the milk available to our customers as well as by working
cooperatively with other cooperatives to help manage the constant challenge of matching supply
with demand. By effectively managing the supply of sheep milk, sheep dairy farmers can insure
themselves a fair price for their milk while at the same time being able to supply large quantities
to processors at a price that allows them to realize a reasonable profit as well. With current
estimates for U.S. imports of sheep milk products at more than 72 million pounds annually
(equivalent to ~ 360 million pounds of milk), there is a great deal of room for cooperative growth
between producer and processors. The WSDC would like to be a central participant in making
this dream come true.