Americans don’t eat a lotta lamb (I know - along with rabbits, we’re missin’ some good food).
So, maybe they’re payin’ for the wool over the life of the lamb?
True: but America does make excellent lamb by world standards. It tends to be more fatty than NZ lamb, which tends to be extra-lean. But the extra fat adds more robust flavors. And American lamb tends to be larger: the so-called "steak quality" that American lamb producers often refer to.
American lamb cooked slowly on a spit with Greek spices rubbed in, basted with a peeled lemon dunked in olive oil on a stick: beautiful food, particularly at Easter time. Nothing nicer!
> So, maybe they’re payin’ for the wool over the life of the lamb?
Usually the price of the wool is factored in to the price of the lamb when it is slaughtered. Normally this takes the form of the animal's hide, as they don't normally shear the lambs post mortem.
Now, I'm a townie so I may be reading these prices wrong. The price for a heavy lamb ex Yard here in NZ seems to be about forty bucks all up...