Ontario Sheep News - June 2010 by Ontario Sheep Farmers

industry highlights

production innovations

Vol. 29 - Issue 2

june 2010

NEWS

OntarioSheep Upcoming Producer Education Day

and OSMA AGM

Winter Photo Contest Winners Extending the Grazing Season to Reduce Feed Costs

P M 4 0 0 3 3 529

Cochrane, Alberta, Canada

DORPERS

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JOIN THE CHANGE TO DORPERS Meat Buyers want Dorper and Dorper X Lambs High Carcass Values Ray & Ann Marie Hauck www.ramhbreeders.com

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Tel/Fax: 403-932-3135 am@ramhbreeders.com

SHEEP CANADA

20/03/2008 10:09:03 AM

OSN 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

June 2010

Chairman’s Report Markus Wand- Planning Ahead…

Editorial

We’re All in this Together

General Manager’s Report Murray Hunt- Building the Future

Market Report Tis the Season – An Overview of Things to Watch for in the Hot Summer Months 10. Biosecurity / Biopromiscuity and Keeping the Flock Healthy 15. OSMA Now Responsible for Performance Recording 15. Breezy Ridge Shearing School, A New Endeavour 16. Meeting Sheep Mineral Requirements at Pasture 18. 25th Anniversary -OSMA- Looking Back 21. Deputy Minister Visits District 7:Dialogue Tour 22. Establishing a Market Cycle for Sheep 24. Sheep Producers with Regional Innovations Awarded in Brighton 24. Veterinarians Seeking Cause of Lamb and Goat Abortions 26. Notice to Industry: Animal Health Starts on the Farm 27. Points of View – What If There is a Large Increase in Sheep Production? 29. Winter Photo Contest Winners 30. The Accidental Farmers and Their Cheeky Cheeses 32. Growing Forward 33. More Programs and Funding Benefiting both New and Existing Producers 34. Upcoming Producer Education Day and OSMA AGM 36. Resolutions on Predation from OSMA Annual General Meeting 37. The OSMA Board of the Future 38. Upcoming Events 40. Canadian Sheep Classic 42. New Food Network Show Features Ontario Lamb and Shepherds 45. OSMA Scholarship 46. Extending the Grazing Season to Reduce Feed Costs 49. District News Cover Photo: “On Guard for Thee” by Paul Dalby. This photo won 2nd place in the 2009 photo contest. Nate, a 9 year old Maremma sheepdog, guards 40 sheep and lambs from marauding coyotes, wolves and occasional bears at Teresa Castonguay’s 18 acre farm south of Warkworth in District 7. Deadlines for submissions to the Sheep News: For March Issue - deadline February 1st • For June Issue -deadline May 1st For September Issue - deadline August 1st • For December Issue - deadline November 1st Ontario Sheep News is published by Ontario Sheep Marketing Agency and is distributed quarterly to all registered producers. Non-producers may subscribe in writing to the Ontario Sheep Marketing Agency. Subscription rates: Non-producers $15.00 for one year, $25.00 for two years. Prices include GST. Please make cheques payable to: Ontario Sheep News, 130 Malcolm Road, Guelph, Ontario N1K 1B1. Editorial and advertising inquiries should be made to the OSMA. Ontario Sheep News is the official publication of the Ontario Sheep Marketing Agency. Contents of this publication may be reproduced only by permission of the Editor and with credit acknowledged. Views and opinions expressed in this magazine are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the viewpoint of the publisher or the Ontario Sheep Marketing Agency.

OSMA Board Provincial Directors

Telephone

District 1 District 2 District 3 District 4 District 5 District 6 District 7 District 8 District 9 District 10 District 11

(519) 786-4176 (519) 363-3819 (519) 462-2423 (519) 632-7602 (519) 925-6502 (705) 724-2314 (705) 324-3453 (613) 389-0554 (613) 264-0801 (613) 826-2330 (705) 563-2966

Fraser Hodgson Dennis Fischer Neil Mesman Chris Kyle Andrew Gordanier Markus Wand Judy Dening Chris Kennedy Allan Burn Colleen Acres Mark Lenover

OSMA staff Murray Hunt Bob Connelly Ruth Gilmour Jennifer Johanson Jillian Craig

General Manager 519-836-0043 manager@ontariosheep.org Liaison Officer Office Manager/Communication Co-ordinator, OSN Editor OSN Assistant OSMA Office: 519-836-0043 Sheep News Assistant OSMA Office: 519-836-0043

Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: ONTARIO SHEEP MARKETING AGENCY 130 Malcolm Road, Guelph, Ontario N1K 1B1 Phone: (519) 836-0043 Fax: (519) 836-2531 E-mail: general@ontariosheep.org Website: www.ontariosheep.org www.lambrecipes.ca Market Line: (519) 836-0043 Publications Mail Registration Number: 40033529 ISSN 0844-5303 june 2010 Date of Issue: June 2010 Submitting photos to OSMA for use in publications (e.g. magazine, promotional/educational materials). Photos will be accepted with the following information attached separately: your name, full mailing address, phone number, permission to use the photo for print purposes (in addition, if there are any individuals in the picture they should be identified and permission to print their picture must be secured either directly (if adults) or (if children) from a parent or guardian). When emailing photos, pictures must be a minimum of 200 dpi (300 dpi preferred) and each picture should be clearly identified with the required information provided as outlined. Photos will NOT be returned and all entries become the property of OSMA to be used or reproduced at the discretion of OSMA. (Whenever possible, credit will be given to photographer if used.)

chairman’s report

june 2010

Planning Ahead… Markus Wand

n past issues of OSN, I have commented on planning ahead, the importance of doing so and doing it well with the information that we have on hand. This time of year finds lamb producers planning ahead for the needs of their operation whether it is when to start making hay or planning how and when to market their spring born lambs all the way to evaluating infrastructure in their operation and where they see their own lamb production down the road. At OSMA – both at the board and staff level – we find ourselves in the time of year where there is plenty of planning to do…planning above and beyond the regular planning that takes place throughout the year and regular work that staff is tasked with. At the 2009 AGM, Murray and I officially unveiled OSMA’s Strategic Plan that has set a good path for the organization for the benefit of the sheep industry for the next few years. Developing the plan took several months of the board and staff working together with those facilitating the process and achieving something that would guide us through the upcoming months as a roadmap, but also leave us with the flexibility to modify or add items “on the fly.” At one point in time, I believe I made the comment that “a good plan today is better than the perfect plan tomorrow” and this still holds true at this point. From the outset, the Strategic Plan was a living document, meaning that the plans we made there were made using all the best information at the time and trying to use as much foresight as possible to anticipate what may be ahead. Over a year has passed since the bulk of the strategic planning took place and although it still gives directors and staff the guidance we need, some major changes or events have taken place that require us as an organization to continue this ever-important planning. One of the big planning events that OSMA is currently in, is the 2010-2011 budget and like the Strategic Plan, this is our financial roadmap for the upcoming fiscal year. This past year was a great year for OSMA and the sheep industry as a whole, but also saw some significant events that have changed our previous planning. One thing that has significantly impacted our 2009-2010 budget and subsequently our potential ability to carry out certain items in the Strategic Plan, is the potential shortfall OSMA may have in license fee revenue. While we base our license fee revenue on Statistics Canada sheep and lamb numbers, no one could foresee the large drop in the actual numbers of sheep and lambs that we collect license fees on. Another major event that occurred recently is OSMA entered into an agreement with OMAFRA that will see OSMA administer the Sheep Flock Improvement Program (SFIP) along with other flock improvement services. With this agreement, OSMA has received a one-time transfer payment from OMAFRA in order to carry out objectives set in the agreement (such as the seamless

continuation of SFIP) over the next three years. Both items have significantly changed the financial and planning picture for OSMA, but there is 100% confidence that OSMA has the resources in place to adjust accordingly and keep moving the Ontario sheep industry ahead. One major item that the OSMA board and staff are increasing their efforts on is predation and with the upcoming budget, this will be a major item that the organization will be devoting time and resources to. Last year, OSMA completed a producer survey where predation was identified as one of the top 3 issues facing those that responded to the survey and that in some cases, is the number one factor affecting production expansion for producers. At a recent conference call that involved board members, staff and producers that have done work on the is file in the past, a recommendation was brought to the board that OSMA take a lead role in the issue of predation. While OSMA has taken an active role in the provincial predation issue in the past, it is time that we work harder on this issue. Whether the issue at hand is guardian animals or working with and lobbying different levels of government to address the matter of problem predators and having the tools to effectively deal with the problem. I encourage all producers to work hard on this issue – especially on the local or municipal front – and to relay concerns, suggestions and even news items to your director and OSMA staff. Again, this can be everything from livestock guardian dogs be included or not included in municipal dog by-laws to depredation issues that other producers or members of the urban public may be having. Planning is an integral part to the success of OSMA and the sheep industry as whole and through appropriate planning, OSMA as the industry voice will have a stronger and more focused approach when it comes time to work with our Provincial Government, especially on such issues as predation. I suggested that on the predation issue, producers work hard at the local level and at keeping OSMA staff informed of issue out there, but the call to work closely with OSMA goes beyond predation meaning that for greater success on all issues, it is important that producers become and remain engaged with their districts and district initiatives as well. I will close by asking you all to plan to do two things: firstly, attend your upcoming district AGM and secondly, plan to be a part of SFIP and some of the other flock improvement initiatives that will be available along with SFIP. While SFIP is now in the hands of OSMA, the future availability of SFIP and related services will still be dependant on producer enrolment. Whether you are a purebred or commercial producer, new or long-time producer or just thinking of enrolling in SFIP, then there will be a place for your flock in the program. Please contact the OSMA office to see how SFIP can meet the needs of your operation. OSN

Editorial policy: Ontario Sheep News represents an important vehicle for two-way communication between the OSMA Board and its member producers. Ontario Sheep News welcomes and encourages letters from producers as a means of enabling producers to communicate both with the Board of Directors and other producers on issues of importance to OSMA and the entire sheep industry. Ontario Sheep News also invites suggestions for articles from producers and other industry participants. Letters to the editor of Ontario Sheep News may be on any sheep industry topic, including OSMA policies, programs or procedure. Letters may address previous Ontario Sheep News Articles or letters to the editor, and the editor may comment briefly on the accuracy of any information contained in letters. Letters should be of general interest to other readers of Ontario Sheep News, should not exceed 300 words, and may be edited for style or grammatical errors. All letters must include the author’s name, postal address and telephone number for author verification. Letters printed will indicate the author’s name, town, and title if applicable. Potentially defamatory or libelous material, or personal attacks on individuals, will not be permitted. Subject to space limitations, Ontario Sheep News will attempt to print all letters which meet the criteria indicated above. Where more than one letter is received on the same topic, Ontario Sheep News may print only a representative sample of letters. If a producer feels that the editor has inappropriately edited or not printed a letter, he or she may submit a written request to the Board of Directors for a review to determine whether there has been any violation of Ontario Sheep News’ editorial policy.

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from the editor

june 2010

We’re All In this Together Ruth Gilmour, Ontario Sheep News Editor

ecently I attended a wine tour in Niagara with a few friends. It was a great experience and lunch was provided as part of the package. We found ourselves sitting at a table for ten with a number of other people who were obviously part of a small group too. Keeping the conversation up was very painful. I started to talk a bit about working in the sheep industry and within a few minutes everyone was laughing and asking questions. My friend made a comment to me about this and I told her that I didn’t know what it was but for some reason I’ve noticed that people seem to have a real interest in sheep, whether it be about breeds, meat, wool or dairy. It’s one thing to find common ground to talk among strangers but every sheep producer has an opportunity to get together with those who share your same interests, passion and problems at your district meetings. Granted, districts are large and for some, the distance to the meeting may just not be feasible but for those of you who are close enough to attend please consider doing so if you are not already. Each of the eleven districts has an Executive Committee that is working toward organizing interesting and meaningful meetings. They are busy producers just like you and they need you to attend meetings. Unbelievable power takes place when groups of people with a common goal come together, open up and openly share their knowledge, experience and their problems. Why struggle by yourself with questions when the person sitting next to you might have the answer. Or who is to say that if you are not struggling that someone else in the group may not have already built a better mousetrap? Maybe at the next meeting, you should take 15 to 20 minutes to discuss exactly what kind of expertise, knowledge and experience those who are attending bring to the table. If you start listing the credentials of everyone in the room, I am sure you will be shocked that collectively there is so much to offer each other and your district as a group. I was once given this advice from a cousin who attends the same church as I do, “Never show up for a meeting of

the Ladies Auxiliary because they’ll make you President”. Isn’t that the truth! It is not unusual to agree to help out or volunteer yet have that nagging fear that you will soon be asked to contribute more time and energy than you are able to. One way around this is for everyone to share the load a bit. Perhaps when your district sets up meetings or special events, volunteers can be asked to be involved in only one event per year. Once a year seems very reasonable, doesn’t it? Ladies, please stay very involved with your districts too. One statistic that may surprise many of you is that a recent count of our database showed that women make up 17% of Ontario shepherds. That means that approximately one out of every six sheep producers in Ontario is a woman. You have so much to bring to the table (but we women already know that). Finally, I would say that the most important asset that you bring to your district meetings is your attitude. When people present a positive attitude at the end of a busy day, everyone appreciates it. Negativity crushes new ideas and creativity. We use to say, “Let’s go to TH for a C&D”. That would mean Tim Horton’s for a coffee and donut. Maybe a few refreshments at the beginning of a meeting would keep the mood light and give the evening a fresh start. Your next meeting will probably be your District AGM. Take time to thank the people who volunteer to be on the Executive Committee and start thinking about ways that you can have a stronger district and more engaging meetings.

On a totally different note, I would like to welcome Jillian Craig to the OSMA staff as our summer student. Jillian and her family, farm in Fenelon Falls, which is about 25 minutes north of Lindsay (District 7). She is a member of the Canadian Sheep Breeders’ Association Continued on page 37.

letters to the editor are welcome The OSN welcomes letters to the editor. Please email: general@ontariosheep.org or mail to: Ontario Sheep News, 130 Malcolm Road, Guelph ON NIK 1BI.

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general manager’s report

june 2010

Building the Future Murray Hunt

n May, I had the opportunity to represent Ontario Sheep at a workshop called Agriculture 2020 – Challenges and Opportunities. It was jointly sponsored by Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs and in attendance were about thirty agricultural commodities with the purpose to bring forward ideas for future farm income support programs. I found the contacts made and information shared by participants to be worth my attending. Some of the facts brought forward about what agriculture and / or the sheep industry in 2020 in Canada and the world included: • Canada is ranked 2nd in the world in terms of arable land per person and has 5% of the global renewable water resources. • In time the world trade talks will proceed, Canada is a trading nation and will continually face competition from low cost agricultural producers. • Canada needs to added value to primary agricultural products before exporting them. • Every year there are more and more world consumers with the resources to purchase value added products, animal protein products and products that have high nutritional value and are safe. • Except for supply managed commodities, most Canadian commodities produce for at least a portion of the products to be exported. In fact 43% of Canada’s primary agricultural products are exported. Yet in terms of lamb production Canada only supplies 41% of its domestic demand. So the sheep industry, along with meat goats, can approach the future from a much different perspective than either the beef or hog industries. • Sheep are often the second or third farm enterprise in generating a family’s income. Under-developed areas on Canadian sheep farms are often: flock genetic merit; financial recording, analysis and returns; performance and health – disease recording; advanced flock management; and production geared to customer demands. • In summarizing the day the workshop facilitators identified the agriculture and food industry in 2020 as global, bright for Canada and dependent on being innovative, applying environmental measures and supplying customer’s needs. All of these points identify that for the Canadian sheep industry there will be both opportunities and challenges over the next decade as the industry expands the volume of production and provides services, education and expertise 6

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so producers can enhance their on-farm profits. Timing and actions are important factors but also key to the sheep industry’s future are determining the opportunities, realizing the vision and working collectively. Both seasonal grazing and total stored feed systems can work in Canada but they will both need to address size of carbon foot print, oil/fertilizer/equipment prices and amount of labour available and used by each. In the end, the success of sheep producers will be dependent on: basing decisions on recorded on-farm data; managing to maximize profit per ewe or lamb sold; implementing genetics, nutrition and management that consider customer demands; and being innovative and supportive of industry advancements. Over the past months Ontario Sheep has been addressing future producer and industry needs in a number of ways including: • OMAFRA and OSMA have signed an agreement (reported elsewhere in this issue of Ontario Sheep News) for Ontario Sheep to take over the Sheep Flock Improvement Program (SFIP) and genetic evaluations. Already producers are being involved in designing how to expand the participation in SFIP and the use of the information generated using the SFIP data. • In collaboration with other industry stakeholders, Ontario Sheep is investigating ways to effectively build industry infra-structure and programs in the areas of traceability, food safety and biosecurity. This process will take some time in order to make the programs affordable, user friendly and compliant with global standards. • Ontario Sheep is working with other Canadian sheep producer organizations to link the sheep databases in order to have more data available to better serve producers in the areas of education, sheep population monitoring, benchmarking, genetic evaluations, development of new services and research. • Ontario Sheep is also working with both sheep and other livestock organizations to design an Internet flock data and management software that will be available to all producers for a monthly service fee. Key to the success of this project will be producer involvement in the design. A significant portion of the funding for this project will come from the funding OMAFRA has provided to Ontario Sheep. • The Ontario Sheep Benchmarking Study, now in year two, is proceeding very well with thirty-eight producers now providing 2009 data from both management and financial perspectives. People attending the OSMA Annual General Continued on bottom of page 7.

market report

june 2010

The Ontario Market Report

ull market information can be found every week in the Ontario Farmer and online at www.ontariosheep.org under “Market Information”. The graphs shown here show the trends in pricing and volume of the last 6 months in Ontario. OSN

You can also listen to the weekly information by calling 519-836-0043 and press 6 to go to the market line. Market information for OLEX, the Ontario Stockyards, Brussels and Embrun are recorded every week. You can also find archived weekly summaries on the Market page.

Continued from page 6~ Building the Future

Meeting, October 29th & 30th in Guelph, will be able to hear preliminary results on Key Performance Indicator (KPI’s) for sheep farming in Ontario. • Ontario Sheep is currently supporting four research projects that are studying: use of corn silage in lamb diets; genetic evaluations; Q Fever prevalence; and over-wintering of nematodes. • Ontario Sheep has named six staff-director-producer teams to develop the organization’s strategic directions or areas of importance to the industry. These teams cover: advocacy; education; the organization; research and development; promotion and predation. Over time more teams may be named if they are deemed necessary by the Board. Producers, industry and government can expect to hear from these teams. • At the present time the Ontario Sheep Education Team in collaboration with OMAFRA and other stakeholders is

investigating ways to fund and provide an annual across the province seminar-events program. Hopefully a program will be in place for 2011. • The Ontario Sheep website is currently being totally re-designed by staff and Farms.com. By this fall producer and industry stakeholders can expect to see more information and services available at ontariosheep.com. Opportunity abounds for the Ontario sheep industry to address the challenges and develop a viable and sustainable industry. Key to the success of all efforts undertaken by Ontario Sheep will be producer and stakeholder input and involvement. If you have any comments, ideas or suggestions that you feel can help build a successful future, Ontario Sheep Directors and Staff want to hear from you. ONTARIO SHEEP – building for the future. OSN

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Tis the Season

Are Ewe Getting Enough Water? Jillian Craig

ver the summer months it is important to provide free-choice good quality water for sheep. Sheep may drink 40 percent more water during the summer than in winter months. Water intake can vary depending on animal and environmental conditions and the quality of the water available. Water quality can be affected by different factors such as acidity, salinity, toxic elements and compounds as well as algae growth.

Concentrations of elements which reach toxic levels can also reduce productivity. Such elements include magnesium, fluorides, iron, arsenic, mercury, lead and selenium. A water analysis could be performed to ensure maximal productivity.

Water requirements change depending on the age and condition of sheep, breed differences, stage of production, size, amount of wool covering, body metabolism, feed composition and feed consumption. Ewes carrying single

It is important to ensure that troughs or water bowls are checked daily and cleaned when necessary to reduce disease, algae and salinity. If using dugouts or ponds the appearance of blue-green algae needs to be monitored since it can be toxic to sheep. In order to maximize production a sufficient supply of good quality, cool, clean water should be available. OSN

Daily Water Requirements for Sheep Adult Sheep

3.8 - 7.6 Litres

(1-2 Gallons)

Lactating Ewes

7.6 – 11.4 Litres (2-3 Gallons)

Feeder Lambs

3.8 – 7.6 Litres (1-2 Gallons)

Baby Lambs

0.4 – 1.1 Litres (0.1-0.3 Gallon)

lambs will have lower water requirements than ewes carrying twins or triplets. In hot temperatures sheep use evaporative cooling and require more water to reduce body temperature. Sheep that have been shorn have a higher heat load since the wool provided insulation which is lost. In order to cope in the summer, panting will be increased and under extreme conditions, water consumption may go up as much as 78 percent. If the water salinity is high, the flock will increase overall water intake. This increase helps the body adjust the internal salt balance and accounts for the salty taste. Sheep may increase water intake if salinity is high by 50 to 80 percent in hot summer months. Younger lambs and pregnant, lactating or aged ewes can not tolerate high salinity water. Weaned lambs can become scoured and have a reduced growth rate and wool production. The acidity or alkalinity of the water also plays a role in consumption. If the water has a pH value of 6.5 or lower or has pH value of 8.5 or greater, digestive upsets can occur. If the water is too acidic or basic, the flock may refuse water and reduce feed intake which can lead to a loss of production. Lime can be added to correct the pH if the water is too acidic. If the water has a pH of 8.5 or above, alum (aluminum sulphate) can be added. Care must be taken however since alum is highly acidic. 8

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Algae can be another concern for overall water consumption since it can grow in water bowls and troughs. Algae blooms occur when the water contains increased nutrient levels such as fertilizers, or when the water is warm and stagnant.

Information provided by: Greg Markwick, original source: Industry and Investment NSW and North Dakota State University, www.ag.ndsu.edu

Bloat

As the grazing season is underway it is important to watch for cases of frothy bloat. Sheep are at risk of developing bloat when grazing on legumes or lush, immature pasture. Pastures that consist of cereal grains or wet grasses can also cause bloat in sheep. Legumes and fast growing grasses contain foaming agents which when consumed cause the rumen to develop a foam coating which trap gas bubbles making the sheep unable to belch. Bloat is caused by a build up of pressure in the rumen and causes the left side of the body to swell. Bloat can be prevented by feeding the flock grassy hay before grazing on lush pasture. This will fill the rumen and the sheep will be less likely to consume large quantities of legumes. Turn out on pasture should be later in the day when the dew is gone. Grazing sheep on pasture for a short time period or strip-grazing pastures are other alternatives to reducing the risk of bloat. Sheep should be adapted slowly to new pasture. Sheep can be treated with commercial anti-bloat medicines or can be treated with a more traditional approach by using vegetable oil or mineral oil. In severe cases, a stomach tube can be inserted into the rumen to administer a defoaming agent or an incision in the rumen may be necessary. Discuss treatment options with a veterinarian and know what to do in an emergency situation. OSN Information provided by: Dr. Sarah Robson, original source: Industry and Investment NSW and Mike Neary, Purdue University. More info: http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/agriculture/livestock/sheep/health/other/bloat http://ag.ansc.purdue.edu/sheep/articles/pasbloat.html

Urinary Calculi

Adequate water and salt intake are essential to prevent Urinary Calculi Urinary calculi also known as water belly primarily affects wethers but can also affect mature rams. Calculi or stones get trapped in the urinary tract and prevent the ram or wether from urinating. Male sheep on a low roughage, high grain diets are most susceptible. Concentrate diets high in phosphorous and magnesium or have a calcium-to-phosphorous imbalance are considered to be the major cause of this disease. Water high in minerals or an inadequate amount of water can also contribute to urinary calculi.

and cool, clean water sheep should not suffer from heat exhaustion or stress. Newly shorn sheep should have access to shelter to reduce the risk of sunburn. On extremely hot days the flock may have a reduced feed intake so it is important to provide good quality feed. Providing a barn or trees for the flock to rest during the hottest part of the day will maximize production and prevent losses. OSN Information provided by: Industry and Investment NSW, http://new.dpi.vic.gov.au/

While the symptoms may vary, animals are usually restless and anxious. Sheep may have abdominal pain, distention and rupture of the urethra, urine dribbling, edema under the stomach and loss of appetite. The sheep will take on a ‘hunched-up’ appearance and urine may be bloody. Untreated animals will eventually die since the bladder bursts and urine is absorbed into the bloodstream. Treatment depends on the location of the blockage. Snipping off the urethral process may be all that is required or utilizing antispasmodics and tranquilizers may aid in dislodging calculi. In serious cases surgery or euthanasia may be recommended by a veterinarian. In order to prevent the occurrence of urinary calculi sheep should be fed a 2:1 calcium-to-phosphorous ratio. Phosphorus and magnesium should not be added to diets. Including more roughage in the diet will help excrete phosphate in the urine. When feeding cereal grains, it is important to include other feedstuffs and minerals in order to make a balanced ration. Adequate water and salt intake are essential to prevent urinary calculi. Ammonium chloride can also be utilized in the diet to reduce the formation of calculi. OSN Information provided by: Susan Schoenian from Maryland Small Ruminant Page, www.sheepandgoat.com/

Heat Stress

In the hot summer month’s sheep may be susceptible to heat stress. Heat stress can weaken the immune system, reduce productivity, lower birth weights and semen quality may be reduced. With a few simple management strategies it is easy to eliminate this issue from the flock. By providing shade

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Biosecurity / Biopromiscuity and Keeping the Flock Healthy Paula Menzies, SRVO

What is Biosecurity? Biosecurity is an integral part of all procedures we use as veterinarians and producers to promote animal health and protection. Biosecurity involves all measures and policies taken to protect from biological harm, including those undertaken to prevent introduction of disease agents into a specific area (e.g. a farm or region or country) and those that limit the spread or effect of disease agents present in a specific area or group of animals (also known as biocontainment). All measures that promote host immunity or reduce risks from the disease agent or reduce or eliminate environmental factors that increase risk of disease are components of biosecurity. Most biosecurity measures are applied to the farm or property where the animals reside, but there can be more than one area within a farm (e.g. flocks with different health status), or several properties may be considered to be one unit, e.g. young-stock on one property and breeding animals on another. Biosecurity utilizes the principles used in the three pillars of health management: Disease Control – i.e. reducing the level of disease to a level where it is not an economic or welfare concern; Disease Eradication – i.e. when a disease agent or the factors necessary for its development are eliminated from a geographic area or population; and Disease Prevention – i.e. when the disease agent or necessary factors are prevented from entering a geographic area or population.

Tools and Protocols Used in Biosecurity There are many tools that can be used to practice biosecurity. For the best results, the use of these tools requires written protocols and possibly training to make sure the producer / employee carries them out correctly. These tools are commonly used to control, eradicate or prevent disease: • Isolation of new arrivals into a farm or region or nation • Isolation of sick animals within a farm or region 10

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• Testing for disease prior to introduction to a farm or region • Prophylactic treatment for disease prior to introduction of animals • Vaccination • Test and remove for a specific disease within a herd • Monitoring for disease, e.g. necropsy of on-farm deaths, diagnostic testing of diseased animals • Prophylactic / metaphylactic treatment of a group of animals at risk of illness • Restrictions on animal movement within a property • Control of animal flow so that naïve healthy animals do not contact high risk animals • Disinfection or other measures to reduce or eliminate infectivity of housing, equipment or feed used in the management of animals • Restrictions of people movement or flow on a property • Protective clothing that can be changed to keep risk of disease transmission low • Restriction of entry of people, vehicles or equipment from outside To understand how biosecurity can be applied to a sheep farm, it is a good idea to detail the flow of inputs and outputs. Biosecurity Flow Diagram – Sheep Flock shows the inputs as well as the flow of a typical meat sheep flock.

Reducing Risk from Introduction of New Genetics: These could be breeding age rams (experienced) or ram lambs (virgin), replacement ewe lambs (bred or open), pregnant, nursing or open ewes. The most common way of introducing a disease to a flock is the purchase of an animal that is already infected with the disease. This can happen in one of three ways: the sheep is incubating disease – appears healthy at the time of introduction and comes down with the disease at some point after purchase; the sheep is recovering from disease – but is shedding the disease agent; and the third way is if the sheep is a persistently infected carrier of the disease agent and is able to shed it in some way. Few people will purchase an animal that is obviously ill, but it is important to educate producers on the risk of buying animals of unknown health status. Examples of Diseases That May Enter the Flock from Purchased / Borrowed Sheep That Appear Healthy: Lacrimal secretions Pink eye Saliva Border Disease virus, Foot and Mouth Disease, Rabies Respiratory Tract Respiratory viruses, maedi visna virus, caseous lymphadenitis, enzootic nasal carcinoma Integument Chorioptic mange, sucking and biting lice, sheep keds, ringworm, caseous lymphadenitis, contagious ecthyma virus (orf) Feet Dichelobacter nodosus which causes footrot Udder (milk) MV-v, Staphylococcus aureus, Johnes disease, Coxiella burnetii Feces Gastrointestinal / lung parasites + anthelmintic resistance, lungworm, cryptosporidia, coccidia, Salmonella, Johnes Disease, Campylobacter abortion, Coxiella burnetii Urine Leptospirosis, Border Disease virus Reproductive tract Chlamydophila abortion, toxoplasmosis, coxiellosis (Q-fever), Brucella ovis, scrapie Goats and in some cases llamas and alpacas, share many of these diseases. It is prudent to consider them all as part of the sheep flock – if present. The risk associated with the source of animals can be evaluated. The following is a suggested ranking of risk – with

low risk at the top and increasing risk down the list. • Washed embryos / semen from approved facility • Fresh semen • Sourced only from flocks of known and low-risk health status • Single source – unknown health status u Virgin ram lambs and ewe lambs u Mature rams and ewes • Borrowing or lending sheep (rams, 4H lambs) • Multi source / source not closed / or unknown health status of source flock(s) • Sales barns or assembled flocks with no health records Using AI and Embryo Transfer Exclusively: Semen collected at an accredited AI centre from health tested rams, is a very low risk way to introduce genetics. AI is most often performed by laparoscopic in utero insemination. Fresh semen from untested rams is higher risk for some diseases. Embryos are still considered a risk for scrapie but washed embryos if collected according to the regulations of the International Embryo Transfer Association, are lower risk for most diseases. Purchasing Sheep from Flocks of Known Low Risk Disease Status: It is very difficult to declare a flock “free” of any specific infectious disease, but through testing and monitoring, it may be possible to declare the flock low risk, based on scientific testing and biosecurity. Purchasing Sheep from a Single Source: Other ways of reducing the risk of introducing disease is to limit the number of flocks from which animals are purchased. Some flocks are closed and have reasonable health status even if not on a disease status program. Others practice “biopromiscuity” but may have a good name in the industry (e.g. genetics, show performance). Virgin rams and maiden ewe lambs may have a better health status than rams already used in the flock or than ewes that are pregnant. If replacement sheep are sourced only from closed flocks, then the rams have a known health status. Purchasers of rams can put pressure on seed-stock flocks to enrol in health programs so that the risk that the commercial producers will purchase disease is lowered. However, commercial producers must be willing to pay for superior health status to make sure that it is worth the investment by the seed-stock producer. Borrowing or Lending Sheep Some smaller producers may lend (or borrow) rams to add genetic diversity to their flocks. 4H programs are popular Continued on page 12.

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Continued from page 11~ Biosecurity / Biopromiscuity and Keeping the Flock Healthy

Reducing Risk from New Entrants Quarantine of New Additions For some diseases, moving a purchased or reclaimed animal back to the farm can be done by first quarantining the animal. The animal should be truly isolated, i.e. housed well away from the main farm, ideally on another property – or at least in housing not used by home sheep. The person caring for the sheep would wear separate coveralls and boots and must practice good hygiene. While in quarantine, the animal can be tested for disease or treated prophylactically – depending on the disease in question. Unfortunately many of the diseases that we are concerned about, can still be present undetected in the animal – even at the end of a long quarantine period. Screening New Entries: If the health status of the source flock is unknown, then for some diseases the animals can be screened prior to entry. The screening process will be different for different diseases and some processes are very accurate and others are not. E.g. • Maedi visna – 2 negative serological tests 8 to 12 weeks apart while the sheep is in isolation – separated from all other animals. This animal will be low risk for introduction of MV. Sheep should be 6 months of age to assure test results reflect infection rather than passive transfer of colostrum. • Caseous Lymphadenitis (CLA) – palpation of external lymph nodes and a negative serological status. Vaccination may reduce risk although most are only useful if the animals are vaccinated prior to becoming infected. There is still a risk of breaking with disease later or having internal (e.g. pulmonary) abscesses. • Johne’s disease. Both serology and fecal culture may be negative and the animal may still be infected (poor sensitivity) and because of the long incubation. • Abortion diseases. Serology may be difficult to interpret unfortunately. The status of the flock of origin is much more important. Virgin animals are of lower risk – particularly rams, but still can be infected (e.g. ewe lambs with chlamydiophila). Prophylactic Treatment: This is giving a medication to an animal that isn’t sick but may be infected. Some diseases can 12

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be eradicated with targeted treatment while the animal is in quarantine. Anthelmintic resistant gastrointestinal parasitism is an example of a disease that can be handled in this manner. Sheep are drenched with combination drenches while in isolation to remove as many parasites as possible. After a few days, the sheep is exposed to pasture with the “farm” parasites in order to dilute any remaining resistant infection that it may still be carrying. Standing sheep in a foot bath with 10% zinc sulphate for 20 minutes and repeat in 5 days while in quarantine is another example of prophylactic treatment to lower the risk of introduction of footrot. Risk of Disease Transmission from Shows and Sales: Many producers enjoy showing sheep and / or purchasing sheep from sales. Sheep taken to a show can pick up new diseases, although the risk likely varies depending on contact time and disease. Ways to reduce risk include: • Keeping the actual time at the show grounds to a minimum. • Attend only shows that require health checks prior to unloading animals • If possible, keep the sheep on the truck until its event. • If not, try to house separately from other exhibitors’ animals. Keep an equipment pen between other sheep and theirs. • Keep feed and water separate. • Don’t share grooming equipment including stands and clippers. • Post a sign asking people not to touch the animals. • Don’t share trucks with other exhibitors unless they know the health status of their flock. • If a trucker is hired, make sure the truck has been washed out and disinfected prior to using. Sales animals have the same health status as the worst animal in the group and so the sale will set the tone with respect to biosecurity requirements. Veterinarians and producers always talk about “auction barn” horror stories, where unscrupulous dealers may try to dump their problems.

Photo by Neil Post/Terrance Medemblik Hedgerowfarms

with children obtaining lambs from neighbours or dealers to raise and show. Without health matching (farms sharing same health status and biosecurity plans), this practice can lead to health disasters.

Flocks that are concerned about biosecurity should avoid purchasing animals from these venues. Reducing Risk from Other Animals Other Livestock on the Farm: For purposes of biosecurity precautions, goats should be treated as sheep as they carry many of the same diseases. Diseases of cattle that can be transmitted to sheep may include: Johne’s disease, choroptic mange, BVD, some contagious mastitis pathogens. Llamas and other camelids can be infected with caseous lymphadenitis as well as gastrointestinal nematode parasites. Poultry can carry salmonella and campylobacter. Pigs can be a source of salmonella, leptospirosis and listeriosis. Adjacent Livestock: Livestock that abut the farm can pose a risk, particularly if fence lines are shared. Q-fever can be carried on the wind. Mange can be transmitted across fence lines. Breaks in the fence allow opportunities for mixing of animals. Make sure that fences are kept in good condition. Dogs: Hydatid disease (echinococcus), Cysticercus ovis and C tenuicollis can be transmitted through dog feces. Do not allow dogs to eat fresh dead stock (goats or sheep). Cats: Cats are the major source of infection from Toxoplasma gondii oocysts and are also an important source of Coxiella burnetii (Q-fever). While cats are important for control of rodents, cats should be spayed in order to reduce the number of kittens. Toxoplasma oocysts are mostly shed by kittens learning to hunt. Coxiella is mostly shed during parturient events. Mice, Rats: salmonella, Q-fever, toxoplasmosis, leptospirosis. Rodent control through use of baits, traps, cats. Dead-stock: Dead animals can be a source of environmental contamination or infection of scavenging animals. All deadstock should be promptly removed, buried, or composted. Manure: Improperly composted manure may serve as contamination of feed (e.g. pastures, hay) or air (e.g. Coxiella burnetii). It should be stored so as to not contaminate water or livestock areas, composted thoroughly which involves turning and spread on crops (rather than pasture or hay) on still days. Reducing Risk from Water: Water is usually derived on the farm from wells. Deep wells with good quality water generally pose no risk but shallow wells can be easily contaminated with surface water. Johnes, parasites, salmonella etc can contaminate any surface water source (ponds, streams). Toxoplasma and cryptosporidia transmission can occur from contaminated streams. Wet areas can encourage snail populations and liver fluke; footrot; environmental mastitis. Water troughs should be kept clean and free of manure. Reducing Risk from Purchased Feeds: Purchased feeds can be a source of toxoplasmosis,

mycotoxins, salmonella, listeriosis etc. The producer should only purchase from a reputable dealer and should know the biosecurity on their operation. Unfortunately it is not possible to be 100% sure that these diseases will not be present in these feeds.

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Reducing Risk Fridays from People: 10:00 a.m. The risk from Stockers people is not as great as from CONFIDENCE, animals; however TRUST & SERVICE this risk varies 519-887-6461 depending on www.brusselslivestock.ca the disease. Most purebred sheep producers encourage visits from potential purchasers. As well, feed suppliers, veterinarians, milk truck drivers, salesmen, ultrasound technicians and friendly neighbours can all serve as a source of infection. A few simple procedures can reduce the risk of disease transmission from visitors. • Have a barrier or gate that prevents direct access from road to barns. • Include signage at the barrier as well as barn entrance to indicate no entry unless authorized by owner. • Don’t allow entry if the visitor is wearing soiled clothing (including hats, boots and overcoats) or their own barn clothes. Coveralls can be supplied if that person will have contact with the sheep. • Provide a foot bath with fresh disinfectant solution to scrub foot wear or provide disposable plastic boots. • Have facilities to wash hands with disinfectant soap. • Don’t allow visitors to handle animals unless wear gloves or have washed hands with disinfectant soap. • Insist that veterinarians, ultrasound technicians and shearers come with clean equipment, clean coveralls and freshly washed boots. If not, supervise their cleaning before coming into the barn yard. Continued on page 14.

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Continued from page 13~ Biosecurity / Biopromiscuity and Keeping the Flock Healthy

• Have own shearing equipment and encourage shearers to: visit the farm first in the day; wear cleanly laundering clothing and clean footwear to reduce the risk of transmission of CLA and external parasites. Reducing Risk from Equipment: Some producers routinely share equipment. Specific diseases can be transmitted, e.g. caseous lymphadenitis on clippers. If equipment is to be shared, it should be effectively washed and disinfected first. Reducing Risk within the Flock (Biocontainment): This is just as important in helping to reduce the risk of disease transmission. • Quarantine sick sheep or new additions away from the rest of the healthy flock. E.g. a sheep being treated for a CLA abscess needs to be housed in an abscess pen that is not used for another purpose (e.g. ram pen, lambing pen). If a sheep aborts, move the pregnant ewes away from aborted ewes since the ground is already contaminated. If lambs are scouring, try to have lambs born into a clean environment. • Use a sound and strategic vaccination program to control those diseases that have good vaccines, e.g. pulpy kidney, tetanus, abortion vaccines. • Use prophylactic medications (e.g. anthelmintics, coccidiostats) strategically, including using the appropriate dose and timing. • Promptly remove dead stock so as not to attract predators and vermin and do not allow other sheep to have access to the dead stock or animal products (e.g. placenta). This can be done by burying or composting where allowed. • Use a suitable and effective predator control program. • Manure should be properly composted before being spread onto fields. Don’t allow access to manure piles, including restricting run-off contamination. • Utilize the principles of all-in all-out in specific management areas of the farm. This allows disinfection of a premise before introduction of new animals (e.g. diarrhoea outbreak in nursing lambs, do not add newborn lambs to area with sick animals) • Reduce risk of disease transmission dam to offspring. For most programs with meat sheep, this will be limited to potential replacement animals. The procedure usually involves: snatch at birth; feed low risk colostrum; feed milk replacer; rear away from disease positive flock. • Control vermin which can spread disease. This includes preventing access to feed as well as animals. • If cats are to be used to control vermin, make sure are spayed, are vaccinated against rabies and are kept on 14

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an effective de-worming program. Kittens are a risk of toxoplasma transmission. Providing a kitty litter box may reduce risk of defecating in goat feed. • If dogs are to be used to guard or work with sheep, make sure they are on a tapeworm control program to reduce the risk of cysticercus and hydatid disease. Do not allow dogs to eat dead sheep or goats, including the offal. • Use single use needles and syringes. Dispose of all used needles and syringes in a plastic container (e.g. bleach jug). Disinfect surgical equipment between uses. • Use the principles of animal flow and segregation to prevent exposure of youngstock to diseases that adults might transmit. Disinfect when moving animals. • Rams used to breed ewe lambs can be important sources of infection if not also subjected to the same biosecurity checks. • When a disease outbreak occurs, use standard cleaning and disinfection procedures to lower contamination. This includes pens, feeding equipment, handling equipment and protective clothing. Reducing Risk Through the Use of Good Record Keeping All sheep must be well identified and records of treatments, vaccinations, movement must be kept up-todate. Joining flock health programs (e.g. Ontario Sheep Health box 1051 cookstown, ontario Program) disease location: hwy 89 and hwy 400 status programs (e.g. Canadian Voluntary Scrapie Certification program, Ontario cattle • sheep, lambs, goats Maedi Visna Flock veal • horses stockers • bred cows Status program) kkkk w h e n e v e r Sheep, Lambs and Goats possible, and Ask for being a member B rian Pascoe of the Canadian On-Farm Food Safety program, Murray Morrison or will help with Wayne Small the maintenance Visit our web site at: of good records. www. ontariostockyards.on.ca OSN

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OSMA Now Responsible for Performance Recording

or many years, the number of flocks on SFIP has been shrinking and OSMA has been hearing concern from producers relative to the lack of documented breeding stock available to both purebred and commercial flocks. So when OMAFRA in late 2009 came to OSMA requesting that it take over SFIP, OSMA saw the need to create alternatives to the current system. The Ontario Minister of Agriculture and Food will soon be making the announcement including funding for the following: 1. Effective April 1st, 2010:

2. OSMA will immediately begin development on: a. A national system whereby on-farm performance data will be linked from various databases across Canada. (The purpose is to link various systems in order to enhance services, development of the industry and research). b. A study of a system whereby flock recording and management service can be offered to sheep producers utilizing the World Wide Web. Producers interested in or with questions on these matters should address their questions to Murray S. Hunt, OSMA General Manager. He can be reached at mhunt@ ontariosheep.org or by calling 519-836-0043. OSN

a. The SFIP program will be transferred to OSMA from OMAFRA. b. The genetic evaluation system run at the University of Guelph (CGIL) using Ontario and Quebec data will be the responsibility of OSMA and CEPOQ.

Breezy Ridge Shearing School â&#x20AC;&#x201C; A New Endeavor

he 1st Breezy Ridge Shearing School was held on May 7th 8th and 9th between Ravenshoe and Sutton at 203 Mount Pleasant Trail. Five trainees took part (3 females, 2 males) and were instructed in the proper handling of sheep and equipment as used in the preparing of wool and the shearing of sheep. Friday evening consisted of classroom time where there were introductions, discussion, reviewed facilities, clothing and equipment. A three stand shearing floor was prepared on a race system. Saturday and Sunday saw hands on shearing of sheep after a series of stretching exercises. Roughly 80 sheep were used that were two weeks away from lambing. They were closer to lambing then instructors Peter Kudelka and Les Jones preferred but they were what we had and it worked remarkably well. With the use of Ovina and Pacer style combs, cuts on sheep were kept to a minimum. All shearers shore right handed and learned on flex or solid shaft machines and had a chance to try both. Since the students had read the rules for the shearing school, this made

the teaching much easier as everyone was listening when questions were asked. Some thought has been given to another school in October on market lambs.

From left to right: trainer Peter Kudelka, Dave Smith, Wendy Gualtieri, John Palmer, Leslie Dyment, Inez MarchesPeaker and trainer Les Jones.

Instructors Peter Kudelka, Les Jones and Doug Kennedy are prepared to run shearing schools any time a list of 5 to 10 students come together who would like to learn to shear. Note that if you are signed up with Growing Forward you may qualify to receive as much as 50% off the cost of your course. For more information about the shearing school, email Peter Kudelka at peter@kudelka.ca or phone 1-519348-4266 or 1-519-274-2050. OSN

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Meeting Sheep Mineral Requirements at Pasture

Christoph Wand – Beef Cattle and Sheep Nutritionist, OMAFRA Photo by Debra Garner

Getting Minerals Into Sheep For a starting point, all sheep in Ontario need some selenium supplementation as this Province’s soils are selenium (Se) deficient. We need a selenium source, so ‘no supplement’ is not an option! Often people struggle with whether or not the requirements of the sheep are being met. Now assuming an appropriate pasture mineral supplement product is being used, the only way to determine if the intake is according to specifications is to read the label of the product as to what intake should be attained per head per day on any product! That said, 15 to 25 g per head per day is pretty typical intake recommendation for a commercial mineral premix (‘free choice mineral’), and in turn, a 25 kg bag of mineral premix should last 1000 to 1660 ewe-days per bag. This calculation must also be done for trace-mineralized (TM) salt when used, but will certainly result in approximately double the number

of ewe-days per 25 kg product compared to premix. Since Se deficiency is a big deal in Ontario, look for a sheep mineral that provides it at the highest levels possible; any higher you’d need a vet script which some farms may. But this is a result of Federal rules that need to be relevant in high selenium provinces too. If you are considering a TM salt product on pasture, look for TM salt that is 120 mg/kg selenium or formulated for higher intake. There are a few add-ons you may consider with mineral premix or TM salt such as adding a coccidiostat for cocci control in lambs.

What Are Mineral Suppementation Requirements

The key to determining what level your animals need to be supplemented at is a forage test. Table 1 illustrates the minimum levels of various minerals this author would recommend in sheep forages Table 1. Minimum requirements for macro and micro-mineral for mature ewes and growing lambs on pasture assuming highest (fresh perennial level of requirement within that class, as adapted by Christoph Wand from Nutrient Requirements of Small Ruminants, 2007. Calcium, phosphorus, manganese and molybdenum recommendations still stem in part from Nutrient Requireforages). The ments of Sheep, 1985 and other sources for economy, safety and clarity reasons. upper section Nutrient Unit of Measure* Mature Lambs c o n t a i n s s t a n d a r d Standard on forage test m i n e r a l s Calcium (Ca) % 0.30 0.35 reported on, Phosphorus (P) % 0.25 0.30 the next two Potassium (K) % 0.50 are optional, Magnesium (Mg) % 0.11 and then trace minerals which Sodium (Na) % 0.06 cannot easily Sulphur (S) % 0.16 be tested for, Zinc (Zn) ppm or mg/kg 36 so should be Manganese (Mn) ppm or mg/kg 20-40 assumed as Optional on forage test deficient. These values are based Copper (Cu) ppm or mg/kg 6 (maximum 15) on requirements Molybdenum (Mo) ppm or mg/kg 0.5 for critical Not likely on forage test – separate analysis stages such as Cobalt ppm or mg/kg 0.17 late pregnancy/ Iodine (I) ppm or mg/kg 0.65 lactation for ewe lambs, and then Iron (Fe) ppm or mg/kg 30 75 extrapolated Selenium (Se) ppm or mg/kg 0.3 to ewes. It is * in total ration or as reported on forage test assuming 100% pasture intake. Ppm or mg/kg are the same unit of measure, both measuring number a ‘worst case of units per million units. scenario’ for the ** Supplementation ingredient for single mineral, if required

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ewe flock for each of the mineral parameters, as those ewe-lamb requirements are higher than for ewes at any stage of production. Similarly, the same has been done for a growing lamb. Dr. Kendall Swanson, a researcher at the University of Guelph comments that “typical average to good quality pastures in Ontario may not need supplementation of most minerals and vitamins, but there likely are some quite low quality pastures that do.” How do you know where your pastures fit in? Feed analysis compared to requirements is the only way to tell! A farm should build an inventory of forage tests over time to account for seasonal and weather variations on mineral uptake by the pasture. If, over time, the forage test is above the levels in Table 1, then no further action is needed on that nutrient. In looking at this information many people farming on high fertility soils will realize there is no need to routinely supplement calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and perhaps other minerals. High phosphorus (P) minerals (1:1 and even 2:1 Ca:P ratio) are typically over-supplementing P levels, because of the high manure or fertilizer levels in parts of the province that have been farmed for several decades. The only way to be sure is a forage test for minerals! All sheep in Ontario need Se, and if that can be done with a TM salt, then perhaps that is all a given farm needs. Some flocks on very low P soils may need a source of that macro-mineral, which is absent in TM salt.

Bottom Line on Minerals at Pasture The only way to really tell what you need is a forage test, and to accept Ontario is selenium (Se) deficient. Once you have done these two things you can figure out whether you really need a complete premix or a trace-mineralize (TM) salt to meet the mineral needs of your sheep at pasture. And remember, at pasture all of the vitamins A, D, and E sheep could ever need are there for free. Get it while you can! OSN

Current ProduCers on Maedi-Visna ProduCer naMe Robert & Gail Irvine Joanne T Ted Skinner Robert & Shirley Graves Perry & Christina Sisson Heather & Robert Kelly John & Eadie Steele Glen & Sharon Duff Neil & Heidi Bouman Axel Meister William MacTaggart Gordon Walker Garry & Beth Collins Tina Harrington Colleen Acres Gerald & Joanne Hunter Bethane Jensen Francis & Elaine Winger George & Diane Kydd Darryl & Rachel Stoltz Riva Berezowski & Steve Vidacs Ted Brown Fred Baker Gary Lapier Jennifer Woodhouse Karen Hayward William Jeffrey Harry & Eleanor Pietersma Rebecca Parker Emmerson & Lisa Turney

FarM naMe Rocky Lane Farm Cedar Creek Charollais Century Lane Farm Sisson Sheep Farm Greenwood Farm Duff Farms Wooldrift Farm MacTaggart Suffolk Orchardview Farm Collins Horned Dorsets Stonehill Sheep Maple Meadow Farms Hunterdown Farm Shepherd’s Fold Highlands of Tara-Grey Excel Ewe Genetics Cedar Ridge Farm Brown Woolies Farm Hawkwind Farm Rocky Hyland Farm Trillium Woods Sheep Elysian Fields Middle Kingdom Farm Wo-Nikk-El Heights

telePhone 705-292-7207 905-263-2102 613-831-2656 705-277-2887 519-369-5396 705-696-1491 519-856-9935 519-750-9928 519-538-2844 519-824-3878 519-287-5085 519-934-3239 519-794-3732 613-826-2581 613-283-7565 519-887-9948 519-323-3531 705-277-1274 519-887-8216 519-371-7314 905-877-2323 613-989-5352 613-989-2792 519-599-5379 519-371-8487 519-234-6872 613-652-2044 705-277-1711 519-848-6877

Current ProduCers on ontario sheeP health PrograM ProduCer naMe Bill & Lyne Duffield Robert & Gail Irvine Francis & Elaine Winger John & Eadie Steele George & Diane Kydd Colleen Acres Darry & Rachel Stoltz Anne Dockendorff Wietza & Leny Raven

FarM naMe Codan Suffolks Rocky Lane Farm Highlands of Tara-Grey Maple Meadow Farms Excel Ewe Genetics Silver Rapids Farm Green Hill Farm

telePhone 519-899-2663 705-292-7207 519-323-3531 705-696-1491 705-277-1274 613-826-2581 519-887-8216 705-724-9183 519-928-2705

sheeP ProduCers on the sCraPie PrograM ProduCer naMe Bill McCutcheon Axel Meister Bill & Lynne Duffield Francis & Elaine Winger Mels & Ruthanne van der Laan Riva Berezowski & Steve Vidacs Peter Carrie & Susan McDonough Glen & Judy Porteous Paul Dick & Tina Harrington Nicole Heath Bryan & Janice Lever Brad & Gerald Miller Roger & Julie Harley Robert & Shirley Graves & Sons Sara & Jamie Scholtes Joshua & Melissa Groves Chris Wiltshire Leigh Nelson & Luc Pouliot Karen & Jim Hayward Robert & Laurie I’Anson Chris Kennedy

FarM naMe Mulmar Vista Farms, Grand Valley, Ontario Wooldrift Farm, Markdale, Ontario Codan Suffolks, Wyoming, Ontario Mount Forest, Ontario Cold Stream Ranch, Denfield, Ontario Cedar Ridge Farm, Owen Sound, Ontario Smokey Creek Farm, Arthur, Ontario Stonehill Sheep, Chatsworth, Ontario Veliraf Farm, Conn, Ontario Windblest Farm, Lanark, Ontario Miller Farms, Kerwood, Ontario Keene, Ontario Century Lane Farms, Stittsville, Ontario Harmony Marsh Farm, Bailieboro, Ontario VanGro Farms, Brantford, Ontario Iternal Impressions, Bath, Ontario Bent Willow, Kapuskasing, Ontario Trillium Woods Sheep, Shallow Lake, Ontario St. Catherines, Ontario Topsy Farms, Stella, Ontario

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OSMA – Looking Back

ith this year being OSMA’s 25th Anniversary Year, we are taking a bit of a walk down memory lane as they say. Last Sheep News issue featured articles from Jack James, one of OSMA’s founders and Francis Winger, the Agency’s first General Manager. Below you will find some changes in market numbers going back over the past 20 years. There is also a “List of Accomplishments” from a January/February 1999 Sheep News issue.

Ontario Sheep Marketing Agency 1998 Registry of Accomplishments Licence Fees • 97.5 per cent processing plants are in compliance • 3 Board Hearings for noncompliance • 75 per cent of plants on consent program • Proposal made to OMAFRA for mandatory consent • OSMA’s Inspector will continue to monitor compliance Canadian Sheep Federation • OSMA supports the need for CSF as our National voice • There are 4 OSMA directors on CSF’s Board of Directors • Fred Baker, District 10, is Vice-Chair of CSF • Worked with CSF, OMAFRA and the University of Guelph to develop protocols required for Ovissey system to interface with SFIP to acquire national EPD data base • Provided Ontario input to scrapie policy and compensation caps Marketing • Processed 1655 lambs through Forward Contract program • Increased from 50 to 75 lambs per week • Changes were recommended and approved re the RAWF carcass classes • Lamb weight classes have been formalized and attempts are continuing to have the media report them accordingly • Propose establishing “manifest” system to track the flow of livestock preparatory to Quality Assurance implementation Promotions • Purchase booth space at the Good Food Festival, CNE, RAWF, IPM, and the OIMPP conference • Increased inventory and variety of promotional material • Provided promo material for the Federal Agriculture Ministers conference at Niagra on The Lake • Provided lamb and cheese for a “taste of Ontario” at 18

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Queens Park Legislature • A c q u i r e d Nutritional Analysis of Ontario lamb partially f u n d e d through Grow Ontario Grant • Proposal approved for Merchandising Manual for butchers • Proposal approved for “Project Lamb” • Recognition award to Ontario Stockyards Incorporated for one millionth animal sold • $500 to each District for promo. /admin. and $100 to breed clubs Predator Control • Predator Information Officer has been in place for this fiscal year. Significant advances in predator assistance to producers • OSMA aligned with OCA and OFMF (controlled by MNR & OMAFRA) to execute a pilot program, using snares in 7 highest predation areas during fall of ’97 and spring of ‘98 • Based on the effectiveness of snares provided input to the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act (bill 139) recommending snares be approved for farmers and trappers in Southern Ontario • Lobbied hard re opposing that municipalities would have to approve use of snares • Sheep and lamb kills and compensation claims were down approx. $100K for 97/98 • Received grant from OMAFRA funding PIO into ‘99 • Continue to pursue approval of predaticides • OMAFRA developed training course and trained valuers and other municipal employees throughout Ontario re: Livestock, Poultry and Honey Bee Protection Act as it pertains to predation • Response team for predator hot spots under development OLIBS • To date, approx. 240 ewes/ewe lambs shipped to replicators (including New Liskeard) • In second of three0year AAC grant research continues on reproductive technology, genetic improvement and flock health • Sheep Flock Health Improvement Program has been developed by Dr. Menzies, University of Guelph, will be ready for distribution soon and will probably be incorporated as part of on-farm Quality Assurance program

• OLIBS education program completed with 23 producers and vets receiving Master Shepherd Certificate • OSMA/OSSRA/OMAFRA partnered with funding assistance from Rural Job Strategy, to implement a Real Time Ultrasound program for live animal testing- fat and muscle depth • Establishing out-of-season breeding flock in New Liskard Sheep Dairy • Committee established to assist in the start-up of this segment of the industry- $500 budgeted • Licence fee at 1 cent/litre proposed to commence Sept. 1, 1999 Quality Assurance • Quality Assurance Audit regarding the food safety and quality of Ontario lamb completed: preliminary feedback at ’98 annual convention, final report due by end of ‘98 • On-Farm QA program under development; consultant hired to commence phase 1 of national program. Funding approved under AAFC’s food safety program • Phase 2, development of Best Management Practices, will commence in late ‘98 • Conducted “linkages” meeting with most industry links to inform of OSMA’s intent to develop QA program- excellent cooperation National Research • As a follow-up to last year’s National Research Symposium the manuscript has been completed; copies may be detained through the OSMA office OSMA Research Fund • Six industry-related research projects were partially funded - develop a sheep milk recording system - sheep doppel gene encoding - managing sheep flock health- costs vs. returns - irrigating sheep pastures - RTU data collection - copper toxicity Wool • Wool Grading and Judging seminar held at Carlton Place with follow-up session at Snowball Creek Wool Mill, St. George • Ontario Wool Logo approved and registered • Logo signs now available as promo item

• Licence fees from wool are not maintained as separate acct. • CCWG shares will be deposited in a Wool Industry Development Fund • Propose a Quality Assurance program from wool Education • Education committee established; will be responsible to coordinate producer education at various levels i.e. new producer, mentoring program, master shepherd, as well as director, staff & district training • Sheep Production booklet has distributed over 250 copies during the year Nutrient Management • Opposed the Draft version of OFEC’s NMP and proposed changes to a) method of establishing NMP triggers and b) animals per livestock unit as pertaining to sheep and goats; both are undergoing favourable changes Humanitarian • The Amos Kitchen Memorial Scholarship, part of Ontario Agricultural alumni Scholarship Fund, stands at $40,000 after matching at the University Continued on page 20.

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Continued from page 19~ OSMA – Looking Back

• $500 contributed to establish a 4-H scholarship fund for agriculture students continuing education • $500 in memory of Walter Renwick to Ontario Agricultural Hall of Fame OSMA Office and Staff • Russ Dow appointed to the Toronto Stockyards Land Development Board • Reference library established for all past issues of Sheep News and other documents of Historical significance • Coordinated Ontario sheep groups attendance at World Sheep Congress in L.A.

• OSMA joined the Ontario Agriculture Commodity Council (OACC) • Kelly seconded to Wisconsin Sheep Industry Conference • Universal licence fee at $1.25 introduced 1 Sept ‘98 • Marketing & communications strategic plan issued for discussion and prioritization • New accounting software package introduced for efficiencies • Implemented an Ontario Sheep Marketing Agency Webpage at: http://www.freespace.net/~osma • Employee changes; - 2 departed (Julie & Jean) and 2 new employees (Lisa & Susana); also new Inspector, Jim Brecht OSN

Just for interest sake, here are Market Reports dating back from 1988, 1994, 2000, 2005 and to 2010. Monday Sales Summaries Livestock Division, Agriculture Canada, Toronto

Summary (all sales) August 3-9, 2005

(All prices are average weighted prices in dollars per hundred weight)

Head

Weighted AVG $/cwt

Average $/head

Low

Lambs

3301

Under 50 lbs

127

132.97

56.68

50-64 lbs

641

144.55

85.81

65- 79 lbs

1163

146.55

105.81

80-94 lbs

1086

140.43

121.73

95-109 lbs

185

130.18

100 lbs +

97.17

Sheep

743

Total Head

4044

October 17, 1988

A & B Lambs A & B Lambs 80-95 lbs 95-110 lbs

Light Lambs 50-80 lbs

New Crop Lambs

Medium and Common

Sheep

No.

164

200

315

Ave. Wt.

85.5

100.2

66.7

75.2

149

106.37

90.56

128.54

86.4

45.66

Price Total Head

794 Tuesday Sales Summaries Ontario Livestock Exchange, Waterloo

(All lambs are live graded before sale. All prices are average weighted prices in dollars per hundred weight)

February 8, 1994

Under 50 lbs

50-75 lbs

80-94 lbs

95-109 lbs

New Crop

Sheep

No.

Ave. Wt.

100

147

Ave. Price

141.00

128.00

110.33

153.87

51.60

Total Head

(All prices are average weighted prices in dollars per hundred weight)

February 14, 2000

No.

Light Lambs >49 lbs

Light Lambs 50-64 lbs

Medium Lambs 65-79 lbs

Medium Lambs 80-94 lbs

Heavy Lambs 95-109 lbs

Heavy Lambs 110>

Sheep

179

259

107

142

232

Top $/cwt

Avg Wgt lbs.

20.00

175.00

155.00

175.00

115.00

172.50

57.50

200.00

112.00

163.00

51.00

176.00

117.00

154.00

37.00

165.00

131.74

110.00

143.00

33.00

149.00

101

116.26

52.00

133.00

81.00

142.50

121

58.62

81.07

26.00

67.00

41.00

122.50

138

Range $/cwt

Top $/cwt

Avg Wgt lbs.

Summary (all sales) May 19 - May 25, 2010 Head

114 Monday Sales Summaries Ontario Stockyards Inc., Cookstown

High

Range $/cwt

Weighted AVG $/cwt

Average $/head

Range $/cwt Low

High

Lambs

2109

Under 50 lbs

152

225.04

100.10

25.00

270.00

245.00

270.00

50-64 lbs

530

203.43

119.58

172.50

232.00

59.50

245.00

65- 79 lbs

726

209.00

150.40

172.50

243.00

70.50

246.00

72 86

80-94 lbs

462

206.89

177.55

122.50

249.00

126.50

249.00

95-109 lbs

184

197.84

196.27

130.00

248.00

118.00

248.00

100 lbs +

137.99

167.31

10.00

200.00

190.00

200.00

121

Ave. Wt.

117

156

Sheep

669

80.30

117.76

54.00

111.00

57.00

181.00

147

Price

163.46

188.85

153.51

135.32

129.53

123.82

78.45

Total Head

2778

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Deputy Minister Visits District 7: Dialogue Tour Judy Dening, The Shepherds Gate

Photo by Dom Tubb

On May 17th, Judy Dening, Director of District 7 and her husband, Henry were visited by Deputy Minister George Zegarac on her farm in Lindsay Area. Here is a recount of the visit by Judy:

he purpose of the tour was to let Ontario Deputy Minister George Zegarac hear about Ministry and staff successes and achievements from the last year and to anticipate future successes or challenges, to engage sector participants to better understand how the Ministry interacts and works with producers/processors and to provide an opportunity for the Deputy to gain a further understanding and appreciation of the wide variety and complexity of Ontario’s agriculture and food sectors. Our farm, The Shepherds Gate, operated by myself, Judy Dening and husband, Henry, in the Lindsay area, was chosen to meet the Deputy Minister because Carolyn Puterbough, Regional Information Coordinator, knew our sheep farming operation has accessed quite a few OMAFRA tools, resources, education and funding. She felt we have a good perspective on both local and provincial needs, opportunities and issues. My role with the local district as well as being a Provincial Director for the OSMA was also a reason Carolyn thought I would be a good person for the Deputy Minister to meet. I was able to show the Deputy Minister a new covered barnyard, dead stock vessel, barnyard grading for manure runoff control and guardian protection dog, all part of the Growing Forward Best Practices Suite of the Environmental Farm Plan (EFP). The EFP is funded through Growing Forward, supported by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) and OMAFRA, under the Best Practices suite. Growing Forward supports the development of best practices in four key areas: environment and climate change; food safety and traceability; business development and biosecurity. The Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association (OSCIA) is the delivery partner. Participants are encouraged to develop strategies across all these areas to meet their business goals through a variety of information sessions and workshops, as well as one-on-on training and technical assistance. Growing Forward is a commitment by Canada’s federal, provincial and territorial governments that supports the development and implementation of best practises in the above four key areas. Still in the application stage at our farm is a food safety and traceability system and the Grow Your

Farm Profits segment, for developing our business goals. I was able to share with the Deputy Minister our concerns about expansion due to the threat of predation as well as how this could be a limiting factor to growing Ontario’s sheep industry. Because Carolyn had worked with OSMA on the strategic planning process it tied back to her field staff role as well. Deputy Minister George Zegarac has been around for about 1.5 years and came from the Ministry of Education. He has now had two years of touring farms, rural communities, food processors and abattoirs as part of the dialogue he has with OMAFRA staff on an annual basis. The other stops for that day were, the new Lindsay Sales Barn; Len and Patti’s Butcher Block/abattoir; K a w a r t h a Choice member, Upcoming Sheep Traynor Beef Sale at hoard’S Farm; Township Station SaleS Barn of Havelock (near Campbellford, Ontario) – Belmont – Saturday, August 21, 2010 • 1:00 pm. Supported by OSMA District 8 Methuen to learn about Purebred or Commercial the Township Mature/Yearlings/Lambs Revitalization Male/Female Improvement Sellers and Buyers needed!! Project; and Empire Cheese.

Entry forms available from:

All in all it was a good tour at our farm and I found the Deputy Minister to be informed and aware of the many concerns facing our industry. OSN

Elwood Palmateer 613-968-8698 or Chris Byford 613-476-2380

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Establishing a Market Cycle for Sheep From Points of View - CSF

“What is the market cycle for sheep?” It’s an excellent question, but it doesn’t have a simple answer. We approached three experts, representing different parts of the country, for their opinions – Sue Hosford in Alberta; Delma Kennedy in Ontario; and Jonathan Wort in Nova Scotia. They all agreed that establishing a market cycle for sheep is difficult. Here’s what each of them had to say:

Sue Hosford

Business Development Specialist Livestock Business Development Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development Hosford explains that ‘market price’ is an increasingly hard number to come by and that defining a ‘market cycle’ is even more challenging. While Alberta Agriculture used to track lamb/sheep market prices, this is no longer the case. “There were cycles in prices – highs in May/June and lows in fall when the main lamb run occurred. There were also years of high prices, followed by depressing years of low prices, and a few years in between,” she says. “The cycle was longer than hogs and cattle. If I recall, ten years comes to mind, with 3 to 4 years of highs, 3 to 4 years of lows and the mid-range years about the same. However, that is ancient history. Today, there just aren’t enough lambs, enough markets to set prices to get accurate data, develop useful market price information or to assess cycles.”

Public auctions used to set ‘market prices.’ “Nowadays, there are very few lamb auctions with enough lambs to set reliable market prices. In Alberta, there are only a couple of regular sheep auctions. They handle relatively small numbers of sheep/lambs/goats, but are important sales outlets for small flock owners, for cull stock and for lambs that don’t meet specific criteria. However if one of the main buyers is missing, the prices drop. If all the buyers are there and have orders, the prices climb. That makes for erratic market prices. We have used Ontario prices to help set a base price and then adjust it downwards $35-40 for shipping, death and shrink.”

Marketing and marketing management has changed. “As costs/returns tighten, fewer flock managers are willing to just ‘ship’ their lambs to an auction or processor. More and more of them plan breeding/lambing/feeding to try to level out the risks and to extend their cash flow to as much of the year as possible. Part of that strategy is to contract lambs to a buyer or book lambs into a buyer’s production schedule. Buyers – whether dealers or processors – as well as producers are trying to manage tight margins.” 22

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Many lambs are shipped directly to slaughter, to lamb buyers/dealers or to feedlots (sold or custom-fed) without going through auctions. “‘Direct-buy’ markets tend to have more rigid criteria for weight, fat and muscling. Markets that buy directly from producers tend to negotiate prices between buyer and seller. Producers who commit to a buyer have the potential to get a price advantage over occasional shippers, or those with few lambs to sell. Because prices can be negotiated, the reported price isn’t always the actual price all producers receive.”

Low lamb supplies and growing demand may have leveled out the market fluctuations – maybe globally as well as here. “It appears the declining global lamb supplies, currency trading/exchange rates, and political trade agreements are radically impacting food production returns – for all commodities.” Hosford poses a few more questions to keep this dialogue going. “If the industry manages to increase production ... if the ‘free market’ has changed ... maybe we need a new vision/ definition of ‘the market’ ... new tools for marketing, for pricing, managing supply? Maybe looking back at history isn’t the best ‘map’ to use as we move forward?”

Delma Kennedy

Sheep Specialist Genetics, Reproduction and Performance Programs Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Kennedy admits she’s not a market analyst, but points to a good reference for further insight into the market cycle question – “Ontario Breeding Flock Numbers and Average Market Price for Lambs 1986-2009” from Statistics Canada

“... over the last 23 years Ontario’s sheep flock size has increased and the annual price has increased also” Delma Kennedy (based on the annual weighted average prince in Toronto). “It is interesting that each peak price year before a price drop is about every 10 years,” she says. “It is also interesting that the whole price cycle has been moving up. Although it is tempting to come up with weird reasons for the price changes that we

see on the graph, the numbers that we are using are a fairly blunt analysis tool and, as a result, I think it is only fair to make broad observations.”

Here is Kennedy’s interpretation of the graph: • “I think it is safe to say that over the last 23 years Ontario’s sheep flock size has increased and the average annual price has increased also.” • “There is no reason to think that the average annual price will not continue to be in the $150 range given the global shortage of sheep meat and the trend of increased consumption.” • “It is also safe to assume that there will be several ups and downs as experienced during the last 23 years due to many different factors that are difficult or impossible to predict.” • “Just as it is not possible to look at this graph and say that prices will only go up, it is not possible to say that they will only go down either.”

“I strongly believe that unless we see production increase (this will require greater producer returns), and margins for packers improve, we are facing a major crisis in terms of packing infrastructure.” Jonathan Wort I think this was the case in the mid-80s, when we got the first of the chilled NZ lamb and our market price took a big hit. We should watch out for an increasing dollar and more imports form NZ. The only saving grace is that they are short of lamb and they have quotas to fill in Europe. If we were to have a prolonged period of a high Canadian dollar, I think that NZ and AU would target our market hard and we might see our lamb prices fall again. Our lack of domestic production leaves a vacuum in our market and leaves us really vulnerable. If we had lots of lambs on the market we would be less vulnerable to imports.”

With so many lambs moving to market directly, auction market prices are not always reflective of the majority of lamb prices.

Kennedy sums it up by saying, “I don’t think that we do know what the market cycle is for sheep. Maybe the best thing would be to make a graph like the one above and also one for hogs and cattle for the same time period? Then producers can look at the differences for themselves? It would also be good to note the difference in the magnitudes or volumes as well between species.”

Jonathan Wort Ruminant Specialist Agra Point

Wort agrees with Hosford and Kennedy. “Aside from seasonal fluctuations in price, I do not think that we can really identify a lamb price cycle,” he says. Here are his views on market price:

Value of Canadian dollar is impacting market price. “Prior to BSE, with free movement of lambs across the border both ways, we saw lambs moving to the US when prices were favorable and feeders moving north. This probably had a delayed impact on our market prices. I’m sure that when our dollar is strong and European currencies are weak, then New Zealand (NZ) and Australia (AU) move more lamb here.

“The direct-to-packer price here in the Maritimes is quite stable and has now reached the point where the seasonal variation in price is not high enough to drive production to ward out of season. This will have to change to encourage a more even supply year round or we will not see market opportunities expand in this region.”

Lamb prices are largely (until now) independent of other meat prices. “We are currently getting to the point that if the retail price of beef, pork and poultry do not come up significantly then we will not see lamb prices increase. If lamb prices do not increase at retail we will not see the farm gate prices increase, and producer and packer margins will continue to decline and production will continue to follow. I think this is illustrated in the Ontario Market Price graph. While price has increased with the rises in production we are seeing the two lines converge.”

Increasing production is essential. “I strongly believe that unless we see production increase (this will require greater producer returns), and margins for packers improve, we are facing a major crisis in terms of packing infrastructure.”

Producers need to know their cost of production. “I think there is still significant opportunity for most producers to improve their returns. Far too many producers have no clue what their cost of production is or even how many lambs they lose annually.” OSN

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Regional Innovations Awarded in BrightonSheep Producers Among the Winners

hese awards are part of a $2.5-million, fiveyear program established to recognize innovators who contribute to the success of Ontario’s agri-food sector. There are 55 regional award winners across the province — each receiving $5,000 for their innovations. The awards are not given out all at once, but here are some of the winning ideas so far. Congratulations to Bob Comfort and John Steele, as well as the Karen and DennisYellowlees for being among the first Sheep producers to take home this prestigious award.

Yellowlees Family Farm (Karen & Dennis Yellowlees) – Nestleton

While everyone has heard of piggies in a blanket, the Yellowlees have created a kind of lamb in a pastry blanket that has generated growing sales and attracted the interest of local retailers. Lamb meat is ground up, celery, carrots and several spices are added and the mixture is wrapped in white or whole wheat dough. The product can be microwaved or ovenbaked. It is currently sold at the Port Perry Farmers’ Market, at local events and through the Durham Farm Fresh Marketing

Association. It has been so successful that the Yellowlees are looking at expanding their kitchen facilities.

John W. Steele and Bob Comfort – Norwood

When John Steele wanted to expand his sheep flock to more than 1,000 ewes, he knew that accurate and rapid data collection was critical – yet challenging as all of the data collected in the field had to be manually entered at the farm office. This manual collection system left a lot of room for error. In 2006, with a hardy hand held device and radio frequency identification (RFID) tag reader developed, Steele worked with Bob Comfort’s Ewebyte Software to create a program that allows shepherds to collect and review data in the field on the durable hand held device. The software can integrate with other flock management software, reduces labour and improves farm safety. To learn more about other award winners visit http://www. omafra.gov.on.ca/english/premier_award/2009/winners.htm OSN

Veterinarians Seeking Cause of Lamb and Goat Abortions

Free Evaluations of Fetuses and Placentas Available to Producers Reprinted from AgMedia Inc. Written by Patricia Grotenhuis

mall ruminant producers can send fetuses and placenta of stillborn lambs and kids to the University of Guelph’s Animal Health Lab for free evaluation, by either dropping them off at the Guelph or Kemptville labs, or at their veterinarian’s office. “Our objective is to find what is causing small ruminant abortions,” says Dr. Murray Hazlett, vet pathologist at the AHL. Placenta is crucial to the autopsy, providing approximately three out of four diagnoses, Hazlett explains.

The most common causes of abortion found are Coxiella burnetii, Chlamydophila abortus, Campylobacter and Toxoplasma gondii. Polymerase Chain Reaction tests were being used to identify cause of death. With PCR tests, if DNA or RNA of any level of a specific bacteria or virus is found, the test is positive, resulting in a large number of false positives. Hazlett and his team are trying to determine through real time PCR tests, which show levels present, how much of each bacteria causes death.

The program began last June with funding to test 100 fetuses from the provincial government’s animal health strategic investment project, and has since been extended with funding for an additional 60 fetuses. Hazlett expects testing to continue until late summer 2010. By mid-April, 47 goat kids and 57 lambs were completely evaluated.

As evaluations on fetuses are completed, the producer’s veterinarian receives the results and discusses cause of death and prevention methods with the producer.

In one or two cases an unusual strain of Campylobacter was found necessitating additional testing. OSN

OSN J u n e 2 0 1 0

These results will be used for more accurate diagnostic tests.

Canadians are hitting the sauce

like never before. Thatʼs because nothingʼs fresher or tastier than lamb produced right here. Get it while you can! Canadians love Canadian lamb so much, itʼs sometimes hard to find at your store. So when you do see it, donʼt hesitate – pick up the fresh, locally produced taste of Canadian lamb and enjoy it for all its worth…with or without your favourite sauce. Canadian lamb. Nothingʼs fresher, nothingʼs better. Look for it at your local butcher, farmers' market or supermarket.

1-888-684-7739

www.cansheep.ca

Canadian Sheep Federation Fédération Canadienne du Mouton

OSN J u n e 2 0 1 0

Notice to Industry: Animal Health Starts on the Farm

he Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is reminding livestock producers of the pivotal role they play in protecting animals from serious diseases such as Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD), which has been kept out of the country for over half a century. The recent outbreaks of FMD in Japan and South Korea are strong reminders of the importance of practising sound on-farm biosecurity. Both countries had been considered free of FMD—Japan since 2000 and South Korea since 2002. Producers can take simple steps such as limiting access to animals, closely monitoring the health of the herd or flock, and immediately reporting any suspicion of illness to a veterinarian.

Producers should also ensure that student and seasonal workers are fully aware of farm biosecurity protocols, and report if they have visited, or are planning to visit, another farm. Farm workers or visitors who have recently been in countries where FMD has been detected should not be allowed access to livestock for at least five days after entering Canada. The CFIA takes decisive action to limit the potential risks to Canadian livestock of FMD outbreaks in other countries. The Agency does not allow imports of susceptible animals and animal products from countries that are not recognized as being “free of FMD,” unless the products have been processed in a manner that destroys the virus. A list of countries that are recognized by Canada as being free of FMD is available on the following web page: www. inspection.gc.ca/english/anima/heasan/pol/ie-2001-18e. shtml. Travellers entering Canada from any country are required to declare all animals and animal products. They must also report if they have been on a farm or exposed to animals while in another country, or if they will be visiting a farm while in Canada. FMD is a contagious viral disease that affects a range of animals including cattle, swine, sheep and goats. The virus can survive on footwear, clothing and equipment for up to five days. There is no human health or food safety risk associated with FMD; however, it can have devastating impacts on animal health and the livestock sector. For more information on the measures you can take to protect the health of your animals, visit www.inspection. gc.ca/biosecurity. More information on FMD and the CFIA’s disease control activities is available at www. inspection.gc.ca. For any of the above information, you can also call the CFIA toll-free at 1-800-442-2342. OSN

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Points of View: What If There is a Large Increase in Sheep Production? This article is from Points of View, an ongoing newsletter of the Canadian Sheep Federation. We thought it would be of special interest to our producers. MYTH: The sheep industry will end up like the hog and cattle industries if CSF continues its focus on increasing production. We’ve sparked some great discussion with the sheep industry expansion ad and are pleased that so many people are interested in talking about the future of the industry. ‘Points of View’ is a great vehicle to continue this dialogue. Some producers are pointing to the hog and cattle industries as examples of what can happen if we go the expansion route in sheep. As we all know, expansion has created oversupply of hogs and cattle, but that is only one of several factors pushing producers out of those businesses. I feel strongly that we shouldn’t use the cattle and hog market trends as a reference. Unlike these industries, the sheep industry isn’t producing more than is being consumed domestically and we don’t rely on an export market. Oliver Loten, a producer from Perth, Ontario supports this rationale in his recent letter to ‘Ontario Farmer.’ While he can understand the position of some of his fellow producers, he is quick to point out that “expansion of an agricultural sector is not automatically a bad thing.” He goes on to say that “the hog industry is an export-driven industry which far exceeds domestic demand and is always at the mercy of foreign export policies and the whims of the US dollar, the sheep industry

produces substantially less than half of domestic demand… Even if we doubled the size of the Canadian sheep flock, we would still have to rely on imports to meet all our domestic needs.” Steven A. Ernewein another producer from Teeswater, Ontario also took the time to write to ‘Ontario Farmer’ with his views. He asks: “If you are successful in expanding the sheep flocks in Canada, is the infrastructure in place to process the production as it grows? What I mean is to avoid a repeat of what happened in the pork and beef sectors of agriculture. They have had good prices, along with expansion in their industries relying on the export markets to take over their production.” We asked other producers where they stand on this issue. You’ll find their contributions in the following pages. It’s clear that there are many opinions out there – let yours be heard. Please send your comments to: pointsofview@cansheep.ca OR contact me directly at 1-888-684-7739 or by email at jennifer@cansheep.ca. Jennifer MacTavish Executive Director Canadian Sheep Federation jennifer@cansheep.ca

Continued on page 28.

   

  Website www.sheltersolutions.ca

Email info@sheltersolutions.ca

Address 360 King Street Unit #5 Palmerston ON N0G2P0



 

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Continued from page 27~ Points of view

Points of View From Dick Kuiperij Eden Lane Farm Is the Canadian Sheep Federation right in promoting expansion in the Canadian Sheep Industry? In my view, expansion would be a good thing for our industry. While my comments come from an Ontario perspective, I suspect these thoughts would apply to the whole Canadian Sheep Industry. I’m not sure about the exact numbers right now, but I

“..our industry could very realistically aim to supply about 65-75% of market demand without significantly lowering price.” Dick Kuiperij believe that currently Canadian lamb is supplying around 45% of our domestic market. Even without aggressive promotion, this market demand seems to keep on growing. While imported product continues to supply the majority of our domestic demand, I keep hearing the question: “Where can we access Canadian lamb?” I believe that there is a huge demand for Canadian lamb. If this demand is not met, a number of different scenarios can unfold. One obvious option is that customers go to another source of lamb; i.e. imported lamb. Another option is that customers simply buy lamb less often by only purchasing lamb when it is readily available. A third option is that certain customers simply give up on looking for lamb and develop loyalties to another meat source. I don’t believe that we should strive to supply 100% of domestic demand. There will continue to be a certain portion of lamb consumers who will not pay the price that Canadian lamb producers need. However, our industry could very realistically aim to supply about 65-75% of market demand without significantly lowering price. That would require expanding our production by 150-170% of its current size. I recognize that some producers are fearful that expansion of our production will lead to upheaval in pricing similar to the beef and hog industries. As Oliver Loten pointed out, those industries are very dependent on the export market, which puts them at the risk of currency exchange rates and trade policy changes. 28

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Another caution being raised is the question of adequate infrastructure to support expansion. Infrastructure (such as processing capacity, veterinary expertise and support, equipment supply, etc.) will adjust as industry expands or contracts. If there is a demonstrated need for more slaughter capacity – that will come as long as it is profitable. Likewise, equipment supply, availability of shearers or feed industry support will all adjust to increased demand if things are profitable. Expanding our industry will generate efficiencies that help to reduce costs. At present, our industry is in the awkward stage between a cottage industry and that of a bona fide sector of agriculture. That is precisely where there is a potential for improving efficiency. Our industry is at a point where it needs to do some self-analysis. We need to examine challenges and opportunities. I believe that by taking advantage of our opportunities will help us to meet and overcome our challenges.

Rebecca Parker This is an interesting subject. During discussions at our local and district meetings there certainly seemed to be a fear that if we push our numbers up too fast we might end up

“I do think we need to increase our ewe population at least back up to where it was a few years back.” Rebecca Parker like the pork industry. In my opinion, I don’t think this is completely accurate, partly because we don’t have the same export market. We do need to be careful with our marketing system so that we don’t lose control of it completely, though we don’t have a lot of control now because of the open market model presently available. I do think we need to increase our ewe population at least back up to where it was a few years back. At present, the buyers are looking for much larger numbers of lambs than ever before and are now canvassing the producer directly instead of taking risks at the auction yards. This is something new in my part of the province. The seasonal/religious holidays are taking larger numbers and being ordered far ahead of time, so I do really feel there is room for a lot more lambs in our markets (at least in southern Ontario). OSN

Winter Photo Contest Winners

ongratulations to the winners of this year’s Winter Photo Contest. With so many entries it must have been a hard decision to come up with winning entries. OSMA staff does not vote since they are the only ones who know the names of the entries. The winners for the photo contest are:

1st Place:

4th Place:

‘HTCh Burnt Mountain Toby in winter’ taken by Kyle McDonnell of Goderich

‘Baaaa’d Blizzard’ taken by Janice K. Marshall of Woodstock

2nd Place: ‘It’s Just Snow’ taken by Johanna Ramaker of Clinton

5th Place: ‘Evening Chores’ taken by Lene Band of Georgetown

3rd Place: ‘Crow Hill Corriedales’ taken by Craig Dyment of Cameron There are cash prizes for the top three entries. Kyle McDonnell will receive $100. Johanna Ramaker will receive $75.00 and Craig Dyment will receive $50.00. Thank you to all participants who entered photos. To view all photos entered in this year’s Winter Photo Contest and to view contributors photos from the 2009 Photo Contest please visit www.ontariosheep.org. OSN

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The Accidental Farmers and Their Cheeky Cheeses West Quebec couple passionate about their products By Laura Robin, The Ottawa Citizen, April 29, 2010 Photograph by: Bruno Schlumberger, The Ottawa Citizen

ural Quebec cheese maker Maggie Paradis can’t keep up with demand.

Her new Outaouais cheese company has quickly become so popular that the couple that runs it -- and their 150 sheep -- can barely keep up with demand. Fromagerie Les Folies Bergères started production in November and sold its first cheese at a Christmas market in Montebello, Que. Five months later, customers are flocking to the company’s door in rural Quebec and a half-dozen Ottawa stores have picked up the specialty products. “Every time I think I’m finally getting on top of this thing, I turn around and the fridge is empty,” says Maggie Paradis, the cheese maker. “It’s a beautiful problem.” So far, Fromagerie Les Folies Bergères makes six types of cheese. The company’s flagship product -- called La Petite Folie -- is a soft unripened cheese that’s similar to cream cheese in texture. It comes in three flavours: plain, with roasted red peppers and marinated in oil with black peppercorns. Paradis also makes a sheep’s milk feta (Fou Fou Feta); a brie-type cheese (L’Apprenti Sorcier); a crumbly soft cheese with a bloomy rind called Le Jupon Frivole; a firmer cheese called La Coulée Douce, which has a rind that’s washed in

apple cider (this one is just coming on the market); and curds and cheddar from neighbours’ cow’s milk (called La Fraiche de St-Sixte). The cheddar is fresh from a block and not aged. “It sells too fast -- I haven’t had time,” says Paradis, who says that 12 hours a day, seven days a week, “I’m either making cheese, wrapping it -- or cleaning up after making it.” “It’s the best curd in the Ottawa Valley,” says Dave Neil, of The Piggy Market in Westboro. “I get 35 bags of curds Fridays about 1:30p.m. and people rush in here to get them.” Bags of Les Folies Bergères’ curds cost $5.25 for 200 grams and $8 for 400 g at The Piggy Market. “My favourite cheese by far is the Jupon Frivole,” says Paradis, sampling the latest batch in her cheese boutique. “Oh cheri, it’s divine this time,” she says to her husband, Christian Girard, the sheep farmer. Jupon Frivole (which translates as “the frivolous slip”) is sold in small wheels and has a crumbly texture. A decade ago, neither Girard, 50, an ex-armed-forces employee, nor Paradis, 47, who stayed at home to raise their two children, knew anything about farming or cheese making. They were living in Ottawa in 1996 when, out on a drive, their car ran out of gas in front of the 97-acre farm they subsequently bought.

In addition to having an excellent product, Fromagerie Les Folies Bergères has wonderful whimsical packaging which adds to the attraction of the products. 30

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“When I saw milk in a store, I didn’t even know that the cow had to have a calf to make milk,” says Paradis. Several courses and lots of experience later, they are now devoted to their new professions. “Everything is done by hand,” says Paradis. “I make the cheese with a lot of love and passion. If it’s not right, I won’t sell it.” Paradis has suggestions about what to pair with her cheeses. She says that while the Jupon Frivole stands up to a red wine, the brie-like L’Apprenti Sorcier would match best with white wine, an Asti Spumante or a light merlot. The new La Coulée Douce, which she describes “as almost nutty” would be wonderful with Port. La Coulée Douce translates roughly as “take it easy.” With their tongue-in-cheek names, these cheeses would make a fun wine-and-cheese party paired wines with similarly cheeky names -- for example, Fat Bastard, Goats do Roam or Cat’s Pee on a Gooseberry Bush. As for using La Petite Folie in other dishes, Paradis says that cheese, which comes in several flavours, could be used anywhere you would use cream cheese. She likes the plain one with smoked salmon and loves the one with roasted red pepper paired with prosciutto. “Roll the meat around the cheese, secure with toothpicks, put it in the fridge and then slice. It makes a great appetizer in 10 minutes.” She also says you can make “the best tzatziki” by stirring shredded Lebanese cucumbers (juice and all) and mashed garlic into the plain La Petite Folie. I tried it. She may be right. The farm and the cheese factory and boutique are about 60 kilometres from downtown Ottawa -- well within 100 miles and about a 45-minute drive. You can visit the cheese

boutique Fridays from noon to 6 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m. In addition to cheeses, they sell all kinds of cuts of lamb, merguez sausages and nitrate-free pork. Even if you’ve never heard of St-Sixte, it’s easy to find. From Gatineau, take Highway 50 east to its end, then exit north on Highway 317 toward Ripon. About 10 minutes later you’ll pass through the village of St-Sixte, continue up a big hill and find Les Folies Bergères on your left at 955 Route 317, with two large sheep scarecrows at the end of the driveway. L’Apprenti Sorcier has a distributor, so you can find it many chain grocery stores. A variety of the other cheeses are carried in Ottawa at Nicastro’s Il Negozio at 792 Bank St. in the Glebe and at 1355 Wellington West, The Piggy Market at Richmond Road and Winston Avenue in Westboro, The Red Apron at 571 Gladstone Ave., Herb & Spice at 1310 Wellington West and Aubrey’s Meats at 59 York St. in the ByWard Market. For more information, visit www.lafromagerielesfoliesbergeres.ca or call the cheese makers at 819-983-4010. OSN

Purebred Sheep Breeders of Ontario Annual Show & Sale Carsons Sales Arena - Listowel, Ontario

Saturday, July 3, 2010 Annual Meeting to start at 9:00 am

• Purebred Ewes & Rams • Commercial Ewes • Used Equipment For Catalogue and information Irwin Jackson (519) 856-4490 Jim Groves (519) 752-8552

www.psbo.ca

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Growing Forward

articipating in the Growing Forward Business Development for Farm Businesses Program can help achieve business goals in such areas as Food Safety and Traceability, Business Development, Environment and Climate Change, and Biosecurity. By taking part in this program, a producer may be eligible to receive up to 50% cost share funding towards travel, tuition and textbooks. In order participate in this program a producer must attend a Growing Your Farm Profits (GYFP) Workshop. This free two-day workshop will help a producer develop an action plan, review farm management practices, help organize goals for the future, identify resources and build on business strengths.

If a specific skill requirement is included in the action plan, then an eligible farm business could receive cost share funding of up to 50 percent or a maximum of $3000. Farmrelated courses include Sheep Shearing School, Succession Planning for the Successor, Nutrient Management Act: Regulation and Protocols and Understanding Sustainable Agriculture: Principles and Practices, to name a few. A complete list of training opportunities and skills are available at http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/busdev/ gfwdasdeligiblelist.htm.

Once a producer has completed his or her action plan; they could choose to hire a professional Farm Financial Advisor. The Growing Forward Program may cover up to $2,400 in costs to hire such an advisor and the producer would be required to pay $100. A Farm Financial Advisor can evaluate past financial performance, review the current farm business situation, perform a ratio analysis and

Advanced Business Planning can also be accounted for in the action plan; this involves working with an Advanced Planning Consultant to focus on areas such as expansion, marketing, diversification, succession and feasibility plans. An eligible farm business could receive up to 50 percent in funding or up to a maximum of $8000 which is required to be stated in the action plan.

assessment of profitability, liquidity, etc. The advisor can also provide options to meet the farm business profitability goals.

Schedule of Course Offerings, 2010 County

Date

Location

Registration Contact

Bruce

August 10 and 17, 2010

Walkerton, lunch provided

Jayne Dietrich 519-367-5930

bruce@ontariosoilcrop.org

Huron

July 6 and 13, 2010

Clinton

Lois Sinclair 519-357-3146

huron@ontariosoilcrop.org

Lanark

July 20 and 27, 2010

Shelley McPhail 613-256-4011

lanarkGYFP@ontariosoilcrop.org

Leeds

December 7 and 14, 2010

Rita Vogel 613-275-1753

leeds@ontariosoilcrop.org

Prescott/Russell

July 6 and 13, 2010

Embrun

Micheline Begin 613-679-8867

prescott@ontariosoilcrop.org

Prescott/Russell

July 20 and 27, 2010

Vankleek Hill

Micheline Begin 613-679-8868

prescott@ontariosoilcrop.org

Prescott/Russell

August 10 and 17, 2010

St. Isidore (French)

Micheline Begin 613-679-8869

prescott@ontariosoilcrop.org

Renfrew

December 8 and 15, 2010

Glen Smith 613-628-2987

renfrew@ontariosoilcrop.org

Simcoe South

June 22 and 29, 2010

Alliston

Jonathan Watchurst 519-942-1181

southsimcoe@ontariosoilcrop. org

Stormont

June 22 and 29, 2010

Monkland

Barbara-Ann Glaude 613-984-2398

stromont@ontariosoilcrop.org

Stormont

August 24 and 31, 2010

Barbara-Ann Glaude 613-984-2398

stromont@ontariosoilcrop.org

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To implement components of an Advanced Business Plan, a farm business could receive costshare funding for one-time capital costs to carry out projects such as business agreements, specialized contracts, licensing agreements, certification, etc. The first step in participating in this program is to attend a GYFP workshop; details about the program can be found at www.ontario.ca/growingforward or call OMAFRA at 1-888-4793931. For a list of workshops, please refer to table shown on left. A complete schedule of workshops can be found at www. ontariosoilcrop.org/en/Programs/ GYFP091.htm or contact your local Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association for one near you. OSN

More Programs and Funding Benefiting both New and Existing Producers

hether you are a new or existing producer or are taking over the family farm, you may want to consider programs that are offered through the government in order to enhance your farm business for the years to come. A financial loan guarantee program or the Canadian Agricultural Loans Act (CALA) program can help give a producer access to credit. This program is open to beginning and existing farmers, farmers taking over the family farm and also to agricultural co-operatives. The maximum loan granted for land and construction or renovation of buildings is $500,000. For all other purposes the maximum amount is $350,000. For complete details about this program phone 1-888-346-2511 or visit http://www4.agr.gc.ca/AAFC-AAC/display-afficher.do?id= 1177344219813 &l ang=eng Farm Credit Canada (FCC) also offers an assortment of different loans for beginning producers. Information on the type of loans offered can be found at http://www.fccfac.ca/en/ aboutus/ profile/loanproduct_e.asp or by calling 1-888-332-3301. Additional

resources

which

help

focus

management and planning for your farm include Farm Credit Canada Workshops that take place in the fall and winter with registration beginning in the summer. Some of these workshops include; Farm Financial Management, Transferring the Farm, Vision and Goal Setting and Commodity Marketing Management, to name a few. For more information and a list of dates and locations phone 1-888-332-3301 or visit http://www.fcc-fac.ca/en/Learning Centre/workshops_e.asp. If you are starting a new farm business, a business information bundle for new farmers is available. This includes sections on building skills, business plans, common questions about starting a farm business and resources for new farmers, etc. For more information on this beneficial resource call OMAFRA toll free at 1-877-424-1300 or local at 1-519-826-4047 or visit the website at http://www. omafra.gov.on.ca/english/busdev/ newentrant/newent.htm. For a complete list of additional programs and resources go to http://www4.agr.gc.ca/AAFC-AAC/display-afficher. do?id=1270660966855&lang=eng or phone Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada at 613-773-1000 or email info@agr.gc.ca OSN

March Provided Two Great Sheep Days for Producers North Wellington Co-Operative Services

Floradale & Eldale Veterinary Clinic Sheep Information Meeting

Sarel Smit from North Wellington Co-Operative Services Inc. organized the 2010 Sheep Day on March 6th 2010. The itinerary included topics on reproduction, nutrition, feeding options, and genetic improvement. The room was filled to capacity and there were many new producers who attended. Thank you for all those who attended and all of the guest speakers, which include Ken deBoer, Dr. Jocelyn Jansen, Delma Kennedy, Murray Hunt, Bill McCutcheon, and Christoph Wand.

Floradale Feed Mill Ltd and Eldale Veterinary Clinic held an information meeting for sheep producers on March 11th. Once again, the venue was full. The program was developed with a focus on the novice sheep producer, and covered a variety of topics including general management, nutrition, health and marketing. Thank you for all those who attended and all of the guest speakers, which include Murray Hunt, Bill McCutcheon, Cecelia Curtis, Vince Stutzki, Dr. Nick Gallo and Dr. Jocelyn Jansen. OSN

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Two “Don’t Miss” Events Producer Education Day – Friday, October 29th OSMA AGM – Saturday, October 30th There are quite a few changes this year regarding OSMA’s annual event. If you normally attend the two-day AGM, please read this carefully. If you have not attended before, consider doing so. There are so many benefits to attending. The Producer Education Day and the AGM are now two separate events.

Producer Education Day

Friday, October 29th, Holiday Inn Guelph The Producer Education Day is open to all producers to attend and will be held at the Holiday Inn in Guelph. It will be a full day of presentations and speakers. The theme of this year’s Producer Education Day will be “Business Management for the Sheep Producer”. While the agenda is still being finalized, the focus will be on: • Profitable Flock Expansion • Economics of Sheep Production • Results from Phase One of OSMA’s Benchmarking project and what it means to producers • An Entrepreneur Producer Panel consisting of speakers from various sectors of the Sheep Industry • What Abattoirs and Buyers are looking for? In addition to that, there will a one-hour series of short presentations on the latest sheep related research coming from the University of Guelph. Two breaks and a hot buffet lunch are included. The cost of the daytime session of the “Producer Education Day” is $25.00 to all producers. The daytime session will conclude at approximately 3:45 to 4:00 p.m. There will be a two-hour break followed by a Lamb Banquet and a keynote speaker. The keynote speaker for this year has not been confirmed yet, however the focus will be on “Moving an Industry Forward”. The SFIP presentations will also take place at the banquet. Everyone will enjoy a hot buffet meal plus two complimentary bottles of wine at each table. A cash bar is available. After the keynote speaker, producers are invited to stay and network or visit with other producers. The evening will concluded at approximately 10:30 p.m. The cost to attend the evening session will be $45.00 per person. 34

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For those wishing to stay overnight, OSMA has booked a series of rooms at the Holiday Inn and the discounted cost will be $114.00 per evening. When you are booking, just tell them you are with the Ontario Sheep Marketing Agency. If you want to view the Holiday Inn online, go to http://www. higuelph.ca/guelph-hotels/hotel-photos-video/pictures.php Holiday Inn Guelph Hotel & Conference Centre 601 SCOTTSDALE DRIVE Guelph, Ontario N1G 3E7 Hotel Front Desk: 519-836-0231

OSMA AGM & Economic Workshop Saturday, October 30th, Holiday Inn Guelph

If you have never attended the AGM before, here is some very important information you need to be aware of: The Ontario Sheep Marketing Agency’s Annual Meeting is held each year in late fall. The Province is divided geographically into eleven (11) electoral districts. For every thirty (30) registered producers in a district, the district elects one (1) voting delegate to be in attendance at this annual meeting. He or she represents the district during voting procedures. Districts can have anywhere between 9 to 17 delegates. All producers may attend and participate in the discussions regardless of whether or not they are delegates, however only delegates vote on motions. The AGM is where the Agency presents an overview of all business and financial information that has taken place over the last year. The Board of Directors will also present a budget for the following year. Please note that the year-end for our organization is August 31st.

As a delegate: • There is no cost to you to attend the AGM or the Economic Workshop • There is no cost to you for the breakfast meal and buffet lunch. • You will receive a mileage check towards the cost of your travel. The amount is dependent upon the district you represent. The farther away, the greater the amount paid. • As a delegate you will vote on any resolutions or procedures put forward. • OSMA regulations allow for only one delegate per farm. TENTATIVE AGENDA 7:30 am to 8:30 am Registration and hot buffet breakfast 8:45 am until 11:30 Introduction from OSMA Chair, Markus Wand Ontario Sheep Annual Business Meeting Begins Adopt Agenda and Elect Scrutineers Minutes of 2009 AGM Nominations for SFIP & Woolgrowers Review of 2009/10 financial statements / budget Break Presentation of 2010/ 2011 budget Motion to appoint auditors for OSMA for the coming year Resolutions to be presented, discussed and voted on. 11:30 to 12:30 Lunch 12:30 Announcement of 2010/2011 Chair and Vice Chair(s) 12:35 to 2:45 Workshop on Economics at the Farm Level. 2:45 Adjournment

Photo by Hal Brown

The cost of this day will be $25.00 for non-delegates. This will include a hot buffet breakfast, break, hot buffet lunch and the workshop. Sorry, no discounts for those not able to attend the entire day. Please note that due to time limitations, the CSBA AGM will no longer be held during the OSMA AGM.

Interested in Attending? If you are interested in attending both or either of these events please contact the OSMA office at 519-836-0043 or email admin@ontariosheep.org. If you are interested in attending as a delegate, please contact the office and we record your submission and also forward this information to your District Secretary. A complete agenda and registration form will be posted on the website: www.ontariosheep.org by Monday, July 5th, 2010 and we will begin to accept registrations on that date as well. The strict deadline for all registrations for the Producer Education Day will be Friday, September 17th. Registration deadline for meals and workshop for the AGM Day or to sign on as a delegate will also be Friday, September 17th. OSN

ALL PRODUCERS WELCOME

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Resolutions on Predation from OSMA Annual General Meeting

n this issue of Sheep News, Chris Kennedy, District 8 Director and our representative for OFA addresses two of the resolutions from last years AGM. Both deal with predation. Sheep News will address the remainder of the resolutions in the September Issue. At the Ontario Sheep Marketing Agency Annual General Meeting last November, two resolutions on predation were passed. The first, from District 5 said; “Whereas the sheep producers of this province continue to experience losses due to predation and whereas the current compensation for predation kills is inadequate therefore be it resolved that OSMA continue to lobby government to protect the financial compensation that we currently have and request that it be increased to reflect the market value by partnering with other commodity organizations.” The second, also from district 5 said “Whereas the flocks in District 5 are suffering significant loss of livestock from harassment by predation, therefore be it resolved to have OSMA continue to keep pressure on the government to allow and provide shepherds with additional tools to reduce predation on farms and enable them to use any humane lethal control measures.” These resolutions are important, as they emphasize to the Board the importance of predation to the sheep industry and can been taken forward by OSMA in its lobbying efforts with the provincial government. In the last year OSMA has made several other moves on predation. At the 2008 Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) Annual General Meeting OSMA brought forward a resolution requesting the formation of a Task Team on predation. This Task Team was formed in February, with representatives from the OFA, the Ontario Cattleman’s Association (OCA), the Anglers and Hunters and the Fur Managers among others. We put together a list of tools we would like to see available to producers to control predation. The OFA has taken this list to the Ministries of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) and Natural Resources (MNR) in its lobbying efforts. In October the Canadian Sheep Federation (CSF) and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada organized a Round Table on predation. There were attendees from all across Canada, 36

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and various government departments. This was mainly a review of the different tools available across Canada. Several provinces have many more control methods than Ontario. The CSF is collecting information on the cost of predation to farmers, to be used in lobbying efforts. At the 2009 OFA Annual General Meeting, the following resolution, moved by OSMA and seconded by OCA was passed. “Whereas farmers are losing livestock to coyote predation in ever increasing numbers; and Where it is no longer the furtive, fugitive and rarely seen lone coyote that is preying on farm livestock, but rather packs of ravenous coyotes; and Whereas coyote predation occurs year round, but coyote pelts only have value during late fall and winter, removing any incentive for trappers and hunters to remove nuisance coyotes; and Whereas some municipalities are compensating trappers and hunters for the costs of taking nuisance coyotes; and Whereas the uneven availability of this incentive puts farmers in municipalities that do not offer this incentive at a competitive disadvantage versus farmers in municipalities that do offer this incentive. Therefore be it resolved that the Ontario Federation of Agriculture lobby the provincial government to pay trappers and hunters for removing problem coyotes from agricultural land.” During the year producers have taken many opportunities to lobby their MPPS on the predation issue. OSMA has also been urging any producer who suffers predation losses to contact OMAFRA and MNR on the issue. A template letter is available on the OSMA website. The OFA has also made wildlife damage to farming one of its main lobbying efforts. Despite all these efforts this provincial government has been most unresponsive to any requests for either more tools or increased compensation. The Task Team had to wait several months for even a formal acknowledgement of its requests. It has been most frustrating for those involved. The reality of the situation is that farmers have very few votes and the anti-hunting and anti-wildlife management lobbies in the cities have a lot of votes. When it comes to compensation the government always cries poverty, though there seems to be plenty of money for the automobile industry. Perhaps we should threaten to move our farms to Mexico if we don’t get increased compensation. OSMA will continue to work with other organizations on these issues, but it is an uphill struggle. Farmers will have to continue to rely largely on their own efforts to protect their livestock and livelihoods. OSN

The OSMA Board of the Future

he OSMA Board wants to hear from producers as to what type of governance structure would best serve the Ontario sheep industry going forward.

This allows for Board matters to be addressed on an on-going basis. The Board is now looking to the future when video conferencing is more available.

Since the beginning of OSMA in 1985, there have been eleven districts and eleven Directors for the OSMA Board. Representation by groups of counties was chosen as the basis for electoral districts instead of representation by sheep population, representation by industry sector (meat, breeding, feedlot, dairy, fiber) or some other alternate method.

Verbal input to Directors on electoral districts over the past few months are summarized below. Please note that these scenarios are offered by the Board to initiate further producer input. The delegate system for representation and decision at OSMA annual meetings would be retained.

At the time of the 2008 District annual meetings, the Ontario Farm Products Marketing Commission attended and obtained input from producers on their needs and concerns including the performance and effectiveness of the OSMA Board. When on December 08, 2008 the Commission met with OSMA Board representatives the Commission had four requests of OSMA including a request that the Board examine alternate board size and operations. The OSMA Board has addressed the three other 2008 requests of the Commission and has decided to obtain input from producers on the Board of the future. The roles of any board include: representation; setting policy; providing direction; overseeing finances; education; overseeing legal and ethical guidelines; and advocating. The cost to producers for the OSMA Board, committee and task force work is currently $0.27 per animal where a license fee is collected. (In 2009, $0.27 corresponded to 18% of OSMA license fee revenue or 9% of total OSMA revenue.) At the inception of OSMA the Board met monthly to carry out its roles. The Board now meets face-to-face seven times and via conference calls a minimum of four times per year. Internal Board communications are now handled by email.

1) Retain current district boundaries and have one Director per two districts except District 11 (Northern Ontario) which would retain its one Director. (Board size would be six Directors.) 2) Re-align district boundaries to have six districts in Southern Ontario and one in Northern Ontario and have one Director per district. (Board size would be seven Directors.) 3) Retain current eleven districts and have one Director per two districts except District 11 (Northern Ontario) which would retain its one Director. Add an additional three Directors selected to represent feedlots, dairy and fiber. (Board size would be nine Directors.) 4) Retain current eleven districts and one Director per district. (Board size would remain at eleven Directors.) To assist the Board in its deliberations input is welcomed in writing by mail or fax (to the General Manager) or email (manager@ontariosheep.org) by September 25. Changes will not be made without further consultation and delegate approved changes at an annual meeting of OSMA Delegates. Office Telephone: 519-836-0043, Fax: 519-836-2531 Please feel at liberty to ask Directors or the GM any questions you have before providing your written input. OSN

Continued from page 5~ Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re All In this Together

and owns approximately 50 purebred Oxford Down and Polled Dorset sheep as well as helping the family with a commercial flock, mainly consisting of Rideau x Dorset ewes. She was involved with 4-H for many years and in the future hopes to help lead a sheep 4-H club. Jillian is going into her fourth year at the University of Guelph and is majoring in Animal Science. She is currently the Vice President of the Canadian Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow, which is a student-run club at the University that provides professional development opportunities. She is also a member of the Victoria County Sheep Producers and attends meetings when not in Guelph. In the future

she hopes to work in the agricultural sector and continue farming alongside her family. Jillian is a wonderful addition to our staff. Her knowledge of sheep production has already been an incredible asset to us. Jillian is taking over for Shannon Meadows who is leaving us to pursue her Masters Degree in Epidemiology at the University of Guelph. She is working on a Q Fever project at the U of G and we will be hearing more from Shannon. Best of luck Shannon and a very special welcome to Jillian! OSN

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Upcoming Events WOLPA Western Ontario Lamb Producers Association (WOLPA) with support from Grey-Bruce Sheep Farm Business Management Association are having a sheep seminar day on August 28, 2010, 9:00 am- 4:30 pm at Walkerton Community Centre (Arena). The featured keynote speaker will be Janet McNally from Hinckley, Minnesota (www.tamaracksheep. com). Janet will be speaking on such topics as her pasture lambing experiences, managing ewes and pastures during the lambing period, cutting $16.00 per ewe from the budget, 6 things to stop depredation NOW!, using long pasture rotations to beat the parasite cycle and finishing lambs on turnips. Featured also is Phil Smith from Sutton, Ontario (www.rideausheep.com) along with Jack Kyle (OMAFRA). Together they will be presenting Phil’s experiences with pasturing his dry ewes on corn silage plants for extended fall grazing and a rest period for his permanent pastures. The cost for the day will be $30.00 per person and includes a catered lunch. Limited space available, advance ticket sales available only by calling Steven or Lisa Ernewein (519) 3928624, the cutoff date for ticket purchases will be August 1st, 2010 or when sold out.

All Breeds, All Colours Wool Show June 27- Judging at 10:00 am Olds College Fiber Week Fleeces can be dropped off at the College Ag Mech Bay on June 26 or send them to: Donna M. Rudd; RR #3; Ponoka, Alberta T4J 1R3 Judging will be based on traits such as cleanliness, uniformity & soundness, staple style, length and fiber diameter, handle and brightness. Classes are fine wools, down type wools, long wool and specialty fleeces. Ribbons given for each class up to 3rd place, and also a Spinners Choice award for both coloured and white fleeces. For Further information contact: Donna Rudd at 403-783-3292 dexters@telusplanet.net

Ontario Suffolk Sheep Association4th Terminal Sire Ram Sale Saturday July 24th, 2010 1 pm at Carson’s Sales Arena, Listowel • Including registered Suffolk Ewes and Commercial Suffolk Sired Ewe lambs • Performance tested and genotyped for Scrapie resistance • Excellent rams for the Commercial Breeder For Information or Catalogue contact: Glen Porteous at Home 519-794-4549 or Cell 519-270-9214 Grant Preston at 519-923-6341

Sheep Sale August 21, 2010 at 1 pm Hoard’s Station Sales Barn (near Campbellford) Supported by OSMA District 8 Auctioneer: Brad Denure Purebred and Commercial Mature/ Yearlings/ Lambs Male and Female Sellers and Buyers needed Entry forms available from: Elwood Palmateer: 613-968-8698 or Chirs Byford: 613-476-2380 Forms are to be completed and sent to Elwood by July 24 with the catalogue available August 7. Lunch available on day of sale Accommodations in area: • Campbellford River Inn, 352 Front St. N, 705-653-1771 or 1-800-984-6665 • Waters Edge Inn, 149 Queen St, Campbellford, 705-6534470 or 1-877-838-3343 • Other Hotels in Belleville or Trenton • Plenty of room for campers on premises

2010 Canadian National Sheepdog Trials August 26 to 29th, 2010 Daily from 9 am to 5 pm For four days in August, Woodville Ontario will be going to the dogs!! And rather than being alarmed, the town is

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looking forward to welcoming over a hundred Border Collies and their owners. In fact, they are anticipating the Canadian Border Collie Associations 10th Annual Canadian National Sheepdog Championship at Shepherd’s Crook Farm on Lorneville Road just outside of town. The team’s task is to negotiate a small flock of sheep through and around a pre-determined set of gates, then separate selected sheep from the group and place them in a holding pen. Millions of viewers have been enthralled by these trials on television around the world. Shepherd’s Crook Farm will offer visitors an opportunity to see with their own eyes this magical teamwork as they welcome North America’s top sheepdog handlers to a premiere dog event. The standard will be kept high with Nigel Watkins, hailing from Wales, and Virgil Holland, from Kentucky, judging the competition. This is an event for the whole family. From Thursday August 26 to Sunday August 29 Shepherd’s Crook Farm will be filled with a variety of demonstrations from sheep shearing to spinning to dog training, a selection of crafts and artisans, unique food concessions and, of course, the sheepdog trial. For more information visit www.cbca-championships.com

NOTE: This program targets people in the planning cycle for an expansion plan in their sheep enterprise to large scale, commercial scale infrastructure. Workshop is intended to give ideas, show latest concepts, test our participant’s ideas and examine relative costs. For more information and to register: Call: 877-424-1300 or visit www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/livestock/sheep/20081211.htm

Outdoor Farm Show – Featuring Small Ruminants September 14-16, 2010 Woodstock, ON The Outdoor Farm Show this year will be featuring Sheep and Goats in the Sheep and Goat Pavilion. There will be number of events being held including a Sheep Dog Demonstration and RFID tagging demonstration. Grober Nutrition will be featuring lambs as part of their feeding trial in the Grober Young Animal Development Center. An excellent lineup of speakers is planned. Plans are also underway for a possible Market Lamb Competition. We will keep you posted on that. Please be sure to attend this event if you can.

International Plowing Match September 21- 25, 2010 Location: St. Thomas, ON

Sheep Infrastructure Workshops September 1 & 2, 2010 Grand Valley Two day Course sponsored by the Large Flock Operators and OMAFRA- limited to 20 participants.

For more information: www.plowingmatch.org (t) 519-631-1234 or 866-976-2010 Email: admin@plowingmatch.org

Plan to Attend

The OnTariO SuffOlk Sheep aSSOciaTiOn 4th Terminal Sire Sale Saturday, July 24th, 2010 1:00 p.m. at Carson’s Sales Arena, Listowel

Including registered Suffolk Ewes and Commercial Suffolk Sired Ewe Lambs Performance tested and genotyped for Scrapie Resistance. Excellent Rams for the Commercial Breeder For Information or a Catalogue contact: Glen Porteous at Home 519-794-4549 or Cell 519-270-9214 or Grant Preston at 519-923-6341

Photo by Nancy McMurdy

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Canadian Sheep Classic Jillian Craig

he 2010 “All Canadian Classic” was held in Richmond Quebec and proved to be a very successful event. The show and sale took place on Saturday May 22nd and Sunday May 23rd at the Richmond Fairgrounds. President of the Canadian Sheep Breeders’ Association, Trenhom Nelson said when speaking about the 2010 Classic that the event has been “one of the top Canadian Classic’s we’ve had.” 172 purebred sheep were showed and sold over the course of the weekend with a total of 13 different breeds represented. Two Quebec judges, Susan Mastine and Robert Girard, judged the show on Saturday. A fleece competition took place on Friday May 21st. Five different classes were offered to competitors including Range Wool, Long Wool, All Down Shown here is the Supreme Champion Ewe of the show. A Dorset consigned by Mike Breeds, Other Specialty Wools and and Cindy Driscoll (also shown here). Photo courtesy of Angie Mastine. Crossbred Wools. The results are as a Rambouillet ewe entered in the Range Wool Class. The follows, winner of Supreme Champion Fleece was Bruce winner of Reserve Champion Fleece was Ferme Manasan from Murray of Alberta with the entry of a 16.5 pound fleece from Quebec with the entry of a 12 pound fleece from a Leicester

Sale Results Breed

Total

Number of Ewes

Number of Ewes Sold

Average Price of Ewes

Number of Rams

Number of Rams Sold

Average Price of Rams

Border Cheviot

$ 250

$ 425

Border Leicester

$ 418

$ 525

Charollais

$ 375

$ 925

Dorper

$ 363

$ 425

Dorset

$ 517

$ 495

Horned Dorset

$ 300

$ 525

Hampshire

$ 405

$ 518

North Country Cheviot

$ 425

$ 731

Oxford

$ 363

$ 350

Romanov

$ 625

Shropshire

$ 250

Southdown

$ 533

$ 250

Suffolk

$ 818

$ 871

Texel

$ 492

$ 681

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ewe entered in the Long Wool Class. Steve and Susan Mastine of Quebec earned Honorable Mention Fleece with their entry of an 11.5 pound fleece from a yearling crossbred ewe entered in the Crossbred Wool Class. An exhibitor reception was held Friday evening and poutine was served in order to offer a ‘taste of Quebec’. Saturday consisted of the sheep show; results of the show can be found on the OSMA website at www. ontariosheep.org. At the conclusion of the show, a banquet was held and

excellent Quebec lamb was served. The three top fleeces were auctioned off during dinner and entertainment and a dance followed. The Supreme Champion Ewe of the show was a Dorset consigned by Mike and Cindy Driscoll. The Reserve Supreme Champion Ewe was a Hampshire consigned by Kyle Seguin. Supreme Champion Ram was awarded to a Suffolk consigned by Kyle Seguin, and the Reserve Supreme Champion Ram was an Oxford consigned by Van Gro Farms. The Supreme Champion Flock title went to A & C Driscoll showing Southdowns. The Reserve Champion Flock was consigned by Cedar Ridge Sheep Farm showing Texels. The sale took place on Sunday; averages of the sale can be seen in the chart. The top selling ewe (Dorset) sold for $2,350 and was consigned by Mike and Cindy Driscoll of Ontario and was bought by Ferme Woodstock of Quebec. The two top selling rams were sold for $1,225 each. One ram (Suffolk) was consigned by Cecile and James Blackie of New Brunswick and sold to David Mastine of Quebec. The other ram (Suffolk) was consigned by Stonehill Sheep of Ontario and was bought by Ferme Denis Destrempes of Quebec. Industry seminars occurred throughout the weekend. One of these seminars included a ‘hoof to hook’ demonstration from Centre d’expertise en production ovine du Quebec (CEPOQ). For this demonstration producers were able to see and judge the live lambs. After being taken to a slaughter facility, the lamb carcasses were displayed and could be judged by producers. Once the producers had judged the carcasses, a provincial classifier came and classified the lambs. Nelson says the producers “could actually see what they were doing right or wrong”. This demonstration encouraged discussion among producers and CEPOQ answered any questions that they had. Trade booths were also set up to assist producers looking for industry products. Special thanks to the Classic Committee President, David Mastine, the organizing committee, the sponsors and all others who had a hand in helping to make this event a success. Below are the sales results. Please go to www. ontariosheep.org for a complete listing. Thank you to Cathy Gallivan of CSBA for supplying the lists of results. OSN

Are Your Sheep Top Performers? More lambs, better gains, improved carcass quality You can improve the performance of your sheep by selecting breeding stock with known performance records from:

Atkinson International, All Breeds Atkinson@interhop.net • 705 718 2879 Riva Berezowski, Texel rberezowski@gbhs.on.ca • 519 371 7314 Neil and Heidi Bouman, OLIBS www.qualitysheep.com • 519 750 9928 Breezy Ridge Farm, Rideau www.rideausheep.com • 905 478 4280 Cedar Creek Charollais, Charollais X charollais@live.ca • 905 263 2102 DP Farms, Rideau and Charollais www.hedgrowfarm.ca • 519 820 2810 Bill & Lynn Duffield, Suffolk www.codan-suffolks.com • 519 899 2663 Robert & Shirley Graves, Polled Dorset clf@atechmicro.com • 613 831 2656 Ann and David Hartley, Polled Dorset • 519 369 2438 Peter Hyams, Polled Dorset www.somersetfarm.ca • 613 473 5244 Bob & Gail Irvine, Polled Dorset rgirvine@nexicom.net • 705 292 7207 Bethanee Jensen, Polled Dorsets • 519 887 9948 William Mactaggart, Suffolk lesmact@xplornet.com • 519 824 3878 Maple Meadows Farms, Hampshire, Suffolk, Dorset, Rideau 613 826 2581 Bill McCutcheon, Rideau, Texel wmccutcheon@sympatico.ca • 519 928 9626 Susan McDonough & Peter Carrie, Dorper, www. smokeycreekfarm.ca • 519 848 2400 Mik-Lin Farm, Rideau mik-lin.farms@rogers.com • 905 476 0530 Wayne Oosterhoff, Charollais wayne196@talkwireless.ca • 905 541 9041 Don & Florence Pullen, Suffolk • 519 233 7896 Roly Poly Farms, Katahdin rolypolyfarms@bellnet.ca • 905-852-9252 SGS Farms, Rideau Arcott • 613 774 4563 D. Stoltz, N. Bouman, OLIBS www.qualitysheep.com • 519-887-8216 John & Eadie Steele, X-breeds, Texels www.shepherdschoice.ca • 705-696-1491 Stonehill Sheep, Suffolk, Dorset, Texel tharrington@sympatico.ca • 519 379 5087 Thunder Hill Farm, Polled Dorset, Rideau X pshepherd@i-zoom.net • 905 986 1874 Francis Winger, Rideau, fwinger@everus.ca • 519 323 3531 Woodhurst Farm, Texel tomwood.woodhurst@gmail.com • 519 681 9829 Karen Hayward, Trillium Woods Sheep trilliumwoods@sympatico.ca • 519-371-8487 Judy and Henry Dening, Katahdin, Suffolk, Rideau theshepherdsgate@xplornet.com • 705-324-3453

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New Food Network Show Features Ontario Lamb and Shepherds

ntario producers, Andrew Harrison, his wife Jennifer Arenas and their family were featured on “Pitchin’ In” a Food Network TV show that launched on January 4th earlier this year. If you are lucky enough to catch a rerun of this episode, you will enjoy every second of it. The episode was filmed at Brynog Farm, east of Ottawa in Prescott County. It’s the home of Andrew Harrison, a Welsh shepherd from “the longest line of shepherds,” and wife Jennifer Arenas, who grew up on an Ontario beef farm. The chef is Lynn Crawford. She is an executive chef at the Four Seasons hotels in Toronto (2002 to 2006) and Manhattan (2006 to 2009). You might also know her from Food Network Canada’s Restaurant Makeover. Lynn not only visits Brynog Farm, she is ‘farm assistant’ to Andrew and he really puts her through the paces. She not only shears sheep, they also tag the sheep. It’s fantastic to see Ontario producers concerned with traceability and sheds such a positive light on our industry. Thank you Andrew! The opening of each episode has a lamb taking a bit of a leap at Chef Crawford and it’s so much fun to watch. The rest of the show is equally amusing but also informative. Let me give you some excerpts from the article written for the Toronto Star by Food Editor, Jennifer Bain: Lynn Crawford the shepherd pants, sweats and fumbles her way through the shearing of sheep and tagging of lambs on her new TV show, Pitchin’ In. “A lot of people cook lamb poorly,” she laments on the filmed-in-Ontario lamb episode, which airs Monday on Food Network Canada. “It’s overdone, but there’s so much more ... so much more.” Lynn Crawford the chef emerges to stuff a deboned and butterflied lamb leg with spinach and shallots, rub the outside with a rosemary, caper and dijon oil, and cook the whole shebang on a white wine- and ouzo-soaked bed of hay to give it “the sweet taste of the meadows.” It’s a hybrid of this woman – chef at heart, shepherd for a day or two – who strolls into the Star’s test kitchen for a lambcooking fest. We’ve agreed to make shepherd’s pie together, and I’ve grabbed a pile of Ontario lamb chops from my chest freezer. Crawford is dressed in jeans, a denim shirt and a black T-shirt depicting the main cuts of a cow. No chef’s whites today. 42

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Crawford travels North America, finding 13 f a r m e r s , fishermen and foragers who teach her their trades in exchange for a feast showcasing their products.

Chef Lynn Crawford show (credit to: BERNARD WEIL/TORONTO STAR)

The launched Jan 4. Monday’s lamb episode was filmed at Brynog Farm, east of Ottawa in Prescott County. It’s the home of Andrew Harrison, a Welsh shepherd from “the longest line of shepherds,” and wife Jennifer Arenas, who grew up on an Ontario beef farm. Much is made of the fact Arenas cooks well-done lamb. Crawford’s feast dazzles the family with medium-rare to medium lamb. “I definitely pay more attention to my cooking now – especially lamb,” says Arenas by phone. “Even other meats I’m cooking, I do them more rare now.” The couple started Brynog Farm (“brynog” is Welsh for “hilly”) six years ago. Their 375 ewes produce 700 to 800 lambs each year, most of which are sold privately. Whole or half lambs, cut and wrapped, go for $7.50/pound. Pitchin’ In (which starts filming its second season in April) changed Crawford. “It put everything into perspective – what food is. I just want perfection.” By perfection, she means perfect ingredients, raised or grown with love. Like the “pure, sweet, gorgeous” lamb from Brynog Farm. So it’s a given that our lamb fest in the Star’s test kitchen makes use of meat that I bought in September from Hedgerow Farm near Guelph for $5 a pound. I picked up 37 pounds of cut, wrapped and frozen meat from Meyer Meats on the outskirts of town. “The best smell in the world is that – right there,” Crawford says over a cast-iron skillet full of ground lamb that’s browning for our shepherd’s pie. She waves over Jaclyn Atwood, senior publicist for Food Network Canada, for a sniff. “It’s that lamb

In addition to the entertainment of the chef learning the ropes on how to be a good sheep producer, Chef Lynn Crawford made what looked to be an unbelievable delicious meal. She cooked the leg of lamb on hay (yes, hay) that had been soaked in water.

smell. You can smell the pasture with lamb. It’s got that gaminess, but it’s sweet.” We wonder why lamb isn’t more popular with Canadians.

Andrew instructing

Crawford moves on to tackle the Lynn on the basics of carrots and parsnips with enthusiasm. sheep shearing. She’s good-humoured about the celery I bought instead of the requested celeriac.

Below is the recipe for the meal. More recipes can be found at http://www.foodnetwork.ca/ontv/shows/pitchin-in/index.html

“Jaclyn you’re doing a great job over there,” she says to Atwood, who’s acting as sous chef. “Now we want to herb it up.” In go fresh bay leaves, flat-leaf parsley and thyme.

Hay Roasted Leg of Lamb with Ratatouille and Parmesan Zucchini Frites

“To me this is a perfect comfort dish,” says Crawford. “I’m going to go classic with my good old Scottish background. You could have fun with the crust. This is where you can give it a little zip.” Our zip brings parmesan and rosemary to mashed butternut squash with Yukon gold potatoes. “If you don’t go `Wow,’ then I have to go home,” Crawford vows, arranging the ingredients in a three-litre baking dish Crawford – who takes a call telling her that Ruby Watchco’s liquor licence has been approved – clearly gets a charge from “being spontaneous, being creative.” She mixes and matches ingredients I’ve set out (curry, za’atar, pomegranate molasses, ginger, basil) and whips up four marinades for our lamb chops. “Ta-da!” Crawford shouts when everything’s ready. “The kitchen’s a mess. Let’s eat.” We say our “Wows” and dig in. I ask what begs to be asked: How could Crawford leave New York? “It’s an intense, magical, insane, brilliant city, but it’s not home,” she replies. “Toronto is home and I’m thrilled to be coming back to do this.” If you are interested in seeing the show, it is available on the internet. Just follow this link: http://www.foodnetwork.ca/ video/index.html Then select “TV Shows” on the left hand side and then select “Pitchin’ In”. When you see the lamb show, just click on “Watch”. You can also find the Brynog Farm website at: http://brynogfarm.tripod.com/id10.html

Ingredients Lamb

3 handfuls hay, soaked in water 2 cups white wine 1 leg of lamb, deboned and butterflied, reserve the bones for sauce 1/2 cup olive oil 6 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped 2 tablespoons anchovies, finely chopped 1 lemon, zest and juiced 2 tablespoons capers, chopped 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 1 tablespoon rosemary, chopped 1 tablespoon thyme, chopped 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 2 shallots, finely diced 8 cups baby spinach salt and freshly ground black pepper Butcher twine

Lamb Sauce

1 lamb leg bone, ask butcher to cut into 2” pieces 2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1” pieces 2 medium onions, peeled and cut into large dice 1 large stalk celery, cut into 1” pieces 4 large garlic cloves, peeled and crushed 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 1/2 cups red wine 6 cups low-sodium beef broth 1/2 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Ratatouille

2 tablespoons olive oil 1 bulb fennel, cored and cut into ½” dice 1 onion, finely diced 2 zucchini, cut into ½” dice 2 peppers, seeded and cut into ½” dice 1 small eggplant, cut into 1/2” dice 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 1 tablespoon tomato paste 2 cups tomato juice 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped

Continued on page 44.

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Continued from page 43~ New Food Network Show Features Ontario Lamb and Shepherds

Zuchini Parmesan Fries

3 medium zucchini, cut into 1/4” x 2” sticks 1 cup milk 3/4 cup all-purpose flour 3/4 cup cornstarch 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated 3 cups vegetable oil for deep-frying salt and pepper

Directions Lamb Preheat oven to 450F. In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, garlic, anchovies, lemon, capers, mustard and herbs together to form a loose paste. In a large sauté pan over medium high heat add the butter and shallots. Cook until shallots are soft then add the spinach in batches and sauté until wilted and season with salt and pepper. Remove from pan and cool on a plate. Season the lamb on both sides with salt and pepper and rub both sides with the marinade. Lay the lamb leg out and place the spinach on the inside surface in an even layer. Roll the lamb into a cylinder. Take about six 12” pieces of butcher’s twine and tie the leg together making sure you pull twine taut. Heat olive oil in a very large skillet over medium-high heat. Add lamb to skillet; cook until brown on all sides, about 8 minutes. Take a large deep roasting tray, and line the base with hay about 2 inches thick. Moisten hay with wine. Lay the leg onto the hay, and cover with the rest of the hay. Place a lid on top of the roasting tray or cover well twice with foil. It must be completely sealed. Bake for about 15 minutes and then lower heat to 350F. Continue to roast lamb until thermometer inserted into thickest part registers to 135-140F about 55 minutes, depending on the size of the leg. Transfer lamb to platter and let rest for 20 minutes. Lamb Sauce Preheat oven to 400F. In roasting pan, combine the lamb bone, carrots, onions, celery, and garlic cloves. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil, toss well to coat, and mound in center of the pan. Roast for 1 hour until vegetables are well caramelized. Place the roasting pan on top of stove over medium high heat. Deglaze the pan with red wine until the wine has almost evaporated. Transfer everything to a large sauce pot. Over medium high heat, add the beef both to cover the vegetables and bones. Bring a boil, then skim off the fat and discard. Lower heat and simmer for about 1 hour. Stain the sauce into a small sauce pot. To finish the sauce, bring to a boil, then remove from heat and whisk in butter, herbs and season to taste with salt and pepper. Ratatouille Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the fennel and cook for 2 minutes. Add the onions and continue to cook until soft. Add the zucchini, peppers, eggplant and garlic to the pan. Cook until all the vegetables are tender. Stir in the tomato paste to coat the vegetables and continue cooking for 2 minutes. Add the tomato juice and basil. Season with salt and pepper. 44

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Zuchini Parmesan Fries In a large bowl, add the zucchini and milk and let sit for a few minutes. In another large bowl, combine the flour and cornstarch together and season with salt and pepper. Strain the zucchini and add to flour mixture. Toss well to evenly coat. Using a sieve, remove the zucchini from the flour and shake of excess. In an 8-inch heavy saucepan or deep skillet heat the oil over moderate heat until a deep-fat thermometer registers 375* F. Working in small batches, add the zucchini and fry until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Dust with parmesan. Finally, we have to share the delicious dessert recipe with you as it is the season for fresh Ontario Strawberries.

Lemon and White Chocolate Mousse Parfaits with Ruby Red Strawberries Yield: 6 Ingredients 5 egg yolks 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup lemon juice 4 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest 1 pinch salt 1/4 cup 35% cream 2 2/3 cups 35% cream 1x3 1/2 ounce bar of white chocolate, finely chopped 4 cups strawberries, hulled and sliced

Directions Whisk egg yolks, sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest and salt in a medium bowl and mix together well. Over a pot of simmering water, whisk the mixture until it is very thick, about 6 minutes. Cool the lemon mixture. Combine ¼ cup cream and the white chocolate in a mixing bowl over simmering water. Stir mixture until melted and smooth. Cool this white chocolate mixture to room temperature. Beat the remaining cream until firm peaks. Divide the whipped cream between the two mousse bases, folding in 1 cup at a time. In six parfait glasses, layer with lemon mousse in each top with 2 tablespoons strawberries. Then layer the white chocolate mousse over strawberries. Repeat layering 2 more times. OSN

Ontario Sheep Marketing Agency Scholarship

his year’s OSMA Scholarship awards the amount of $500.00 to any student attending their first or second year of a university, college or apprenticeship program in the fall of 2010. To apply, download the form found on the homepage of www.ontariosheep.org or contact the OSMA office. This year we are looking for the best essay submitted on any one of the two topics. The submissions must come to the OSMA office with postage dating no later than Friday, September 3rd, 2010. Your name will be removed from your essay before being judged. This keeps the submissions anonymous. The winning selection will be notified on or before Friday, September 17th, 2010. Here is some more information:

Requirements Applicants must have a Parent/Guardian registered as an OSMA producer as of April 30th, 2010 and be attending their 1st or 2nd year of a university, college or apprenticeship program in the fall of 2010 (not limited to agriculture). Applicants must be 21 years of age or younger.

of people, many live quite far away. You must come up with ways to communicate with this group of people electronically and also find ways to educate producers in the same manner. How would you do that? What type of software tools could you use? (Examples; Internet, Skype, Face book, etc) 2. Explain some new technologies in sheep production and how it would benefit the industry in any of the following areas: -predation -nutrition -breeding (genetics) -traceability • Articles should range from 1000-1500 words in length • You may include pictures, diagrams…etc • Be creative and enjoy this learning opportunity • Your submissions will be judged on creativity as well as content • Top articles will be published in the Ontario Sheep News

Submission Requirements Please select and submit only one of the following: 1. You have been elected as the Director of your district. You must organize meetings and manage a large group

For more information, please contact Ruth Gilmour at: Phone: 519-836-0043 Email: general@ontariosheep.org OSN

P r od u c e r R e m i t t a nces

Regulations made under the authority of the Ontario Farm Products Marketing Act require that producers pay to the Ontario Sheep Marketing Agency a licence fee per head for all sheep and lambs sold other than to a sales barn or abattoir (includes breeding or farmgate sales). This applies to private livestock auctions as well. Unless such licence fees are paid either to the sales yards, abattoirs, or OSMA, these sales are not legal under the regulations. If such sales apply to you, please fill out the following and forward your payments within one month to:

The Ontario Sheep Marketing Agency 130 Malcolm Road, Guelph, Ontario N1K 1B1 Sheep/Lamb: Fee is $1.55 per head plus 5% GST • As of July 1,2010 you must remit 13% HST

Producer #___________________

Name:_____________________________________________________________

Address:__________________________________________________________________________________________ City:______________________________________ Prov.:________________Postal Code:________________________ Date of Sale:________________________________ Date Remitted:_ _____________________________________ # of sheep/lamb sold:________________________ Lic. Fees (x $1.55=) $_________________________________ ___________________________________________ Pay by phone using Visa or MasterCard

519-836-0043

Plus 5% GST

$________________________________

Total Remitted $________________________________

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Extending the Grazing Season to Reduce Feed Costs Jillian Craig

here are many different ways to extend the grazing season. Benefits from extending the grazing season include reducing winter feed costs, improving manure distribution, decreasing fertilizer costs, reducing labour and time spent feeding, increasing soil organic matter content, yardage cost savings and improving animal performance and health. One should remember that it is very important to properly manage perennial forage so that production is optimized. In order to maximize perennial pastures rotational grazing should be practiced as well as planting productive species and keeping the soil fertility high. Proper management of perennial pastures will ensure that pastures will be productive for the full grazing season.

Sheep pastured on forage rape

Stockpile Grazing of Perennial Forage Stockpiling is the practice of removing sheep from one or more pastures in the summer to allow for re-growth and then grazing after the end of the growing season. Grazing the pastures or hayfields in the fall and winter is an excellent cost savings strategy for a producer. The total yearly feed cost for 46

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a forage-fed ewe is reduced by approximately 1% for each week of extending the grazing season. By stockpiling forage, there is no need to provide hay or silage during that time which saves on labour and machinery costs as well as other input costs. Practicing stockpiling reduces manure haulage costs since the sheep spread manure naturally while grazing. An important aspect to stockpiling pasture is the “summer resting date” this is the time when the animals are pulled off pasture or when the hay crop is removed from a hayfield. The earlier this date is, the more time the pasture or hayfield will have to re-grow which will result in higher yields and a larger carrying-capacity in the fall, which will allow the grazing season to be extended longer. However, early resting dates reduce the overall quality of the forage and later resting dates increase the quality of the forage but reduce the yield and carrying capacity. The “summer resting date” depends on whether the producer plans on grazing lambs or ewes on the forage in the fall and winter. If dry ewes are grazed in the fall and winter a producer may want a maximum yield, with an adequate quality to sustain dry ewes, which would mean an early resting date. If weaned lambs are grazing in the fall however, a producer may want to have a later resting date, which would reduce forage yield but would offer high quality forage to meet the needs of growing lambs. Producers may choose to only take one cut of hay off in late June before resting for the fall to have an increased yield or could take one cut of hay off and graze one or two times before resting for the fall. Depending on which stockpiling method a producer uses, early or late, different species of grasses should be taken into consideration. If a producer has an early rest period (midJuly) then a grass species with a slow re-growth is required.

Bromegrass and timothy would be best utilized in an early system. If the system chosen has a late rest period (midAugust) then orchardgrass and meadow bromegrass should be considered since both species have rapid re-growth. Reed canarygrass works well with intermediate to long re-growth periods and tall fescue can work in both systems even though it has rapid re-growth. Tall fescue does hold its quality well after being frozen.

flock. The turnip tops can be grazed once with a quick pass and then after re-growth on the second grazing allow them to eat the tops and roots. It is this second grazing that will provide the majority of the feed from the turnip crop. In order to best utilize this crop, turnips should be strip grazed. Turnips are planted in the same manner as forage rape. Rape will yield higher than turnips so the producer will have to decide which works best for their particular situation.

Stockpile grazing can often carry on into December or until the snow is too deep. The stockpiled forage left in the fields can also be grazed in the early spring if desired.

Sorghum-sudangrass can be used as an annual forage crop for grazing sheep. Sorghum-sudangrass is generally a high-yielding crop, which grows tall and can be drought tolerant. Sorghum-sudangrass should be planted in the last week of May or early June to avoid the risk of frost. Grazing should not occur until the sudangrass is 45 cm or 18 inches tall which generally takes 60-65 days. In order to have faster re-growth, 6-8 inches of crop should be left after grazing. If rotational grazed, sorghum sudangrass will stay productive and serve as a good feed source. Caution should be taken when grazing sudangrass since it can cause prussic acid poisoning in sheep. In order to avoid prussic acid poisoning one should not graze crops that are less than 45-60 cm or 18-24 inches tall. Following a drought period, animals should

Annual Crops for Grazing Annual crops can be grazed as a way of extending the grazing season when perennial pasture has run out, been winterkilled or when dealing with a drought. Annual forages can be used as green feed, hay, silage and pasture. Potential crops to use to extend the grazing season include oats and other spring cereals, winter cereals can sometimes be used depending on the situation, forage or fodder rape, turnips, sorghum-sudan grass and corn.

Continued on page 48.

Spring cereals such as oats, barley and triticale can be grazed quite successfully, generally 6-8 weeks after seeding grazing can commence. Oats are preferred since they are highly palatable as compared to barley and triticale. Spring cereal mixtures may also be an option a producer may want to consider when thinking about extending the grazing season. For fall and early-spring grazing a producer may want to consider planting winter wheat, winter triticale or fall rye. Fall rye can often be grazed seven weeks after seeding if seeded August 15 to August 31. The following spring will provide the most grazing from these winter cereals. Forage or fodder rape can also offer potential benefits when extending the grazing season. Giant or broadleaf types of rape are upright and leafy and in general are best for pasturing sheep. Lambs may be fattened on dwarf types of rape, which are short and branched. Rape should be seeded in early July in order to be ready to graze by September through to November. Caution must be taken when pasturing since rape poisoning can occur if the plants are purple, stunted and low growing. Rape can also cause bloat in sheep. In order to prevent bloat, sheep can be fed hay to make them full before they are turned out on rape, dry feed or hay should be available to sheep when they are grazing rape to ensure they do not consume too much. Turnips can also help to extend the grazing season for the

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Continued from page 47~ Extending the Grazing Season to Reduce Feed Costs

not be grazed on new growth after a rain. Prussic acid occurs in immature, young plants or plants which have been exposed to frost or drought. If the field is high in nitrogen either from fertilizer or manure, nitrate poisoning may result. Nitrate poisoning can also occur if the plants undergo a drought and then rain or in a situation where the leaves are killed and the root and stem are still active such as frost, hail, drought, trampling and grazing. A producer will have to keep both prussic acid and nitrate poisoning in mind when grazing sheep on sorghum sudangrass. Grazing sheep on corn

Another option to consider when extending the grazing season would be grazing corn. In general, corn allows for an increased carrying capacity when grazed. It is recommended that corn be strip grazed to provide a uniform diet and offer an increase in overall gain since wastage and trampling is minimized.

Crop Residues In Ontario, the most abundant crop residue is corn stover, which can be an excellent, low cost feedstuff for dry ewes. Once the grain is harvested, the stalks, husks and leaves contain half of the feed energy, the other half being in the grain. Stover should be grazed as soon as the grain is harvested to take advantage of the higher nutrient quality. If the stover is not grazed right away, the nutrient quality will be reduced. In general, 8 to 10 ewes can be grazed per acre for one to two months. If there is ample grain left in the field (kernels and small cobs), which passed through the combine, the stover may need to be strip grazed or ewes could be grazed only for a few hours per day to prevent the ewes from eating too much grain. Limiting access to the whole field will keep the diet uniform. In general, ewes will eat any grain first, followed by the husks and leaves and the corn stalks will be eaten last. When grazing ewes on corn stover it is important to observe body condition regularly and if necessary, supplementation of hay may be required. When the stalks are the only item 48

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remaining, ewes should be supplemented with hay. Sheep should have access to salt, mineral and water at all times. Wet soil conditions can cause soil compaction, which may become an issue, a producer may want to consider grazing in drier fields or waiting for the ground to freeze so soil damage does not occur. Damage to the soil in the fall can be somewhat restored naturally due to the winter freeze-thaw action. Grazing corn stover in the spring should be avoided since the following crop will be affected due to soil structure damage from the eweâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hooves during wet conditions.

Bale Grazing Bale grazing is another option during the winter months. Bales are placed out on pastures and sheep are allowed to eat the bales. Bales can be placed around the pastures in the fall or can be placed in the fields as needed throughout the winter. Electric fence can ensure that sheep eat a few bales at a time so wastage is minimal. This can benefit a producer since bale grazing requires minimum labour and saves time. The pastures get an even amount of manure and organic matter from the wasted portion of the bales. By having the sheep out on the pastures with access to shelter, animal health is improved and housing costs are reduced. For more information please contact Jack Kyle, OMAFRA Grazing Specialist, at jack.kyle@ontario.ca or at 705-324-5855. OSN

district news

june 2010

Important Information about District AGMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s: Every year, there is to be elections for the District Executive. Last year there was a resolution at the AGM by District 1 that not all Executive members be replaced every year (2 positions one year and then the other two position the alternate year). It was left to each District to decide if this option would work best for them. In addition to that, there will be an election for Provincial Directors at the following District AGMs: 2, 5, 8, 11. At each AGM, a delegate selection for the OSMA AGM has always taken place. This year, the OSMA staff will be accepting names from producers to be delegates in their District starting on Monday, July 5th. Those names will be forwarded to the Secretary of each district. In the event that there are too many producers wanting to be delegates, a vote will take place to select the delegates at the District AGM. All delegate names must be submitted to the OSMA office no later than Friday, September 17th, 2010.

District 1

Counties of Essex, Kent, Lambton, Middlesex, and Elgin Meetings usually held the 1st Thursday of every month at Coldstream Community Centre, just north west of London, ON at 8 p.m. For information or a full list of upcoming events please see District 1 website: OSMA_district_1.tripod.com; or phone Marlene Raymond at 519-683-6635 Director Chair Vice-Chair Secretary/Treasurer

Fraser Hodgson John Sipkens Bill Duffield Marlene Raymond

519-786-4176 519-845-3710 519-899-2663 519-683-6635

District 2

Counties of Grey and Bruce September 16: 7:30 p.m. - District 2 Annual General Meeting is at the Grey County Agricultural Centre in Markdale. Past Event April 9: District 2 held their 8th Annual Lamb and Wine Banquet. A sell out crowd enjoyed the dinner at the Elmwood Community Centre. Upon arrival, the guests were treated to an appetizer of lamb pepperettes supplied by Don Emke and sheep milk feta cheese supplied by Shepherd Gourmet Dairy of St. Maryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s accompanied by crackers and punch. The Chairman of District 2 Sheep Marketing Agency, Keith Grein was the M.C. for the evening and welcomed everyone. The Elmwood Chamber of Commerce and Bill Prues the barbecuer, served a full course barbecued lamb dinner with all the trimmings, including red and white wine. After a delicious dinner, we were musically entertained by vocalist Marianne Cunningham and Carl Holst of Elmwood. Meetings usually held the 1st Thursday of the month at 7:30 p.m. For more information contact Glen Porteous at glenporteous@hotmail.com or Keith Grein at mk.grein@ bmts.com

Director Chair Vice-Chair Secretary Treasurer

Dennis Fischer Keith Grein Sarel Smit Glen Porteous David Hartley

519-363-3819 519-369-2189 519-369-1365 519-794-4549 519-369-2438

District 3

Counties of Huron, Perth, Waterloo and Oxford September 2: 8:00 p.m. - District 3 will be having their Annual General Meeting at the Rostock Hall in Rostock. Guest speaker to be announced at a later date. District 3 committee elections will be held as well as voting for delegates for the OSMA Annual General Meeting if necessary. Meetings usually held the 3rd Thursday of each month in Rostock at the Perth Agricultural Building Everyone is welcome at our meetings so please plan to attend. For any other information on District 3 events or meetings contact one of the committee members. Director Chair Vice-Chair Secretary/Treasurer

District 4

County of Brant, Regional Norfolk and Niagara Director Chair Vice-Chair Secretary Treasurer

Neil Mesman Bill Jeffrey Victor West Mike Beuerman

519-462-2423 519-234-6872 519-349-2381 519-527-2676

Municipalities of Hamilton-Wentworth, HaldimandChris Kyle

519 632-7602

David Campbell

519-443-6399

Nancy Ireland

905-701-6026

Continued on page 50.

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Continued from page 49~ district news

District 5

County of Wellington and Dufferin and the Regional Municipalities of Halton and Peel June: District 5 will be holding its Annual General Meeting early this year, at the end of June. More information will follow. There will also be an election in District 5 for Provincial Director. Please plan to attend. Director Chair Vice Chair Secretary Treasurer

Andrew Gordanier Bert Nieuwenhui Bill McCutcheon

519-925-6502 519-941-0479 519-928-9626

Dianne Orr

519-928-5302

District 6

County of Simcoe, District Municipality of Muskoka and the District of Parry Sound Director Markus Wand 705-724-2314 Chair Leah Riddell 705-435-2859 Vice Chair Peter Harvey 905-729-3196 Secretary Grant Cowan 705-436-2236 Treasurer Karen Harvey 905-729-3196

District 7

County of Metropolitan Toronto, Regional Municipalities of York and Durham, Counties of Victoria, Peterborough, and Northumberland July 23: VCSP BBQ is on July 23rd: Contact Rebecca Parker for details middlekingdom@sympatico.ca August 7: Fenelon Falls Fair will be holding a market lamb live evaluation. Contact Leslie Dyment for details at crowhillfarm@xplornet.com Aug 26-29: The Canadian Border Collie Championships will be held at Shepherds Crook farm in Lindsay. Sheepdog trial along with family friendly activities including shearing demos, live lamb evaluation, spinning, wool judging, horse/ cattle demonstration and young dog training. Visit www.cbca-championships.com or contact cjpalmer@nexicom.net for more information August 28: Sheep Seminar Day presented by Western Ontario Lamb Producers Assoc. (WOLPA) with support from Grey-Bruce Sheep Farm Business Management Association, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Location: Walkerton Community Centre (Arena). Cost: $30.00 per person, includes a catered lunch. Advance ticket sales available only by Phone: Steven or Lisa Ernewein (519) 392-8624 Featured speaker is Janet McNally from Hinckley, Minnesota (www.tamaracksheep.com). Also Featured is Phil Smith from Sutton, ON (www.rideausheep.com) and Jack Kyle (OMAFRA). 50

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October 18 & 19: Hoof to Hook Seminar will be near Lindsay. We will be doing a live lamb grading/evaluation; loin scanning and rail evaluation. Producers interested in participating should contact Marc Carere at carare@I-zoom.net Other information will be coming out or you can contact Cynthia Palmer at cjpalmer@nexicom.net District 7 Victoria County Sheep Producers. June - date TBA - farm tour of local sheep producer July - BBQ at farm TBA August - no meeting September - tentative tour to Orangeville large flock operators. Victoria County Sheep evening meetings start at 7:30 in the lower boardroom, OMAFRA Lindsay. Membership is $20 per farm per year. Contact: Rebecca Parker Phone: 705-277-1711 Email: middlekingdom@sympatico.ca Director Chair Vice-Chair Secretary Treasurer

Judy Dening Leslie Dyment Rebecca Parker Cynthia Palmer Phil Smith

705-324-3453 705-359-1376 705-277-1711 705-295-3351 905-478-4280

District 8

Counties of Lennox and Addington, Hastings, Prince Edward, Frontenac and Leeds June 12: Pasture Walk at 570 Front Rd. on Amherst Island (home of Mark Ritchie) with Jack Kyle, Pasture Specialist with OMAFRA. Ferry leaves mainland at 9:30 am and walk begins at 10 am. Bring lunch. August 6-8: 8 am â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 6 pm â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Kingston Sheep Dog Trials at Grass Creek Park (on Hwy2). For info check www.cityofkingston.ca and follow recreation links. Director Chair Vice-Chair Secretary Vice Secretary Treasurer

Chris Kennedy Linda Huizenga Jim Sabin Carol Booth Kenton Dempsey Pat Purvis

613-389-0554 613-477-1393 613-477-3443 613-358-9089 613-969-8154 613-353-5094

District 9

Counties of Renfrew and Lanark, and the Township of West Carleton and the City of Kanata in the Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton June 12: Lambs Down Park Festival at Canadian Cooperative Wool Growers (CCWG) Carleton Place Director Chair Vice-Chair Secretary Treasurer

Allan Burn Jeff Wright Oliver Loten Melissa Ferguson Karen Wright

613-264-0801 613-267-7930 613-264-0539 613-257-8748 613-267-7930

District 10

Counties of Russell, Prescott, Glengarry Stormont, Dundas and Grenville, and the Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton, except the Township of West Carleton and the City of Kanata For more information on activities in District 10, please contact Colleen Acres, District 10 Provincial Director, at 613-826-2330

Director Chair Secretary Treasurer

Colleen Acres Fred Baker Dave Kerr Greg Stubbings

613-826-2330 613-989-5352 613-258-9470 613-774-4563

District 11

Counties of Kenora, Rainy River, Thunder Bay, Cochrane, Algoma, Sudbury, Temiskaming, Nippising and Manitoulin August: Date TBA - Meeting with Mark and Camille Lenover showing photos and discussing their 3 month trip to New Zealand. September 9: District 11 Annual Meeting with guest speaker Murray Hunt, OSMA General Manager. Both events will be publicized via mailout and local media. For more information contact 705-647-7160 Director Mark Lenover Chair Hal Brown Secretary/Treasurer Jim Johnston

Jim

Johnston

705-563-2966 705-647-7160

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Association Directory Ontario Dairy Sheep Association Larry Kupecz, President, 312 Wellmans Road, RR#3, Stirling ON K0K 3E0 www.ontariodairysheep.org Phone/Fax: (613) 395-4491 Email: kupecz@xplornet.com Purebred Sheep Breeders of Ontario c/o Irwin Jackson, RR#4 Rockwood, Ontario N0B 2K0 • (519) 856-4490

Classifieds

ontario katahdin sheep Association Barbara Burdzy (519) 236-7368 Email: bbfarm@hay.net Ontario Suffolk Sheep Association Grant Preston, 26 Wilson Crescent, Dundalk, Ontario N0C 1B0 • (519) 923-6341 Rideau Association of canada Neil Post, 34 Wilton Drive, Guelph, Ontario N1E 7L6 (519) 820-2810 • Fax: (519) 846-2225 Email: info@rideausheep.org • www.rideausheep.org

Want to place an ad? Call Ruth Gilmour at 519-836-0043 for ad rates.

Duff Farms Rideau Yearlings & Lambs

Top Genetic Selection • SFIP & EweByte based • Maintaining 3 ram lines High Health Status • Closed Flock since 1995 • Maedi Visna Status “A” • National Scrapie Program • Ontario Sheep Health Program Glen & Sharon Duff R R # 2 , Rockwood, ON, N0B 2K0 519-856-9935 Email: rideausheep@sympatico.ca

This space is available at the reasonable rate of $34 per issue. Call or email us for our price list.

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Classifieds Emke Cheviots Want more vigour in

your next Lamb Crop? Try a North Country Cheviot Ram We have a good selection of ram power for the 2010 season. Logan Emke 849 25 S.R. Brant RR #1, Elmwood, ON N0G 1S0 Office Manager: Missy Emke-Wright 519-364-5087 m_wright17@hotmail.com www.emkelivestock.webs.com

Want to place an ad? Call Ruth Gilmour at 519-836-0043 for ad rates.

MAREMMA WHITE PUPS FOR SALE Pure white coats

• Awesome Sheep Guard Dogs • Will alert Sheep and stand their guard while Sheep run for cover • Far better than Donkeys or Llamas • All Pups raised in Barn with Sheep

CLUN FOREST PROLIFIC, TRUE TYPE

Chris Buschbeck & Axel Meister R.R. #3, Markdale, Ontario, Canada N0C 1H0 Telephone (519) 538-2844 Fax (519) 538-1478 Email: wooldrift@bmts.com

Emke livestock Quality Suffolk Sheep

Breeding stock available “MC” Sired Lambs For Sale Murray Emke & Family

849 25 S.R. Brant RR1 Elmwood, ON, N0G 1S0 Office Manager: Missy Emke-Wright m_wright17@hotmail.com 519-364-5087 • www.emkelivestock.webs.com

“Quality Breeds Quality”

PDK

S HEARI N G Shearing and Tutoring Available

Phone (519)

348-4266

Cell (519) 274-2050

e-mail: peter_kudelka@sympatico.ca

PETER KUDELKA

Box 39, Mitchell, Ont. N0K 1N0

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Contact: LOUIS KONTOS 801 DANFORTH AVE., TORONTO, ONTARIO M4J 1L2

TEL: (416) 469-0733 OR (416) 469-1577 FAX: (416) 462-1564

Call Ken Burgess 705-527-9058

REGISTERED SHEEP

• Breeding Stock & F1 Crosses • Closed Flock, Maedi/Visna-Negative • Prolific & High Yielding • Extensive Production Records • Semen and Embryos Approved for Export

Wholesale and Retail Meats We buy Lambs & Sheep for Slaughter

PERFORMANCE RECORDED Closed Flock Don & Wilma Duncan RR1, 807117 Oxford Road 29 Drumbo, ON, N0J 1G0,

519-463-5511

MAPLE MEADOW FARMS Est. 1923

Hampshires Suffolks Dorsets Rideau Arcotts Rams and Ewes (SFIP tested) Commercial Ewe lambs (Suffolk – Rideau) (Dorset Rideau) Maedi Visna Monitored 6830 Belmeade Road • Osgoode ON K0A 2W0 Phone: 613-826-2581 • Fax: 613-826-1076 www.maplemeadows.ca

CEDAR CREEK CHAROLLAIS Lower Your Feed Costs With Exceptional Growth Rates Based on SFIP Data Our 2006 Ram Lambs Averaged 0.45 kg ADG We have a Closed Flock, Maedi Visna Tested with “A” Status Ted Skinner & Joanne Jones 2910 Concession Rd. 7, RR 5, Bowmanville, Ontario, L1C 3K6 Phone: 905-263-2102 Fax: 905-263-4388 E-mail: charollais@live.ca

BRITISH MILKSHEEP are a modern breed established in England in the 1980s. The breed averages 300% lambing and the lambs grow quickly to produce heavy weight, lean carcasses as currently in vogue. While being excellent dairy sheep, they are also effective meat flock improvers. In commercial flocks, half-breds usually produce 0.5 lamb per ewe more. Their milking ability ensures vigorous growth of the extra lambs. British Milk Sheep can increase the profitability of your flock. Available in Ontario from

E&E Bzikot, RR1 Conn Tel./Fax (519) 848-5694 E-mail: ee.bzikot@sympatico.ca

lomanco hampshires Flock on R.O.P. since 1963 Striving to produce balanced sheep with thickness, muscling, length & correctness.

MANASAN FARM

150 L aberge, Danville, Q C tel (819) 839-3350 F (819) 839-1202

Visitors always welcome f www.manasan.qc.ca

EMKE OXFORDS and

HAMPSHIRES

We have RR hampshire semen for sale as well as a very nice set of big strong Hampshire ram lambs available. Good Luck and thank-you to Wil-Col Sheep for their purchase of “Tom Tom”, our best oxford ram lamb this year.

Dorsets and Suffolks Traditional Breeding Stock Well muscled for superior carcass quality. Australian and British Bloodlines Closed Flock ROP Tested

Keith and Mary Lamont R.R. 2, Acton, Ontario L7J 2L8 519-853-1975 E-Mail: lamont@sentex.net www.www.thistlestonefarm.com

Orchardview Farm

Texel Sheep

Craig & Missy Emke

525 8th Concession, RR#1 Elmwood, ON, N0G 1S0

519-364-6840 • m_wright17@hotmail.com www.emkelivestock.webs.com

PUREBRED SOUTHDOWNS Purebred Southdown rams and breeding ewes available Charles Cunningham 1153 Bruce Rd. 9, Wiarton, ON

519-534-2651 Cell: 226-668-3445

• Top Quality Rams & Ewes • Add Carcass to Any Breed • Maedi Visna Tested

Breeding Stock Available Gordon Walker & Family R.R. #2, Glencoe, Ont. N0L 1M0

(519) 287-5085

Premier breeder at the 2008 Royal Texel Show

This space is available at the reasonable rate of $34 per issue. Call or email us for our price list.

$10

VASECTOMIZED ROMANOV “TEASER” RAMS. Effectively bring more ewes into estrus out of season, seasonal ewes breed earlier, more ewe lambs bred in their first season. Reliable out of season with highest libido. Charlie Renaud, Prolific Acres Sheep Farm, Phelpston, ON. charlierenaud@3web.com. (705) 322-2140. www. prolificacressheepfarm.com.

PUREBRED SOUTHDOWNS

3 Open Yearling Ewes. Dorset Cross Suffolk. $200 each. Call 519-822-9958

Purebred Southdown rams and CEDAR CREEK SCANNING breeding ewes available

Ultrasound Pregnancy Scanning for Sheep, Goats and Alpacas Charles Cunningham OLIBS Accredited 1153 Bruce Rd. 9, Wiarton, ON Rebecca Parker, Vet519-534-2651 Tech. 858 Hwy 7A East, RR#1, Bethany L0A 1A0 Cell:ON, 226-668-3445

Telephone: (705) 277-1711 Mobile: (905) 259-1102 E-mail: middlekingdom@sympatico.ca

Best time to scan is between 45 and 80 days after introduction of ram.

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