Ontario Sheep News September Issue

industry highlights

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production innovations

Vol. 31 - Issue 3

september 2012

NEWS

OntarioSheep OSMA’s

New Market App Drug Resistance in Parasites Predation Tools

P M 4 0 0 3 3 529

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OSN

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September 2012

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Chair Report

Moving Forward…

5 Editorial

Those Who Challenge Us

6

GM Report

7

Market Report

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Your District Displays Have Arrived

9 Schmallenberg Virus May Spread Across UK 10 Dried Distillers’ Grains with Solubles (DDGS) is a Viable Option for Feeding Lambs 12 The Process of Making Dried Distillers’ Grains with Solubles (DDGS)

Hitching a ride.

Photo courtesy of Jim Kehoe

13 Q Fever Victim Warns Farmers 14 Added Features to bioFlock 15 CCWG Wool Market Update – Summer 2012 16 Drug Resistance in Parasites of Sheep in Ontario?

18 Using Corn Damaged by Dry Weather for Silage 20 Culling Strategies for the Sheep Flock 22 4-H News 24 Predation Tools 27 Religious & Ethnic Holidays 28 Auction Markets and Abattoirs 29 My Thoughts on the Lamb Prices and What Can Be Done 30 2012 CSBA Summer Update 32 OSMA’s Annual General Meeting – Sign Up Today!

34 CCWG Wool Industry News 35 From the Research Corner 36 Wrap Ups 38 More on our NEW Market App!!

39 2011 Canadian Sheep Performance Results 40 Upcoming Events 41 2012 Ontario Sheep Photo Contest 42 District News 43 Fall Pasture Fertility Management After a Dry Summer 46 Breeder Directory

OSMA Board Provincial Directors District 1 District 2 District 3 District 4 District 5 District 6

District 7 District 8 District 9 District 10 District 11

Fraser Hodgson Dennis Fischer Luann Erb Rob Scott Andrew Gordanier Josephine Martensson -Hemsted Judy Dening Mark Ritchie Allan Burn Colleen Acres Colleen Alloi

Telephone (519) 786-4176 (519) 363-3819 (519) 393-5512 (519) 209-3944 (519) 925-6502 (705) 487-2466 (705) 324-3453 (613) 634-1212 (613) 264-0801 (613) 826-2330 (705) 248-3287

OSMA staff Bill Ingratta General Manager manager@ontariosheep.org Jane Harlaar Liaison Officer Ruth Gilmour Office Manager/Communication

Co-ordinator, OSN Editor Jillian Craig Project Coordinator

Sheep News Assistant Roselen Marcy Administrative Assistant

Sheep News Assistant Jennifer Johanson Executive Assistant Philip Kirkbride Sheep News Assistant /

Multi Media 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

Cover Photo: Johanna Ramaker, Clinton Ontario

Publications Mail Registration Number: 40033529 ISSN 0844-5303

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

september 2012 Date of Issue: September 2012

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 + HST for one year, $25.00 + HST for two years. 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.

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

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september 2012

Moving forward...

Dennis Fischer, Chair

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t is hard to believe that summer is almost over and fall just around the corner. Just as the seasons move forward so does OSMA. We now have an interim General Manager in place. Bill Ingratta has accepted the position and is settling in very well. Bill has worked for OMAFRA and has brought many years of experience in crop production, integrated pest management, food safety issues and policy development. He also has a background in the vegetable processing industry. I want to welcome Bill to the position and I along with the Board and staff look forward to moving our industry forward under Bill’s guidance.

Your Board has formed a search committee to look for a permanent General Manager. As we move forward over the next few months we will be exploring all avenues for this very important role in our organization.

District AGM’S are now underway and producers have an opportunity to get involved and become part of their organization. Please take the time to attend your district AGM and get to know the people on the district executive. They have a very important role to play in your organization. I challenge each of you to get involved at your district level and be part of the team. The OSMA AGM is also well on its way to being organized by our staff. The ‘Producer Education Day’ on October 26 offers a chance for producers to learn more about the results of the Benchmark Study, Biosecurity, and flock health tips from Dr. Rex Crawford and Dr. Paula Menzies. An excellent line up of guest speakers has been put together for this day.

The second year of our Industry Benchmark study has been completed and three of the ‘Key Result Indicators’ that have been presented are as follows:

should be the information does suggest that larger flock size correlates with larger profits.

2. Make extensive and efficient use of pasture. The data collected suggests that there is a strong correlation between the number of acres of dedicated pasture and profitability.

3. Control of Costs. The data would indicate that the three main indicators around cost control are feed, Fence and transportation. Each of these areas will be discussed in more detail at the OSMA Education Day. We are presently collecting data for year three and looking forward to the results of three years of collected data.

Bioflock continues with improvements for producers.

This management software is designed to assist producers with managing their flocks. As the program continues to grow it offers a genetic evaluation module that offers the same information as Genovis. Presently a “breeding event” is being developed which among breeding decisions will include accelerated lambing.

Your Board has been working hard this year on your behalf and I would like to take this opportunity to thank each of the directors for their dedication and hard work for our industry. OSN

Dennis Fischer, OSMA Chair

1. Maintaining a sufficient flock size. While there has not been enough data collected to estimate what the number

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

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september 2012

Those Who Challenge Us Ruth Gilmour, Ontario Sheep News Editor

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eems like every time we turn around, someone is telling us what we need to do to improve and normally that means spending money. Let’s not talk about the improvements that empty our pockets but rather the improvements that offer us rewards for something much more difficult such as rethinking our processes, changing our habits and developing our skills.

The OSMA AGM will be themed around improving your businesses through better animal health and financial practices.

We will have many experienced speakers challenge you to rethink the way that you presently do things.

All of this has brought me back in time to Grade 8 and Mrs. J (not her real name). Mrs. J was my homeroom teacher and her ‘specialty’ was english grammar. On her very best day she was considered a curmudgeon. She was never mean but she always meant business. We guessed her to be about 112 years old but as the years have gone by, I am now thinking she was probably about 50 (ouch). Upon entering Grade 8 and finding out that Mrs. J was your teacher, you knew you had drawn the short straw because there was never going to be a night that you were not going to have grammar homework and that was in the form of one sentence to be ‘dissected’ every night.

Surprisingly it started out simple enough. We would copy a short sentence from the blackboard like ‘John ran.’ The rules were easy; underline the noun (subject) and circle the verb (predicate). A few of those under your belt and you figured you were well on your way to being a modern day Mark Twain or Margaret Atwood. Nay, Nay. The sentences got longer, much longer. Soon we were boxing in pronouns and putting squiggly lines under indirect objects, brackets around subordinate clauses and so on. By the time we were finished school in June, the sentences were as long as paragraphs. Once in a while it would appear that she had forgotten to give us a sentence to take home but she was only laying in wait for us to head for the door. Then she would yell, “Everyone get back in here”.

Mrs. J had another intriguing method of teaching that would no doubt make educators of today cringe and that was the layout of her seating plan. She lined every one of us up according to ‘how smart’ we were. That meant that the student with the highest grade (Colleen R – it’s always a girl) would sit in the first desk in the first row. That’s right, the ‘A’ students were in the first row, the ‘B’s in the second and so on. Having worked in the agricultural industry for a number of years, I now think of it as rudimentary performance recording.

It seemed so natural to her to line us up that way, as if we should just accept where we were in life at this point and no one in the class should look down on anyone else (hmmm, maybe she was on to something there?). Every now and then, she would yank out the latest ratings and rearrange us like the furniture.

I hadn’t realized that this had a big effect on me until decades later when someone from my class came up to me that I hadn’t seen since Grade 8. She said my name in that questioning way that hopes not to be wrong and embarrassed and I replied relieved that at least I hadn’t changed that much (is that a good thing?). When she asked if I remembered her I immediately said her name but what I was thinking was, “second row, first desk”.

Mrs. J died a few years ago. She was 152. I happened to run into one of my best friends, Rose who had been in Mrs. J’s class with me and was also a teacher. I mentioned about Mrs. J’s passing and Rose told me that she had gone to the funeral service. That surprised me and we talked about being in her class so many years ago. Rose couldn’t recall what seat she sat in but of course I remembered and told her that she was first row, fourth desk. She didn’t remember where I was, so I told her I sat two seats ahead of her. If the truth were known, I couldn’t even see Rose’s desk from my vantage point. (I like to consider myself a late bloomer).

But then Rose told me something that I had never known.

Mrs. J was the reason that she had decided to go into teaching.

I have poked a lot of fun throughout this editorial but I knew exactly what Rose was talking about. We had all come away from that class with an unbelievable set of skills that would serve us well throughout our whole lives. That wonderful teacher had managed to get about thirty 13 year old brains to buckle down and figure out how to dissect a complex sentence from top to bottom and how to build paragraphs and essays.

Other past teachers have melded into a blur of mediocrity but this one woman had done her job right and despite being disliked for it, she made sure that each of us in varying degrees would have the skill set not only to pull a sentence apart but also to build one with confidence. She changed so many lives.

In June we escaped. We didn’t even thank her for it.

I guess the message is that when we have people challenge us to do better, to get involved with programs, to rethink the easy way, maybe we need to look more closely at the content of what they are offering. At the heart of that content lays the intent and if the intent is to bring you to a better place, then all that is left to say is, “Thank you”. OSN Footnote: Just to set the record straight, I was neither in the first row or the last row but instead I had the unique place of being the class medium - and I’m not saying that is either good or bad.

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. OSN S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 2

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general manager’s report

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september 2012

Addressing the Issues Bill Ingratta

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e have experienced another challenging summer with extremes of temperatures and rainfall across most areas of Ontario. Hopefully most regions have received adequate rainfall by now to rejuvenate pastures and hayfields as well as other crops. Many producers have reported serious concerns on first cut hay as well as poor re-growth since conditions were so dry. This directly impacts feed costs while lamb prices have weakened on the income side. The plan forward individually and collectively, obviously needs to be flexible and responsive to uncontrollable factors.

I am quickly getting up to speed on the broader issues in the Ontario Sheep industry. The full spectrum from production to marketing provides both challenges and opportunity. The opportunity includes increases in domestic market share by Ontario producers. Obvious challenges include profitable production when we are faced with issues such as weather extremes, increased costs of feed, disease issues, predation and international competition to mention a few. Why would new producers come into the industry or existing producers increase the size of their flocks if the risks appear to exceed the rewards? Our approach should be to focus on the root cause of the various issues and develop solutions wherever possible for a successful outcome rather than continually dealing with the after effects.

Each challenge or obstacle needs to be addressed with a focus on near term and long term solutions incorporated into overall production systems. Genetics are the first step in producing products that the consumers will buy for quality not low prices. With the strong focus on “buying

local” Ontario sheep producers must clearly understand the desires and preferences of the consumer and target these quality characteristics when selecting the breeds that will make up their flocks. The industry needs a cohesive plan for data collection and utilization for future recommendations.

Working back from the demands of the marketplace used to be a “buzz phrase” but now is a key to profitable production and marketing in the future.

Disease control or management is critical to productivity of flocks, profitability for the business and ultimately longer term success of the industry. Whether it is scrapie or Maedi Visna, the solution or response can be devastating. Preventing infection is a key factor when dealing with many of these disease issues, but as always “easier said than done”.

On a personal note, I have worked in agriculture my entire career and have always found the industry, while sometimes challenging, to be exciting and rewarding. My experience ranges from buying clover seed for Maple Leaf Mills, production of processing vegetables for York Farms, to extension, research and management roles with OMAFRA, and Outreach with the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre. Meeting new people across Ontario and Canada, exposure to different sectors and perspectives as well as the personal growth from these relationships always stimulates optimism for the future.

I welcome this opportunity to work with the OSMA board, staff and producers, as well as the broader industry, while making a contribution to an exciting and dynamic Ontario Sheep industry. OSN

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

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

Email info@sheltersolutions.ca

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

Address 360 King Street Unit #5 Palmerston ON N0G2P0

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   

 

market report

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september 2012

The Ontario Market Report Full 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.

New ONsheep Production Blog

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e sure to visit the new ONsheep production blog! This is a place to find information, resources and timely updates for Ontario sheep producers.

This website features articles by various industry representatives with a wide range of specialties relevant to sheep production. Categories of interest include genetics, nutrition, health, housing, reproduction as well as other relevant topics.

You can choose to receive notifications of new posts by email, keeping you up to date on the latest

news. As well, updates on Twitter are also available.

Nathan Johnston, Sheep Livestock Assistant, OMAFRA, has developed and overseen this blog throughout the 2012 summer. The blog site will be continued as a pilot project for the next year.

The ONsheep production site can be accessed by going to http://quartet.aps. uoguelph.ca/ONSheepProduction. Be sure to subscribe by email or Twitter today! OSN

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Your District Displays Have Arrived!

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he Ontario Sheep Marketing Agency, through funding from AAC (AMI) has been very busy developing many promotional and educational tools for our Districts. Each District has received a wonderful two tiered display and will be receiving three interchangeable displays to go on them. These panels include a Kids display, a Producer oriented display and a Consumer display.

The consumer display is designed for use at fairs, shows and any other events where the general public will be interacting with sheep producers. It features the three primary products that Ontario Sheep Farmers bring to Ontario consumers: Meat, wool and dairy products.

Sheep milk is probably one o f the sheep industry’s best kept secrets and so we have tried to highlight it on this display. The benefits of sheep milk are numerous and with its low allergenic properties, it can be a nice alternative for those people who are allergic to cow’s milk - the problem is where to find it. The consumer display strives to highlight where to find Ontario Sheep products at every turn.

Farmer’s markets, health food stores, farm gate, and store fronts are all listed as well as our website. Look for details on how to get your farm gate business or store front listed on our website in this issue of the Sheep News.

The kids display features fun and educational information regarding sheep. It’s very similar to the consumer display in that it features the three main products but it also includes sheep vocab-ewe-lary, Ewes-ful Information and a sheep-to-shawl (or in this case sweater) description of how wool gets from the back of the sheep to a cozy sweater. As it’s always a hit, the Kids display also includes a breeds poster featuring 37 different breeds of sheep. We hope that you’re as excited as we are to use this new display for the promotion of Ontario sheep products and education of kids across the province.

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The producer display takes a slightly different angle being more focused towards sheep production and how OSMA can assist producers in their sheep enterprise. It covers how to register with OSMA, how to get involved in your district and how OSMA works for producers and the betterment of the industry as a whole.

Along with these displays, we have developed two new brochures - the producer brochure highlights information about OSMA and the sheep industry in Ontario and the consumer brochure has information in it to help consumers find the great sheep products that Ontario sheep farmers have to offer. Along with these, we have also developed a new producer booklet and a one page breeds poster that has information about each breed on the back. Look for these displays and promotional items this summer and fall! If you would like to book one of the displays, please contact the OSMA office at 519-8360043 and we will put you in touch with your district contact. If you would like promotional items please also contact the OSMA office at the phone number above or general@ontariosheep.org. OSN Over the past three years, OSMA and producers have benefited from an ongoing ‘Benchmarking Projects”. As this project continues, we would like to thank the producers who have taken their valuable time to participate.

We would also like to make this very important acknowledgement: “Funding for this project was provided in part by the Agricultural Management Institute (AMI). The AMI is part of the Best Practices Suite of programs for Growing Forward, a federal-provincial-territorial initiative.”

Schmallenberg Virus May Spread Across UK’

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chmallenberg virus [SBV] is present in the UK this summer and could spread throughout the country, scientists say. Staff from the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) and Institute for Animal Health (IAH) found the virus in animals on the RVC’s farm in Hertfordshire in June [2012].

The scientists say this proves the midge-borne virus survived the winter, and will spread as midge numbers rise.

SBV causes severe deformities in lambs and calves born to infected mothers, but adults recover quickly. It poses no threat to human health.

Since its 1st detection in the UK in January [2012] cases have been documented on 276 farms, mostly in the south and east of England, Chief Veterinary Officer Nigel Gibbens told reporters at a briefing in London. However, many infections are missed because the symptoms in cows are mild, while infected sheep often show no signs at all. The 1st sign is usually when the animals begin giving birth to deformed or dead young -- which can be months after the actual infection.

Animals on the RVC farm were initially tested in March [2012] for antibodies to the virus, which would show they had been infected at some point.

“We found low numbers of animals in March -- 4 percent of cattle, none with clinical signs, and 1.5 percent of sheep,” said John Fishwick, head of dairy herd medicine at the college. “We also found 2 of our 10 alpacas had it as well, though none showed clinical signs -- we believe this is the 1st time it’s been found in alpacas. We tested everything in June again and found that one cow had shown signs of developing antibodies, and 2 sheep -- these are very small numbers, but it is evidence that the virus is circulating.”

It is believed that SBV initially arrived in the UK last year in midges blown from the continent. The new finding shows the virus has survived the winter, when midge numbers fall very low.

“On the basis that we have strong evidence of infected animals in the one place where we’ve looked, I would expect this year’s outbreak to start really from now,” said Prof Peter Mertens, who leads the IAH vector-borne disease programme.

The speed will depend on temperatures and winds, but I see no reason why it couldn’t spread to cover most of the country this year.”

The Culicoides midges believed to spread SBV are found all over the UK. Compared against other emerging animal diseases such as bluetongue, vets believe that SBV is not a serious threat because it has no discernible impact on adult animals.

On some farms, about Photo Credit: Grant Cowan a 3rd of calves and lambs have been born deformed. But across the piece, the numbers are probably much less, according to data that the government has collected and is now assessing.

“It feels like about 2-5 percent of the young are born deformed within affected herds, but we’re doing the work to clarify that,” said Dr Gibbens.

The government hopes the same data collection exercise will indicate the financial cost of the disease. Scientists hope that ewes and cows that contract SBV will afterwards be immune to it, meaning that further exposure will have no impact on their calves and lambs. But they emphasise that many things about the disease remain unclear, because it is so novel.

It was identified only late last year, near the German town of Schmallenberg.

Climate change has almost certainly played a part in its emergence, scientists believe.

The 1st diseases carried by Culicoides midges were detected in Europe in the 1920s, but only around the Mediterranean region. In 1998, cases spread to Italy. Bluetongue emerged in northern Europe in 2006/7, and Schmallenberg in 2011, in parallel with rising temperatures. OSN Source: ProMED-mail post, International Society for Infectious Diseases, August 7, 2012, http:// www.promedmail.org.

Communicated by: Sabine Zentis, Germany, Byline: Richard Black.

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Dried Distillers’ Grains with Solubles (DDGS) is a Viable Option for Feeding Lambs Paul Luimes, Ph.D. College Professor, Ridgetown Campus, Adjunct Professor , Department of Animal and Poultry Science

W

ith traditional feed costs going very high as of recent (at time of writing of this article corn is at $278/tonne, soybean meal is at $580/tonne, oats is at $290/tonne and barley is at $270/tonne), shepherds must look to alternative feeds for their market lambs in order to remain viable. Dried distillers’ grains with solubles (DDGS) is at $222/tonne but, when compared to the prices of mixed grain (50/50 barley-oats) and soybean meal on a crude protein (CP) and total digestible nutrients (TDN) basis, was worth almost double at about $435/ tonne.

First of all, what is DDGS? Dried distillers’ grains with solubles are a by-product of the ethanol industry (see article titled “The process of making dried distillers’ grains with solubles”). In Ontario, the grain most used for making ethanol is corn because of its high starch content and its abundance.

The monetary value (based on CP and TDN) of DDGS assumes, of course, that the lambs will perform as well on a diet including it as they will on mixed grain and soybean meal.

Before shepherds can confidently use DDGS in their lamb rations, three questions must be answered: How do lamb growth rates and feed efficiencies compare when DDGS is incorporated in the diets? Does it provide savings in terms of $ of feed per pound of gain? And what effect does it have on the meat quality of the market lambs? These were the questions asked by the Ridgetown Campus Sheep Industry Advisory Group and for which Paul Luimes from the Ridgetown Campus was able to receive funding from FIP through OSMA to investigate.

A study was conducted at the Ridgetown Campus to assess the performance of lambs consuming increasing (0%, 15% or 30%) amounts of DDGS in their diets. For the project, 134 lambs were lent to the Campus from an Ontario producer.

Lambs were of several different breeds. When lambs arrived they were weighed, vaccinated with Tasvax8 (4 ml), de-wormed by drench with Ivomec (7.5 ml), and given a 0.75 ml dose of Draxxin. Lambs were than divided into 12 pens with balanced (as best as possible) numbers of rams (88 total), wethers (10 total) and ewes (36 total) in each pen. This meant that there were 10 pens of 11 lambs and 2 pens of 12 lambs. Pens were allocated such that there were 4 replicates of each treatment.

The barn is an open-sided converted beef feed-lot. Each pen had approximately 224 square feet of space, 9 1/3 ft of feeder space and a heated waterer. All pens were amply bedded with wheat straw. The project occurred during the months of September to November. A total of 36 lambs (6 ewes and 6 rams from each treatment) were sent to the University of Guelph Meat Lab for slaughter and analysis of carcass and meat quality traits.

The dietary treatments for this trial were 0%, 15% and 30%

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DDGS with soybean meal and oat hulls (pelleted) making up the difference for the 0% and 15% DDGS treatments.

Corn grain and mixed grain, which was a 50:50 mixture of oats and barley, made up the grain portion of the diet and were fed whole. Finally, a vitamin-mineral premix was included at a consistent rate across treatments. Table 1 has a complete component and nutrient breakdown for the various dietary treatments.

Table 1. Diets fed to lambs on an as fed basis.

Percentage Dried Distillers’ Grain with Solubles in Ration (as fed basis)

Component

0% DDGS

15% DDGS

30% DDGS

Corn grain

24.80%

24.80%

24.80%

Mixed graina

41.35%

41.35%

41.35%

Soybean meal

16.50%

8.25%

0.00%

Oat hulls

13.50%

6.75%

0.00%

DDGS

0.00%

15.00%

30.00%

3.85%

3.85%

3.85%

100.0%

100.0%

100.0%

$355

$324

$294

Dry matter (DM)

87.9%

88.3%

88.4%

Crude protein (CP)

15.4%

14.2%

15.3%

Total digestible nutrients (TDN)

76.4%

75.1%

73.7%

Calcium

0.82%

0.77%

0.88%

Phosphorus

0.44%

0.41%

0.43%

Neutral Detergent Fibre (NDF)

20.1%

22.1%

25.9%

Acid Detergent Fibre (ADF)

9.6%

10.5%

12.1%

b

Premix

c

Total Cost per tonne

d

Feed Analysis

e

a. Mixed grain was made up of barley and oats in equal portions. b. The DDGS for this trial was donated by Greenfield Ethanol in Chatham. c. The premix was the ‘Lamb Feedlot Specific (AC)’ vitamin/mineral premix donated

by KenPal Farm Products Ltd. and contained: ammonium chloride (15.0%), calcium (21.1%), phosphorus (0.8%), potassium (0.1%), magnesium (0.8%), sulphur (1.2%), sodium (7.1%), manganese (815 mg/kg), iron (900 mg/kg), zinc (1,200 mg/kg), cobalt (19.1 mg/kg), iodine (31.8 mg/kg), selenium (14.0 mg/kg), vitamin A (340 kIU/kg), vitamin D3 (25 kIU/kg) and vitamin E (2 kIU/kg). d. Costs per tonne were calculated assuming the following costs: corn grain - $278/ tonne, mixed grain - $280/tonne, soybean meal - $580/tonne, oat hulls - $240/ tonne, DDGS - $222/tonne and premix - $1,200/tonne. e. All feed analyses are reported on an as fed basis.

There were no startling differences seen when DDGS were included in the diet except that the feed cost per pound of gain dropped with added DDGS. There was a lower feed intake observed for the high DDGS (30%) treatment compared to the others but this did not result in an improved feed to gain ratio as the average daily gain was also lower, though not significantly.

While we did not analyze the feed refusals, it was evident from a visual appraisal that, with the DDGS treatments it was DDGS that was predominately left. A refusal rate of 10% was targeted but the actual difference was around 12.5% (with no differences across treatments). Carcass and meat quality measurements are listed in Table 2, though there were none that were different to a statistically significant level due to treatment.

Unlike the previous corn silage trial, there were a number of gender differences observed in this DDGS trial. Percentage fat, marbling score and colour (L) were all significantly higher for females than for males. The most likely explanation for this is that in the first year the males sent for meat quality testing were wethers, whereas in the second year they were rams. There may have also been a seasonal variation as the lambs were kept during the fall months for the current trial rather than during the winter months of the corn silage trial.

It is clear from this trial that feeding DDGS to feeder lambs, at up to 30% of the diet, is financially beneficial. At current feed prices (as listed in Table 1), the 30% DDGS diet would cost $7.38 less to put 45 lbs on a 60 to 65 lb lamb than not feeding DDGS at all. Given that there were no measurable negative effects of feeding DDGS observed, it would seem that feeding DDGS is a financially wise decision.

However, there are a few challenges with respect to feeding DDGS. Issues surrounding bunk management must be addressed. As DDGS seemed to be consumed later than the whole grains, offering a ration with DDGS free-choice would likely not work well. In this trial, there was sufficient space for all the lambs to feed at the same time. It is unknown what effect having limited bunk space might have on the lambs as some would presumably fill on the grain portion of the ration and others would be “forced” to consume more of the meal portion of the ration. Some producers may be afraid of offering a feed that reduces overall feed intake as it might lower growth rate.

This did not appear to be an issue for the sheep on this trial.

It is interesting (but admittedly entirely speculative) to consider the refusals. If the lambs did not have the opportunity to sort the feed, it seems their protein intake would have been higher (and closer to the calculated requirements) for the DDGS rations. Could pelleting of the feed result in less sorting and therefore improved growth rates? This is a question we hope to address in this year’s project.

It is important to acknowledge the significant contributions our various partners have made to make this project possible.

Financial funding was supplied by OSMA and the FIP program.

The supply of DDGS was donated by Mark Schwartz from Greenfield Ethanol Inc.. The mineral/vitamin premix was donated by Jared Palen from KenPal Farm Products Inc..

Lambs were supplied to the campus by Bruce MacKinnon from

Wicketthorn Livestock. Carcass and meat quality data were collected by Dr. Ira Mandell from the Department of Animal and Poultry Science at the University of Guelph. The students of the Sheep Production class must be acknowledged for their diligent work as a part of their learning exercises. And finally and the Ridgetown Campus Sheep Industry Advisory Group provided valuable advice and direction for this project. OSN

Table 2. Lamb growth, feed intake and carcass and meat quality measures.

Percentage Dried Distillers’ Grain with Solubles in Ration (as fed basis) 0% DDGS

15% DDGS

30% DDGS

Growth and Feed Performance Average daily feed intake, lb/day1

3.60a

3.54a

3.13b

Average daily gain, lb/day

0.78a

0.80a

0.71a

Feed to gain (consumed)

4.77a

4.45a

4.54a

Feed to gain (offered)

5.32a

5.03a

5.14a

$0.769a

$0.654b

$0.605b

Cost per lb of gain

Carcass Characteristics and Meat Quality Dressing, %

51.1

50.1

50.4

Shrink loss, %

2.6

2.6

2.8

Loin Lean, % Fat, % Bone, %

67.8 25.8 24.4

65.4 28.1 25.8

62.0 28.9 24.8

GR, mm

9.1

9.3

10.0

Marbling

3.77

3.66

3.54

Loin eye area, mm

1601

1484

1458

Warner-Bratzler Shear Force After 2 days After 5 days After 8 days

5.40 5.85 5.33

5.18 5.63 4.84

4.98 4.93 4.24

Colour2 L a b

36.6 15.3 -0.16

36.9 15.2 -0.42

37.8 15.4 0.41

1. Averages across treatments with different superscripts (a or b) were determined to be significantly different using generally accepted statistical methods.

2. Colour: “L” is a measure of lightness where a higher value is indicative of lighter colour, “a” is a measure of the continuum between green (lower value) and red (higher value), and “b” is a measure of the continuum between blue (lower value) and yellow (higher value).

Funding for this project has been provided by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada through the Canadian Agricultural Adaptation Program (CAAP). In Ontario, this program is delivered by the Agricultural Adaptation Council.

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11

The Process of Making Dried Distillers’ Grains with Solubles (DDGS)

T

he steps in producing ethanol, very basically, are that the corn is ground, digested and then fermented (see the figure below). First the corn is ground to increase the surface area so the microbes and enzymes can more efficiently access the nutrients (mostly starch). Then the starch is digested to convert it into sugars that can be metabolized by the fermentation microbes. The major products of the fermentation step are CO2 and ethanol.

The ethanol is distilled from the fermented liquids and the remaining liquid mash is separated by centrifugation into distillers’ grains and wet condensed solubles. Both are dried and reconstituted to make DDGS. The primary product of interest in the process is ethanol. The other products (DDGS and CO2) are generally referred to either as by-products or co-products. As the values of these products are considerably lower than ethanol they should accurately be referred to as by-products.

As an important note, there is some movement by some ethanol producers in North America to remove the oil from the wet condensed solubles before drying and reconstituting it into DDGS. This would lower the energy worth of the DDGS which would dramatically alter its nutrient content and value for livestock. For example, it would lower its nutrient value for swine. It is not immediately clear what impact it would have on mature ruminants as removing the oil could also lead to

12

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higher possible inclusion rates. This is because too much oil in a ration decreases the ruminal microbes’ ability to digest fibre. What that balance will be (lower energy (bad) vs. lower fat density (good?)) for lambs is not clear. If and when that process is adopted in Ontario it is important for shepherds to be aware of source and process as both products will be properly called DDGS. Figure showing the basic process by which DDGS is produced. OSN

Q Fever Victim Warns Farmers Ontario Farmer

D

onna Grambow, a goat and sheep farmer from near Fergus, wants to warn farmers to be aware of Q fever.

She suffered for five years before a simple blood test confirmed that she had Q fever, and she now knows she will never be fully healthy again.

“I can barely walk,” says Grambow. “I used to run eight to 12 kilometres every day.”

“I have been living through hell,” she adds, including 12 days in hospital this February.

“I have been living through hell.”

Donna Grambow Her family doctor and a blood specialist will be facing discipline by the Health Professional and Appeals Board in Toronto, defending themselves against prosecution by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario. The Granbow family will be called to testify.

Granbow said that after she wrote about her experience in the Wellington Advertiser, a local weekly newspaper, she was contacted by a number of others in the area who learned that they have Q fever, including a young man, 21, and a young woman, also 21, and a man, 28.

Granbow believes she Photo Credit: Cat Laxton was infected when a goat bit her while she was trying to hold her down for vaccination. The goat’s aborted foetus subsequently tested positive for Coxiella burnetii which causes Q fever in humans. The foetus also tested positive for clamydia.

She suffered for years when she was finally taken to hospital by ambulance and that’s when a simple blood test revealed Q fever.

Her children have been tested and are not infected. Her husband, Paul, is sick “but we’re not sure from what,” she said.

Grambow said she is tired of doctor visits, yet there will be another in August involving four doctors who will examine her at a hospital in London.

Although she will testify at the appeal hearing July 12 in Toronto, she said she has no interest in prosecuting doctors for failure to correctly and immediately diagnose her Q fever infection.

“I just want people to be aware,” she said. OSN Reprinted From: Ontario Farmer. Tuesday, August 7, 2012. Vol 46 No 20 http://www.ontariofarmer.com/sitepages/?aid=5967&cn=&an=Q%20fever%20 victim%20warns%20farmers

Attention all Wool and Dairy Producers!

O

SMA has added a section to the www.ontariosheep. org website to help consumers locate wool and dairy products. If you market from the farm gate or at farmers’ markets please take advantage of this opportunity to promote your products. Anything from wool blankets, mitts, clothing or sheep cheese, yoghurt ice cream etc can be included.

business name, your own name, logo and two sentences about your business. You can also send a link to your website and your contact information.

Producers who market lamb at the farm gate or at farmers’ markets should go to the lamb locator on the OSMA website to add your business. This information should be sent to rmarcy@ontariosheep.org or call 519-836-0043. OSN

If you are interested in having your business featured, please send in the following information: your farm or

OSN S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 2

13

Added Features to bioFlock

M

any new features are being added to the Ontario flock management software, bioFlock. Recently a new function was built to allow producers to import data from spreadsheets into the program quickly and easily. Data can now be imported from devices such as scale heads. Or you can create your own template to import events including, health, expense, pregnancy check, sales, etc.

Below is a snapshot of a scale head excel file. This was then imported into bioFlock and a custom report was built to show

the last weight entered into the program as well as the average daily gain for the lambs.

Genetic evaluations can be received from bioFlock which includes indexes and EPD’s. A custom report can be made to display relevant indexes for your operation and sort based on these indexes. In the example below, a group of lambs have been ranked on growth index utilizing a custom report in bioFlock.

Over the next few months, a breeding event will be incorporated into the program. This will allow you to record breeding information for your individual operation whether it is an annual, accelerated, star or a modified breeding program.

More updates will be available in future editions of Sheep News.

If you have further questions please feel free to contact the bio office at 1-855-246-2333 or email info@bioFlock.ca you can also visit the website at www.bioFlock.ca OSN

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CCWG Wool Market Update – Summer 2012 Eric Bjergso, General Manager, Canadian Co-Operative Wool Growers

W

hile wool market conditions improved throughout most of 2011, the current situation is not so positive with quite difficult wool market conditions prevailing.

A combination of factors can be attributed to the current wool market decline and a few of the more significant items to consider are as follows.

1) Retail sales in Europe continue to struggle due to a lack of consumer confidence resulting from the ongoing sovereign debt problems in the Euro-zone. As a result there is also extremely high unemployment levels in several European countries.

2) Although consumer confidence in the USA is better than a year ago, consumer interest in spending is subdued and retail clothing sales are lower than a year ago.

3) Chinese wool textile conditions are very soft compared to a year ago. Lack of orders has resulted in numerous mill closures with some operating on a reduced work week. China’s exports of wool garments are well down on the previous low point recorded in 2010 during the global financial crisis. The impact is significant when you consider that approximately 60% of China wool imports are re-exported as wool top, yarn, fabric or garments. As a result China’s raw wool imports are down by 9% compared to a year ago. Economic growth in China at 7.6% is at its slowest pace in three years as investment has slowed and demand has fallen in key markets such as Europe and USA.

In terms of global wool supply, there continues to be a decrease in production. In Australia the volume of wool tested is 3% less than a year ago and the number of bales offered at auction has also declined by 7%. Similar reductions have taken place in other major wool producing countries.

The lower availability of global wool supply has helped to support wool prices to a degree, even though demand conditions for raw wool have fallen in recent months. In view of the subdued prospects for global economic growth and retail sales, it is predicted that raw wool demand is likely to continue to be weak for the remainder of 2012 and that wool prices will also be under pressure in the coming months.

For marketing the Canadian wool clip, we will continue our practice of a carefully calculated and disciplined wool marketing approach. This will consist of a combination of forward contracts and spot sales at opportune times throughout the year, of our fully graded and objectively measured wools, to our established wool markets. As well, we will manage our foreign exchange risk with a hedging strategy that utilizes option dated currency contracts.

For more information please contact CCWG at: TEL: 613-257-2714 FAX: 613-257-8896 E-MAIL: ccwghq@wool.ca WEB: www.wool.ca

Toll free: 1 (855) 246-2333 info@bioFlock.ca or contact the OSMA office for more details

OSN

www.bioFlock.ca

OSN S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 2

15

Drug Resistance in Parasites of Sheep in Ontario?

Andrew S. Peregrine and Paula Menzies, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1

S

heep that are maintained on pasture commonly become infected with nematodes (roundworms) that live in their gastrointestinal tract. Recent work has shown that the three most important gastrointestinal nematodes (GINs) infecting Ontario sheep are Haemonchus (barber’s pole worm), Teladorsagia (brown stomach worm) and Trichostrongylus (stomach hairworm). All three parasites live as adults in the abomasum and, in heavy burdens, have an impact on sheep health and productivity. Once mature, all three parasites produce GIN-type eggs that pass into the environment in feces. Thereafter, immature parasites hatch from the eggs, mature to the infective stage in feces, then migrate on to pasture to maximize the chance of ingestion by sheep. Thus, for all three parasites, the life cycle occurs partly in sheep and partly in the environment. In fact, on most farms the majority of the GINs are located in the environment and not in sheep.

For many years, sheep producers have commonly relied on the administration of dewormers to control parasite burdens in sheep. Within Canada, ivermectin drench or injectable are the only dewormers approved for use in sheep. However, a number of other dewormers are often used off-label (see Table 1); information on the appropriate dosage to use and withdrawal periods can be obtained from one’s veterinarian.

All the dewormers are safe to use at approved dosages in sheep; however, albendazole should not be administered to ewes during the first 30 days of pregnancy.

It is important Table 1 – D ewormers most commonly to appreciate that given to Canadian sheep the commonly Drug class Drug name used dewormers belong to just 1 Ivermectin*, Moxidectin three drug 2 Fenbendazole, Albendazole classes (Table 3 Levamisole 1); drugs in the same class have *Approved for sheep in Canada essentially the same mechanism of action. Thus, if parasites develop resistance to a given dewormer, they typically develop resistance simultaneously to other drugs in the same class.

Drench failure versus Drench resistance?

When parasite fecal egg counts are not adequately controlled after drenching, it is tempting to assume that 16

OSN S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 2

5 STAR WORM PLAN � 1.

Manage the level of pasture contamination

�5.

Investigate treatment failure

� 2.

Use anthelmintics appropriately

the sheep are infected with drugresistant � 4. � 3.

Quarantine & treat Monitor and treat new introductions animals selectively parasites.

However, it is important to appreciate 5 Star Worm Plan that drench failure can occur for a number of reasons that have nothing to do with resistance: (i) administration of insufficient drug, either deliberately or by underestimating the weight of animals, (ii) incorrect administration of dewormer, (iii) inappropriate calibration of the drench gun, and (iv) use of a dewormer after the expiry date. Only when these issues have been ruled out should one conclude that the drench failure is likely due to drench resistance. � University of Guelph, Guelph Ontario Canada � Ontario Ministry of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs �

Over the last two decades the development of drench resistance, and particularly resistance to drenches in multiple drug classes, has become a major constraint to sheep production in parts of Australia, New Zealand, South America and Europe. Excessive use of dewormers, inappropriate use of dewormers, and inadequate biosecurity practices, appear to be the primary driving forces for the establishment of drug-resistant parasites on farms. However, it is important to appreciate that the clinical impact of drug-resistant infections depends on the parasite burdens that develop on farms; low parasite burdens, even if drug resistant, do not have an impact on production.

How do you know if you have drugresistant parasites on your farm?

At the present time, the Fecal Egg Count Reduction Test (FECRT) is the primary method that is used around the world to determine if GIN infections in sheep are drug resistant. For this method, a minimum of 30 lambs or young adults (first grazing season) are required with GIN fecal egg counts that are at least 150 eggs per gram of feces (epg).

Ten to 15 lambs are then randomly assigned to control and treatment groups. After ensuring that animals are accurately dosed, fecal samples are collected from the same animals 14 days following treatment (if susceptibility to ivermectin or fenbendazole is being evaluated). The average GIN egg counts for each group before and after treatment are then compared; parasites are considered drug resistant if the average fecal egg count decreases by less than 95% following treatment.

r the Handbook fo es ternal Parasit Control of In s at of Sheep & Go

How common is drench failure and drench resistance in Ontario?

Prior to 2010, anecdotal reports suggested that multiple producers across Ontario had experienced drench failure. However, the true prevalence of this problem and how much was due to drench resistance was unclear. As a result, a study was carried out in the summers of 2010 and 2011 by researchers at the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) to determine the prevalence of ivermectin drench failure and ivermectin drench resistance in Ontario sheep flocks. In total, 47 sheep producers were recruited for the study from across the province that had a minimum of 30 lambs or ewe lambs in their first grazing season. Beginning in May/June each year, fecal samples were collected every 3-4 weeks from 15 lambs/ewe lambs and analysed individually for parasite eggs.

When the average GIN egg count attained at least 200 epg, producers were asked to treat their animals with ivermectin drench and collect fecal samples 14 days later from 15 animals for analysis; if the average fecal egg count did not decrease by at least 95% following treatment, ivermectin drench failure was demonstrated on that farm. On all farms with drench failure, a FECRT was subsequently carried out

by OVC researchers to evaluate susceptibility to ivermectin.

In addition, if animal numbers allowed, susceptibility to fenbendazole and levamisole was also determined. h, 2012

Updated Marc

Among the 40 farms on which an ivermectin drench check was carried out, drench failure was a common occurrence.

Furthermore, on most farms with ivermectin drench failure, the FECRT indicated that parasites were resistant to ivermectin and also fenbendazole. Thus, most ivermectin drench failure was associated with ivermectin resistance. It should, however, be noted that there was large variation in the level of resistance to both ivermectin and fenbendazole on different farms. Finally, and of particular concern, most of the resistance was associated with Haemonchus – the most pathogenic of the parasites that infect sheep.

Why is drench resistance so common on Ontario farms?

We do not know. However, deworming all ewes at lambing time in the spring, rather than just those that have high egg counts in the feces, is likely a practice that selects strongly for the development of resistance on farms.

What can be done to prevent the current situation worsening and impacting sheep health?

Farms need to start using an integrated parasite management program in which multiple methods are used for controlling GINs on farms, i.e. not just dewormers. One such program – the “5 Star Worm Plan” - has been developed for Canadian farmers. The 5 points are: 1. Manage the level of pasture contamination:

• Careful attention should be given to the adoption of pasture management strategies that help reduce parasite burdens.

2. Use anthelmintics properly:

• Management practices should be adopted that reduce the risk of development of dewormer resistance.

These include the following: u Use a drench formulation and not an injectable formulation. Never use a pour-on. u Ensure all animals receive the correct dosage of dewormer, e.g. estimate weight to the heaviest sheep in a group, ensure the drench gun is regularly calibrated. u Avoid unnecessary treatments (e.g. ewes pre breeding).

3. Monitor and treat selectively:

• Shedding of parasite eggs in feces should be monitored each year in lambs and ewes (ideally in early July and June, respectively) to determine whether the control program is working.

• The drug resistance status of a farm should be determined on a regular basis.

• Reduce reliance on dewormers:

u Only deworm animals that require treatment (e.g treat just scouring lambs, just light-weight lambs).

4. Quarantine and treat new introductions 5. Investigate treatment failure Comprehensive information on all the parameters that should be considered when designing a sustainable parasite control program for Ontario sheep farms is available in the “5 Star Worm Plan”, part of the “Handbook for the control of internal parasites of sheep & goats” developed for the Small Ruminant Internal Parasite Seminars held in Floradale, Napanee and New Liskeard in 2012. Additional copies can be obtained from the Ontario Sheep Marketing Agency. OSN Reference: Mederos, A., Fernández, S., VanLeeuwen, J., Peregrine, A.S., Kelton, D., Menzies, P., LeBoeuf, A. and Martin, R. (2010) Prevalence and distribution of gastrointestinal nematodes on 32 organic and conventional commercial sheep farms in Ontario and Quebec, Canada (2006 – 2008). Veterinary Parasitology 170, 244-252.

Funding for this project has been provided by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada through the Canadian Agricultural Adaptation Program (CAAP). In Ontario, this program is delivered by the Agricultural Adaptation Council.

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17

Using Corn Damaged by Dry Weather for Silage Joel Bagg, Forage Specialist, OMAFRA

D

ry weather during corn silking and pollination can significantly reduce grain yield expectations. Inadequate moisture can result in poor ear fill or even corn plants without any ear or grain. In extended dry weather situations, farmers can also face the immediate problem of providing adequate forage inventories to feed their livestock. Damaged corn crops with low grain yield potential may be available for salvaging as corn silage for livestock producers that are short of forage. Silage piles and silage bags provide flexible storage. Farmers attempting to salvage corn fields damaged by dry weather by harvesting them as forage should be aware of some of the harvesting and nutrition implications.

Evaluate Yield Potential

Tremendous variation can occur in corn fields stressed by lack of rain. Development of the ears is critical to grain and silage yield, and also silage quality. Some fields may have short plant height with fairly normal ears. Yields will be reduced, but forage quality will be close to normal. Other fields will be more normal in height but have very small ears or no ears. Grain yields will be dramatically reduced, but there may still be some potential to provide some forage for livestock.

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Inspect corn fields to evaluate yield potential. If pollination has occurred, there will be small, white blisters visible a week to 10 days after pollination. Detecting successful pollination without waiting for the kernel blisters to appear, can be done by carefully removing the husks, turning the ear upside down and gently tapping it. The majority of silks should fall off indicating successful pollination.

Silks that remain attached indicate kernels that have not been pollinated.

www.brusselslivestock.ca

at 18

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Contact Agricorp 1-888-247-4999

to determine how using this corn as silage will impact a Crop Insurance claim. Check herbicide labels to ensure adequate days to harvest.

Digestible Energy Levels

Digestible energy levels of corn silage without any grain content are reduced. Quality will likely be inadequate for high producing dairy cows or feedlot animals. In areas with low forage yields and a need for emergency feed, quality may be adequate for livestock with low to moderate energy requirements.

Starch content will be reduced, but there is likely a higher level of soluble sugars. Crude protein may be slightly higher. Fibre levels will be higher, and the lignin content can also be increased. Because 45 percent of the energy in normal corn silage comes from the starch fraction, the relative energy value of corn with no ears may be as low as 65 to 85 percent of well-eared corn silage. In the rumen, the residual sugars will be more rapidly available than starch.

Feeds should be sampled and analyzed, rations should be balanced and a nutritionist consulted. Energy predictions of Total Digestible Nutrients (TDN) using Acid Detergent Fibre (ADF) and Neutral Detergent Fibre (NDF) will not be very accurate.

Analyzing for starch, NDF and NDF digestibility will give much better estimates of digestible energy than fibre alone. Wet chemistry analysis rather than near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) should be used.

Harvest At Correct Moisture

Ensiling at the correct whole plant moisture is critical. Without a normal cob, it can be difficult to correctly estimate whole plant moisture from visual clues. Corn silage damaged by dry weather conditions tends to look drier than it actually is. Harvesting at moistures that are too low will result in poor packing, inadequate air exclusion, poor fermentation and greater spoilage. Harvesting at moisture levels above 70 percent will result in seepage and a very undesirable clostridia fermentation. This silage will have high levels of foul smelling butyric acid, with poor feed quality and palatability. (Silage Fermentation Problems www.omafra.gov.on.ca/ english/crops/field/news/croptalk/2010/ct-0910a6.htm) Recommended moisture contents for corn silage are as follows: Horizontal bunker silos: 65 – 70 % Bag silos: 60 – 68 % Upright concrete stave silos: 62 – 67 % (“Harvesting Corn Silage At The Right Moisture” http://www. omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/facts/07-047.htm) It is very difficult to accurately estimate the moisture of earless

corn silage without measuring it. There are no milk-lines to use as guides. Leaves may look dry, but the stalk will contain more moisture. A common problem is harvesting corn silage from these damaged fields too soon, resulting in run-off and a poor fermentation. If you are in doubt about the whole-plant moisture, chop a sample using a harvester or yard chipper. Use a Koster Tester, microwave or laboratory to determine percent dry matter.

Sample at least 10 plants from the field, avoiding the headlands.

Watch for moisture variability within fields.

Be aware that samples have residual moisture that is not removed when dried with a Koster Tester or microwave without burning it.

Dry matter determined by oven drying at a laboratory is the most accurate. (This can be done by using overnight courier service.)

Koster Testers and microwaves typically under estimate moisture by about 3 %. A 68 % moisture sample reading is actually about 71 % (too wet). If using a Koster or microwave, taking the time to carefully dry the sample is important. The finer that the sample is chopped, the easier is will be to dry, and the more accurate the result.

Nitrate Poisoning

Be aware of the potential for nitrate poisoning, as well as silo gas.

Nitrates accumulate in the corn plants when there is a large amount of soil nitrates, and a lack of moisture that interferes with normal plant growth. Nitrate accumulation is often greatest following a rain that ends a dry period. Following rainfall, the conversion of nitrates

NEW

to plant protein resumes and nitrate levels return to more normal levels in a few days. Wait at least 5 to 7 days following a rainfall before harvesting. Weeds such as lambsquarters and pigweed can also be high nitrate accumulators. Long, sustained dry periods are less likely than brief, intense dry periods to accumulate high nitrate levels.

The bottom third of the stalk contains a much higher level of nitrates. If nitrates are a potential concern, the cutter bar could be raised to leave more of the stalk in the field, but this will also further reduce yields in a year when feed is needed. Analyzing fermented silage samples for nitrates and managing dietary levels is recommended. A few other considerations to manage high nitrate potential include: Fermentation Reduces Nitrates Nitrates can be reduced 25 – 65 percent during a proper silage fermentation. Typical reductions are in the 40 percent range. Allow at least 3 – 5 weeks of fermentation before feeding. Corn silage that is harvested too wet or too dry will not ferment properly and dissipate the nitrates. The addition of non-protein nitrogen (NPN), such as urea or anhydrous ammonia, to this corn silage is not recommended.

Graze Or Green Chop with Caution Green chopping or grazing corn stressed by dry weather can be an option for some producers facing feed shortages, but Continued on page 21.

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19

Culling Strategies for the Sheep Flock Barry Potter, Livestock Specialist, OMAFRA

C

ulling unproductive ewes every year reduces carrying costs for the flock. Regardless of market conditions, unproductive ewes should be removed from the flock to save valuable feed for higher producing ewes. You can generally afford to carry a ewe that produces.

When lamb prices are depressed, the need to keep only the productive ewes is even more apparent.

Traditional Culling

Make sure that you use a management system that identifies unproductive ewes: those that did not lamb, had difficulty lambing, raised weak or small lambs, or have health issues. As well, use your Sheep Flock Improvement Program (SFIP) records to help you rank ewes and lambs for genetic potential. You may identify some ewes as unproductive through this process.

Keeping unproductive ewes will cost you time and money.

Each ewe on a maintenance ration consumes about $20 of feed during the winter, assuming 1.4 kg (3 lb.) of hay per day at $60 per tonne ($55 per ton). To feed a ewe (forage only) takes about 10 seconds per day. Based on a labour rate of $15 per hour, this would be another $8.25 per ewe for the winter feeding period. So, it makes economic sense to cull unproductive ewes.

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from $10 to $11. Current cull ewe prices average $45 to $50 per ewe1. As long as sheep prices remain above marketing costs, it makes sense to sell these ewes. If the price drops below marketing costs, then burying or composting may be a preferred option. Check the OMAF factsheets “On-farm Composting of Livestock and Poultry Mortalities” and “Proper Burial Techniques for Small Animals and Poultry Mortalities under 25 kg” for details about on-farm disposal options.

Extraordinary Culling

What about the productive females in the flock? Should you cull any of them as well? At present, cull ewe prices are strong relative to ewe lamb prices, so this may be a good time to cull a little harder and keep more replacement ewe lambs. Chart 1 can help you decide whether or not to cull productive ewes and keep ewe lambs.

Chart 1: R elative Market Value of Ewes vs. Replacement Lambs

Marketing Cull Ewes

Currently there is a relatively strong market for sheep culled for production issues.

If the price of cull ewes decreases significantly, then you should compare the cost of marketing a ewe against the cost of euthanizing and burying or composting it.

Marketing costs (trucking, checkoff, and commission) vary depending on where you live in the province.

The cost to market generally ranges

Text equivalent of graphic: Based on a comparison of price per 100 weight for a 90 lb ewe lamb and a 140 lb cull ewe, there is point where the ewe has a higher market value than the replacement lamb; a point where the ewe has marginally lower market value than the replacement lamb; and a point where the ewe has lower market value than the replacement lamb.

If a ewe has a higher market value than the replacement ewe lamb, then keeping the lamb may make more economical sense, provided genetic parameters are considered. If the ewe lambs are from a maternal line, the lambs could be kept as replacements. However, if the lambs are from a terminal line, keeping the ewe lambs would probably result in lower reproductive efficiency.

There is no proven way to predict future markets to know whether selling cull ewes now would make more Continued on page 23.

Continued from page 19 ~Using

Corn Damaged by Dry Weather for Silage

considerable caution should be used. Nitrate levels can fluctuate daily within the plant, with concentrations higher in the bottom of the plant compared to those found near the top. Corn plants typically contain significantly higher levels of nitrate immediately after a rainfall event that follows a prolonged period of dry weather.

The risk of nitrate poisoning while green chopping or grazing this corn is much higher for the 5 – 7 day period after a rainfall than during the actual period of dry weather. Green chopped corn that is not fed immediately undergoes respiration that converts nitrate to nitrite, so the risk is increased. Field sampling and laboratory analysis for nitrates can be useful, but keep in mind that nitrate levels in these plants fluctuate.

Nitrate Toxicity Symptoms In the rumen, nitrates are normally converted to nitrites, which are converted to ammonia and then amino acids. High levels of nitrites are absorbed in the blood and tie up hemoglobin so that it cannot transport oxygen. Symptoms of nitrate toxicity include a rapid pulse, difficult breathing, muscle tremors and weakness. A blue mucous membrane may develop. Animals typically go down and die suddenly, within 3 hours of the initial symptoms. If you suspect nitrate poisoning, keep the animals quiet and comfortable and call your veterinarian immediately. Subacute or chronic poisoning can cause reproductive problems, including abortion.

Silo Gas The increased nitrate potential increases the risk of silo gas.

Nitrogen dioxide, NO2, is a dangerous chemical asphyxiant and is produced almost immediately after plant material is placed into a silo. Even short-term human exposure can result in severely injured lung tissue and sudden death. It has a characteristic bleach-like odour and may be visible as a reddish-brown haze. It is heavier than air, therefore it will tend to be located just above the silage surface. It may also flow down silo chutes and into feed rooms.

Use the silo gas precautions and procedures outlined in “Hazardous Gases” (OMAFRA Factsheet #04-087) at www.omafra.gov.on.ca/ english/engineer/facts/04-087.pdf. Refer to the Ontario Farm Safety Association at http://www.farmsafety.ca/public/factsheets/silo_gas_ dangers.pdf.

Corn damaged by extended dry weather conditions can be used as corn silage to supplement forage needs, but extra care is required in ration balancing, harvesting at the correct moisture, and managing the nitrate and silo gas risks. Information on harvest and storage of corn silage, including “Pricing Corn Silage”, “Silage Fermentation Problems”, and “Grazing Corn Stover” is available on the OMAFRA Crop Website at http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/ english/crops/field/forages.html.

Source: Ontario Sheep Production Blog posted on July 24th, 2012 by Nathan Johnston. http://quartet.aps.uoguelph.ca/ONSheepProduction/

Nitrate Analysis Testing at harvest will provide a general idea of the relative nitrate levels, but not the concentration of nitrates in the silage being fed. The best time to test for nitrate concentration is after fermentation is complete. Obtain a representative sample. Keep Basket Feeders for Sheep - SHB the samples refrigerated and send to the lab as quickly as possible. If high levels are reported, water and other feeds should also be tested.

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Feeding Management There is some confusion over how laboratory nitrate levels are reported and used, so be sure you are interpreting the right method. The nitrate (NO3) level is 4.4 times the nitrate-nitrogen (NO3–N) level. Concentrations can also be reported as “ppm” or as a percentage. As a general rule, NO3–N levels should be less than 1,000 ppm (NO3 levels <0.44%) to be without risk. Levels greater than 4,000 ppm NO3–N (>1.76 % NO3) should not be fed. Feeding forages with nitrate content between these levels is associated with risks relative to the amount fed and the type of livestock. Careful management is required. Young, nursing and pregnant animals are higher risk. Introduce higher nitrate feeds slowly. Adequate energy in the rumen assists the nitrate to ammonia conversion, which reduces the potential for poisoning. Adequate levels of nonstructural carbohydrates (NSC) should also be fed.

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21

Melbourne 4-H Sheep Club Pre Show Ruthanne van der Laan

T

he five 4-H sheep clubs from Glencoe, Ilderton, West Elgin, Brigden and Highgate were present for this pre show held at Melbourne fairgrounds; this is the preliminary showing before exhibiting at the Western Fair this September in London Ontario.

In attendance were 54 4-Hers with over 100 spectators looking on. The rain did not quell the enthusiasm of the participants, the kids worked hard to present their animals and we wish them great success in September.

Several members from the Southwestern Sheep Farmers were in attendance to make sure Peter Buenen made the cheque presentation to 4-H members. Lee Brien did the judging of all the classes; at the conclusion of the event everyone enjoyed the pot luck lunch. OSN

Chatham-Kent 4-H Sheep Club 2012 Carley Smids, Chatham-Kent Sheep 4-H Member

A

s the 2012 Chatham-Kent Sheep Club kicks off, the 40 members are eager to start working with their ewe lambs this year. Many novice, intermediate, and senior members are learning a great deal about what this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Sheep Club has for them. This year, we are planning to bring our competition skill to the next level by entering in more than a few local shows including the Dresden Agricultural fair and the Highgate fair as well. With many different sheep breeds such as Suffoks, Jacob, Lincoln, Shetland and many more in our show ring this year, we will be learning proper showmanship skills for our hopeful year.

So far this year, our club has eagerly participated in making rope sheep halters for use when training our show animal.

This year our club will be learning more proper sheep care including hoof trimming, wool shearing, ear tagging and the proper way to bathe and groom our sheep before a show.

During a recent meeting of the Chatham-Kent Sheep Club, our members participated in a mandatory judging activity for practice of the annual 4-H judging night in July. A few of the members brought in different classes of items for the other members to practice judging with.

Our club put on a fundraising barbeque at Can-am Dealership on April 28, 2012 to help raise money to purchase

22

OSN S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 2

a 4-H sheep club jacket at the end of the club.

Many generous donations have been made to the club to help Chatham-Kent sheep 4-H members give a jacket to each of our club members. This money also will go to entry fees at the sheep shows.

Recently, we have had a guest speaker Steve Uher came to talk to us about sheep health and nutrition. He answered many of our questions about sheep health and diets. Because we will be attending many sheep shows this year, we had a few questions on what type of diet our sheep should have to be on the top in the show ring.

Many exciting events are going to take place for this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 4-H sheep club thanks to our leaders and volunteers Will Elliot, Jane Elliot, Stan Smids, Nick Sikkema, Erica Funnell, Sarah Serorski and Edy Marlatt. We are looking forward to a great year! OSN

Hanover and District 4-H Sheep Club Helen Grubb, Hanover and District Sheep 4-H Member

M

y name is Helen Grubb, I am 13 years old and I am a member of the Hanover and District 4-H Sheep Club. I have been in the club for three years now, going on four, and I have enjoyed every minute of it! In our club we have over 30 members. Our leader’s name is Judy, and she is amazing! This is her 35th year being a 4-H leader.

Everyone in our club is very proud of her!

The best thing about our club, in my opinion, is that you don’t have to live on a farm or even know anything about

Continued from page 20 ~Culling

Strategies for the Sheep Flock

financial sense than selling later. If you think the market for cull ewes will decline, you may want to explore alternative marketing options for productive ewes. For example, small producers may be looking for good quality breeding stock.

Cost and Return for Your Ewe… Is She Worth Keeping?

The 2002 Ontario Farm Management Analysis Project (OFMAP) average annual costs for keeping a ewe equals $212.95. This includes all fixed costs proportioned to the ewe flock, including the cost assigned to the lambs. In order to determine whether to keep a productive ewe this year or not, you should know the cost of keeping that ewe on your farm, and her expected productivity.

Case 1: If productivity is 1.5 lambs per year, then in order to produce $212.95 in revenue to cover costs, you would have to get $141 per lamb. If you have accelerated lambing, producing on average 2.5 lambs per year, then gross revenue returned would only have to be $85 per lamb.

Case 2: Costs in a once-a-year lambing situation should be much less than in an accelerated program.

For example, winter feed costs of $20 per ewe, with pasture costs of around another $20 would put annual feed costs at $40 per ewe. Therefore, gross revenue if one lamb per ewe is raised on average could be as low as $40 to cover costs. If 1.5 lambs are raised, then costs could dip to $26.

Case 2 would be a short-term situation with little overhead costs covered, and no consideration for the percent of cull ewes sold annually.

sheep to join! When I first became a member the only thing I knew about a sheep was how to tell the front end from the back! Within the first year Judy and her daughter Niki had me going to Hanover Fair, Durham Fair, Rockton World’s Fair, and even the Royal Winter Fair in Toronto, just to name a few. I encourage everyone to join 4-H. It has made a huge impact on my life and if you join I’m sure it will make a big impact on yours too. OSN

Chart 2 shows the relationship between the cost per year for the ewe flock and the lambing rate. As lambing rate increases, the required return per lamb decreases. As cost per ewe increases, the required return increases.

Ewe and Lamb Costs to Sale Date/Year

Lambing Rate and Breakeven Sale Price 1.3

1.6

1.9

2.2

2.5

60

46.00

37.50

31.60

27.27

24.00

80

61.53

50.00

42.10

36.36

32.00

100

76.92

62.50

52.63

45.45

40.00

120

92.30

75.00

63.15

54.55

48.00

140

107.70

87.50

73.68

63.63

56.00

160

123.07

100.00

84.21

72.72

64.00

180

138.46

112.50

94.70

81.80

72.00

200

153.85

125.00

105.26

90.90

36.00

220

169.23

137.50

115.79

100.00

88.00

Based on this chart, if it costs you $100 per year to maintain a ewe in your flock (including costs for raising its lambs to selling date), and if your lambing rate is 1.6, then you would need a return of $62.50 per lamb to cover your costs. This is assuming average lamb prices for all weights.

If you expect the lamb prices to be above $62.50 and if your cost is $100 or less, then it would pay to keep your ewe.

Where your operation would fit on the price grid depends on your costs and the weight of lambs you might sell.

Prudent managers would review all ewes in their flocks in light of the current market conditions, and make decisions accordingly. OSN 1. Ontario Sheep Marketing Agency posted average for the week of September 10, 2003.

Source: http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/livestock/sheep/facts/info_ cullstrat.htm#chart1 OSN S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 2

23

Predation Tools

Kaiti Nixon, MSc. Candidate, Trent University

O

ne of the biggest challenges sheep producers face in North America today is the continual threat of predation. Most sheep producers are using at least one strategy to prevent losses to predators. Some are more traditional (bordering on ancient) like the use of guarding dogs, and some rely on more recent technology like portable fencers. Given the versatility of sheep and the variety of situations they are raised in, not all options are suitable for all producers. A few entrepreneurs have tried to help with this problem by designing predator deterrents in various forms.

These devices are often marketed as being the solution that will let you sleep well by counting sheep that are alive and all in one piece. But do they really work?

Non-lethal deterrents may get mixed reviews for many reasons. Coyotes are naturally suspicious (ask any hunter or trapper), but they learn quickly too. If a deterrent is used in the same way for a long period of time, coyotes start to realize that it isn’t a threat. The time it takes for an individual coyote to habituate varies, ranging from a few weeks to a full season, but it could be as short as a day. This could be why many different strategies are promoted as effective, but with equally as many accounts of them not working. It could also be that the producer who had “success” with a deterrent was seeing reduced kills for another reason (perhaps the culprit had been killed by a neighbour, or found another food source).

The mechanisms behind the deterrents vary as well, using visual, sound or scent cues, or even a combination. Some of these may be more effective than others, but the good thing is that this variety of deterrents gives a producer many tools to work with when implementing a predation prevention program.

As part of the Canadian Agriculture Adaptation Program funding that OSMA received to study predation, we are putting four of these non-lethal deterrents to the test in a controlled trial. We chose three devices initially that were commercially available – this meant that we could get a consistent product to work with, and if we had positive results, producers could purchase the same thing. In the initial weeks of the trial, it became apparent that there was a need for more day-time predation deterrents, so we added in some home-made fladry (flags hung along a fenceline, spaced 50 cm apart). This has been tested with wolves and coyotes in various situations around North America, and is actually inspired by an Eastern European method of corralling wolves.

We have 22 volunteer farms from Bruce County to Prince Edward County who have graciously offered their flocks and pastures to try out the devices. While there are several things 24

OSN S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 2

we want to know, the most basic question we need to answer is: Do these devices provide protection at all? The work we are doing this summer will hopefully give us an answer. We will try all of the devices in different farm settings and over a variety of seasons (June to November). We test the devices by having them turned on for a week and then off for a week.

This makes each farm its own baseline, so the only thing we are changing is the use of the device. We are looking to see if attacks and kills happen mostly in the weeks with the devices turned off, or equally between on and off weeks.

I will be speaking more about our initial results and things that are important to know about predation on a broad scale at the OSMA Annual General Meeting. If you have any questions or comments about any of the work we are doing, I am happy to answer them. My contact information can be found below.

Kaiti • Kaiti.nixon@gmail.com • 705-740-5431

Our Devices Fox Lights This robust unit is easily mountable on a T-post or similar (we used a 5 foot U-post), a fence wire, or can be strung from a tree. The idea is to put them in places that will maximize the amount of the field the light covers. It flashes a random sequence of lights in all directions, sometimes sweeping, sometimes just a flash. This is advertised as mimicking someone in the field with a flashlight. We have found the post mount to be a fairly effective way of keeping the lights in place in a pasture.

Costs: Each Foxlight unit costs $79.99 plus tax from the Canadian Cooperative of Wool Growers. It comes with a battery that should last several field seasons.

The posts cost between $5 and $15, depending on where you buy them. It takes on average 2 lights to cover 5 acres of pasture, so the total cost to cover 5 acres would be around $200.

Challenges: Some of you may have picked up right away that a post in the middle of the field just invites a good scratch from the locals. While some flocks did not exhibit excessive rubbing behaviours, some managed to destroy the posts. If your sheep are pastured with cattle, they are especially tough on these mounts. In all cases though, the Fox Light made it through unscathed.

Nite Guard These little black boxes flash a red, steady pulse and are solar powered. We used a cluster mount, which uses one square wooden post with one device on each side (four in total). These are mounted at the eye level of the predator, between 20 and 30 inches off of the ground. In fairly flat pasture landscape (i.e. not extreme hills and valleys) two units are needed to cover 5 acres. They can be set up around the perimeter of an area, rather than in a cluster mount, which makes them very versatile.

Costs: Each Nite Guard unit costs $20 straight from the company. With four needed per cluster mount, plus the wood post and stake to hold it in the ground, the total cost is around $100 per cluster, or $200 to cover 5 acres of pasture.

Challenges: The design of the night guard makes them susceptible to breaking. They have a small tab at the top that is used to mount them to a post with a screw. In the process of rubbing on the lights, the sheep can easily break this tab.

In some flocks, these lights were a focus of extreme curiousity from the sheep, including being chewed on. Tall grass is also an issue with the Nite Guard, either obscuring them, or requiring that they be mounted higher than intended.

Ultrasonic Repeller Koolatron Cat and Dog Repeller: This ultrasonic repeller is motion activated, and sets off a burst of noise when triggered. The decibel level is about the same intensity as a small calibre firearm, but ultrasound is above the range of human hearing, so it can be used in situations with near neighbours. We place these around the perimeter of a field, at a distance of 20m apart. They should be set approximately 30-40 cm from ground level, so an animal walking up to the fence will trigger the sensor. It takes approximately 25-30 units to cover 5 acres using this set up.

The fact that these devices are motion activated means that they will not emit noise continually, which may help slow habituation.

HINT: There are several different brands of ultrasonic

repellers on the market. What you need to look for when choosing a device is the decibel level: you want it to be at least 100db in intensity, ideally closer to 120db.

Costs: Each of these devices can cost up to $50 for the unit, plus a few dollars for batteries. If you purchase many units, some companies may offer a discount. Mounting the devices is fairly easy, as the bracket can be placed on a wooden fencepost, or on a secure wooden post pounded into the ground. This is one of the more expensive options: if 30 units were purchased at the full retail price it would cost $1500, plus the costs of batteries, to protect 5 acres.

Challenges: The biggest challenge with these is setting them up so that they aren’t inadvertently triggered by grasses, branches or livestock. The battery life is short – “2000 sound releases” according to the manufacturers – which amounts in practice to a few weeks, if regularly triggered.

Fladry Traditional fladry uses red fabric flags, sewn every 50cm along a string. Our modified version is caution tape flags tied every 50cm along a string. It acts as a visual deterrent by waving in the wind and reflecting sunlight. It is placed around the full perimeter of a pasture, either strung from existing fencing or using wooden stakes pounded into the ground. It is hung so that the bottom of the flags sits about 30cm from the ground when still.

Costs: This is the most inexpensive of our devices, but it is the most labour intensive. “Do-it-yourself Fladry” costs about $25 per 300m – or about $50 to surround a 5 acre pasture – but it would take one person at least 12 hours to tie all the flags, and then another 3 or so to put it up. You can purchase ready-made pennant strings (like the ones used car dealerships have) but they cost about $1/foot (so total cost would be $1800 for a 5 acre pasture).

Challenges: The biggest challenge with fladry is placing it in such a way that it doesn’t tangle with vegetation and isn’t accessible to livestock to tangle in (or eat). Also, it is basically impossible to untangle if the whole string gets piled together, so care must be taken when putting it up or taking it down. OSN Funding for this project has been provided by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada through the Canadian Agricultural Adaptation Program (CAAP). In Ontario, this program is delivered by the Agricultural Adaptation Council.

OSN S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 2

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CURRENT PRODUCERS ON THE GENOVIS PROGRAM Maple Meadow Farms Colleen Acres & Dwayne Bazinet • 613-826-2330 G+L Brien • Gary Brien • 519-674-3846 Codan Suffolks Bill & Lynne Duffield • 519-899-2663 Mactaggart Suffolks William Mactaggart • 519-824-3878 Spring Hill Farm • Lloyd Skinner • 905-263-8167 Century Lane Farm Robert & Shirley Graves • 613-831-2656 St. Benedicts Acres Michael Huffman • 613-756-9016 Shillalah Farm • Florence Pullen • 519-233-7896 Burndale Farm • Muriel Burnett • 705-887-6512 Breezy Ridge Farm Philip & Elizabeth Smith • 905-478-4280 Rocky Lane Farm Robert & Gail Irvine • 705-292-7207 Cedar Creek Charollais • Ted Skinner • 905-263-2102 Mulmur Vista Farm Bill McCutcheon • 519-928-9626 John & Eadie Steele John & Eadie Steele • 705-696-1491 Francis Winger • Francis Winger • 519-323-3531 Shepherd’s Fold • Berthanee Jensen • 519-887-9948 Somerset Farm • Peter Hyams • 613-473-5244 Hartley Farm • David & Anne Hartley • 519-369-2438 Gilmer-Stubbings Farm Greg Stubbings • 613-774-4563 Thunder Hill Farm Pamela Shepherd • 905-986-1874 Stonehill Sheep • Tina Harrington • 519-794-3732 Trillium Woods Sheep Karen Hayward • 519-371-8487 Aaron Horst • Aaron Horst • 519-698-2618 Brown Woolies Ted Brown & Alison Brown • 905-877-2323 Tim Farquhar & Laurel Strachan Tim Farquhar & Laurel Strachan • 519-665-7813 Roly Poly Farms • Donna Aziz • 905-852-9252 Todd Sheep Company Inc. Keith Todd • 519-528-2650 Topsy Farms Ltd. Christopher Kennedy • 613-389-0554 J & J Farms Ross & Clementine Savasi • 705-652-7477 Lamb Lady Farm • Shelagh Finn • 647-932-7102 Generation Farms • Matthew Swart • 519-887-6317 Ridgeline Suffolks • Lee Brien • 519-809-5332

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OSN S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 2

CURRENT PRODUCERS ON MAEDI-VISNA PRODUCER NAME Robert & Gail Irvine Joanne T Ted Skinner Robert & Shirley Graves Heather & Robert Kelly John & Eadie Steele Glen & Sharon Duff Neil & Heidi Bouman William MacTaggart Gordon Walker Garry & Beth Collins Tina Harrington Gerald & Joanne Hunter Bethane Jensen Francis & Elaine Winger Ted Brown Karen Hayward Emmerson & Lisa Turney Cory & Jennifer Beitz Shelagh Finn Ryan Schill Laura Robson Colleen Acres Kevin Hutchings Harry Elsinga Howard & Denise Wideman Matthew Swart

FARM NAME Rocky Lane Farm Cedar Creek Charollais Century Lane Farm Greenwood Farm Duff Farms MacTaggart Suffolk Orchardview Farm Collins Horned Dorsets Stonehill Sheep Hunterdown Farm Shepherd’s Fold Brown Woolies Farm Trillium Woods Sheep Wo-Nikk-El Heights Beitz View Acres Lamb Lady Farm Circle R. Livestock Ltd. Robson Acres Maple Meadow Farms Hutchings Farms Brookwater Farms Generation Farms

TELEPHONE 705-292-7207 905-263-2102 613-831-2656 519-369-5396 705-696-1491 519-856-9935 519-750-9928 519-824-3878 519-287-5085 519-934-3239 519-794-3732 613-283-7565 519-887-9948 519-323-3531 905-877-2323 519-371-8487 519-848-6877 519-367-2589 647-932-7102 519-669-4146 705-932-3216 613-826-2330 705-437-4441 902-439-5811 519-335-6124 519-887-6317

CURRENT PRODUCERS ON ONTARIO SHEEP HEALTH PROGRAM PRODUCER NAME Bill & Lyne Duffield Robert & Gail Irvine Francis & Elaine Winger John & Eadie Steele Colleen Acres Darry & Rachel Stoltz Anne Dockendorff Wietza & Leny Raven Shelagh Finn

FARM NAME Codan Suffolks Rocky Lane Farm Maple Meadow Farms Excel Ewe Genetics Silver Rapids Farm Green Hill Farm Lamb Lady Farm

TELEPHONE 519-899-2663 705-292-7207 519-323-3531 705-696-1491 613-826-2581 519-887-8216 705-724-9183 519-928-2705 647-932-7102

SHEEP PRODUCERS ON THE SCRAPIE PROGRAM PRODUCER NAME Axel Meister Bill & Lynne Duffield Francis & Elaine Winger Peter Carrie & Susan McDonough Glen & Judy Porteous/Paul Dick & Tina Harrington Jorn Steunebrink Roger & Julie Harley Robert & Shirley Graves & Sons Joshua & Melissa Groves Chris Wiltshire Karen & Jim Hayward Robert & Laurie I’Anson Jaime Neeb Bridget Misener Mark Comfort Shelagh Finn Krista Harrington Dan Lane

FARM NAME Wooldrift Farm, Markdale, Ontario Codan Suffolks, Wyoming, Ontario Mount Forest, Ontario Smokey Creek Farm, Arthur, Ontario Chatsworth, Ontario Zurich, Ontario Keene, Ontario Century Lane Farms, Stittsville, Ontario VanGro Farms, Brantford, Ontario Eternal Impressions, Bath, Ontario Trillium Woods Sheep, Shallow Lake, Ontario St. Catherines, Ontario Wellesley, Ontario Oak Glen Farm, Holstein, Ontario Comfort & Standring, Ingleside, Ontario Lamb Lady Farm, Palgrave, Ontario Harrington Lane Farm Ltd., Campbellville, Ontario Flock Ewe Meats Inc., Campbellville, Ontario

Gidgets and Gizmos

O

ften on our farms we have unique inventions which help solve everyday problems or make our chores easier.

Lamb Splint

Mels and Ruthanne van der Laan Cold Stream Ranch At times new born lambs may have a deformed leg and we found to correct this situation; a gadget that may help and strengthen that leg.

Using a length of water line insulation tubing (tube is already split for your convenience) cut approximately 6” fasten with elastics from ‘broccoli stock’, this will correct the condition in about 5 to 6 days.

If you have a gidget or gasmo that you want to showcase—please send a picture or two and include your name, farm name, name of your creation and a brief description.

Thank you submissions!

for

your

You can either: Email to: jcraig@ontariosheep.org Mail to: Ontario Sheep Attn: Jillian 130 Malcolm Road, Guelph, Ontario N1K 1B1

OSN

*OSMA does not endorse any Gidgets and Gizmos presented, these are merely producer ideas and inventions. Use at your own risk. *All pictures become property of OSMA; credit will be given when possible.

Religious & Ethnic Holidays and Demand for Lamb and Goat Meat 2012 Religious Holidays

Meat

Rosh Hashana September 17 - 18

Jewish Holiday

• Forequarters from weaned lambs 60-110 lbs are wanted.

Dasara / Navaratri October 24

Hindu Holiday

• Females are not usually acceptable for this holiday.

• The size of the carcass varies.

Eid ul-Adha Festival of Sacrifice October 25

Islamic Holiday

• The traditional lamb for this holiday is a yearling although large market lambs and older sheep are also used.

• The animals must be blemish free, however the definition varies. For some this means the animals should be healthy with no broken horns, open wounds or lameness. For others, it should not be castrated nor have even a torn ear.

• Age is the main concern and the weight is ideally between 60-80 lbs.

Muharram /Islamic New Year November 15

Islamic Holiday

• Mutton is one of the dishes for this festive.

• There is no restriction of age or weight for this day except the animal should be healthy and good looking.

Chanukkah December 9 - 16

Jewish Holiday

• The meat preferences are the same as Passover, which are lambs 30-55lbs live weight, milk fed and fat prepared by Kosher method of slaughter.

Christmas December 25

Christian Holiday

• Milk fed lambs are preferred

For more information and dates on Ethnic Holidays please visit www.ontariosheep.org OSN S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 2

27

Auction Markets and Abattoirs

B

elow is a listing of all Auction Markets and Abattoirs that currently auction and process sheep and lamb. As industry partners we value their contribution to the Ontario Sheep industry. If you would like more information on their locations please go to http://www.ontariosheep.org/MarketInformation/SaleBarnsAbattoirs.aspx. If the company that is killing sheep for you is not listed here, please call the OSMA office at 519-836-0043 X 25 OSN Name

Abattoir LeFaivre Inc. Abingdon Meat Packers Ltd. Agram 2005 Meats Inc. Al Madina Halal Meat Packers Alvinston Custom Butchering Ltd. Aman's Abattoir Beeton Meats Belle Vallee Meats & Abattoir Bentinck Packers Ltd. Bilal Farms Inc. Birch Lake Abattoir Brian Quinn's Meats Ltd. Buchler Farms & Abattoir Charles Quality Meats Ltd. Cole Bros. Meat Processing Cornell Meats Country Meadow Meats Creative Meats Desormeaux Slaughter-house & Meats Inc. Doug's Meats Dresden Meat Packers Ltd. Elora Road Meats Ewe Dell Family Farm FGO Organic Processing Ltd. Gord's Abattoir Ltd. Green's Meat Market & Abattoir Ltd. Grey County Meats Griffiths Country Meats Hank De Koning Ltd. Hanson Meats Harriston Packing Company Ltd. Hay's Custom Cutting Ltd. Highgate Tender Meats Ltd. Highland Packers Ltd. Hilts Butcher Shop Ltd. Horan's Meats Horizon Meat Packers Inc. Ideal Meat Products Ltd. J.J. Meat Distributing Inc. Joe Savage & Fils Abattoir Inc. Johnson Meats Julius Meat Packers Inc. Ken R. Mogk L & M Meat Distributing Lambton Meat Products Len and Patti Butcher Block Lloyd Miedema & Sons Ltd. Louro Bros. Meats Ltd. Lynch's Slaughterhouse Manilla Halal Meats Matar Meats McGarroch of Micksburg Custom Butchering Metheral Meats Metzger Meat Products Miedema's Country Meats Miedema's Meat Market Ltd. Miky's Smoke House Millgrove Packers Ltd. Mister Beef Inc. Mount Brydges Abattoir Ltd. Newmarket Meat Packers Ltd. Northeast Meat Packers Northern Meat Packers and Abattoir Ltd.

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OSN S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 2

Abattoirs

City St. Isidore Caistor Centre Georgetown Brinston Alvinston Wellington Beeton Kenabeek Hanover Kanata Massey Yarker Magnetawan Waterloo Picton London Owen Sound Warren Crysler Schomberg Dresden Mildmay Woodslee Zurich Leamington Wingham Maxwell Oxdrift Port Dover Cayuga Harriston Campbellford Highgate Stoney Creek Norwood Ramore Shelburne Owen Sound Toronto St. Albert Aylmer St. Anns Tavistock Woodbridge Wyoming Lindsay Waterford Ayr Mallorytown Oakwood Osgoode Pembroke Glen Huron Hensall Exeter Embro Joques Waterdown Pakenham Mount Brydges Newmarket Coldwater Trout Creek

Phone No (613) 679-4698 (905) 957-2223 (905) 877-6082 (613) 652-1301 (519) 898-2821 (613) 399-2173 (905) 729-2771 (705) 647-7419 (519) 364-3538 (613) 488-2268 (705) 865-3395 (613) 377-6430 (705) 387-3367 (519) 886-7931 (613) 476-6955 (519) 652-2748 (519) 376-5663 (705) 967-2006 (613) 987-2148 (905) 859-0599 (519) 683-2585 (519) 367-2261 (519) 723-4456 (519) 236-7717 (519) 326-2503 (519) 357-2912 (519) 922-2400 (807) 937-6716 (519) 583-0115 (905) 772-5053 (519) 338-3330 (705) 653-3388 (519) 678-3383 (905) 662-8396 (705) 696-2172 (705) 236-4498 (866) 577-7797 (519) 372-0636 (416) 425-7382 (613) 987-2070 (519) 773-9208 (905) 957-7162 (519) 462-2280 (905) 775-6775 (519) 845-3358 (705) 328-2100 (519) 443-8844 (519) 632-7364 (613) 659-2861 (705) 357-3004 (613) 821-7929 (613) 732-7181 (705) 466-3135 (519) 262-3130 (519) 235-4978 (519) 475-4010 (705) 362-8590 (905) 689-6184 (613) 624-5222 (519) 264-1873 (416) 364-2671 (705) 325-8257 (705) 723-5573

Abattoirs Name Northern Quality Meats Ltd. Ontario Halal Meat Packers Inc. Otonabee Meat Packers Ltd. Palmateer's Abattoir Ltd. Peel Sausage Abattoir Pine Ridge Packers (2003) Rainy River District Regional Abattoir Inc. Ralph Bos Meats Ltd. Ranchland Meats Ltd. c/o Moores Meats Reiche Meat Products Ltd. Rideau Meats Rua Meats Ltd. Russell Slaughterhouse Inc. Ryding- Regency Meat Packers Ltd. Sanabil Halal Meat Farm Smokey Joe's Meat Packers Sprucedale Quality Meats Inc. St. Helen's Meat Packers Ltd. Stayner Meat Packers Ltd. Taylor's Custom Meats The Beefway The Burt Farm Thunder Bay Meat Processing Co. (1986) Ltd. Tilbury Abattoir and Meats Tom Henderson Custom Meat Cutting Town & Country Meats & Abattoir V.G. Packers Valtoudis Brothers Meat Packers Vanessa Meats & Deli Walkerton Meat Market Wallace Beef Inc. Wall's Pork Shop Wayne's Meat Products Inc. Weiland Meats Ltd. Willie's Meats Ltd. Windcrest Meat Packers Ltd. Zehr's Country Market

Aylmer Stockyards Inc. Brussels Livestock Exchange D.H. Hickson Ltd. Denfield Livestock Exchange Inc. Embrun Livestock Exchange Ltd. Hagersville Auction Centre Kawartha Lakes Co-operative Auction Market Inc. Keady Livestock Market Ltd. Lindsay Livestock Exchange Ontario Livestock Exchange Inc. Ontario Stockyards Inc. Renfrew-Pontiac Livestock Ltd. Selby Livestock & Auction Centre Talbotville Livestock Exchange Temiskaming Livestock Exchange Vankleek Hill Livestock Exchange Ltd

City Bruce Mines Milton Peterborough Tweed Drayton Blackstock Emo Strathroy Holland Centre Pembroke Smiths Falls Foxboro Russell Toronto Mississauga Peterborough Sprucedale Toronto Stayner Roseneath Kincardine Gore Bay Murillo Tilbury Chesterville Ridgetown Simcoe Claremont Vanessa Walkerton Glenburnie Oxdrift Hagersville Petrolia Troy Port Perry Dashwood

Auction Markets 8933 Walker Road, Aylmer P.O. Box 59 Brussels 2508 County Road 8, Campbellford 12952 Sixteen Denfield Mile Road, P.O. Box 340 Greely 97 First Line, Hagersville

Phone No (705) 782-4224 (905) 875-0270 (705) 743-8547 (613) 478-3801 (519) 638-3444 (905) 986-4932 (807) 482-3028 (519) 245-1574 (519) 374-4530 (613) 732-3773 (613) 283-3477 (613) 962-7915 (613) 445-2005 (416) 767-3343 (905) 563-1700 (705) 740-1169 (705) 685-7747 (416) 769-1788 (705) 428-3006 (905) 352-2367 (519) 396-2257 (705) 282-0328 (807) 935-2911 (519) 682-3028 (613) 448-3471 (519) 674-3732 (519) 426-2000 (905) 640-4616 (519) 446-3897 (519) 881-0781 (613) 536-6379 (807) 937-4357 (905) 768-3633 (519) 882-1215 (519) 647-3160 (800) 750-2542 (519) 237-3668

(519) 765-2672 (519) 887-6461 (705) 653-3660 (519) 666-1140 (613) 821-2634 (905) 768-5601

580 Woodville Road,

Woodville

(705) 439-4444

117012 Grey Road 3, 2138 Little Britain Road, P.O. Box 443 P.O. Box 1051 18156 Highway 17, P.O. Box 453 10666 Trafalgar Road, 883006 Highway 65 E,

Tara Lindsay Waterloo Cookstown Cobden Napanee Georgetown New Liskeard

(519) 934-2339 (705) 328-3500 (519) 884-2082 (705) 458-4000 (613) 646-7335 (613) 354-6260 (519) 631-1850 (705) 647-5415

378 Notre-Dame,

St. Chrysostome

(613) 678-3008

My Thoughts on the Lamb Prices and What Can Be Done

Gord Schroeder, Executive Director - Saskatchewan Sheep Development Board

“What’s going on with the lamb prices?”

This is a very common question as of late. In an article written in May for the last issue of Sheep Shape (Saskatchewan’s provincial newsletter) I encouraged producers to recognize that last year’s prices were record setting, and that there would be some moderation in prices this year. Slaughter lamb prices were very high last year, which translates into high lamb prices in stores. This normally creates consumer resistance and consumption declines. A moderation in prices would be required once again to increase consumption, this is the cycle. To add to this, the high cost of feed grains would make feeding lambs less attractive and the price gap between slaughter and feeder lambs would narrow. The numbers indicated no reason for a significant price decrease; prices and demand should be good.

The numbers: • Stocks of frozen and chilled lamb and mutton down 4% over the same period last year.

• Meat imports down 19.4% over the same period last year • Consumption, seeing a slight decrease in 2011 to 0.9 kg per person down from 1.07 kg per person in 2010, suggest in most part due to higher price of lamb in stores.

• Modest increase in the Canadian flock comparing inventories from January 1, 2011 to January 1, 2012.

Ewe numbers were up 0.6 %, replacement ewe lambs up 4.1%, market lamb numbers up 4.9%. Nothing substantial and there was a shortage of lambs.

Price decreases

Nothing in the numbers would indicate any reason for a substantial decrease in prices. Well, my market assessment/prediction was not accurate with regards to price. So what’s happening? There are a number of factors in my opinion putting downward pressure on lamb prices: • Currently there is a backlog of heavy lambs being created by a lack of demand. Consumption is way down due to the extremely hot weather in Canada’s largest lamb eating market, who wants hot food when it’s that hot?

• Prices paid for lambs last year was not supported by product marketing. Consumers will pay more when there is perceived value for cost, we asked them to pay

more but did consumers perceive more value for the extra cost?

• Lamb slaughter plants are in control and there’s currently a backlog of lambs. A simply supply and demand issue.

• Lamb prices were driven up to a level which was not good for the industry as a whole under the current marketing structure, producers did very well. However; buyers and processors did not. This year buyers and processors are being very cautious as there is pressure to recoup losses or narrow margins from last year.

• High feed costs; $8.85 a bushel corn and $5.75 a bushel barley, the heat and price decline make feeding lambs extremely risky and not very attractive , thus the very poor feeder lamb prices • There is a worldwide price correction happening, this was the moderation in prices as predicted. The price of lamb is down in many countries not just in Canada. Last year prices were at all time record high, we knew this was not the new norm.

• The drought in the United States is driving up feed prices and driving market price down. Heat is also reducing consumption. The markets in the US have collapsed making it very attractive for processors to bring up American lambs and they are coming up by the truck loads.

• Auction mart numbers to date are up, created in part by producer panic rather than an actual increase in overall supply. Flock expansion was very modest across Canada over last year. Adding to the panic are weather related issues, very dry hot conditions in the east and through much of the US are creating feed shortages and high feed costs.

• Lamb buyers are very cautious because of the degree and speed of the collapse in prices. I’ve talked to many buyers who bought lambs they thought were at fair prices, by the time they got possession of the lambs or sold them the price at the plants had dropped to levels to where buyers were losing money. In one case the price dropped $40 cwt in one week.

You put it all together and the results are what we are seeing in the industry right now. So when will the price rebound? I am somewhat reluctant to make a further prediction as you know how good my last one was. But again going back to the numbers; I have some thoughts.

Once we get through this backlog of heavy lambs and Continued on page 31.

OSN S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 2

29

2012 CSBA Summer Update Dr. Stacey White, CSBA General Manager

All Canada Sheep Classic

The very successful 2012 All Canada Sheep Classic was held in Truro, Nova Scotia from June 14th-16th. The event, which was sponsored by the Canadian Sheep Breeders’ Association and hosted by the Purebred Sheep Breeders’ Association of Nova Scotia, attracted consignors and buyers from across Canada. Warm, sunny days and cool nights allowed for good traveling and comfortable sheep.

56 consignors showed sheep representing 14 breeds to judge Gerald Hunter, a seasoned Suffolk and Border Leicester breeder from Smiths Falls, ON, who ranked the 230 animals.

The Supreme Champion Ewe was a Dorset (Driscoll Dorsets 2Y) consigned by Mike and Cindy Driscoll of Elora, ON and the Supreme Champion Ram was a Texel (Brien G&L 1Y) consigned by G&L Brien of Ridgetown, ON. The Supreme Flock was awarded to MacTaggart Suffolks of Rockwood, ON. Throughout the weekend, an extensive variety of fleeces were on display for the Fleece Competition. After the judging, detailed comments were provided to competitors and the fleeces were offered for sale through silent auction.

Educational displays, wool clip preparation demonstrations and numerous vendors offering wool and wool products drew attention to the versatility of wool.

Following the show, a sold out Nova Scotian Lamb and Salmon Banquet began with a welcome from the Honourable John MacDonell, Nova Scotia’s Minister of Agriculture. The CSBA presented “Good Shepherd Awards” to Angus Rouse and, posthumously, to Jim Hewitt for their outstanding contribution to the sheep industry.

The sale was held on Saturday and 226 animals consigned by producers from 9 provinces sold as they passed through the auction ring. The auctioneer for this years’ Classic was Andy Carter, 2008 Canadian Champion Auctioneer. Over 220 official bidders from 10 provinces competed to purchase purebred animals. Prices were strong with an average of $534 paid for ewes and $696 for rams. The top selling ewe was a Suffolk (Trillium Woods 20Y, consigned by Trillium Woods Sheep, Shallow Lake, ON), which sold to Jill Declark, Belmont, ON for $2200. The top selling ram was a Dorset (Brien G&L 77X consigned by G & L Brien of Ridgetown, ON), which sold to Shereff Stock Farm, Carberry, MB for $4000.

Breed averages and sale results for every animal can be seen on the CSBA’s website at www.sheepbreeders.ca. Photos of the Shepherds’ Social, around the barn and the banquet can be seen on www.sheepnovascotia.ns.ca. Those who would like to purchase pictures taken by the official photographer, Pam 30

OSN S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 2

MacKenzie, can go to her website at www.shotsbypam.com.

The CSBA is extremely appreciative of the tremendous support that it has received from sponsors, exhibitors, consignors and buyers from across Canada. In particular, the CSBA congratulates and thanks the Purebred Sheep Breeders Association of Nova Scotia for the outstanding leadership and hospitality they demonstrated in hosting the 2012 Classic.

The hours of careful planning and hard work performed by the local team led to another positive event for the Canadian sheep industry.

The next All Canada Sheep Classic will be held in Barriere, BC, which is 45 minutes northwest of Kamloops, from June 28-30, 2013.

Tattoos: Correcting Mistakes

The CSBA’s constitution requires that breeders using tattoos to register sheep must, within 100 days of birth, tattoo: i) flock letters in the right ear, and ii) an identification number and year letter in the left year, by 100 days of age. Tattoos are a form of permanent identification and the corresponding numbers are printed on the animal’s registration form.

Although the vast majority of tattoos are legible and correct, errors (reversed letters, reversed ears, indistinct ink, incorrect or missing numbers/letters, etc.) can occur. Insuring that the animal’s tattoos match the registration paper is very important. If the numbers do not match, animals may be culled from shows or sales, fail parentage testing or be mistaken for different animals.

When registration papers are received, it is important to verify the paper with the animal’s tattoos. If an error is noted, contact Lorna Woolsey at the CLRC (1-877-8337110 (306)) and she will guide you through the correction process. In many instances, the original registration paper will need to be returned with a description of the issue/error, so that a new registration paper can be printed to match the animal’s tattoos. In other situations, a new tattoo may need to be applied above or below the original tattoo and a new registration paper printed. When a correction is made, a note will be added to the registration paper indicating the type of error and how the adjustment was made. There is a $10(+tax) charge for issuing corrected registration papers.

Requirements for Importing Sheep:

Under section 189 of the Health of Animals Regulations, with the exception of animals imported for immediate slaughter, every person who imports sheep shall report to the Canadian Cattle Identification Agency (CCIA): (i) the number Continued on page 31.

Continued from page 29 ~ My

Thoughts on the Lamb Prices and What Can Be Done

the weather moderates and starts to cool down in fall, consumers will again start eating lamb. We will eat our way through this. We are not in an oversupply situation as a whole in Canada just the timing of a number of factors created this situation. Consumers ate lambs last year at very high prices with prices moderating consumption should go up again. I encourage producers to hang in there; we are coming off an extremely good year last year which makes this hurt even more. Consider lamb prices over the last few years.

Long term, I feel we need to make some fundamental changes to the way we market Canadian lambs. To keep producers in the industry and attract new entrants, producers need to be paid fairly and be profitable. What’s happened recently in the lamb industry will set the industry back once again. This frustrates me as I’ve seen this cycle over and over again in the years I’ve been in the industry. We’ve all heard the saying, “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”. The history of the lamb industry for the most part is this; it gets rid of its lambs; it does not market them.

developed. We’ve traveled across this country talking to producers about their interest and the feasibility of a producer owned marketing organization. Many of you were excited about the opportunity and encouraged us to continue the development process; others of you say it will never work. I would ask this; is the current marketing structure for Canadian lamb working? Many retailers long for access to Canadian product. There is no Canadian marketing organization; there is no Canadian brand, very limited value adding. Consumers are looking for Canadian product. The words “Canadian lamb” alone brings with it perceived value. Consumers will pay for value. How are we currently marketing the value of Canadian product?

How can Canadian lamb producers capture some of this value?

The Canadian Lamb Producers Cooperative initiatives’ goals are to address many of the current marketing issues in the Canadian lamb industry. There are some things we can’t change but there are things we can. How we market our Canadian lamb is one of them. OSN Source: From the Flock, July 2012, Volume 9, Issue 7. Canadian Sheep Federation, www.cansheep.ca

What’s happening to producers right now is exactly why the Canadian Lamb Producers Cooperative is being

Continued from page 30 ~ 2012

CSBA Summer Update

of the approved tag, and (ii) enough information about the origin of the animal to allow the origin to be traced. This information shall be reported to the CCIA within 7 days after importation of sheep.

Please note that the CCIA database (CLTS) is now able to receive sheep import information. As of today, in the course of conducting compliance verification inspections, CFIA will verify that sheep import information is reported to CLTS. Failure to meet this requirement is subject to a fine under the Agriculture and Agri-Food Administrative Monetary Penalties Regulations.

You can reach the CCIA to report the import of sheep at 1.877.909.2333.

CSBA Office Address Change:

As of July 2, 2012, the CSBA office will be relocated to Bluffton, AB. Stacey White will continue to work as halftime general manager of the CSBA. The toll free number and email address will remain the same. The new mailing address is: RR 2, Site 7, Box 46, Bluffton, AB T0C 0M0. Any correspondence sent to the old address will still be received.

The new, toll-free, fax number is: 1-877-207-2541. Visit www.sheepbreeders.ca for more information. OSN OSN S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 2

31

Ontario Sheep Annual General

Meeting… Sign up today!

Producer Education Day 2012 Producer – Friday, October 26th Education Day Agenda OSMA AGM – Saturday, October 27th Morning Session

The deadline for both events is Friday, September 28th.

Producer Education Day

Friday, October 26th, 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 emphasizing improvement through better financial and health practices. The cost of the daytime session is $30 to all producers. The cost of the evening session including the lamb banquet is $45 per person.

Once again OSMA will be hosting the CSBA Annual Meeting from 3:45 pm to 5:45 pm on Friday, October 26th. The room is yet to be determined.”

8:00am

Registration

9:00am

Welcome & Opening Comments

9:10am

Dr. Paula Menzies, U of G “My Top Ten Sheep Diseases”

10:00am

Dave Vandenbroek & Chris Crump, Ontario Swine Improvement Inc. “Genetic Improvement – A Comparison Between Swine & Sheep”

10:25am

Break

10:50am

John Molenhuis, OMAFRA “Top KPIs and What They Mean to You”

11:30am

Susan Fitzgerald, Fitzgerald & Co. “Top 10 Low Cost Biosecurity Practices”

12:00pm

Hot Lunch – Visit our Exhibitors and Sponsors afternoon Session

1:00pm

Breeding Stock Producer Panel “Addressing Breeding Stock” featuring Florence Pullen, Francis Winger, Glen Duff and Ted Skinner

2:00pm

Jennifer Stevenson, OMAFRA “Top 10 Tips For Sound Financial Planning”

2:40pm

Break

3:00pm

Rex Crawford, Dufferin Veterinary Services “Top 10 Ways to Improve Flock Health”

3:45pm

Break until Evening Program

3:455:45pm

CSBA Meeting evening Session

32

OSN S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 2

6:00pm

Social Time / Cash Bar For Those Attending the Lamb Buffet Banquet

6:45pm

Ontario Fresh Premium Lamb Buffet Banquet

7:25pm

Awards Presentation: GenOvis Awards, Departing Director Recognition, 2012 MAPLESEED Pasture Awards – Phil & Elizabeth Smith & Brian & Anita DeJong

7:50pm

Paul Mussell, Comedian “Laughing till the Sheep Come Home”

8:30 10:00pm

Networking & Trade Show

Ontario Sheep Annual General Meeting - 2012 Agenda Morning Session

2012 Annual General Meeting

Registration

8:30 am

Welcome & Introductions – Dennis Fischer, OSMA Chair

8:45 am

State of the Industry Report – Anita O’Brien, OMAFRA Business Meeting

Saturday, October 27th, Holiday Inn Guelph All producers may attend and participate in the discussions regardless of whether or not they are delegates, however only delegates vote on motions. Voting delegates can attend the AGM free of charge. There is a cost to non-voting delegates of $30 per person for the day.

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 OSMA office or your District.

A complete agenda and registration form can be found on the website: www.ontariosheep.org.

The strict deadline for all registrations for the Producer Education day and the AGM will be Friday, September 28th.

Holiday Inn Guelph Hotel & Conference Centre 601 Scottsdale Drive Guelph, ON N1G 3E7 Hotel Front Desk: 519-836-0231

8:00 am

OSN

9:15 am

Adopt Agenda and Elect Scrutineers Minutes of 2011 AGM

9:30 am

Report from Dennis Fischer, OSMA Chair Review of 2011/2012 Financial Statements Announcement of auditors for OSMA for the coming year Question Period (intermittent)

10:30 am

Break

11:00 am

Report from 2011 Resolutions 2012 Resolutions to be presented, discussed and voted on

11:25 am

Presentation of 2012/2013 Budget and Plans / Question Period

11:50 am

Final Call for Nominations / Mention of Sponsors / Voting takes place Closing of Ontario Sheep Annual Business Meeting

12:00 pm

Buffet Lunch – Visit trade booths

1:00 pm

Announcement of OSMA officers for 2012/2013

Afternoon Session – Valuable “Take Home” Ideas 1:05 pm

Kaiti Nixon “Top 10 Points about Predation”

1:45 pm

Paul Luimes “Top 10 Ideas for Managing Nutrition”

2:30 pm

Adjourned

ALL PRODUCERS WELCOME

Livestock Auction Traceability Initiative (LATI)

T

he Livestock Auction Traceability Initiative (LATI) will provide contributions to assist primarily in the alteration of animal handling structures, which will enhance traceability capabilities at high-risk, high throughput sites where animals from different herds and flocks co-mingle.

LATI will cover up to 80 percent of eligible project activities,

to a maximum of $100,000 per facility. Applications and mandatory supporting documents may be submitted at any time until September 30, 2012 or until all program funding has been committed. All activities must be completed no later than January 31, 2014.

More information can www.agr.gc.ca/lati OSN

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going

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CCWG Wool Industry News

Eric Bjergso, General Manager, Canadian Co-Operative Wool Growers he Canadian Co-Operative Wool Growers recently held Management and Board of Director meetings at the 94th Annual General Meeting in Carleton Place, Ontario on August 10th & 11th 2012.

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The national wool Certificate of Merit recipients for 2011 were announced as follows

The 2012 elected Board of Directors are as follows:

Ontario - Dave Willard, Stella, ON

Executive Committee President:

Dwayne C. Acres, Osgoode, ON

Quebec - Hugh Sutherland, Huntingdon, QC Ontario - Jim & Nancy Kehoe, Lansdowne, ON Shearers: Gerald Gemmill & Don Metheral

1st Vice President: David Mastine, St. Felix de Kingsey, QC

Ontario - Anita O’Brien, Lansdowne, ON Shearers: Gerald Gemmill & Don Metheral

2nd Vice President: John D. Woodburn, Grimshaw, AB

John L. Farrell, Wingham, ON

Manitoba - Alfred Epp, Boissevain, MB

Additional Directors returning to the Board are as follows:

Saskatchewan Range - Dale & Dawn Montgomery, Maple Creek, SK Shearer: Cliff Metheral,

Margarete Zillig, Scotch Village, NS (Audit Committee) Lee Sexton, Hanley, SK (Audit Committee) Ken H. Mallinson, Langley, BC (Audit Committee) Brian Greaves, Miniota, MB (CSF Representative) John D. Balderson, Magrath, AB

Manitoba - Early Dawn Land & Livestock Ltd, Virden, MB

Saskatchewan Range - Rex Furgeson, Maple Creek, SK Shearer: Dan Cahoon Saskatchewan Domestic - Brimar Farms – Martin Catto, Lipton, SK

Ward Harden, Fir Mountain, SK

Saskatchewan Range - Richard & Wanda Perrault, Val Marie, SK

For the fiscal year ending February 29, 2012 the cooperative recorded gross sales of $8,000,824 which represents a 10.6% increase from the previous year, with net income from overall operations of $503,782. The Board of Directors have authorized a dividend payment of 7% to the shareholders and 5 cents per pound to the Shareholder Wool Shipper Loyalty Reward Program (SWSLRP). Full details on these programs can be found on the company website www. wool.ca. Wool volume increased by 8.6% in 2012 and 8.2% in 2011.

Alberta Range - East Cardston Colony, Cardston, AB Shearers: Colony Shearers

A new storage warehouse at Carleton Place has been completed and the official ribbon cutting ceremony took place on August 11th. It will be utilized as an efficient storage and shipping area for graded wool bales as well as storage for our rapidly expanding livestock supplies business.

Alberta Domestic - Raymond Harrison, Spirit River, AB Alberta Domestic - Brian Taylor, Darwell, AB T0E 0L0 British Columbia - Richard & Elizabeth Chambers, Dunster, BC British Columbia - Horse Camp Ranch – Dennis Clausen Clinton, BC Shearer: David Cadsand As well, three long serving Ontario sheep shearers were recognized by CCWG for their outstanding service and dedication to the sheep and wool industry.

Fearnley Davies – Tweed, ON Neil Metheral – Glen Huron, ON George Foster – Jasper, ON Lee-Anne Durant-McIntyre, Manager of CCWG Livestock Supplies & Equestrian Centre at Carleton Place was also recognized

by Management and the Board of Directors on achieving 25 years service with CCWG. OSN

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research

n

september 2012

From the Research Corner Jillian Craig, B.Sc. Agr., Project Co-ordinator

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SMA is excited to add a research column to future editions of the Sheep News Magazine. This column will keep you, as a producer, up-to-date on current OSMA projects.

Several projects have been completed this year. In this issue of Sheep News I would encourage you to read two articles from researchers, one from Paul Luimes on Dried Distillers’ Grains with Solubles (DDGS) and another from Andrew Peregrine and Paula Menzies on drug resistance in parasites. More articles from other studies will be available in future editions of Sheep News. The projects which have been completed this year include: • The Performance, Economics and Carcass Quality of Feeding Corn Silage and Other Low Cost Feedstuffs (including industrial by-products) in Finishing Lamb Diets • The Epidemiology of Over-Wintering of Gastrointestinal Parasites in Ontario Sheep Production Systems • Determine the Prevalence of Coxiella burnetii (Q fever) Infection in Sheep Flocks and Goat Herds in Ontario and their Farm Workers • Effects of Gender, Season of the Year, and Management Regimen on Determining Saleable Meat Yield in Lamb Carcasses Using Ultrasound and Electronic Probe Technologies • Induction of Cervical Dilation for Transcervical Artificial Insemination (TCAI) in Ewes • Ontario Lamb Promotion Kaiti Nixon has an article in this issue highlighting predation tools which can be utilized on your farm. At the upcoming OSMA AGM presentations will be made from Paula

Menzies on health, John Molenhuis on benchmarking and Kaiti Nixon on predation. Projects which are on-going are listed below. Updates will be published when available.

• OSMA Sheep Benchmarking Project (Completion Date: January 31, 2013) • Genetic Evaluation and Selection Tools for Profitability Improvement in Canadian Sheep Production (Completion Date: March 1, 2013) • Creating a Sheep Industry Strategy for Sustainable Success (Completion date: March 31, 2013) • Predation Prevention Project (Completion Date: October 31, 2013) • Increasing Producer Awareness of Production Limiting Diseases and Parasites Project (Completion Date: December 31, 2012) The OSMA Research Committee had put out a call for research proposals earlier this year. To date, three projects have been approved by the OSMA Board, including: • Effect of Targeted Selective Deworming at Lambing on Haemonchus Burdens on Ontario Sheep Farms with Anthelmintic Resistance • A Systematic Literature Review on Risk Factors for Anthelmintic Resistance in Sheep Flocks • Seasonally Anestrous Ewes Bred to a Novel Estrus Synchronization Protocol for Timed AI For more information on research or projects please visit the OSMA website at www.ontariosheep.org or email jcraig@ontariosheep.org OSN

NEW Wool Depot in Northern Ontario

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CWG would like to advise sheep producers that a new wool depot has been established for Northern Ontario and is now open. The contact information is as follows: Ernie Tobler RR 3 019132 Frontier Rd • New Liskeard, ON P0J 1P0 Home: 705-647-4801 • Cell: 705-647-0411

Please call depot in advance of delivering your wool. All bags should be identified with your name and address.

For further information call CCWG at 1-800-488-2714. OSN

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Wrap Ups Holstein Rodeo Sheep Shearing Competition Cat Laxton The well established Holstein Rodeo put on their first Eastern Canadian Sheep Shearing competition on the 13 & 14 of July and due to its success, will now be an annual event (more information at www. holsteinrodeo.com). It was a very well organized event Don Metheral giving a blind shearing demonstration due to the knowledge of Canadian shearing champion Don Metheral. 300 clean and crutched lambs under 1 year old were supplied by Mr. Jay Lewis, owner of Eweville Station. This meant there were plenty of sheep for the competitors to get into the flow. I was asked to be one of the 7 judges. We had a judging seminar at Eweville Station with Dian Bramley, a certified judge from the North Island of New Zealand. All judges were experienced sheep operators, had previously been involved in shearing competitions or teaching people how to shear sheep â&#x20AC;&#x201C; one judge had flown in from North Dakota. We were quickly brought up to speed on the International Rules and Standards and the Prize money was set at $7100.00. Lunch and an evening meal were provided Shearer from the USA competes to all competitors. Placing in the speed shearing event is as follows: Intermediate Class Finalists: 1st Emily Chamelin, MaryLand, U.S.A. 2nd Gord Hannah, Ontario, CA. 3rd Kim Lennox, Ontario, CA. 4th Neil Metheral, Ontario, CA. Pro. Open Finalist: 1st Alan Bramley from New Zealand 2nd Don Metheral, Ontario, CA 3rd Alex Moser, Iowa U.S.A. 4th Steve Mudford, New South Wales, Australia

Ontario Suffolk Sheep Association 6th Annual Terminal Sire Sale was held on July 21st, 2012 at the Carsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Sale Arena, Listowel, Ontario Consignment Averages: 4 Suffolk Yearling Rams averaged $786 11 Suffolk Ram Lambs averaged $750 8 Suffolk Ewe Lambs averaged $503 Top selling Suffolk was a ram lamb that sold @ $1500.00 from Stonehill Sheep Chatsworth, ON to Lois Trowell, Saskatchewan. The second top selling ram was a yearling Suffolk from Trillium Woods Sheep which sold for $1100.00 to Kevin Hutchings, Pefferlaw, On. Third selling ram was a lamb from a new breeder Matthew Swart, Brussells, ON which sold for $1000.00 to Larry Mastine of Quebec.

A very fancy ram lamb from Keith Todd sold for 850.00 to Marshcrest Farm, Nova Scotia.

The ewe lamb group of 8 sold for an average of $503.00.

There was a real good group of sheep in the sale and prices reflected the quality and interest.

Thanks to all the consigners, bidders and buyers from the OSSA!

2012 Purebred Sheep Breeders of Ontario Show & Sale Report.

The 2012 PSBO Show and Sale featured approximately 40 Purebred sheep and 20 Commercial Ewes. The price summary is below.

Breed

Ewes ($)

Rams ($)

Dorsets

550

500

N.C. Cheviots

425

550

Hampshires

550

460

Southdowns

520

525

Suffolks

575

575

Average Overall

525

522

Commercial Ewes

Average

341

Thank you to all our buyers and supporters. You are the reason we work so hard to put on successful sales year after year!

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Agri-Cultural Tours Visit Erbcroft Farms

Rideau Focus

Photo by: Elizabeth Cooper, Ionstratford

On June 28th, Erbcroft Farms near Sebringville hosted 35 2nd year agricultural students from Normandy, France, who are on a tour of farms in southern Ontario. Erbcroft, owned

by Tim and Luann Erb, was the only farm in Perth County on the itinerary.

The students are on the tour organized by Agri-Cultural Tours (ACT). Fred Standeven is the tour guide who hosted the group and chose Erbcroft for its sheep raising.

Rideau Focus was held on Saturday, August 18th at Breezy Ridge Farm owned by Phil and Liz Smith. Approximately 60 producers were present at this successful event. Delma Kennedy spoke about a new breeding initiative, working towards making the Rideau breed parasite resistant. Chris Bushbeck explained how the parasite resistance project can be expanded with the help of the Rideau Sire Referencing program using AI. Jack Kyle was on hand for a corn grazing tour and gave ideas on how to help lower feed costs. A portable handling chute was also demonstrated at the farm from New Zealand Perkins Equipment. Other industry representatives included Gallagher Fencing, Grober, Sunderland Co-op and Mapleseed. Thank you to the organizers and attendees. More information will be available in the December issue of Sheep News.

Lamb Barbacue GIVE THE GIFT OF LIFE LAMB B.B.Q. held at the Cold Stream Ranch in memory of their daughter Nicole who passed away while waiting for a heart transplant.

Through a translator, the students said they enjoyed learning about the difference in Sheep Farms in Southwest Ontario as they had been to a feedlot operation the previous day.

After the tour of the farm, Tim and Luann provided Lamb burgers and Sausage dinner for the group before they headed back to Kitchener where they were staying.

Oxford County Federation of Agriculture Farm Bus Tour On June 26, 2012 the Oxford County Federation of Agriculture Farm Bus tour made a stop at Neil DeBoer’s Sheep farm. The tour is set up with the intention of educating local politicians about agriculture in Oxford County. Among other stops, the tour featured a visit to Gunn’s Hill Artisan Cheese, Goossens Trout Farm and lastly Neil’s sheep farm. Neil spoke about management practices on his farm. Although he and his wife are relatively new to the industry, they are already planning on expanding. The DeBoer’s have OLIBS sheep and maintain a high health status in their flock.

Thank you to Neil and family for showcasing their operation.

The van der Laan’s have been doing this lamb b.b.q. for five years to make the public aware of the need for “ORGAN DONATIONS”. Monies received from this event go to University Hospital 4th floor transplant physico unit in London Ontario.

Dwayne Edwards heart recipient, Stratford, Lorraine Swance quilt winner, Salford, hostess Ruthanne, Poplar Hill and Ray Jackson liver recipient, London.

Mels, Ruthanne and family would like to thank all those attending for their support; the outcome was a great success and $2,185.00 will go directly to the unit for special equipment used by recipients of organ transplants. OSN OSN S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 2

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More on our NEW Market App! Philip Kirkbride

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iPhone 1. Enter the following web address into your phone’s web browser: http:// OntarioSheep.org/apple.php 2. Follow the instructions on the screen to set it up as a desktop Icon 3.

Anytime you want to check lamb prices, just click this handy dandy icon and you’re on your way!

roducers can now get the latest market information directly to their smart phone. This app has been designed to let farmers make marketing decisions onthe-go. Data can be viewed from all the major markets and is updated weekly. Please follow the instructions below to download this app to your Smartphone.

Blackberry 1. Enter the following web address into your phone’s web browser: http:// OntarioSheep.org/blackberry.php 2.

Click the blue ‘Download’ button and the app should automatically download to your device.

3. At this point it should be present in your App menu and all you need to do is click on it to see the latest and greatest market reports.

If you have any questions regarding the app or problems downloading it to your device, please call the OSMA office at 519-836-0043. OSN

Android 1. Enter the following web address into your phone’s web browser: http:// OntarioSheep.org/android.php 2. Click the blue”Install” button and the app should automatically download to your device.

3. At this point it should be present in your App menu and all you need to do is click on it to see the latest and greatest market reports.

This is a screen shot of the OSI Market Page from August 20th, 2012

Increased Sheep Compensation Amounts Canadian Sheep Federation

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he Canadian Sheep Federation (CSF) welcomes the news that the government of Canada has increased the maximum amount payable for compensation for nonregistered sheep from $300 to $825.00.

“The increase in the compensation better represents the value of productive ewes within the flock” says Andrew Gordanier, Chairman of the CSF. “We would like to thank the government for working with the industry to ensure that the compensation amount was increased.”

The maximum level of compensation for registered animals remains at $1,200.

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The increase in the compensation amounts will help to mitigate the economic impact on sheep producers in the event that their animals are ordered destroyed. Ensuring that adequate compensation is available for producers is a critical component to effective disease surveillance.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency provides compensation to owners of animals ordered destroyed under the authority of the Health of Animals Act. The newly revised maximum compensation amounts are effective immediately and will be published in Canada Gazette II. For more information contact the Canadian Sheep Federation at 1-888-684-7739 or info@cansheep.ca. OSN

2011 Canadian Sheep Performance Results Delma Kennedy, Sheep Specialist, OMAFRA

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re you looking for performance tested sheep? Do you want to see how your sheep measure up? GenOvis is the Canadian genetic evaluation program for sheep producers.

All Canadian producers are eligible to join the program. All data from across Canada including Ontario is merged for genetic evaluations producing Canadian national evaluations.

In 2011, 160 producers participated in the program in Canada testing about 42,000 animals representing 25 different breeds. The following table shows the average performance for all breeds and crosses of animals that were born in 2011 and tested in Canada.

GenOvis is an online recording program that provides basic management information and genetic evaluation numbers that allow producers to select animals with the best genetics for their flocks.

The GenOvis website http:// www.genovis.ca has information on the top rams tested on the program and a list of producers who participate in the program as well as enrolment information.

You can also contact OSMA, (Phone: (519) 836-0043, E-mail: rmarcy@ontariosheep.org) or CEPOQ Phone : 418 856-1200, genovis@cepoq. com for more information. The Canadian genetic evaluation numbers are also available to producers enrolled in the bioFlock program. More information on the bioFlock sheep management software program can be found at, www.bioflock.ca

Breeds

# Ewes # Born

Border 32 50 Cheviot Border 44 74 Leicester Canadian 283 537 Clun Forest 74 109 Charollais 80 153 Corriedale 10 14 Dorset14 27 Horned Dorper 139 251 Dorset1837 3140 Polled Finnish 32 89 Landrace Hampshire 325 542 Hybrid 4585 10469 Ile de 103 178 France Icelandic 100 178 Katahdin 34 58 North Country 305 488 Cheviot Oxford 8 13 Polypay 615 1441 Rideau 4082 10522 Romanov 1054 3601 Shropshire 14 24 Suffolk 844 1489 Tunis 9 11 Texel 243 349 Crossbred 3501 8400 TOTAL 18367 42207

Ave Ave # Weaned Born Per Lambings Per Lambing Lambing

Ave Birth Wt (kg)

Ave Adj Ave Adj Ave 50 Wt 100 Wt ADG (kg) (kg) (kg)

Ave # Lambings/ Ewe/Yr

32

1.56

1.50

4.3

21.2

35.7

0.28

1.00

48

1.54

1.33

4.5

20.2

35.7

0.29

1.09

308 75 84 10

1.74 1.45 1.82 1.40

1.56 1.35 1.68 1.40

5.6 0.0 5.0 5.2

27.1 22.0 26.8 28.4

39.8 32.1 46.8 44.7

0.25 0.20 0.40 0.31

1.09 1.01 1.05 1.00

14

1.93

1.79

0.0

21.9

33.4

0.23

1.00

168

1.49

1.34

3.9

20.0

35.7

0.30

1.21

2030

1.55

1.39

4.7

23.6

37.0

0.27

1.11

37

2.41

2.19

3.1

21.6

36.2

0.29

1.16

361 4992

1.50 2.10

1.32 1.79

5.1 4.1

26.0 23.2

45.1 38.4

0.37 0.31

1.11 1.09

112

1.59

1.44

4.4

25.2

41.4

0.31

1.09

100 34

1.78 1.71

1.68 1.50

3.9 4.2

19.1 19.0

29.8 39.0

0.22 0.38

1.00 1.00

305

1.60

1.48

5.3

24.6

36.2

0.24

1.00

8 757 4507 1220 14 900 9 243 4077 20445

1.63 1.90 2.33 2.95 1.71 1.65 1.22 1.44 2.06 2.06

1.63 1.68 1.90 2.33 1.64 1.45 0.89 1.31 1.83 1.76

5.9 4.5 3.8 2.9 0.0 5.0 5.6 4.6 4.3 4.1

23.2 23.3 22.5 20.8 24.2 25.1 20.5 23.8 24.5 23.3

43.9 37.7 38.9 35.8 43.9 43.4 27.3 34.1 38.0 38.2

0.41 0.29 0.33 0.30 0.38 0.36 0.14 0.20 0.29 0.30

1.23 1.10 1.16 1.00 1.07 1.00 1.00 1.16 1.11

More information on the Canadian genetic evaluation numbers used in the GenOvis program can be found at: http://quartet. aps.uoguelph.ca/csges/. This website contains information and video instructions on how to use GenOvis and understand the genetic evaluation numbers that are available. OSN

Association Directory Purebred Sheep Breeders of Ontario c/o Irwin Jackson, RR#4 Rockwood, Ontario N0B 2K0 • (519) 856-4490

Ontario Suffolk Sheep Association Glen Porteous, 703037 Walker Sideroad RR#1, Chatsworth ON N0H 1G0 • (519) 794-4549

ontario katahdin sheep Association Barbara Burdzy (519) 236-7368 Email: bbfarm@hay.net

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 OSN S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 2

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Upcoming Events 18th DSANA Dairy Sheep Symposium

(Formerly the Great Lakes Dairy Sheep Symposium) October 18, 19 & 20, 2012 This will be held at the Holiday Inn Washington Dulles, Dulles Virginia The DSANA Dairy Sheep Symposium is the major annual event of the dairy sheep industry in North America. For 18 years, this event has attracted dairy sheep producers from Canada, Mexico and throughout the United States. As a small but growing industry, the symposium provides critical connections among producers.

The first day includes talks directed towards beginning producers. The second day features presentations by innovative producers and top scientists from North America and Europe to bring the latest information on dairy sheep production and sheep milk processing to our domestic industry. The final day will include a tour to two local dairy sheep producers and processing plants that manufacture sheep milk cheeses.

The DSANA Dairy Sheep Symposium provides an educational environment and fosters connections among dairy sheep producers, processor and researchers. For more information please visit http://www.dsana.org/symposia.html.

Canadian All Breed Herding Championships

October 27 & 28, 2012 The Regional Equine and Agricultural Centre of Huron, in Clinton, ON, is the site of this years Canadian All Breed Herding Championship Showcase. The top all breed sheep dogs from across Canada and the northern USA, as determined by their standings in Canadian Kennel Club herding trials, will be competing in head to head competition. Check out www.herdingcanadashowcase.com for more information.

Western Fair

September 7 – 16, 2012 We are looking for volunteers again this year. Mo Delves of District 1 puts this event on with only a small handful of volunteers. If you are planning to attend from Districts 1 – 5 and you would like to volunteer at the booth for a few hours, please call Ruth Gilmour at 519-836-0043 Ext. 27 or email general@ontariosheep.org. Thank you.

Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show

September 11 – 13 Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show is held at Canada’s Outdoor Park in Woodstock ON. Watch for details about the 2012 show at www.outdoorfarmshow.com.

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2012 International Plowing Match

September 18 – 22 The 2012 IPM is being held in Roseville, Ontario in Waterloo County. Check out www.ipm2012.ca for more information.

District 8

October 15 -7pm Napanee District High School -Presentation by Nancy Kehoe re Alternative to Licence Fee Increase All area sheep producers are encouraged to attend

District 1

October – Date to be Confirmed November 1 – Rutherford Fire Hall December 6 – Christmas meeting and pot luck at Wyoming Church

District AGM’s

District 1 September 6,2012 • Rutherford Fire Hall Michele Prudom • 519-845-3998 District 2 September 20, 2012 • 7:30 at Grey Gables in Markdale Large Room • Vince Stutzki • 519-363-6683 District 3 September 13, 2012 • 7:00 pm at Woodstock OMAFRA office Neil Mesman • 519-504-3089 District 4 September 18,2012 • 7:30 at Kohler Agriculture Center, Kuhler Rd. Cayuga • Nancy Ireland • 905-701-6026 District 5 August 29, 2012 • Daina Hunters at 6:30 pm Lene Band • 905-877-2969 District 6 September 6,2012 • 7:30 at Church’s Farm Supplies Grant Cowan • 705-436-2236 District 7 September 26,2012 • Tentative - Oakwood Co-op-Taylor Rd. at 7:00 pm • Rebecca Parker • 705-277-1711 District 8 September 18,2012 • 7:00 pm at Napanee District Secondary School • Debi Stoness • 613-264-6206 District 9 September 18,2012 • 7:00 pm at JR’s Restaurant in Almonte, ON • David Bentley • 613-256-1628 District 10 September 12, 2012 • 7:00 pm at Boardroom at George Centre at the Kemptville Campus at UoG Fred Baker • 613-989-5352 District 11 September 6, 2012 • 7:00 pm at Kerns Hall Deb Garner • 705-563-2761 OSN

OSMA

Photo Contest 1st Prize $250.00!!

Please mail submissions to: 2012 Ontario Sheep News Photo Contest Ontario Sheep Marketing Agency 130 Malcolm Road Guelph, ON N1K 1B1 Entries must be postmarked no later than Friday September 28, 2012 For full contest details please visit our website at www.ontariosheep.org Or call Ruth Gilmour at the OSMA office at 519-836-0043 or general@ontariosheep.org

We look forward to seeing your submissions!

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Correction

n the June 2012 edition of Ontario Sheep News one paragraph of the editorial read:

“If there is only one message that I can leave you with, it would be this: DO NOT BUY BREEDING STOCK FROM FEEDLOTS. The more sheep that move through a farm that does not quarantine and test animals, the more chance that those animals may pick up a condition that you do not want on your farm and certainly you do not want to start your flock with poor quality animals.”

It was not fair to single out feedlots.

It is important to note that anywhere animals comingle you should be cautious of buying replacement animals to bring into your flock and feedlots should not have been singled out.

The key element is to ensure these animals are healthy and sound. Testing new animals for Maedi Visna is highly recommended and scrapie genotyping could also be performed. Strive towards purchasing new animals from closed flocks with a high health status who have proof of health testing and performance recorded data.

If you do buy animals which have comingled, be sure to quarantine new arrivals and watch for signs of common diseases or infections such as Caseous Lymphadenitis, foot rot, foot scald, keds, lice, etc.

Fecal egg samples, a Maedi Visna blood test and scrapie genotyping should all be performed on new arrivals to ensure they are healthy.

A healthy flock will mean fewer vet bills, happier sheep, peace of mind for you and more money generated from your operation. OSN

Pr o d u c e r R e m i t t ances

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 $1.80 per head plus 13% HST

Producer #___________________

Name:_____________________________________________________________

Address:__________________________________________________________________________________________ City:______________________________________ Prov.:________________Postal Code:________________________ Date of Sale:________________________________ Date Remitted:______________________________________ # of sheep/lamb sold:________________________ Lic. Fees (x $1.80=) $_________________________________ ___________________________________________

Pay by phone using Visa or MasterCard 519-836-0043

Plus 13% HST

$________________________________

Total Remitted $________________________________ OSN S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 2

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district news

District 1

n

Look for your district news and events under Upcoming Events in this issue.

Counties of Essex, Kent, Lambton, Middlesex, and Elgin Director Fraser Hodgson Chair John Sipkens Vice-Chair Bill Duffield Secretary/Treasurer Michelle Prudom

District 7

519-786-4176 519-845-3710 519-899-2663 519-845-3998

District 2

Counties of Grey and Bruce Director Chair Vice-Chair Secretary Treasurer

Dennis Fischer Vince Stutzki Sarel Smit Kyle Harrison Jason Emke

519-363-3819 519-363-6683 519-369-1365 519-369-3954 519-364-0044

District 3

Counties of Huron, Perth, Waterloo and Oxford Director Luann Erb Chair Ian Van Blyderveen Vice Chair Keith Taylor Secretary Neil Mesman Treasurer John Rock

District 4

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

519-393-5512 519-424-3894 519-349-2273 519-504-3089 519-467-0092

Municipalities of Hamilton-Wentworth, HaldimandRob Scott Nancy Ireland

519-209-3944 905-701-6026

Sharon Petheram Norman Johnson

519-443-5844 905-562-4905

District 5

County of Wellington and Dufferin and the Regional Municipalities of Halton and Peel Director Andrew Gordanier 519-925-6502 Chair Daina Hunter 519-843-5441 Vice Chair Ted Brown 905-873-5855 Secretary Lene Band 905-877-2969 Treasurer Dianne Orr 519-928-5302

District 6

County of Simcoe, District Municipality of Muskoka and the District of Parry Sound Director Josephine Martenssen- Hemstead 705-487-2466 Chair Peter Harvey 905-729-3196 Vice Chair Markus Wand 705-724-2314 Secretary Grant Cowan 705-436-2236 Treasurer Karen Harvey 905-729-3196 42

september 2012

OSN S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 2

County of Metropolitan Toronto, Regional Municipalities Counties of Victoria, Peterborough, and Northumberland Director Judy Dening Chair Rebecca Parker Secretary Donna Aziz

of York and Durham, 705-324-3453 705-277-1711 905-852-9252

District 8

Counties of Lennox and Addington, Hastings, Prince Edward, Frontenac and Leeds Director Mark Ritchie 613-634-1212 Chair Debi Stoness 613-264-6206 Vice-Chair Jim Sabin 613-477-3443 Secretary Linda Huizenga 613-477-1393 Treasurer Pat Purvis 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 Director Allan Burn 613-264-0801 Chair Christpher Moore 613-913-4994 Vice Chair Shanna Armstrong 613-552-6365 Secretary David Bentley 613-256-1628 Treasurer Judy Senior 613-832-2480

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 Director Colleen Acres 613-826-2330 Chair Fred Baker 613-989-5352 Secretary Gary Lapier 613-989-2792 Treasurer Greg Stubbings 613-774-4563

District 11

Counties of Kenora, Rainy River, Thunder Bay, Cochrane, Algoma, Sudbury, Temiskaming, Nippising and Manitoulin Director Colleen Alloi 705-248-3287 Chair Jim Johnston 705-647-7160 Vice Chair Mark Lenover 705-563-2966 Secretary Debra Garner 705-563-2761 OSN

Fall Pasture Fertility Management After A Dry Summer Jack Kyle, Grazier Specialist, OMAFRA

S

oil fertility plays a major role in fall pasture growth, the overwintering of the plants and the following spring’s production. Fall is a good time of year to help a pasture that is struggling from being overgrazed, stressed by poor growing conditions or a combination of both. Nitrogen is the key, but phosphorous and potash are important additions to getting pastures back into productivity.

Grass pastures, particularly those with a large percentage of fescues, will respond to nitrogen with good fall growth if moisture is available. Use 50 to 75 pounds of nitrogen per acre. A return of 20 to 30 pounds of dry matter per pound of nitrogen applied per acre is possible with tall fescue, orchardgrass, bromegrass, perennial ryegrasses and reed canarygrass. How large the response will be depends on how soon the nitrogen is applied, the current condition of the field, the amount of moisture available and when the killing frosts start.

By fertilizing a producer can get fresh fall feed and better weed control. Early fall nitrogen applications stimulate fall tillering in grasses. The result is a stronger sod with fewer bare spots, and fewer sites for weed establishment.

Fall applications of nitrogen are important to help grasses overwinter and grow quickly in the following spring. Grasses fertilized in the fall accumulate more nitrogenous food reserves which are used to support life in the winter and to start growth in the spring. An extra two weeks of productive pasture in the spring can be obtained from nitrogen applied from September to late October. If winter feed stocks are

Classifieds

tight that extra two weeks is a major benefit!

The nitrogen you apply in the fall will not affect the legume content in your pastures.

Phosphorous and potash applied in the fall will also improve your pastures in the year after a drought. Surviving plants, particularly the legumes, will go into the winter in better shape and therefore have more chance of surviving the winter stresses. In addition, the nutrient status of the soil will be enhanced and this will help new forage plants establish next spring. Keep this in mind if you are planning to do any overseeding this fall or frost seeding this winter. The best way to determine phosphorous and potash requirements are with a soil test.

The fertility management you choose to follow in the fall will have a major impact on the next year’s grazing season.

Even if there is another dry year the pastures will be ready to provide as much feed as possible. OSN

Want to place an ad?

Call Ruth Gilmour at 519-836-0043 for ad rates.

Orchardview Farm

Texel Sheep • 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 OSN S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 2

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Classifieds Emke Cheviots

For sale - Quality group of NCC ewe lambs for late season breeding.

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

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

Several packages of commercial Suffolk and Suffolk cross ewe lambs.

Breeding Age Rams 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

CLUN FOREST 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

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

519-463-5511

South African Meat Merino Prolific crosses with supreme carcass quality Don & Wilma Duncan RR1, 807117 Oxford Road 29 Drumbo, ON, N0J 1G0,

519-463-5511

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

EMKE OXFORDS and

HAMPSHIRES

HER-LINK FAMILY FARM Dorper, Ile De France and Commercial Quality Breeding stock and lambs

Breeding Stock available in both breeds.

Contact us.

Craig & Missy Emke

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

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

Flock is grain fed from birth Herman and Linda Scholten RR#3 Hanover, ON (519) 369-3378

Son Risen Farm Specializing in Heritage Breeds with Traditional Breed Types

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

Purebred Border Cheviots & Shropshires.

Also available F1 crossbreds

Andy & Jane Pearson 4102 Line 16 RR#7 • St. Marys ON • N4X 1C9 519-284-4239 sonrisen@gmail.com

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

DEJONG ACRES Quality Commercial Breeding Stock Arcott/ Dorset Maternal Hybrid Strong Prolific Mothers = Higher Profits Replacement Ewe Lambs Available Year Round Brian, Anita, Rayleen and Nicole DeJong 463028 Conc 24, Wiarton ON

519-534-1211

info@dejongacres.ca www.dejongacres.ca

CEDAR CREEK SCANNING

Ultrasound Pregnancy Scanning for Sheep, Goats and Alpacas OLIBS Accredited Rebecca Parker, Vet Tech.

858 Hwy 7A East, RR#1, Bethany ON, L0A 1A0 Mobile: (905) 259-1102 E-mail: middlekingdomfarm@gmail.com

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

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, Rockw ood, O N , N 0B 2K 0 519-856-9935 Email: rideausheep@sympatico.ca

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: 613-826-2330 • Fax: 613-826-1076 www.maplemeadows.ca

Great Pyrenees Puppies for sale: Raised with sheep, excellent guard dogs and vet checked. Call Francine Rock at 519-467-0092 or email firberkley@gmail.com.

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BREEDER

DIRECTORY

BORDER CHEVIOTS

J. & J. Farms - Ross Savasi, RR 1, Warsaw, ON, 705-652-7477, ross.savasi@rogers.com.

Ram lambs for sale from US breed lines (Misty Acres and J. Moore), scrapie tested RR or QR. Also available M/F maremma pups born Aug. 1, 2012.

booroola

Prolific Acres Sheep Farm Increase your flock’s lambing rate in only 1 generation with the Booroola gene (prolificacy gene). 1 copy (B+) causes the ewe to have 1 more lamb per lambing. Homozygous (BB) rams pass on 1 copy (B+) to all progeny. BB Rams & High% B+ Texel Rams available. Vaccinated flock, very detailed flock records. Charlie Renaud, 2780 Flos Rd. 5 W., RR#1, Phelpston, ON L0L 2K0. 705-322-2140 CharlieRenaud@3web.com www.prolificacressheepfarm.com.

Charollais

Cedar Creek Charollais Ted Skinner & Sons, 2910 Conc. 7, R.R. #5, Bowmanville, ON, L1C 3K6. Phone 905-263-2102 Fax 905-263-4388, charollais@live.ca. Heavy muscling, SFIP & MV tested. Increase your dressing percentage.

dorper

RAM H Breeders Ltd. Dorper sheep, rams, ewes, and lambs available. Flock has been South Africa inspected, typed and certified - Sept. 2003. Call Ray or Ann Marie Hauck 403-932-3135.

Cochrane, Alberta am@ramhbreeders.com www.ramhbreeders.com Cedar View Dorpers Jeff and Karen Wright, 5615 Hwy. 43, RR5 Perth Ontario, K7H 3C7, 613-267-7930, jkwright@storm.ca www.cedarviewdorpers.com Smokey Creek Farm Susan McDonough & Peter Carrie (519) 848-2400, 8886 Concession 7 R.R.4 Arthur, ON, N0G 1A0. Participants in Sheep Flock Improvement Program & Scrapie Flock Certification Program. Registered purebred Dorpers available. smcdonough@highspeedfx.net or www.smokeycreekfarm.ca.

Ken Burgess Ontario Dorpers. Prized meat sheep. Purebred full blood Dorpers & Katahan Cross Dorpers from Prize Genetics. Special qualities: awesome weight grain, heavy muscling, easy lambing, no shearing, superior foraging. Call Ken Burgess 705-527-9058 or email at ontariodorpers@aol.com. Also white Maremma pups for sale – awesome Sheep guard dogs.

Iile de france

Prolific Acres Sheep Farm. Heavily muscled, Out of season, broody dams, hardy fast growing lambs, durable lamb coat, 1.8 lambing avg. Registered Flock. Registered and IDFxRI Rams available. Charlie Renaud, 2780 Flos Road 5 West, Phelpston, ON L0L 2K0.

(705) 322-2140. charlierenaud@3web.com www.prolificacressheepfarm.com Gordon Alblas 775 Sager Road, Branchton, Ontario N0B 1L0 Phone: 519 448-4215. Email: gordsjerseys@yahoo.ca 94% Ile De France ram lambs with high growth rates and out of season breeding.

Katahdin

Roly Poly Farms. S11835 Lakeridge Rd. RR#1 Sunderland, ON L0C 1H0. Phone 905 852 9252. Email: rolypolyfarms@yahoo.com. Superior genetics, winners of GenOvis (SFIP) Achievement Awards in both Maternal Growth Index and Growth Index in the category of “All Other Breeds”. Three different sire lines. Limited number of performance tested 2011 ewe lambs and ram lambs available.

North Country Cheviots

Springhill North Country Cheviots. Performance Tested. Winner of Get of Sire at the RAWF. Yearling Rams, Ram Lambs and Ewe Lambs for Sale. Scrapie Tested Sires either QR or RR. Lloyd Skinner 905-263-8167. Call at Mealtimes or Evenings.

Polled Dorset

Jameshaven Dorsets - Canada’s longest established Polled Dorset Flock. ROP and Scrapie resistance tested. Medium Frame, well-muscled purebred Dorsets selected for out of season lambing and maternal traits. Fall and winter born ewe and ram lambs available. New address, same reliable genetics. Shanna and Tyler Armstrong and Jenna James, 865 Garden of Eden Road, Renfrew Ontario K7V 3Z8 Ph. 613-433-8255 pinnaclehaven@gmail.com Robert & Gail Irvine Rocky Lane Farm, R.R. #4 Peterborough, ON K9J 6X5 rgirvine@nexicom.net. Phone 705-292-7207, MV & ROP tested. Selected for maternal traits and muscling. Accelerated system. New genetics out of 4 elite New Zealand rams.

Century Lane Farm Robert & Shirley Graves, 5576 Faulkner Trail, Stittsville, ON, K2S 1B6, 613-831-2656, rgraves@storm.ca Breeding & Performance. Geared for the Commercial Producer, Registering sheep since 1967, ROP Tested Flock since 1976, OSMA Maedi-Visna Flock Project – ‘A’ Status, Participants of the CFIA Scrapie Certification Program – Level ‘B’

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Rideau Arcott

Francis & Elaine Winger R.R. # 4, Mount Forest, ON, N0G 2L0, 519-323-3531, fwinger@everus.ca. Purebred and commercial, closed flock SFIP, maedi-visna tested.

Wendell Palmer Canaan Farm., 6749 Homestead Cres., Niagara Falls, ON, L2G 2H8. Phone/ Fax: 905-358-6146. canaan@vaxxine.com www.vaxxine.com/canaan Participant testing and performance programs. Closed flock. Rams always, high EPD’s / Semen / Embryos.

Rambouillet & Newfoundland F1 crosses. On the health program.

Duff Farms Glen & Sharon Duff, RR # 2, Rockwood, ON, N0B 2K0. 519-856-9935. rideausheep@sympatico.ca Top Genetic Selection - currently maintaining 3 ram lines, SFIP and ewebyte information-based. High Health Status - closed flock since 1995, maedi visna tested and participating in the Ontario Sheep Health Program.

Golden Fleece Farms Ruco Braat. 171 Lakeview Rd., Bailieboro, ON, K0L 1B0 705-939-2366. goldenfleece@nexicom.net. Purebred Rideau Arcotts Closed Flock.

Mulmur Vista Farm Bill McCutcheon, R.R.#2, Grand Valley, ON L0N 1G0, 519-928-9626, Email: wmccutcheon@sympatico.ca. Purebred Rideau closed flock, SFIP tested, Scrapie level certified.

Lamb Lady Farm. Shelagh Finn, 9090 Five Sideroad Adjala, RR#1 Palgrave ON, L0N 1P0, 647-932-7102, email: lamblady.finn@gmail.com. Purebred Rideau, Closed Flock, GenOvis Performance Proven, Ontario Sheep Health Program, Maedi-Visna status negative, Scrapie Flock Certification Program, Breeding Stock available.

LM Bauman Inc. Purebred Rideau Lambs. Closed Flock. RR#1 St. Clements ON N0B 2M0.

Call Levi at 519-501-7191

romanOv

Prolific Acres Sheep Farm The only true “out of season” breed. Shedding coat.

Short-tailed, No docking required. Very vigorous newborns. Easy lambing. Registered.

Commercial, % and Vasectomized “Teaser” Rams. Vaccinated flock, very detailed flock records. Charlie Renaud, 2780 Flos Rd. 5 W. RR#1 Phelpston, ON L0L 2K0. 705-322-2140.

CharlieRenaud@3web.com www.prolificacressheepfarm.com

Shetland Sheep

Chassagne Farm. The original flock for North America, imported directly from UK in 1980; available in 11 recognized colours; sheep, fleeces and yarns available. Contact: Carole Precious, Chassagne Farm, Puslinch, Ontario. c.precious@hotmail.com, home: (519) 651-2160, fax: (519) 651-0799.

Shropshire

Muriel Burnett Burndale Farm 1314 Killarney Bay Rd. RR#1 Cameron, Ont. K0M 1G0.

705-887-6512. Purebred and Commercial for sale. Some British Genetics. GenOvis Tested.

Suffolk

Sunrise Farm Joel & Irene Thomas, RR#2, 477285 3rd Line, Shelburne, ON L0N 1S6. sunriseangus@sympatico.ca British type, Ram & Ewe lambs available with good performance.

Bred for meat & milk. Please call 519-925-5661.

Burke & Janet Doran 660 2nd Line R.R. #1 Bailieboro, ON K0L 1B0. Phone 705-939-1146 British Type Purebred Suffolks. Closed Flock.

Stonehenge Suffolks Doug and Kim Smith, RR 2, Wroxeter, ON, N0G 2X0. PH 519-291-9767.

British Bloodlines. Purebred and crosses available.

Don & Florence Pullen Shillalah Suffolks, Box 715, Clinton, ON, N0M 1L0. 519-233-7896.

Bred for traditional meat type and high production. Several British bloodlines now available.

Our stud rams carry the R gene for Scrapie resistance. Closed flock.

Trillium Woods Sheep Karen Hayward, RR#1, 262 141 Shallow Lake, ON N0H 2K0.

Phone: 519-371-8487. Cell: 519-379-3017 Email: trilliumwoods@sympatico.ca Breeding Stock, Scrapie Monitored. www.facebook.com/trilliumwoodssheep

Texel

Cold Stream Ranch Mels @ 519-666-2423 – dutchtexel@execulink.com or visit our website www.dutchtexel.on.ca. Registered Texels and % rams – New genetics introduced 2011 – OPP tested – completed 5 years voluntary National Scrapie Program.

Orchardview Farm Gordon Walker & Family, R.R.#2, Glencoe, Ont. N0L 1M0. 519-287-5085.

Texel Rams and Ewes for sale. Maedi Visna Tested.

Mulmur Vista Farm Bill McCutcheon, R.R.#2, Grand Valley, ON L0N 1G0, 519-928-9626, Email: wmccutcheon@sympatico.ca. Texel Rams available from French and Dutch Bloodlines.

Embryos available, closed flock, SFIP tested, Scrapie level certified.

Paul Cardyn 351 Ch Bellevue Coaticook, Quebec, J1A 2S1. 819-849-6496. Full blood Texels.

Super meaty! Dutch, French and British bloodlines. ROP & OPP tested. Also Rouge de ‘l’Ouest. pcardyn@vetcoaticook.ca

Peel Mutual ad mock up 1

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