Livestock traceability requirements for sheep are about to get much more involved across Canada. While sheep producers have long been required to tag sheep ahead of movement, actual tracking of livestock movement has only needed to be recorded, not reported. That is going to change very soon, and there is concern that the existing infrastructure… Read more »
Category: Lamb
Controlling leafy spurge one flock at a time
While most pastures across Saskatchewan were blanketed with snow this past winter, the landscape will change quickly as warm weather arrives. Native prairie plants such as northern wheatgrass and needle-and-thread will soon spring to life, however their undesirable counterparts, such as leafy spurge, will too. Leafy spurge is a perennial invasive weed many farmers and… Read more »
Using synchronization and induction as a lambing time-management tool
Lambing is an exciting but exhausting time for sheep farmers. A typical breeding cycle with natural service over two heat cycles usually results in well over two weeks of late nights, early mornings, and intense work. To manage the labour load (pun intended), some farmers have adopted a synchronization and induction program to tighten the… Read more »
12 lessons for a new sheep farmer
There’s a reason young and beginning farmers often choose to start a sheep enterprise — local demand for lamb is double what we produce, you can keep quite a few sheep on a limited land base, and they’re affordable livestock that reproduce quickly. There’s also a reason that many new sheep farmers don’t last more… Read more »
Dual-active dewormer approved for use in Canadian sheep flocks
A short-acting, oral drench offered by Zoetis — Startect— has received Canadian approval for use in sheep for treatment and control of a range of adult and immature worms, including Haemonchus contortus (barber pole), and nematode parasites including Teladorsagie and Trichostrongylus. Startect contains two active ingredients, abamectic and derquantel, in one product so as to… Read more »
Activists pushing to tax meat like cigarettes
According to the dictionary, a sin tax is “a tax on items considered undesirable or harmful, such as alcohol or tobacco.” There is mounting pressure from activist groups to add animal proteins to that list of so-called “sinful” items. They argue meat creates added healthcare costs and negative impacts on the environment. It might sound… Read more »
Livestock disease winging its way north as climate warms
Flying, biting midges (Culicoides spp.) — sometimes called no-see-ums — are a scourge to wildlife. Hunters recognize their effects on deer in particular, which are highly susceptibility to a group of midge-transmitted viruses. But there are growing concerns about their potential effect on livestock, too. Here’s why. A midge swarm will blood-feed on animals, causing… Read more »
Sausage study challenges consumer confidence
My daughter and grandson share the same birthday, August 7. They’re part of a pork-and-grain farming operation near Thamesville. At their birthday celebration on the weekend, our family barbequed pork sausage from their farm on the campfire. There was no reason to doubt the quality of the sausage. We trust the meat packers in nearby… Read more »
CanSheep Launches the Verified Sheep Program
The Canadian Sheep Federation (CanSheep) has announced the launch of the Canadian Verified Sheep Program (CVSP). A rebranding of the Food Safe Farm Practices program, this new program adds two additional modules on animal care and biosecurity. Sheep farmers who have already completed the Food Safe Farm Practices program will only need to complete these… Read more »
Canadian Lamb Producers Co-operative Files for Bankruptcy Protection
The Canadian Lamb Producers Co-operative has filed for bankruptcy protection. The website, not updated since 2014, has since been taken down. The marketing site — Läm — is still live. Representatives for the co-operative could not comment on the process or whether or not farmers were owed money. The co-op, where sheep producers bought shares in… Read more »
No Compressor or Hoses for Cordless Fence Stapler
Marketed as “the world’s first cordless fencing stapler,” the STOCKade ST400i won first place in the innovation contest at Agri-Trade in Red Deer, Alta., this fall. The cordless stapler has more power than a pneumatic fencing stapler and does not require a compressor and hoses, notes Axle Boris of Langley, BC-based FenceFast Ltd., in this video recorded at Agribition… Read more »
SunGold Specialty Meats Looks To Grow Lamb Consumption and Production
Lamb is still considered a niche market in Canada, but unlike some other red meat, consumption is on the rise. Once largely thought of as only a choice for the ‘ethnic’ food market or special holidays, SunGold Specialty Meats out of Alberta is looking to increase lamb consumption by all Canadian consumers. As Kurt Paskal, manager… Read more »
CFIA Proposes Changes to Animal Transport Rules
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has proposed changes to the rules for the transportation of animals. Discussions about changes to the transport regulations, most of which have been in place since 1977, have been ongoing for a number of years. The draft amendments were finally published in Canada Gazette on December 3 (read the entire proposal here.) The… Read more »
Three Provincial Organizations Form National Sheep Network
Sheep farmers in Alberta, Ontario and Quebec have formed a new partnership to continue to move the sheep industry in Canada forward. Ontario and Alberta were the most recent provincial organizations to withdraw support of the Canadian Sheep Federation. The National Sheep Network – comprising of the Alberta Lamb Producers, the Ontario Sheep Marketing Agency… Read more »
Making Sure it All Goes Right — Help for Maiden Ewes
First-time lambing ewes need all the hormone feed back loops and events of labour and birth to go right in order to set them up for both short- and long-term mothering success. But maiden ewes are also more likely to take more time to birth, which could possibly lead to more interventions, which can then interrupt… Read more »