Sheep and Goat Production

Sheep and Goat Production

Discussing current topics in Ontario sheep and goat production

All posts in 2013

Lamb Price November 2013

Posted on Author Delma KennedyPosted in Announcements, BusinessLeave a Reply

Lamb prices have decreased to September levels after the increase for the Eid ul-Adha holiday in October.  The monthly average price graphs have been updated as of November 19, 2013 for lambs <79 pounds, 80-94 pounds, 95-109 pounds and 110+ pounds.  As shown in the  80 -94 pound lamb graph below, price is higher in 2013 than 2012 but seems to be following a similar trend. 5 Year Average Market Price by Month 80 – 94 lb Lambs In 2012, prices continued to drop for heavy lambs during the month of December.  The < 79 pound graph below shows an increase in price in December 2012.  This is the only weight category that saw an increase in December last year,…

Read

Growing Forward 2 has Opportunities to Grow Your Business

Posted on Author ONswinePosted in BusinessLeave a Reply

 Growing Forward 2 offers: Workshops and assessments to gain knowledge and develop Action Plans at no cost. Funding assistance to build capacity (e.g. skills and training, planning and assessment) and to implement projects.  Intake 1 is over but Intake 2 will begin in December.  Choose what you need to grow your business and start today. Enrol: ontario.ca/growingforward2 Call: 1-877-424-1300

Frost-Damaged Corn Silage

Posted on Author Delma KennedyPosted in ForageLeave a Reply

This article was originally posted on Field Crop NewsWritten by Joel Bagg. Late planting dates, low Crop Heat Unit (CHU) accumulations, and early frost may result in situations where corn is killed by frost before it reaches the normal stage of maturity and moisture for silage. Some fields planted for grain may not mature adequately for optimum yield, moisture and quality. Farmers may be looking at salvaging these crops by harvesting or selling some of those fields for silage.  The key to making the most of frost-damaged corn silage is to harvest it at the correct moisture. Nutrient Quality Slightly immature, frost damaged corn that has dented can make good silage. Energy is partitioned differently in immature silage than in…

Read

Harvesting Corn Silage At the Right Moisture

Posted on Author Delma KennedyPosted in ForageLeave a Reply

This article was originally posted on Field Crop News Written by Joel Bagg. The importance of harvest moisture and maturity to corn silage quality and animal performance is often underestimated. Not only is it important to minimize fermentation dry matter and spoilage losses, it is difficult to compensate for poor forage quality in ration balancing and animal performance. Don’t get caught harvesting corn silage outside the range of optimum moisture and maturity. In areas that are extremely dry, optimum moisture may occur before optimum maturity. Focus on harvesting at the correct moisture. Importance of Correct Moisture Ensiling at the correct whole plant moisture and optimum stage of maturity is critical. Corn maturity is very dynamic. As corn matures from dent to…

Read

Ontario Lamb Prices Improving

Posted on Author Delma KennedyPosted in BusinessLeave a Reply

Lamb prices started to improve in July 2013.  After 12 months of poor prices, lamb prices are now on par with prices received in 2009 and 2010 for this time of year.    As illustrated by the 80 -94 pound price graph below, the price dropped to a 5 year low in June, but has rebounded in July and August.                    5 Year Average Market Price by Month 80 – 94 lb Lambs   The 5 year average price by month is illustrated for the below 79 lb, 95-109lb and 110lb+ lambs in the graphs below.   All categories of lambs except for 110lb+ reached a 5 year price low in June.  In the…

Read

Draft Sheep Code of Practice Released for Public Comment

Posted on Author Delma KennedyPosted in UncategorizedLeave a Reply

The Canadian Sheep Federation (CSF) and the National Farm Animal Care Council (NFACC) announced the launch of the public comment period on the draft Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Sheep on July 9, 2013. Sheep producers should consider taking time to review the document and make comments prior to the September 6th deadline. The draft Code can be viewed and submissions made until September 6, 2013. The public comment period allows stakeholders – sheep producers, consumers and others with an interest in the welfare of sheep – to view the draft Code and provide input to the final Code. All submissions must be made through the online system and follow the instructions provided. For more information please…

Read

New Management Modules From Alberta Lamb Producers

Posted on Author Delma KennedyPosted in Announcements, Business, Health & NutritionLeave a Reply

Alberta Lamb Producers have added 3 more modules to their management modules. The new modules are: Shepherding 101 – Getting Started, An Introduction to Managed Grazing, and Setting it Up: Sheep Infrastructure.  The Sheep Infrastructure module was inspired by and significantly drew upon the Ontario Sheep Infrastructure Workshop designed by Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food and Ministry of Rural Affairs staff that has been held in locations around the province over the past seven years. These modules can be downloaded from the Alberta Lamb Producers website.

US Perspective on Sheep Inventories and Lamb Prices

Posted on Author Delma KennedyPosted in BusinessLeave a Reply

At the recent 2013 Sheep Symposium, Integrating Advanced Concepts into Traditional Practices, held at Montana State University, D. P. Anderson gave his perspective on what has been happening to US lamb prices over the past year in a presentation called “ADVENTURES IN THIN MARKETS, CONTRACTING AND CONCENTRATION: TODAY’S LAMB MARKET”.  Although the Ontario market is different than the United States market, the US price has an influence on the prices received here in Ontario.  To read the full article, go to page 49 in the pdf or page 36 of the actual proceedings document. In a presentation called “SHEEP, BLACK SWANS, AND THE FUTURE OF AGRICULTURE”,  J. W. Walker has an interesting perspective on  the ongoing decline of the United…

Read

Should We Cut Hay In The Morning Or Afternoon?

Posted on Author Delma KennedyPosted in ForageLeave a Reply

This article was originally posted on Field Crop News. Written by Joel Bagg. Can nutrient quality and sugar content of hay be improved by cutting in the afternoon rather than in the morning? This is sometimes suggested, but seems to contradict the idea of cutting in the morning to make haylage-in-a-day. There has been a great deal of conflicting information about AM/PM cutting in the farm media that has created some controversy. The Case For Afternoon Cutting – Photosynthesis During the day, forage plants convert sunlight into sugars by photosynthesis. Sugars and starch are produced faster than they can be translocated to root and crown reserves, so at the end of a sunny day, the plant sugar content is at its maximum. During…

Read

Free Heat Stress in Livestock App Available Just in Time for Summer

Posted on Author ONswinePosted in Announcements, Health & Nutrition, HousingLeave a Reply

Free download for Blackberry and Android The Heat Stress in Livestock and Poultry App allows producers to calculate heat stress based on the measured barn temperature and relative humidity. The resulting calculation shows the level of heat stress experienced by the livestock or poultry. It provides the user with suggestions to reduce heat stress and improve animal and poultry comfort to help maintain feed intake and overall productivity. The mobile app integrates research and production information from OMAF and RA (Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food and Ministry of Rural Affairs) publications and University of Guelph research on livestock housing. In addition to English, the App supports French and Spanish. The app features: – 3 languages: English, French and Spanish…

Read