2020 - Sheep and Goat Production

Improving Lamb Survival

October 12, 2020May 17, 2022Delma KennedyHealth & Nutrition, Reproduction

Improving lamb survival is an ongoing discussion. At the June 2019 small ruminant veterinary conference in Guelph, a predominant theme was “Improving Lamb and Kid Survival”. Lamb survival is often complex and farm specific but researchers from different parts of the world are working on issues and details that affect the survival of small ruminants that may provide ideas to improve lamb survival on your farm. Dr. Cathy Bauman, University of Guelph, talked about neonatal dairy small ruminant survival in intensive rearing conditions. Two important areas she discussed were record keeping and early life infections. Record Keeping To solve a complex problem, it is critical to keep ongoing records. Although it is difficult when many animals are being born at…

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September 2020 Forage Report

October 2, 2020May 17, 2022Christine O'Reilly, OMAFRA Forage & Grazing SpecialistUncategorized

Photo: It is impossible to tell by looking at frost-damaged sorghum-sudangrass what the prussic acid levels may be. Silage Corn In fields where rootworm Bt hybrids have been used for three or more consecutive years, resistance among corn rootworm populations is suspected. Producers can no longer rely solely on Bt rootworm hybrids for protection against rootworm injury. See the 2020 Canadian Bt Corn Trait Tablefor more information on which traits are present in your hybrid. The best management practice to reduce the resistant rootworm population is to rotate out of corn for at least one year. Producers are encouraged to replace corn for a minimum of one year, but ideally for the next two to three years. To replace silage corn…

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Sheep farming is a complex system – how are you making your decisions?

September 29, 2020May 17, 2022Delma KennedyBusiness

This article first appeared in Ontario Sheep News. How many decisions do you make each day? Hundreds? Thousands? Regardless of how large or small your sheep operation is, farming is a complex system requiring many decisions. Decision making is a skill you need to practice and improve. For long term success, it is necessary to understand how you make decisions and to actively choose how farm decisions will be made. Grain and Graze Australia has done research into farm decision making to help farmers make better decisions. They believe that the only real difference between the top twenty percent of farmers and the rest is their ability to make the right decision at the right time. (Nicholson et al., 2015)…

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Managing Jointing and Non-jointing Grasses

September 28, 2020May 17, 2022Christine O'Reilly, OMAFRA Forage & Grazing SpecialistForage, Forage

Grass doesn’t just happen and not all species grow the same way. Understanding how different grass species grow enables producers to make good management decisions that maximize forage production in their hay fields and pastures. Jointing and non-jointing grasses respond differently to cutting, which directly affects productivity and persistence. In an established stand, grass plants are not made up of a single stem but have many tillers. One grass plant may have dozens of tillers which arise from growing points at the base of the plant. Having the growing point at the base of the plant is an evolutionary adaptation because it protects the grass from grazing, since most animals cannot graze so close to the ground as to damage…

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All posts in 2020

Improving Lamb Survival

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September 2020 Forage Report

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Sheep farming is a complex system – how are you making your decisions?

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Managing Jointing and Non-jointing Grasses

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Pricing Trends for Dairy Goat Kids in Ontario (2017-2019)

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Maximize the Quality and Safety of Feed delivered to your Farm

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Impacts of Feed Behaviour on Dairy Goat Production

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Industry Snapshot: Key statistics for Ontario’s Dairy Goat Industry Spring 2020

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Goat Meat Residue Testing at Ontario Provincially Licensed Slaughter Plants

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COVID-19 Information and Resources

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