Sheep and Goat Production

Sheep and Goat Production

Discussing current topics in Ontario sheep and goat production

All posts by Delma Kennedy

State of the Ontario Sheep Industry

Posted on Author Delma KennedyPosted in Statistics, UncategorizedLeave a Reply

By Christopher Llewellyn and Delma Kennedy. This article provides an overview of the state of the Ontario sheep industry as of Fall 2024. Highlights Market Demand Inventory Trends Market Prices Lamb Supply Slaughter and Trade Wool Market  Demand Domestic Protein Demand In Canada, the average annual consumption of various animal proteins reveals distinct dietary preferences. Figure 1 reveals that poultry leads with 41.27 kg per person per year, followed by pork at 17.38 kg and beef at 16.23 kg. Fish and eggs also contribute significantly to the diet, with average consumptions of 7.76 kg and 21.21 dozen, respectively. Lamb and mutton, however, account for a smaller share, averaging just 0.94 kg per person per year. Comparing this to the previous…

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Mature Ewe Size – How Big is Too Big?

Posted on Author Delma KennedyPosted in UncategorizedLeave a Reply

What does this even mean?  I am talking about mature sheep size.  Ontario is home to many sheep breeds of many different sizes.  There can also be significant variation in size within breeds.  It is important to consider a number of factors when thinking about what mature size will work best for your operation. Environmental Concerns Concerns have been raised in the past few years about the effect of livestock farming on our environment.  One of the primary concerns is related to the contribution of ruminants to greenhouse gas.  Methane is produced by sheep during the fermentation of feed in the rumen.  The amount of methane produced is related to genetics, feed quality and feed intake. This means that larger…

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Improving Lamb Survival

Posted on Author Delma KennedyPosted in Health & 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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Sheep farming is a complex system – how are you making your decisions?

Posted on Author Delma KennedyPosted in Business

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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What is the workplace culture on your farm?

Posted on Author Delma KennedyPosted in Business

I recently read an article on farm labour shortage indicating that “the domestic labour pool is expected to drop largely due to an older-than-average workforce and few young entrants.”  I have also heard conversations like, young people don’t want to work, or they don’t know how to work.  Yet, I have also met some very motivated young people who are looking to start sheep farming and are finding the task of learning everything needed, financing an operation, etc. daunting.  This is not a new issue and is governed by a complex matrix of factors.  I would like to bring up one factor that I haven’t heard talked about often in the sheep industry and that is workplace culture. I know…

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Managing Rams for a Successful Breeding Season

Posted on Author Delma KennedyPosted in Health & Nutrition, ReproductionLeave a Reply

The ram is the most important member of the flock, yet he does not always get the attention he deserves. Good ram management can determine the success of your breeding program and ensure a profitable lamb crop. Sperm production in rams takes 49 days, therefore it is important to remember that you will not see the effects of any management changes for almost 7-8 weeks. You’ll want to ensure rams are well looked after in the two month period leading up to the breeding season as it will have a direct effect on the quality of sperm and fertility of the ram. Testicle size is a good indicator of a ram’s sperm producing ability, which can be assessed using scrotal circumference.…

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Utilizing Moisture Stressed Corn as Feed

Posted on Author Delma KennedyPosted in ForageLeave a Reply

This post was written by Thomas Ferguson, Forage and Grazier Specialist, OMAFRA. It was originally posted on Field Crop News August 18, 2016. With the dry weather this year and low forage yields across much of the province, many producers are looking for alternative forages. There is a lot of stressed corn that could be utilized as forage for livestock. The amount of moisture stress that the corn has been through can affect the quality of the silage and there can be great variability between fields and even within a field. In fields that were dry during tasseling or pollination and have reduced grain fill, the energy content of the silage will be reduced but forage quality should remain constant.…

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Are even the most robust parasites able to beat the heat?

Posted on Author Delma KennedyPosted in Health & NutritionLeave a Reply

Haemonchus contortus, also known as the “Barber’s Pole Worm,” is a deadly nematode parasite that lives in grass during its infectious juvenile life stage, and as a result, is eaten by sheep as they are grazing. The worms travel along with the ingested food and will bury within the stomach wall of the abomasum of the animal, where it will spend the next major life stage as an adult. Mature female worms have the capacity to release 5-10 thousand eggs per day, which are then released from the abomasum and make their way into the feces. While in the feces, the eggs will hatch and become the infectious juvenile life stage that is found in pastures. This blood-sucking parasite conducts its…

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Do you have a parasite strategy for this grazing season?

Posted on Author Delma KennedyPosted in Health & Nutrition, Risk PreventionLeave a Reply

Anthelmintic resistance is an important consideration for every parasite strategy.  It is important to monitor and treat animals selectively.  That means only treat those animals who need it most.  To slow or prevent antimicrobial resistance at least 30% of the animals must not be treated.  More information on parasites and the 5 Star Worm Program can be found in the Handbook for the Control of Internal Parasites of Sheep and Goats developed by Canadian researchers and extension personnel.

The Ontario Office of the Fire Marshal and Emergency Management estimates that barn fires cost Ontario farmers more than $25 million per year (2012-2014 average)

Posted on Author Delma KennedyPosted in Housing, Risk Prevention, StatisticsLeave a Reply

Do you know what to do in the event of a farm emergency? Do you know what to do if you have deadstock to manage? Barn fires, natural disasters, equipment failures and diseases are devastating events for farmers, their families and workers, and the neighbouring community. Planning ahead to reduce risks, and preventing accidents with a safe operation will help to protect employees, family members and animals. Emergency events can cause substantial loss to a farm operation and create unique challenges for farmers, including disposing of large volumes of deadstock. The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) has a regulation that gives you options for deadstock management. These options help to protect water quality, reduce environmental impacts…

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