August 9 and 10 sheep conference in Rycroft with BBQ

Peace Country Sheep Conference

August 9th and 10th, 2013 Rycroft Ag Building.

Start at 1 pm on April 9 with registry.

Mark your calendars and plan to attend!!!

Camping available.

Aug 9th/ Blair Dow from Lakeland College.

Blair will be covering picking breeding stock, showmanship and judging.

At the end of the day there will a BBQ and social evening.

Aug 10th/ Dr. Kathy Parker of Three Hills.

Kathy is a well-known Veterinarian and sheep producer. She will be covering flock production, health and challenges facing today producers.

Lunch will be served.

This two day conference is to help educate, promote, and expand the sheep industry in Northern Alberta and British Columbia. We plan to make this an annual event to reach out to: 4-H’rs, Beginner Sheep Farmers, Future Farmers, 4-H Leaders, Established Producers and Farmers, Potential Judges, and anyone who has an interest in Sheep!!

For more information and registration. Please call:



Sherry Mortland 780-864-3057 or Dawn Pedersen 780-500-0125 Sponsored by PEACE RIVER LAMB ASSOCIATION

Winter shear.
It is proven that ewes who have been shorn 6 weeks before lambing produce bigger and stronger lambs. People that have the opportunity to lamb sheep in a heat controlled barn could consider shearing the ewes before lambing. essential is that the animals can be out of the weather elements after shearing. The whole metabolism of the ewe needs to adjust to the fact that there is no wool on her. They will eat significantly more and therefore have better nutritional condition  at lambing time.

It is important that you can have the sheep indoors day and night after shearing. so make a good plan before jumping into action

please check the classified for a shearer that will be in the area this month if you are interested.

There is a shearing school going in march check out the classified again. learn to shear your own sheep. 

New years wishes from the chair. 

I want to wish every sheep farmer a prosperous 2013. Sheep farming has been in the picture for a few years now. lots of people look at us and think we are making a killing with the prices the way they were last spring. reality is however that most sheep farmer are trying to overcome lots of challenges. out of season breeding to hit the right market, prepare ewes for the lactation with the right feed ration, raise and feed lambs to sell, transport those lambs to the often remote selling points.

It is good to know that different initiatives are available to help our producers with this. ALP and PRLA are going to put up training courses again this year. we managed to get some of the training in the Peace country. The sheepbite program is available to calculate rations, we are going to get the auction at Dawson Creek going again.  there will be a slaughter facility specialised in killing sheep and goat available for who wants to do farm gate sales.

So to all of you a prosperous and healthy 2013. 

If you have any feed back, let me know.

Eric

No Sheep Sale Dawson Creek this year

Dear member.
I am sorry to inform you that the good initiative of the Dawson Creek Sheep sale has been interrupted this year. The reason for this is the limited number of animals entered last year. I hope we can start this initiative up again next year as I think it is a great way for people to market lambs in the fall. If you have any ideas on how we can persuade the auction market to do this a gain, let me know. (eric@grazerie.com)

Sheep Collar Texts Shepherds When Wolves Attack

So, here is how technology could help reduce predations.
I do think that this could be a tool in the toolbox of measures to help in preventing predations.
However, this text message won't stop predations in itself, but combined with repellants, guarddogs, fencing and other forms of management,
could be very useful.

Sheep Collar Texts Shepherds When Wolves Attack 

Image by:Tambako the Jaguar/Flickr

By Liat Clark, Wired UK

Swiss biologists are testing a sheep collar wolf-warning device that registers heart rate changes and alerts shepherds to attacks via text message, while simultaneously emitting a repellant.

The envisioned collar is in its preliminary phase, and the heart monitor faculty was recently trialled for the first time outdoors near Les Diablerets ski resort. The team, which includes biologist Jean-Marc Landry, fit the collars of 12 sheep with heart rate monitors (similar to the devices used by runners) before releasing them into an enclosure with two muzzled Czechoslovakian wolf dogs. The predators circled the sheep before attempting an attack. Readings from the collar monitors later showed a significant spike in the heart rate of the sheep, from a standard 60 to 80 beats per minute to 225 when the wolf dogs launched their attack. 

The team plans on testing the second phase of the collar in autumn 2012. This will include a built-in wolf-repelling device — either a spray or a sound repellant — that will activate when a sheep’s heart rate reaches a certain level. At the same time, the collar will automatically send a text message to the shepherd, alerting the sheep’s keeper to the attack. Though details of the repellant have not yet been released, the fact that Landry is also the author of a paper entitled Non-lethal techniques for reducing depredation suggests the system will not be a deadly one.

 The final prototype is due to be tested in Switzerland and neighboring France in 2013, and Norway has also shown interest in the device.

 The system is seen as a replacement for sheepdogs for those small herd owners that cannot afford the guards. Nervous shepherds in Switzerland will be happy to hear the news, following a rare 27 July wolf attack, which killed two sheep in St Gall. In France, after nearly a century of wolf-free pastures, the endangered species protection covering the grey wolf led to a spate of sheep attacks in 2011 after its population began to flourish.

 Source: Wired.co.uk

Happy Lambing time everyone

Ram Sale Birch Hills

Bull and Ram sale a success

Prices for breeding bulls are definitely up to previous years, reflecting perhaps the optimism that ranchers are feeling as regards the future of the cattle industry. Birch Hills colony, close to Wanham, held a combined bull and ram sale last week. The bull sale was very well attended, additional seating needed to be arranged as the stands around the sale ring were packed. The red Angus bulls sold well under auctioneer Carter Tink. The top selling two year old bulls were well over 6000 dollars. All the bred heifers were all sold to Morrinville Colony, with the average price for these heifers was over $1650. The Black Angus heifers sold for slightly more.

During the break, the cowboys from both Birch Hills and Shady lane colony gave a short demonstration of their ranch geldings that were for sale.

The Peace Country has not seen a private ram sale for many years. With the sheep industry also on a rise the demand for well bred rams were high. Birch Hills Colony had on offer a number of registered and non registered purebred Suffolk and Dorset rams and a number of bred ewe lambs. Once again the stands around the sale barn were filled to the brim and the bidding and selling was strong. The highest selling Dorset rams were sold for $850.  The Suffolk rams averaged 535 dollars and the Dorset rams averaged just over 600 dollars each. The bred ewe lambs sold really well with prices ranging between 350 and 525 dollars.

Tom Walters, the sheep boss at Birch Hills and, Chris and Jonathan Tschetter from the cattle side of the business were “very happy” with the sale and excited at the fantastic turnout.