NOVEMBER 2019 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC


Sheep farmers share their experiences


AGM provided an opportunity to offer advice to new producers


by BARBARA JOHNSTONE GRIMMER


ABBOTSFORD – The BC


Sheep Federation (BCSF) conference and annual general meeting in Abbotsford, October 5-6, attracted sheep producers from around the province. Delegates ranged from small to large producers, and those with years of


experience to some new to sheep. Topics included nutrition for different stages of production, gastrointestinal parasite research, the causes of sheep mortalities in BC, and government regulatory updates and programs. A tour of the Animal Health Centre, the provincial veterinary laboratory in Abbotsford, was led by BC chief veterinary officer Dr. Jane Pritchard. A panel of long-time sheep


producers from across the province discussed what new producers need to know about raising sheep. Saturna Island sheep


producer and abattoir operator Jacques Campbell serves as director to the BC Association of Abattoirs (BCAA), the Inter Island Sheep Breeders Association (IISBA) and BCSF. Campbell said new producers need to ask themselves why they want


sheep and what are their goals.


“Do you want them for


meat, for wool, or for pets?” Before people get into


sheep, Campbell advised that they need to determine the availability of a veterinarian. Campbell added that newbies need premises identification, should familiarize themselves with the national Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Sheep, enroll in BCSF (which includes a subscription to the Sheep N’Ewes), and should find a mentor (“but don’t abuse them”).


Start small Canadian Sheep Breeders’


Association director for BC and Sheep N’Ewes editor Bev Greenwell advised growers to start small and buy the best ram you can afford. “The ram is 50% of the


flock. In 1986, I bought my first good ram and the dressed weight of each lamb increased by five pounds the first year,” she said. Greenwell and her husband grow alfalfa-grass mixed hay, cattle and purebred Suffolks in Princeton. BCSF secretary Dena Finlay of Armstrong was especially pleased to see 4-H sheep members in attendance. “I have been a 4-H leader


21


Lots (and lots) of pumpkins


Ron McMillan holds a couple of the specialty pumpkins grown this season at McMillan Farms in Kelowna. This pair has been set aside for his own family. This year, the farm planted about 250 black pumpkin seeds. These designer pumpkins, along with white and grey varieties, have been big sellers. Ron and his wife Colleen expected to sell about 10,000 pumpkins before the end of October. They not only grow on their own property but also on a few others to reduce the risk if something happens to pumpkins on one patch. MYRNA STARK LEADER PHOTO


for 35 years and began as a 4-H member in 1957. My best advice is to learn as much as you can, ask people questions, find a mentor, join a producer’s group and BCSF,” Finlay said. She and her husband Albert raise Texel, Charollais and commercial sheep and are former dairy


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challenges of climate change, increasing government regulations and age. Campbell said the change in climate has brought fluctuations in precipitation,


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