Reading Time: 7 minutes Carla and Tyrone Borsa had already put a lot of research into their Rosthern, Sask., sheep operation even before the first set of cloven hooves hit the pasture in 2022. Almost three years later, that focus on quality sheep production has netted twenty-five mature Dorset ewes and two Canadian Arcott rams. And although the Borsas […] Read more
Balancing the ups and downs of raising sheep
The ups and downs of raising sheep can be balanced by a supportive network and shared knowledge
Alberta lifts feeder loan guarantee limit
Amendment boosts individual limit by 50 per cent
Reading Time: 2 minutes Alberta has boosted the limit on the size of loan available under its Feeder Associations Loan Guarantee program, aiming to help producers keep up against rising livestock prices. An order in council amending the provincial Feeder Associations Guarantee Regulation was approved Monday, raising that program’s individual and joint-membership loan limit to $3 million, from $2 […] Read more
CFIA seeks feedback on traceability, animal ID amendments
Producers have until June 16 to comment on proposals
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is now seeking comment on its proposed amendments to livestock identification and traceability regulations. The regulatory proposal would address what the agency calls “gaps” in the current system, including: adding goats and cervids as animal species that share diseases with other regulated livestock, and therefore subject to traceability requirements, shortening […] Read more
Préval closes deal for Alberta lamb processor, feedlot
Quebec firm picks up defunct NALCO's Alberta assets
Reading Time: 2 minutes Quebec agrifood firm Préval Ag has wrapped up its deal to buy the Alberta processing and production assets of the defunct North American Lamb Co., marking Préval’s first move into the lamb sector outside its home province. As per Alberta Farmer’s report last week, Préval confirmed Monday its divisions Westfine Meats and West Excelamb are […] Read more
Canadian wool fibre could find future on floors
Canada’s wool is of decent quality but the product needs to find a market focus like Germany has in carpets, industry proponents say
Reading Time: 4 minutes Canada is sitting on a golden fleece of opportunity to lead North America in wool transformation if it can get the infrastructure in place. Jane Underhill, Canada’s International Wool Trade Organization (IWTO) deputy head of delegation, said wool produced in Canada is on par with that of Germany, one of the world’s top producers of […] Read more
New OSF funding program could help shepherds expand flocks
Scotiabank YMF livestock funding program provides funds to buy ewes and feeder lambs
Reading Time: 2 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – Ontario Sheep Farmers (OSF) wants to support flock expansion and has begun a first-of-its-kind financing program in partnership with Scotiabank. Previously only available for cash croppers, the Scotiabank Yield More Financing (YMF) program is now available for Ontario shepherds. Why it matters: The funding is designed to provide shepherds with the cash flow […] Read more
U.S. sheep herders’ suit alleges cartel-like wage suppression
Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters –– Sheep herders in the U.S. West have banded together to sue their employers, accusing them of operating an illegal cartel that artificially suppresses their wages, according to court documents filed Wednesday in Nevada. The case could have implications for how antitrust laws are applied to labour markets, according to legal experts, as the […] Read more
U.S. to lift BSE-related rules off sheep, goat imports
New scrapie-specific rules take effect next month
Reading Time: 3 minutes U.S. restrictions that have hindered that country’s imports of live Canadian sheep and goats, going back to the start of the BSE crisis in 2003, are set to be scrapped and replaced with rules applying specifically to scrapie. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service (APHIS) on Friday published a new […] Read more
Britain, New Zealand strike free trade deal
Reading Time: 2 minutes London/Wellington | Reuters — Britain and New Zealand have reached agreement in principle on a free trade deal designed to reduce tariffs, improve services trade, and take London one step closer to membership in a broader trans-Pacific trade agreement. Prime ministers Boris Johnson and Jacinda Ardern sealed the deal in a Zoom call on Wednesday […] Read more
Anthrax kills southeastern Saskatchewan sheep
Spores forced up by changes in soil moisture
Reading Time: 2 minutes Dramatic shifts in soil moisture are again bringing anthrax spores to the surface on the Prairies, this time in a southeastern Saskatchewan sheep pasture. Lab results on Wednesday confirmed anthrax as the cause of death of one animal in a flock of sheep in the R.M. of South Qu’Appelle, about 50 km east of Regina, […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
