CANADIAN KATAHDIN SHEEP ASSOCIATION

I have now started the last part of my second two year term as your President. There will be a new person in this position by the AGM in November of 2008. It has been a great journey so far with another successful AGM behind us.

This year we had our first electronic slide show for the meeting. We borrowed a lap top from Dale’s brother who lives in Regina and rented a projector and screen. I did the slides on word as I do not have power point on my computer at home and Dale did the best he could to display the slides on the screen. They were not as clear as I had hoped so next year look for improvements on that part. I had fun putting pictures in and creating the slides. We used the equipment to have a power point show at 7pm following our pizza supper and it went really well with Louis and Donna presenting their trip to Mexico, Lynette presenting her trip to North Dakota and myself presenting my farm and sheep business that I had prepared earlier in the year for a presentation in Barrie for Sheep Days. We wrapped the meeting up around 8pm which gave everyone time to either go back to the barn to party or to the casino to gamble. It was a long day for most of us with the National Katahdin Show starting at 10am. I did the clerking job or part of it and some announcing for the show. It was really fun working up front with Deborah … and Fred…. The stands were quite full for the entire show and there was great competition from expert producers with well trained animals. The sale was also very well attended and the bidding was fierce. I think it was the best sale I have been at since I first attended in 1999.

I really enjoyed working with the board this year again. We have had a lot of heated discussions this past year, but have managed to come to a compromise and move ahead every time. I do consider the board members as friends from across Canada. The AGM is so important to us all as we get to see each other face to face and it makes it so much easier on the teleconference calls during the year to understand one another’s point of view. I missed seeing Terri and Dennis this year. We can always aim for a full board meeting next year! The AGM will be held in Regina again next year in conjunction with the Katahdin show and sale at the CWA. We discussed moving it to Ontario, but it was voted to stay in Regina for 2008. We did review the fee schedule as a board and decided to make some changes. A schedule is included in this mailing for you. Please renew your membership before March 31 to be included in the 2008 membership list and be recognized as a member of the CKSA.

On my farm, the sheep are getting closer to the next lambing season which is due to start in just 9 days. I had pregnancy scanning done on November 19 and 240 ewes were tested pregnant at least 35 days. I did manage to find about 15 open ewes that are being marketed as culls. Many are over 8 years of age and it is time for them to retire. In the fall, 95 ewes lambed and are rebred for March-April. They will be tested with the ewe lambs in February for pregnancy. Scanning costs about $1.60 a ewe and I think it is well worth while for sorting reasons and feeding and culling reasons. I mark them with livestock spray in blue starting at the neck for early pregnancy with either one dot or two depending on singles or multiple births, at the mid back for mid pregnancy and at the hips for lambing within the next 6 weeks. The ewes that are open were marked with a red dot.

The fall lambs are growing nicely and will be mostly all sold for the Christmas market from December 10-18. I weaned them early as I had coyote problems this year for the first time. In June one ewe was attacked in mid morning on pasture and later died. In October, I found a lamb carcass the day after the OKSA inspection clinic near to the road. I called the township and was compensated for the lamb. One other ewe was attacked and survived. I then started to lock the sheep up each night securely and have not had any attacks since. It has changed the way I farm and now I have to use more straw to keep the sheep dry as they must lie down in a confined area. It is also more labour intensive to let them in and out night and morning.

I hope to find some reasonably priced good hay to buy for February-April. We had a dry year here and did not get much second or third cut. I did grow an eight acre field of forage turnips this fall which was a success. I plowed down a pasture field and planted the turnips with rye grass on August 14 and turned the sheep in for grazing on October 22. They ate the grass, then the turnip tops and then the bulbs totally out of the ground. My first plan was the let the bulbs stay and re-grow in the spring, but with the shortage of hay, I decided to let them eat it all. They did very well and gained quite a bit of weight. I plan to use turnips again next year on a different field. They grazed right into the middle of November on this field. Their faces were quite muddy at the end of each day.

Have a great time this holiday season and I wish you success in fulfilling all your personal and farming goals for 2008. If you have any ideas or concerns for the CKSA, let me or another director know and we can take a look at them at our next teleconference in the spring.

The last few months have been very busy for us over here in the Northwest of Alberta.  Frank and I took a ride with Florence Henning our zone representative of ASWC over to the ribbon cutting ceremony at Lakeland College.  The new "Sheep Barn" is officially opened although it was put to good use last lambing season.  We met with both invited dignitaries and students alike so had a good cross section of visiting to put in.  Frank and I availed ourselves of a bus tour of the college and were amazed at what they do there.  Oh to be a young student starting out in agriculture today and certainly no worries about being a girl.  One cute story Susan Hosford told was the first day students turned up to "handle" the sheep with lariats.  She was able to show them correct handling for ovine’s.

Riding and having some time with Florence is always a plus as an update on all that is happening in the world of sheep.  Florence does an almighty amount of traveling to attend many meetings and since she was re-elected back as chairperson for CSF, it won't be stopping anytime soon.  There is a great newsletter put out by Alberta Lamb - through ASWC if you want to be sent a PDF format email.

Early days of November if your were watching a local Edmonton cooking show called "Simple, Fresh, Delicious" you would have caught the one on lamb.  The Chef is promoting local foods and I am amazed at how much there is.  The camera crew came out to our farm in the spring when it was nice and green, doing a segment to fit into the show.  After it is done you think what on earth did I say and do and how did I look?  Well you can't change it and so I was relieved to see I didn't gabble to bad, looked like what I am and the little lambs just looked to cute to eat.  Hollywood has not called yet!!

I had been asked to speak at the Calgary Sheep Symposium in November so off I went.  We were a producer panel and I talked on my little market into the high end restaurants of Edmonton and Banff.  While not suggesting that Katahdins would work for everyone, I did mention that they were the breed of choice for me because of keeping many costs down, ease of raising lambs and multiple, long season supply of lambs that gave me a year round supply.  Things you know already.  Along with my talk was Martin Kaiser from Westaskiwin area and Martin Catto  near Regina area.  Both of these producers made my number of ewes kept look rather insignificant but then my sheep are only a part of our farm so I can help Frank as well.  The Symposium was well attended and again some very knowledgeable and interesting speakers.

Then only back a few days to wash and repack then off to Regina with Greg and family.  This is something I could not do on my own so I am glad we can make it together as we have been doing for a few years now.  It is good to be able to have a directors meeting looking at each other for once instead of over the phone.  We can have our discussions and see other points of view.  As said last year the guide book is up for review and so please if you have any concerns or ideas do let me know.    Our AGM was well attended with nothing to strenuous on the plate but what has to be done.  We then were able to watch some CD's made during the year the Mexico trip, Fargo Trip and Neil and Dale's farm.  There is nothing like a power point presentation to show off your animals so get shooting now.  They look so good before lambing.

As usual Greg and I wish you all the best for 2008.  We are hoping to hear from more of you on what can be done to keep in touch.  Soon Val will have the year end ready for the AKSA and we may look at a telephone conference to have the required AGM.  Our number is very small so it should work. 

Lynette and Greg