AMHERST ISLAND — If sheep farmers were stock brokers they’d be called bullish. A recent survey of Ontario’s sheep producers by Fitzgerald & Co. found larger operators were planning to expand by 30 per cent to 40 per cent over the next few years. A large operator would have at least 350 ewes and markets 500 lambs per year.

The market is there, says Chris Kennedy, vice-chair of the Ontario Sheep Marketing Agency (OSMA) and sheep producer at Amherst Island.

He and board members met with Newmarket Packers and Holly Park, of Bolton, and were told the packers couldn’t get enough Ontario lamb.

The Fitzgerald survey also showed that many of the smaller producers, called lifestyle farmers, and representing the majority of producers, were going to leave the business over the short term. Though lifestyle farmers make up the majority, commercial flocks produce the majority of lambs.

One weakness in the industry, according to the report, is the lack of management skills and knowledge. To rectify this, OSMA has been providing workshops throughout the province.