Ontario needs more sheep farmers, producer says

Canada has 800,000 sheep while Britain has more than 30 million

The problem with the sheep industry in Ontario is that it’s too small, says Andrew Harrison, a Welsh sheep farmer now farming 200 acres at L’Orignal near Hawkesbury and managing a sheep flock of 400 ewes.

One of four panelists at Sheep Day in Spencerville in March, he says Canada has only 800,000 head of sheep and Ontario 200,000. The United Kingdom, where he farmed until he moved to Canada, has more than 30 million sheep.

But Canada is still the land of opportunity, he says. "I couldn’t afford to get a mortgage on a house in Wales, but in Canada you can get a half decent salary from sheep farming if the management is right." He bought his farm in 2004 and started sheep farming in 2005, supplementing his income by doing custom hay work within a 20 mile radius of L’Orignal.

He says the biggest Canadian market for sheep is in Ontario but producers are a long way from filling that market. The problem here is that "It’s hard to get guys interested in sheep."

He’s pleased that more dairy farmers are "getting into sheep". They bring a high level of management and feeding skills to the industry, he says.

He pastures his sheep outside in summer and is fortunate that he’s lost only a few sheep over the years to predators. Unlike many sheep farmers, he balances his rations and uses a TMR (Total Mixed Ration), using grass silage, dry hay and some grains, minerals and holistic clay, an organic product that enhances conception and fertility.

Unlike many of the local sheep producers, he houses his sheep in a cold barn during the winter and turns them outside daily. Old barns without ventilation are places where sheep die from pneumonia, he says.

He has no trouble marketing his sheep: some go to the sale barn while others are bought by local farmers who finish the lambs. Some are sold through the "cut and wrap trade".

What he misses most about sheep farming in Wales are the education and information days he attended in the U.K. A member of the executive of District 10 that organized a day of seminars at Spencerville, he says the day was well attended and information was excellent.

Too many sheep farmers aren’t open to changing their management and benefitting from other people’s experiences, he adds. Sheep associations hold other seminars and set up tours throughout the year.

About 115 people paid admission to Spencerville Sheep Day recently, which focused on nutrition and fertility.