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Home My WebLink AboutThe Citizen, 2019-01-17, Page 13THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2019. PAGE 13. Sandi Brock, a sheep farmer from the Staffa area, spoke to the Huron County Beef Producers at their annual meeting on Jan. 9 at the Brussels Legion about connecting with people through social media. Brock, who has branded her YouTube channel and social media outreach as “Sheepishly Me: Adventures in Sheep Farming”, is the co-owner, alongside her husband Mark, of Shepherd Creek Farms, consisting of over 1,500 acres of corn, soybeans and winter wheat plus hundreds of breeding ewes and a handful of Hereford cattle. Brock grew up on a dairy farm near Paris and she was the student who was often late to school due to calving or who had to leave early to milk the herd. She attended the University of Guelph where she fell in love with agronomy. However, when she married Mark, they took the succession road into his family’s chicken operation. However, the couple always wanted to own their own farm and would eventually make the decision to break away from chickens, meaning they would be losing supply management and stability. With no formal background in sheep farming and growing up in the generation she did, Brock said she learned everything she knows about sheep farming by searching it on the internet. Through that experience, she said, she found that information was seriously lacking on the internet when it came to farming – specifically sheep farming. Information that was available on the internet was often wrong. It was through this discovery that Brock found Dr. Cody Creelman, a beef cattle veterinarian who began filming his daily exploits and posting them on YouTube. Brock said that with a large online following Creelman has done much to explain the world of agriculture to those unfamiliar with it, bringing it to a wider audience of people who are becoming more and more distanced from how their food is grown and produced. She reached out to Creelman about starting her own YouTube channel with questions about expertise, equipment and building an audience and he responded with two words: “Just start.” Brock then began producing YouTube clips and posting on various social media platforms. She says that she has steadily grown her online community in the years that have followed while at the same time improving her product. She said that the key to generating an online following is to have consistent and constant content coming out. There is competition, she said, so agricultural content creators need to work on content and building an audience to ensure the content works its way up the Google optimization chart. In her online content, Brock says she is constantly striving for authenticity, so she is sure to post videos on not only the good days, but on the bad days as well. Doing so is crucial to the message. What Brock is doing on her YouTube channel, she said, in many ways comes naturally to her. She describes herself as an “over- sharer”, so it only makes sense that she would share so much of herself through social media, which is a dominant force in today’s world in terms of communication. Huron County Beef Producers President Elliott Miller thanked Brock for speaking to the group and said that the organization had made a donation to the Do More Agriculture Foundation, which champions the mental wellbeing of Canadian farmers, in her name. Total receipts for Brussels Livestock for the week ending Jan. 10 were 1,112 cattle and 274 lambs and goats. On Tuesday fed steers and heifers sold on a strong active trade at prices $3 to $5 higher. Choice steers and heifers sold $143 to $146 with sales to $154.50. Second cut steers and heifers sold $139 to $143. Cows sold steady. On Thursday veal calves sold steady to the week’s decline. Lambs, sheep and goats sold steady. On Friday calves and yearlings sold on a strong active trade at steady prices. Martin Metske of Lucknow, consigned 24 heifers that averaged 1,429 lbs. and sold for an average price of $145.31. Nine black heifers averaged 1,456 lbs. and sold for $147. Neil and Noah Weppler of Ayton, consigned 19 head that averaged 1,532 lbs. and sold for an average price of $134.86. One black heifer weighed 1,415 lbs. and sold for $139.50. Chris Smith of Brussels, consigned 14 steers that averaged 1,654 lbs. and sold for an average price of $149. Three red steers averaged 1,652 lbs. and sold for $154.50. Ross and Annie Cormack of Mount Forest, consigned five steers that averaged 1,480 lbs. and sold for an average price of $139.63. One charolais steer weighed 1,595 lbs. and sold for $145. There were 380 cows on offer. Beef sold $65 to $72 with a high of $82; D1 and D2, $58 to $65; D3, $50 to $58; D4, $40 to $50. Jim Nichols of Mitchell, consigned one limousin cow that weighed 1,080 lbs. and sold for $82. There were 25 bulls selling $59.50 to $110. Sequin Farms of London, consigned one black bull that weighed 2,020 lbs., sold for $110. There were 150 head of veal on offer. Beef sold $140 to $170 with sales to $177; good holsteins, $110 to $117 with sales to $125; Sl heavy holsteins, $90 to $100; heavy holsteins, $85 to $100; medium holsteins, $90 to $95. Lamar Frey of Listowel, consigned four head that averaged 883 lbs. and sold for an average price of $166.88. One black heifer weighed 860 lbs. and sold for $177. Paul M. Martin of Lucknow, consigned four heifers that averaged 851 lbs. and sold for an average price of $148.30. One red heifer weighed 885 lbs. and sod for $152. Joni J. Shelter of Lucknow, consigned one holstein steer that weighed 910 lbs. and sold for $125. Lambs under 50 lbs. sold $250 to $290; 50 - 64 lbs., $300 to $330; 65 - 79 lbs., $269 to $292; 80 - 94 lbs., $218 to $237; 95 - 109 lbs., $205 to $222; 110 lbs. and over, $167 to $176. Sheep sold $125 to $175. Goats: billies sold $150 to $300; nannies, $100 to $150; kids meat, $327 to 395 / lb.; dairy, $235 to $365 / lb. Amon W. Martin of Wroxeter, consigned 10 lambs that averaged 70 lbs. and sold for an average price of $280.17. Two lambs averaged 63 lbs. and sold for an average price of $330. Bob McNeil of Hanover, consigned five goats that averaged 56 lbs. and sold for an average price of $391.34. Three goats averaged 59 lbs. and sold for $395. Top quality stocker steers, 400 - 499 lbs. sold $209 to $215; 500 - 599 lbs., $207 to $223; 600 - 699 lbs., $187 to $207; 700 - 799 lbs., $186 to $206; 800 - 899 lbs., $201 to $203.50; 900 - 999 lbs., $185 to $194; 1,000 lbs. and over, $175 to $187. Top quality stocker heifers, 400 - 499 lbs. sold to $175; 500 - 599 lbs., $177 to $185; 600 - 699 lbs., $163 to $173; 700 - 799 lbs., $155 to $165; 800 - 899 lbs., $178 to $186; 900 lbs. and over, $172 to $183.50. James M. Martin of Holyrood, consigned six simmental steers that averaged 839 lbs. and sold for an average price of $203.50. Bob J. Phibbs of Jarvis, consigned 20 head that averaged 902 lbs. and sold for an average price of $190.02. Seven black steers averaged 899 lbs. and sold for an average price of $202. Joseph Gingrich of Elmira, consigned 64 heifers that averaged 849 lbs. and sold for an average price of $178.48. Four gold heifers averaged 838 lbs. and sold for an average price of $186. Keep up with the latest agri-businesses and the best of rural living! 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UPCOMING SALES Agriculture Brussels Livestock report Fed steers, heifers sell at higher prices YouTuber speaks at HCBP annual Creating content In a world connected by the internet, Staffa area sheep farmer Sandi Brock has carved out an audience with her YouTube content, all of which focuses on her home farm, Shepherd Creek Farms. (Shawn Loughlin photo) By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen Drop by our office in Blyth or Brussels and check out our wonderful selection of books. We have books for all ages. 541 Turnberry St., Brussels 519-887-9114 413 Queen St., Blyth 519-523-4792 43269 Amberley Rd. RR #2 Wroxeter Ph. 519-335-6813 Fax 519-335-4352 Jeff’s Cell 519-291-7777 Receiving Elevator for www.hurontractor.com BLYTH 519-523-4244