The Rural Voice, 2002-02, Page 41AgriTech
Sheep software helps record keeping
By Janice Becker
I presume it's because of my past
association with Greek restauranteurs
that the arrival of Easter each spring
reminds me of Iamb. Though not a
frequent Iamb consumer, I recall talk
of preparations and finding the need-
ed supply for the upcoming feast.
To that end, I decided to find out
just what information was available
on-line regarding Iamb production,
sales, products and even recipes.
The search was frustrating in the
beginning as I found many American
and international sites along with
specific producers' websites through
eharvest.com, but little about
associations or new technology.
However, persistence paid off and
a search through the Canadian Sheep
Federation, www.cansheep.ca,
(tracked down through Sheep Canada
magazine, www.sheepcanada.ca) I
found information regarding a herd
management software system.
Ewe Byte was developed by vets,
scientists and sheep producers in
conjunction with the University of
Guelph. The site, located at
www.ovenet.uoguelph.ca/associati
ons/ewebyte/ewebyte.htm, details the
story behind the software, those
involved in its creation, a demo and
order information.
Ewe Byte is software designed to
help the producer keep better, more
accurate and efficient records for the
entire herd. It provides connections to
the Ontario Sheep Improvement
Program and electronic registration
with Canadian Livestock Records.
There is a large selection of
reports and graphs which can be
generated, allowing the producer to
monitor various aspects of herd
health and productivity.
Summaries are provided for
breeding groups, lambing problems,
disposal methods, cull marked sheep,
health events, inbreeding, pedigrees,
weigh dates and lambing season
schedules as well as overall
productivity.
The next step was to check out the
demo program, however, this is
where problems began.
Thinking that my new Windows
XP system would handle the
download more quickly, I tried, but
to no avail, to get the program up and
running. As it turns out, XP is too fast
for the demo and the fixes offered
through the site only cover Windows
98, ME and 2000. So I went back to
my six-year-old machine which uses
Windows 95 and was able to access
the software. It does take some time
to download and install, but the
information would be beneficial for
those considering the $400 (plus
shipping plus GST) purchase.
The purchase can be made on-line or
through the Fergus office at P.O. Box
375, N1M 3E2, calling 519-787-0593
or faxing 519-787-2675. A demo for
$25 is also available.
Another interesting sheep info site
can be found at
www.ontariosheep.org, the Ontario
Sheep Marketing Agency (OSMA)
site.
The University of New England,
New South Wales, Australia has
lambplan.une.edu.au, a site dealing
with the genetic worth of sheep
through research into meat
production sire lists and a breeder
reference guide and database. It gives
Canadian producers an opportunity to
see how the industry works in another
country.
There are numerous links to
breeder sites, the sire evaluation
program and industry pages,
including Canadian agencies and
producers.
If, after sifting through the
research material for sheep and Iamb
products, you are still interested in
unique recipes, check out the
selection through the OSMA as well
as Australian choices at
www.illawarra.net.au/hobbies/lamb
.htm. The site has exotic recipes with
the flavours of Greece, Italy,
Morocco, India and Thailand. For the
less adventurous, there is also a
simple honey diced lamb or lemon
lambchops. Give one a try.
Contact me at
jlbecker@wightman.ca.0
Janice Becker is a computer
enthusiast and journalist living nen,
Walton, ON.
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FEBRUARY 2002 37