The Rural Voice, 2006-07, Page 16Farmers from other commodities are re-examining the potential of raising sheep.
Greener pastures
Farmers are flocking to the sheep industrg from other
sectors as theg see an untapped market right at home
Story by Keith Rouston
Steve Jones travels across
Canada in his various jobs. as
president of the Canadian
Livestock Genetics Association,
General Manager of the Canadian
Sheep Exporters Group, managing
director of Wicketthorn Livestock
and owner -operator of Cornerstone
Genetics International and -he gets
excited by what he sees in the sheep
industry.
"We see a huge increase in
people interested in either entering
the sheep industry or expanding their
flocks," says Jones who is new to
sheep himself, only having added
sheep to the mix seven years ago.
"And we still see great opportunity in
the sheep industry when other sectors
of agriculture are under pressure."
Jones has 80 purebred Texel ewes
12 THE RURAL VOICE
as part of his operation near Dutton.
He holds an auction each July to sell
breeding stock. The sale attracts 300
people who are served lamb at a
reception before the sale.
Jones says a lot of people are
becoming intrigued as to what they
can make from sheep. Some are
looking to diversify their farming
operations. Some are looking to
switch.
"People think it's not cool to keep
sheep," he says. Nobody wants to
take a look at sheep but when they do
they're surprised.
But now a lot of people who have
been in dairy and beef who are good
managers are coming into the sheep
business, says Jones.
Brian Atkinson of the Barrie area
sees the change. Atkinson has a 300 -
head purebred herd plus a few
commercial ewes. He shows stock at
shows across Canada and sells meat
to high-end Toronto restaurants.
He finds that about half the buyers
of his purebred stock are people who
are getting into sheep. He gets phone
calls and emails on a regular basis
from people interested in getting into
sheep.
When people investigate the sheep
business they discover that their cash
turnover is faster, he says. While
$20,000 won't do much for you in
beef, dairy or hogs, it can make a
difference in sheep.
The people entering the industry
now are a business -oriented group,
Atkinson says. "We see people who
have done their homework, who see
the facts."