Sheep flock improvement program changes hands Tuesday, July 6, 2010 by PATRICIA GROTENHUISOne Ontario sheep producer hopes a change in the administration of the Sheep Flock Improvement Program will mean speedier results. The Ontario Sheep Marketing Agency (OSMA) is taking over the program from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.“It’s important [for producers] to get results in a timely fashion for flock management,” says Bill McCutcheon, sheep producer from Grand Valley. McCutcheon explains that sometimes he had already sold his lambs before results arrived from the province. The program has offered producers access to genetic evaluations to aid management decisions since the 1970s. It was administered by the provincial agriculture ministry until April 1, 2010. The marketing agency’s takeover is scheduled to be complete by September 7, 2010, preventing any interruptions to producers, states Sandy Sorbara, OSMA project coordinator in a July 5 email.The agency and ministry hope the change will increase the benefit to producers.“We are currently working on making this program more user-friendly by developing a web-based system,” Sorbara writes, explaining that this will make the information available to producers anywhere and at any time.It’s hoped that the combination of a closer link to producers with the marketing agency running the program and changes such as the web-based approach will encourage more producers to sign up. The provincial ministry anticipates the online presence will facilitate integrating the program with other programs such as traceability, states spokesperson Susan Murray in a July 5 email.The province provided OSMA with a one-time payment of $275,000 to administer the program over the next three years. Sorbara says the money will help develop more genetic reports, outsource the run of genetic evaluations, marketing and promotions, and working with the national and other provincial sheep organizations.Currently, the Canadian sheep industry only fills 41 per cent of domestic demand. Jennifer MacTavish, executive director of the Canadian Sheep Federation, says genetic selection can help improve individual ewe productivity. BF Co-op says solar rate changes will sink it Lower solar incentive expected to hit industry hard
Calf Auction Raises Funds for Youth Monday, June 30, 2025 Wyatt Westman-Frijters from Milverton won a heifer calf named Ingrid through a World Milk Day promotion by Maplevue Farms and a local Perth, Ontario radio station. Instead of keeping the calf, 22-year-old Westman-Frijters chose to give back to the community. The calf was sent to the... Read this article online
Cattle Stress Tool May Boost Fertility Friday, June 27, 2025 Kansas State University researchers have developed a cool tool that may help reduce cattle stress and improve artificial insemination (AI) results. The idea came from animal science experts Nicholas Wege Dias and Sandy Johnson, who observed that cattle accustomed to their environment... Read this article online
Ontario pasture lands get $5M boost Friday, June 27, 2025 The governments of Canada and Ontario are investing up to $5 million to strengthen shared community grazing pastures. This funding supports the province’s plan to protect Ontario’s agriculture sector and help cattle farmers improve pasture quality, ensuring long-term sustainability and... Read this article online
Health Canada sets rules for drone spraying Wednesday, June 25, 2025 Health Canada has approved the use of drones, also called Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS), for pesticide application under the Pest Control Products Act (PCPA). Drones are considered aircraft by Transport Canada, but Health Canada treats them differently due to their unique... Read this article online
Twelve Ontario Agri-Businesses Receive Funding Support Wednesday, June 25, 2025 Bioenterprise Canada has announced the successful recipients of the second call for proposals under the Ontario Agri-Food Research Initiative (OAFRI) Commercialization Stream. Twelve organizations across Ontario will receive support to bring innovative agri-food solutions to the... Read this article online