Summer Synergy 2012

Since Tuesday we have been in Olds for the 2nd Annual Provincial Sheep Show and Summer Synergy. This year I am just a lucky spectator and happy to not have to be working in the heat. Yesterday the sheep participants competed in sheep judging, marketing and trimming components of the show. They also took part in a felting workshop and made a craft. Today was the breeding project show and the members of the Standard Sheep Club did very well. Tomorrow the market lamb,showmanship and costume classes will take place and the Synergy competitors will find out if they have won a scholarship.

4-H on Parade 2012 Sheep Show Schedule

This weekend we will be packing up and heading into Calgary for 4-H on Parade, the annual regional super-sized achievement day for 4-H members of many clubs with a wide range of projects. My brother will be showing his ewe lamb, yearling ewe and her lamb and showing and selling a pen of three market lambs this year. On Thursday night we will take in the lambs and get the stall area decorated, but the actual competitions don't start until Friday.
The sheep stalls and sheep show ring will be located in the Producers Tent which usually is home to Ag-tivity in the City during Stampede time. The market lamb sale will take place next door in the Agriculture Building's Pavillion.


Here is the schedule of events for the Sheep Show:


Friday June 1
2:00-3:00 Lamb Trimming Competition
3:30-4:30 Lamb Judging Competition
Also most of the members will be grooming their sheep in preparation for the show so if you want to see a lamb getting a bath this is the day to come!
Saturday June 2
9:00-10:00 Market Lamb Classes
10:15-11:45 Pen of Three Classes
1:15-3:00 Breeding Ewe Classes (ie. Ewe Lamb, Yearling Ewe, Mature Ewe and Breeding Flock)
3:30-4:30 Showmanship Classes (ie. Junior, Intermediate, Senior)
Sunday June 3
11:00 Market Lamb Sales followed by sale of the Charity Lamb


A complete schedule of events can be found at http://ag.calgarystampede.com/events/509-4-h-on-parade.html#schedule.


I encourage everyone to come down to Stampede Park to see this event especially on Saturday because this is the day when most of the shows involving animals happen (sheep, beef, dairy, heavy and light horse) and the lifeskills projects will also be on display. 4-H on Parade is great for those who are interested in learning about agriculture but missed out on Aggie Days or don't enjoy how busy the grounds can get during Stampede. If you do stop by make sure to come over to the smaller white Producers Tent to see/pet the sheep and ask the members questions about their projects.

Rams

Today I sold two of my ram lambs. Before leaving we completed a manifest and tagged them with the yellow CSIP tags required for transportation and gave them a dose of dewormer. We loaded the boys in the trailer and took them to their temporary new home where they will be eating grass in their own pasture until the breeder is ready to let them out with his ewes in late summer/early fall. 
The buyer likes the Suffolk breed so we made sure we saved some good ram lambs that had Suffolk bloodlines. Both rams were from our mainly Suffolk commercial strain of ewes but one was out of a Hampshire ram and the other a Suffolk so there was a little bit of a difference in their appearance in terms of wool covering. We noticed there was also a bit of a size difference as one ram was tagged 1Z (our first lamb born) and 53Z (our fifty-third lamb born), in this case the lamb born earlier was larger than the lamb born later.
We also hauled the five older rams over to my grandmas to be put on pasture. All five are purebred Hampshires and three of them are for sale. We also have purebred Hamp ram lambs at home still that are also for sale, pictures coming soon!

Rain is a Good Thing

This past week we have seen a lot of rain. It is kind of depressing to look out the window and see dark, cloudy skies and not be able to do much outside but the rain is great for all types of plant life that we rely on to feed our animals. The rainfall that comes during the spring, summer and early fall waters our pastures, crops and land for hay; directly allowing us to produce feed for our animals to eat year-round. 


During a break in the showers we loaded up my small cow herd and hauled them to my grandmas where their pasture is. We don't have enough pasture land at our place for the sheep flock and cow herd to graze on all summer so most of our animals spend their summer at my grandmas farm where there is plenty of grass. We spend quite a substantial amount of time there too rotating animals around between the pens, watering and making sure that they are all happy and healthy. 


In a few weeks some of our sheep will go over there to be let out on pasture too. First the cull ewes, wether and some of the ewe lambs will be sorted out of the flock and be sold. Then on May 12 the remaining ewes, rams and 4-H lambs will be shorn for summer and upcoming shows. Sometime after that we will give all the lambs still on the farm their second round of vaccinations (boost) and their CSIP tags that are required for transport so they are able to go join their cow friends where the grass is truly greener than at home. 

Taking Over the Web

AGvocacy is spreading all over the web and I've found another great example on youtube.


For everyone wanting to get an inside look at the ag. industry check out Meet Americas Farmers Youtube Channel for great videos of agvocates from dairy and beef cattle, swine, sheep, poultry and crop growing Americans. Yes I wish there was a Canadian version too, but these videos are great to watch for those interested in learning more about the agriculture industry in North America.

Spring and Easter

Today its raining in the city and it makes me hopeful that spring is here. Normally associated with new life like flowers, green grass and leaves on the trees but here in Alberta it still looks pretty barren even though spring equinox happened awhile ago. Easter time has come and gone and we are pretty well done lambing (two ewes are left) even though most would think that now would be the time we would be starting since the weather is so much nicer. Along with new plant growth in Spring and chocolate at Easter, baby animals are also a traditional sign that spring is here.


While a spring lambing season sounds much easier we lamb earlier so that there are lots of lambs to choose from for 4-H market lamb projects. However there are always some that decide to wait to have their lambs, usually it is the first-timers that lamb after most of the herd. During breeding season ewe lambs may need a few extra weeks to mature before being bred and according to what I learned in biology last term their gestation period may be a little longer (especially when carrying twins) because their energy budget is different than a mature ewe during gestation. Ewe lambs will be putting more energy into their own growth and maintenance than a mature ewe along with the energy required for fetal development of their lamb(s), equalling more time being pregnant. However this is not always the case this year we had a couple of ewe lambs that lambed at the same time as the older ewes but the last 8 ewes that have lambed have all been ewe lambs.


Sometimes being pregnant as a ewe lamb can affect the ewes own personal growth because so much of her energy is being put into the lambs so it is important that they are very well fed during pregnancy and while nursing. We have left a couple of ewe lambs open some years to allow them to grow and mature to be ready to raise lambs next year.


Here are some pictures of the newest babies on the farm

97 days

The countdown begins to the Calgary Stampede's Centennial! For me Stampede is not too far behind Christmas for my favorite time of the year, especially since last year was so much fun. This year is sure to be extra special too since the exhibition is celebrating 100 years.

Last year my Stampede started on Sneak-a-Peek night, July 7, with the reception for the winners of the Western Art Scholarship in the BMO Center's Western Oasis. The reception took place before the venue was opened to the public allowing us to get a look at the artwork, crafts and photography before anyone else. The awards were handed out and we were treated to some music, I can honestly say the atmosphere changed quite dramatically when we ventured out of the hall and into the busy midway. We watched my cousin skate in the Enmax Ice Show and wandered around the grounds for the rest of the night.
Days later we were back. July 16 I headed back into the city very early in the morning to the Stampede grounds but this time I went in the back to get accreditation to be on the grounds as an exhibitor. I was lucky enough to win with my Yearling Ewe at the Provincial Sheep Show and that morning we met the trailer at the Ag. Building to unload my ewe and her lambs. Once they got settled into their pen, I hauled water and gave them hay. 
Next the exhibitors met for information about the schedule for the day. Groups of Sr. members started to head over to another building for their scholarship interviews, I think I was in the last group and was excited to talk to the judges about the sheep industry. After the interview I pulled out my ewe and lambs for a quick grooming before heading over to the Big Top tent for the Supreme Parade of Champions. Winners from the beef, dairy and sheep shows at Summer Synergy all entered the ring for the judge to select the Supreme winners of each group, it was pretty interesting seeing so many excellant looking animals being shown at the same time. While I didn't take home the top prize I was happy a fellow Hampshire breeder won Supreme Champion with her awesome mature ewe and twin lambs. 
Later that night the Sr. members were called upstairs in the Ag. Building for the big announcement of who would be receiving the $2000 and $1000 scholarships ( I got a $1000 one) and for cowboy hat fitting. Next we went downstairs to have a group picture in our hats and jackets with the sponsors and travelled in a group over to the grandstand. We arrived during the chuckwagon races it was neat to stand so close to the rail as the wagons went by. In-between heats we walked out onto the grandstand and had our names called one by one infront of the huge crowd. After that it was back to the barns to feed and water the sheep for the night and head home. 
We were there early again the next morning to feed and water the sheep, you could tell it had been a long week from the people passed out in the tack room. Since there was no scheduled events for us that day most of my time was spent sitting in a lawn chair beside the stalls answering questions about the sheep. We also walked around the grounds to pass the time until it was time to move out the animals.
Last year's Stampede was lots of fun and I also came home with $3000 in my jeans by the end of it. I can't wait for this years!