It was an informative weekend in Humboldt for sheep producers.
The 2016 Grasslands Sheep Exhibition took place at the Humboldt Uniplex from July 22 to Jul. 24th.
Saskatchewan Sheep Development Board Executive Director, Gord Schroeder, says they have plenty of informative sessions for producers, some coming all the way from Victoria and parts of Manitoba.
The day was a great environment for producers with trade booths, equipment workshops and demonstrations, stock dog demonstrations, and sheep and lamb auctions.
When it comes to buying sheep, producers are looking for pedigree, says Schroeder.
“They’re not just buying by looks, they’re looking by the genetics. Good genetics bring good money.”
Exhibitions like these are good times to come out and talk to producers about their product and share information.
It is also a good way for new producers to get involved with the industry, says Schroeder. Do your homework and find out all the information about what is working and what is not working in sheep production, he says.
“A lot of feed companies here give good advice. There is a lot of good information.”
The industry itself is going strong, says Schroeder, with good price and demand.
The sheep industry is also growing, says Schroeder, with the increase of immigrants moving into Saskatchewan and Canada.
“A lot of the immigrant families coming into Canada are lamb eaters so that continues to expand year after year.”
Export is also not a part of the sheep industry in Canada, so everything produced is entered into the Canadian market to keep up with Canadian demand, says Schroeder.
A lot of the agriculture industries are strong, says Schroeder but he says the sheep industry is keeping pace and needs to bring more producers in to keep up with Canadian demand.
The size of the animal makes them easy to work with. That makes it an attractive industry, Schroeder says, with a lot of young families getting into sheep.
New generations means new food that people want to try, says Schroeder.
A Canadian marketing company are marketing sheep products to Canadians in ready to serve portions for them to try, to try and get more Canadians purchasing products.
“If you are scared to eat lamb or not sure about it, you can try a small portion of it and move forward from there.”
With high protein, manageable portion sizes, and a lean product, sheep products are a nutritional alternative over other meats.
Schroeder is very happy with the way to the show turned out. He is very grateful for Humboldt welcoming them for the show. It was a very good weekend with lots of positive comments, he says.
