Organic Weeders
by Bob I'Anson
(originally published in "Small Farm Canada" Jan/Feb 2011)
Bob
and Laurie I’Anson Laurie’s Little Lambs near St. Catherine’s have
increased their flock from 10 to 29 Old English Southdown Babydoll sheep in the
recent past. Bob plans to lease them to vineyards in the vicinity to keep weeds
and grass down. “The practice is fairly new in Canada, but sheep are widely
used for this purpose in Australia, New Zealand and France,” he notes.
“Vineyards save a lot of money in terms of labor in grass cutting and chemical
usage. Babydoll sheep are well-suited for this with their small stature, and
there are hundreds of wineries in this area.” One Ontario winery that began
the practice several years ago uses weaned lambs until grape ripening, at which
time the lambs are slaughtered, but I’Anson plans to use adult sheep and
remove them during ripening (when the grapes make attractive snacks) and then
return them after harvest. “It takes four or five sheep per acre of vineyard,
so I would like to expand my flock to around 50.”
With a rare breed such as Babydolls, I’Anson says it’s typically only
possible to import a small amount of stock at a time. “I imported two groups
from the U.S., and I am going to increase my flock through my own breeding from
here,” he says. “It will expand quite quickly with twins and I have been
advised about a supplemental ration that increases chances of twin births.”
At Black Walnut Lane Farm in Millgrove, Ontario, having twin births is an
important goal in order to have saleable lamb year-round. Owners Ron and Adele
Service raise Dexter cattle and many breeds of sheep, and Adele says expansion
was based on observation and record-keeping with the different breeds. “We
have been gradually increasing our flock over the last ten years with our own
breeding program: up to 160 ewes,” she says. “After a number of years of
observing the stamina and productivity of the full bloods and cross-breds, in
2008 our main focus became Jacob and Texel (full and cross-bred), with the
introduction of the Booroola gene (otherwise known as the “twinning gene”).
When they looked into supplying local farmer’s markets with lamb last year,
they discovered they didn’t have enough and had to buy from another farmer
before they bought 110 commercial Katahdins to fill the demand. Adele
notes: “The work load doubled … We needed more shelter, more equipment, more
feed … therefore more instant expenses, more stress. However, we are now
producing and selling all our own lambs at three farmer’s markets, plus
freezer orders and to two restaurants.”
At a certain point, it became very obvious they needed a bulk feed bin, says
Adele. “It was a 5 ton bin raised high enough so that we could fill a
wheelbarrow under it. Quickly thereafter we purchased two 3-tonne
gravity grain wagons.” In the meantime, Ron was doing research on corn silage:
methods of storage and feeding. “He purchased a 2 ton side opening mulcher,
for line feeding,” notes Adele. “We also had to rent more land to grow
more hay. All these decisions take time and resources, plus research, asking
questions, networking, problem solving, taking courses, etc. I am not sure that
there is a straightforward template of how to do this, as everyone’s situation
is different. That is why I do appreciate the wealth of information that is
available via the Internet and through the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food
and Rural Affairs.”
In terms of pricing, Adele says “At some point a few years ago I decided I
would not apologize for the price of our lamb. I ‘knew’ my flock and the
labor and infrastructure and most of the cost of production it took to produce
our lambs. Quality food does cost more money [and] the educated consumer
understands this.” She says she watches prices in the greater Toronto area, in
specialty butcher shops, grocery stores and also monitors at the farmer’s
markets to see what cuts are selling well and being asked for. In addition to
lamb, the Services sell beef (their own Dexter and Angus), bison (bought from a
rancher in southern Ontario) and wild boar (raised by their farm business
associates Mark and Tania Veenstra). They’ve currently run out of beef
inventory.