Flock Talk

Dr. Charlotte Winder joins Flock Talk to discuss colostrum and early life health in sheep. Charlotte gives an overview of her job, her research program, projects and what lead her to focus on colostrum and early life health in sheep. Charlotte goes in depth to discuss a current research project on the impact of transfer of passive immunity and the various assessments made on farm for better growth in lamb survival. Charlotte gives producers key takeaways, talks about the Brix refractometer which is an on-farm tool used to measure colostrum quality and what producers should be doing to help maximize colostrum management. Charlotte talks about the role veterinarians play in improving colostrum management and where they can have the biggest impact, and why there is a gap between what research recommends and what's happening practically on farm plus much more!!

For more OSF content, follow us on Social Media Instagram & Facebook: @OntarioSheepFarmers X : @OntarioSheep and Visit our Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ontariosheep.org⁠⁠⁠⁠ (http://ontariosheep.org/)

Eastern Ontario Veterinarian Heather Aitken brings a wealth of information to Flock Talk this week to talk about lamb mortality. Heather shares first steps of investigating and understanding the cause of a lamb loss, common causes, and warning signs that producers might be missing leading up to a loss. Heather also shares how she distinguishes between losses driven my disease versus other factors such as management or environment and the importance of observing each individual in your flock and tracking data, being proactive plus much much more!

For more OSF content, follow us on Social Media Instagram & Facebook: @OntarioSheepFarmers X : @OntarioSheep and Visit our Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ontariosheep.org⁠⁠⁠⁠ (http://ontariosheep.org/)

This week we're thrilled to have Mike Draper join us on Flock Talk. Mike is an Ontario Farmer and a senior manager at Animal Welfare Services (AWS). Mike shares his extensive work history and what lead him to his role at AWS. Mike breaks down the role of AWS in Ontario, the role of an inspector, farmers' rights, the reason for inspection, assessing animals and the process of seizing animals plus much much more!

For more information on Animal Welfare Services, visit https://www.ontario.ca/page/animal-welfare

For more OSF content, follow us on Social Media Instagram & Facebook: @OntarioSheepFarmers X : @OntarioSheep and Visit our Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ontariosheep.org⁠⁠⁠⁠ (http://ontariosheep.org/)

Ontario producer, Phil Botden joins Flock Talk this week to talk all about his confinement-based lambing system. Phil shares why he chose confinement lambing, his process and some of the biggest misconceptions about the system. Phil also dives into managing barn environment and biosecurity and what he's watching for when checking on his lambing ewes plus much more!

For more OSF content, follow us on Social Media Instagram & Facebook: @OntarioSheepFarmers X : @OntarioSheep and Visit our Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ontariosheep.org⁠⁠⁠⁠ (http://ontariosheep.org/)

This week we sit down with the farmer behind Ewe-Nique Dairy Inc. and part of Mark Martin Dairy Sheep in Drayton, Ontario to learn about his farm and get caught up with what's been going on at the Dairy Sheep Cooperative. Mark discusses what's been working, demand from processors, consumer interest, challenges they're facing and where the co-op is headed next, priorities and plans for the future. Mark also talks about the effects of the government moving sheep milk under the Milk Act and any lessons learned from the process of developing the co-op and growing production.

For more OSF content, follow us on Social Media Instagram & Facebook: @OntarioSheepFarmers X : @OntarioSheep and Visit our Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ontariosheep.org⁠⁠⁠⁠ (http://ontariosheep.org/)

Ontario Sheep Farmers Chris and Jen Vervoort share how they got into sheep farming and why they decided to start synchronizing their flock. They break down the two different systems to synchronizing sheep, the products used and the benefits of having the data to optimize the genetics of their flock. They give an overview of the advantages and benefits as well as the risks and downsides of synchronization and how they've measured lamb survival outcomes with synchronized versus natural exposures. Chris and Jen give some advise to producers at the beginning stages of the synchronization process and share how they manage mental health regarding sheep mortality plus much more. For more OSF content, follow us on Social Media Instagram & Facebook: @OntarioSheepFarmers X : @OntarioSheep and Visit our Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ontariosheep.org⁠⁠⁠⁠ (http://ontariosheep.org/)

Emily Zur Linden shares her journey to becoming a veterinarian and how she became a specialist in ewe health and reproduction and the work she does with producers and students. Emily goes in depth into pregnancy toximea and early signs producers should looks for plus nutrition and best feeding practices when different ewes are carrying different amounts of lambs. Emily recommends additional management practices to prevent other health issues plus much more!

For more OSF content, follow us on Social Media

Instagram & Facebook: @OntarioSheepFarmers

X : @OntarioSheep

and Visit our Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ontariosheep.org⁠⁠⁠⁠

Our first ever podcast guest, Dr. Emma Borkowski from the University of Guelph, returns to share updates on her latest research on parasites in sheep including her most important findings and tons more information that can help farmers better manage parasites within their flock.

For more OSF content, follow us on Social Media

Instagram & Facebook: @OntarioSheepFarmers

X : @OntarioSheep

and Visit our Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ontariosheep.org⁠⁠⁠⁠

Amherst Island producer, Mark Ritchie talks about Footflats Farm, why he chose pasture lambing and some of the biggest factors influencing survival in their pasture-based lambing system. Mark discusses pre-lambing management, maintaining healthy body condition of the ewes and strategies used to navigate cold, wet and windy weather during lambing. Mark also shares some of the more common causes of lamb loss within the first 48 hours of lambing and how he addresses these issues plus much more!

For more information on Footflats Farm, visit their website: https://www.footflats.ca

For more OSF content, follow us on Social Media

Instagram & Facebook: @OntarioSheepFarmers

X : @OntarioSheep

and Visit our Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ontariosheep.org⁠⁠⁠⁠

We're joined by Heather Thoma from Farms at Work, an organization based in East Central Ontario that helps farmers and land owners connect, manage land responsibly and strengthen local food systems. Heather shares how Farms at Work got started, how she got involved and the challenges the organization is addressing. Heather also discusses how Farms at Work helps people find land, how they engage with land owners who don't farm and the resources they offer. Heather shares her perspective on how Farms at Work is helping Ontario farmers keep land in agriculture, helping farmlands and farming communities thrive and the organizations future initiatives.

For More Information on Farms At Work, visit: https://farmsatwork.ca/ & https://findfarmland.ca

For more OSF content, follow us on Social Media

Instagram & Facebook: @OntarioSheepFarmers

X : @OntarioSheep

and Visit our Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ontariosheep.org⁠⁠⁠⁠