Now is the time to get involved in planning the 2008 Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival.
“The Festival is
successful to the point where it needs more volunteers,” notes Festival
Chairman Bob Black.“If you think you’d
like to be involved, now is the time to raise your hand.”
While volunteers are
needed in all areas of the Festival, Black has particular needs for volunteers
to work with sheep shows, silent and shepherd’s auctions, entertainment and as Country
Store ambassadors.For more
information, contact Black at 608/623-3536 or rbblack@powercom.net.
Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival Termed “A Resounding Success”
Organizers,
participants and visitors alike praised the diversity and quality of the
programs and events at this year’s Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival.The Festival took place on September 7-9 in Jefferson.
“This is not the
same event it was when we started six years ago,” noted Festival Chairman Bob
Black.“It’s growing, and we’re maturing
the Festival into an event with a widening circle.We can stand in the ranks of the established
Festivals in the country.”
A total of 42
people participated in the first-ever Sheep 101, and David Kier drew
standing-room only crowds to his shearing demonstrations.Overall attendance was up, educational
sessions were well attended, and the Fleece Show had a record number of entries.Youth flocked to the Skillathon, and the
Used-Equipment Sale proceeds were double what they
were the year before.
The Crook and
Whistle Stock Dog Trial docket was filled to capacity, and Herding 101—training
sessions with professional dog trainer Joyce Burnham—was hugely
successful.Fiber enthusiasts filled
over 500 class spots in the Wonders of Wool fiber arts classes.Visitors took the time to enjoy two exhibits
featuring wool rug hooking and wool use in the U.S.
military.
Over 400 sheep were
exhibited in the Festival’s shows, and participation increased in the sheep
Lead Class event.The quality of the
garments in the Make It With Wool contest continued to
improve, and a new novelty division in the contest captured attention.
Organizers were
pleased with the first-year participation in the Farm Displays and Breed
Displays, and who could resist stopping to look at the newborn lambs?Commercial exhibitors generally said they
were pleased with their sales and, by the end of the show,
they had already spoken for 75 percent of the available exhibitor space for the
2008 Festival.
“We had about 20
youth participate in our first year and we were
delighted with the interest!” says Ruth Schriefer,
who worked with the new “Will Ewe Teach Me to Knit?” event. “The kids
were eager to learn or increase their knitting abilities under the patient guidance
of several volunteers, and creating their own knitting needles was ‘icing on
the cake’ for many of the new knitters.”
While Black notes
the many activities and events at the Festival were enthusiastically and well
received, he was particularly gratified by the growing support of the Festival
from volunteers and visitors, whether they were shepherds, fiber enthusiasts or
folks interested in rural living.
“It was a good
weekend,” he says.“There are always
things we want to improve and add, but overall, the Wisconsin
sheep industry should feel their Festival was a resounding success.”
The Wisconsin Sheep
Breeders Cooperative will hold its Annual Meeting on Saturday, October 20 at
the Voyageur Inn and Conference Center, 200 Viking Drive, Reedsburg.The annual meeting is open to all WSBC
members and those involved or interested in the state’s sheep industry.
Registration will
take place beginning at 10:30 a.m., followed by an 11 a.m. presentation and
slide show by Ray and Alice Antoniewicz.The Oregon, Wisconsin sheep producers
recently toured Iceland, visiting rural locations and learning about the
Icelandic sheep industry. A social at
noon and a luncheon buffet at 12:30 p.m. will precede the presentation of
awards.The WSBC annual meeting will
take place at 2 p.m.People need not
attend the luncheon to participate in the annual meeting.
During the annual
meeting, members will elect three directors and WSBC representatives to the
Wisconsin Livestock Breeders Association board of directors and the Wisconsin
State Fair Junior Livestock Committee.WSBC will present the Art Pope Award, Wisconsin Sheep Industry Award,
Wisconsin Agri-Communicator Award, and Wisconsin Master
Shepherd Awards, and it will recognize scholarship winners Allison Glunz and Sara Hammer.
October 10 is the
deadline to make luncheon reservations.The luncheon buffet entrées include both roasted boneless leg of lamb
and baked chicken breast with Parmesan sauce.The cost of the luncheon is $14.95 and includes tax and gratuity.A child’s buffet plate or chicken strip plate
with French fries is available for $7.95.To make luncheon reservations or for more information, contact Jill Alf,
WSBC secretary-treasurer, at 608/868-2505,wisbc@centurytel.net or 7811
Consolidated School Road, Edgerton, WI53534.
Members wishing hotel
accommodations should call the Voyageur Inn at 608/524-6431.
For 55 years, WSBC’s Wisconsin Bred Ewe and Ewe Lamb Sale has offered some of the Upper Midwest’s finest breeding stock to both beginning and experienced shepherds, and this year’s sale will be no exception.The 55th sale is still the place to buy quality ewes to build flocks and make genetic improvements to existing flocks.
The sale is
scheduled for Saturday, November 3 at the Rock County Fairgrounds in Janesville.Sale
entries are due October 1.
A show will take
place at 9 a.m. to determine sale
order, followed by a judging contest for youth at 11
a.m.The sale begins at 1 p.m.The sale is open to all breeds and types of ewes.
“This is the 55th
year of the Bred Ewe and Lamb Sale, and there are many good reasons it has stood the test of time, one being that people can
purchase quality breeding stock at a fair price,” says Gary Klug, WSBC
president.“People feel they get good
value from this sale.Many a flock in
this state has started at this event.”
Sale
advertising will appear in Wisconsin,
Illinois and Midwest ag publications.The sale catalog will be posted on WSBC’s
website—www.wisbc.com.Producers
can obtain a copy of the catalog in paper form prior to the sale by calling
WSBC Executive Secretary Jill Alf at 608/868-2505 or emailing her at wisbc@centurytel.net.
As part of the
sale, the Wisconsin Sheep Breeders Cooperative will sponsor a judging contest
for all 4-H, FFA and other youth at 11 a.m.Prizes to top judges will be awarded in both
junior and senior divisions.
For more information, contact WSBC’s Jill
Alf at 608/868-2505 or wisbc@centurytel.net.
The Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival was all about educational
opportunities, but it also served as the backdrop for partici
Festival Details Contest Winners
The Wisconsin Sheep
& Wool Festival was all about educational opportunities, but it also served
as the backdrop for participants to demonstrate their accomplishments through
various judged events.The Wisconsin
Sheep & Wool Festival was held September 7 through 9 in Jefferson.
Fleece Contest
In the fleece
contest, Diane Jarnutowski of Stephenson, Mich.,
took Grand Champion honors with her Columbia/Finn/Lincoln crossbred fleece that
had topped the Natural Color Longwool class.Jill Johnson of Boyd earned Reserve Grand Champion honors with her Cormo
fleece, first topping the Handspinning White Fine Wool class.
Over 100 fleeces
from throughout the Midwest were entered in the contest,
up from 95 fleeces in 2006 and 82 in 2005.
Champion and
reserve champions, in order, and the type of fleece entered were:
Commercial
(uncovered white fleeces)—Sharon Pribbernow, Sparta,
Romney fleece; University of Wisconsin
– Madison/Todd Taylor, Arlington,
Targhee fleece.
Handspinning
(covered white fleeces)—Jill Johnson; Dee Heinrich, Marion,
Iowa, Romney fleece.
Natural
Color—Diane Jarnutowski; Jean Shaw, South Bend, Inc., California
Variegated Mutant fleece.
Shetland—Julie
Guilette, Luxemburg, Shetland adult single coat class; Laura Matthews, Kiel,
Shetland lamb class.
Skein Competition
Teresa Porri of Madison
earned Best of Show and a first-place ribbon the Handspun Skein
Competition.The Festival marks
the first time Porri has won a ribbon for her handspinning.Her skein was 100% Merino wool, and she did
her spinning on a spindle.
Porri’s entry was
one of 31 entries in the Handspun Skein Contest.Entries, which came from Wisconsin
and surrounding states, ranged from wool and wool blends to exotics.
Two other
first-place ribbons were awarded: Carolyn Barnsness, Rochester,
Minn., entered a 100 percent wool skein she
spun on her spinning wheel, and Laura Gemmel, Racine,
received a first place for her skein of handspun that was a blend of alpaca and
silk and was spun on a spinning wheel.
Joan LeClair, Waukesha,
served as judge.
Lead-Line Contest
Eighteen exhibitors
competed in the Festival’s Lead-Class event.Exhibitors were judged on the fit of their wool garment, their poise and
their presentation of the sheep they led.Class winners were:
Elizabeth
Auby, Stoughton, ages 10 and
under,
Jessica
Alf, Edgerton, ages 11 – 15,
Julie
Orth, Lancaster, ages 16 - 21, and
Wynn
Wittkopf, Waukesha, adult.
Sam and Pat Wiford of
Wapokoneta, Ohio,
who have coached many successful lead-class exhibitors at the North American
International Livestock Exposition, served as judges for the Lead-Line Contest.Susan Orth, former Wisconsin Fairest of the
Fair, was narrator for the competition.
Photo Contest
Shepherds and fiber
enthusiasts attending the Festival voted for their favorite photos in WSBC’s
annual photo contest.“Cookie Monster”,
by 11-year-old Megan Poulos of Ogema, topped the youth division, followed in
order by “Who’s Guarding Who?”, by 13-year-old Crystal Novak of Browntown, and
“Lunker”, by seven-year-old Blake Johnson of Boyd.
“Shepherd Hard at
Work”, taken by LeeAnne Richert of Cable, won the kids-and-sheep division,
followed in order by “Tender Love”, by William T. Gillet of Inver Grove Heights,
Minn., and “Happy Boy”, by Gale M. Yaeger of Cambridge.In the scenic division, “Dandelions and Ewe”,
taken by Maureen Lien of Cambridge, took first place, followed by “The
Scotties”, by LeeAnne Richert, and “Serene Suppertime”, by Lynn C. Steinbach of
Germantown.
In the any “other sheep
and wool photo” division, Debbie Johnson of Wonewoc took first place with her
photo entitled, “Are You My Mom?”.Second and third places went to “Anybody
Home?”, by Lynn C. Steinbach, and “Ewe Ride”, by Sara
Hammer of Oshkosh, respectively
Stock Dog Trial
The Crook &
Whistle Stock Dog Trial was filled to capacity as dogs and handlers competed in
three days of shows.Adding an extra
Open and Nursery class made for a busy weekend, organizers noted.The Novice class is growing every year, and
organizers added a short drive to the traditional outrun, lift fetch, and
pen this year.
Top handlers and
dogs by class were:
Nursery
1--Patricia MacRae, Mo.,
with Cap, 1st; Charles O’Reilly, Minn.,
with Katrina, 2nd, and with Dash, 3rd.
Nursery
2--O’Reilly with Katrina, 1st; P. MacRae with Cap, 2nd;
and O’Reilly with Dash, 3rd.
Nursery
3—P. MacRae with Cap, 1st; O’Reilly with Katrina, 2nd.
Pronovice
1--Alasdair MacRae, Mo., with Nan, 1st; A. MacRae with Coon, 2nd;
and Gail MacDonald, Texas, with Moel Gel, 3rd.
Pronovice
2—A. MacRae with Bart, 1st; A. MacRae with Coon, 2nd;
and Lori Perry, Mich., with
Darque, 3rd.
Open 1--Scott
Glen, Canada,
with Penny, 1st; A. MacRae with Nap, 2nd; A. MacRae
with Star, 3rd.
Open 2—A.
MacRae with Nap, 1st; A. MacRae with Star, 2nd; Pearse
Ward, Minn., with Riel, 3rd.
Open—A.
MacRae with Nap, 1st; P. MacRae with Max, 2nd; Glen
with Pleat, 3rd.
Novice
1--Ron Baucom, Ill., with
Jill, 1st; Diana Antlitz, Ill.,
with Kitt, 2nd; Becky Goodwin, Ill.,
with Telly, 3rd.
Novice
2--Loretta Mueller, Wis., with
Klink, 1st; Paul Henning, Wis.,
with Dot, 2nd; Goodwin with Telly, 3rd.
Poster Competition
In the first-ever
Festival poster contest, Carson Lobdell of Darlington took first place in the
coloring-book competition, followed by Justin Taylor of Arlington
and Taylor Johnson of Boyd.In the
junior promotional poster, Deanna Zernicke of Bonduel placed first, followed by
Casey Lobdell of Darlington.For the intermediate promotional poster,
Jessica Alf of Edgerton took first place, followed by Morgan Zernicke of Wausau
and Courtney Lobdell of Darlington.
Deanna Zernicke of
Bonduel took first place in the junior educational poster division, followed by
Blake Johnson of Boyd, and in the adult Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival
promotion contest, Patti Zernicke of Wausau
earned top honors.
Skillathon Results
For youth eight
years old and younger, Riggen Zelinsky, S.D.,
took top honors in the Skillathon, followed by Blake Johnson, Boyd, 2nd;
Rhett Zelinsky, S.D.,
3rd; Raesa Zelinsky, S.D.,
4th; and Mitchell Ace, Stoughton,
5th.For youth between the
ages of nine and 11, Colin Deakin, Cuba, Ill., placed first, followed by Lauren
Ace, Stoughton, 2nd; Connor Iverson, Oconto Falls, 3rd;
Katy Heine, Helenville, 4th; and Josh Christensen, Twin Lakes, 5th.
In the 12- to
14-year-old division, Jessica Dochterman of Mt.Horeb earned top honors, followed
by Mitchell Wilson, Brodhead, 2nd; Katie Burke, Blanchardville, 3rd;
Emma Hopkins, Zionsville, Ind.,
4th; and Rebecca Roembke, Cedarburg, 5th.John Jones of Rio
topped the division for 15- and 16-year-old youth, followed by Julie Orth,
Lancaster, 2nd; Lindsay Knoebel, Helenville, 3rd; Bryce
Iverson, OcontoFalls,
4th and Elizabeth Jennings, Milton,
5th.Maria Alvarado topped
the division for 17- to 21-year-olds.
Diversity was the name of the game as twenty-two
breeds of sheep were entered in the Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival’s sheep
shows, and quality was the common thread throughout each of the shows. The
shows had a total of 439 sheep exhibited, compared to 438 in 2006, notes Sheep
Superintendent Barb Bishop of Rio.
Breeding sheep totals were up compared to
2006, but participation in the Open Market Lamb Show was down by half, with
just 26 entries.With 68 entries, the
Midwest Shetland Sheep Show had the largest breed show.
Of the 155 entries in the Open Wool Breeds
Show, Border Leicester breeders had the largest show, with a total of 29 white
and colored Border Leicesters, followed by the Lincoln breeders, with 23 white and colored Lincolns.
With 44 entries from 11 breeders, the
Southdown breed dominated the Open Meat Breeds Show, which drew 109 sheep.Hampshires followed with 19 entries.
The Junior Wool Breeds Show featured 10
breeds and a total of 51 entries, with Icelandics
having the greatest participation—10 head—followed by Columbia, natural Colored
and Shetland breeds, each having nine head in their shows.
The Junior Meat Breeds Show had just seven
breeds represented, but had a total of 98 sheep.Of those, 44 were Southdowns,
followed by Hampshires, with 20 head.
Open Wool Breeds Show
In the Open Wool Breeds Show,
Judge Rob Zelinsky of Brookings,
S.D., named a Colored Lincoln owned by James, Donna and
Nathan Lein, Arlington,
Iowa, as Supreme Wool Breed Ram.Reserve Supreme Wool Breed Ram honors went to
the champion Columbia ram owned by the Ralph Giorno
family of Whitewater.The Supreme Wool
Breed Ewe honors went to a Border Leicester owned by Deakin
Family Farms, Cuba,
Ill., and the Reserve Supreme
Wool Breed Ewe honors went to a Colored Lincoln exhibited by Mohr Lincolns of Danvers,
Ill.
In the Open Wool Breeds Show, top exhibitors by breed were:
Border Leicester--Champion
Ram, Jolene Staskal, Two Rivers; Reserve
Champion Ram, Deakin Family Farms, Cuba, Ill.; Champion
Ewe and Reserve Champion Ewe, Deakin; Flock, 1. Deakin, 2. Staskal, 3. Lora
& Jerry Valenta, TwoRivers, 4. Brian Seefeld,
Athens.
In the Open Meat Breeds Division, Judge
Christy Zelinsky, Brookings, S.D., awarded the Supreme
Champion Meat Breed Ram honors to a Southdown exhibited by John Jones of Rio, and a Hampshire
exhibited by Gary Klug took Reserve Supreme Meat Breed Ram honors.Jones also exhibited the Supreme Champion
Meat Breed Ewe, also a Southdown, and John, Jessica and Jordan Alf took Reserve
Supreme Champion Meat Breed Ewe honors with a Hampshire ewe.
Class winners in the Open Meat
Breeds Division by breed were:
Dorset--Champion
Ram, Dan Lansing, Spring Valley; Reserve Champion Ram & Reserve
Champion Ewe, J&H Sheep, John & Holly Bazille,
Baldwin; Champion Ewe, Lake Breeze Dorsets, Lynn
Blank, St. Paul, Minn.
Horned Dorset--Champion
Ram, J&H Sheep.
Hampshire--Champion
Ram and Reserve Champion Ewe, Highland Hampshires, Gary Klug, Denmark;
Reserve Champion Ram & champion Ewe, John, Jordan & Jessica Alf,
Edgerton.
Oxford--Champion Ram, Champion Ewe, Reserve
Champion Ewe & Flock, Laura & Andy Meyer, Watertown.
In the Open Market Lamb Show, Judge Rob Zelinsky awarded Grand Champion Market Lamb honors to a
crossbred exhibited by Paula Brant of Reedsburg.The Reserve Grand Champion Market Lamb was a
Hampshire exhibited by Jessica Alf of Edgerton.
Class champions by breed were:
Crossbred—Champion,
141 lbs., Paula Brant, Reedsburg; Reserve Champion – 14 lbs., Billy
Johnson, Delavan.
Senior Showmanship—Champion, John Alf, Edgerton; Reserve Champion,
John Jones, Rio.
Junior Wool Breeds Division
Turning to the Junior Wool Breeds Division, Judge Christy
Zelinsky named a Lincoln sheep exhibited by Kayli Mohr of Danvers, Ill., as the Supreme Champion Wool
Breed Ram.Mohr also exhibited Black
Lincolns that earned Reserve Supreme Champion Wool Breed Ram and Supreme
Champion Wool Breed Ewe honors.Morgan Zernicke of Wausau exhibited a Columbia that was named Reserve
Supreme Champion Wool Breed Ewe.
Winners by breed in
the Junior Wool Breeds Division were:
In the Junior Meat Breeds
Division, John Jones of Rio won double honors, winning both the Supreme
Champion Meat Breed Ram and Supreme Champion Meat Breed Ewe honors, both with
Southdown sheep.Lauren Ace of Stoughton earned Reserve
Supreme Champion Meat Breed Ram honors with her Suffolk, and John, Jordan and Jessica Alf of
Edgerton earned Reserve Supreme Champion Meat Breed Ewe honors with their
Hampshire sheep.
Class winners in this division
included:
Dorset--Champion
Ram & Champion Ewe, Robin Wittkopf,
Pewaukee.
Champions Hail from Wisconsin at the All-American Junior Show
Wisconsin Youth Share Spotlight at
All-American
by Jill Alf
Wisconsin
junior sheep exhibitors brought home five breed champion and reserve champion
awards, two “Top Gun” awards and four champion showmanship honors.Over 250 exhibitors from 22 states and 1075
head of sheep met at MichiganStateUniversity in East
Lansing, Mich., on July 6
through 8 for the 14th Annual All-American Junior Sheep Show.Eleven youth from Wisconsin
participated.
Katherine
Kuykendall, RichlandCenter,
competed in the Cheviot, Natural Colored and Montadale breed shows.In the Cheviot show, she had the first March
ram lamb that was named the show’s reserve champion ram.She also had the first and second yearling
ewes that were named the show’s champion and reserve champion ewes, and she had
the first-place February ewe lamb, March ewe lamb, young flock and best four
head of ewes.In the Natural Colored and
Montadale breed divisions, Kuykendall exhibited the first-place February ewe
lambs.Kuykendall also received a 2007
All-American Junior Show scholarship and, in the promotional contest
competition, she placed first in the ad layout contest.
In the Southdown
show, John Jones, Rio, exhibited the first- and
eighth-place yearling ewes, with the top ewe being named the show’s
champion.He had the second-place fall
ewe lamb, pair of ewes, young flock and best four head of ewes.He had the third January ewe lamb and the
fourth January ram lamb.In the
Southdown fleece competition, Jones had the champion and reserve champion
fleeces in both the ewe and ram divisions.Jones was awarded the Top Gun award in the Southdown show and placed
second in the judging contest and fourth in the show’s skillathon competition.In promotional contest competition, Jones had
the second-place photo and third-place essay and ad layout in his age division.
Also competing in
the Southdown show were Kelsi, Dathan
and KailenSmerchek,
Rosholt.Kelsi
showed the fourth-place yearling ewe, the third-place February ewe lamb, and
the ninth-place January ewe lamb.She
won fourth-place in the junior poster contest.Dathan exhibited the third-place February
ram.Dathan
was fourth in the beginner judging contest and ninth in the beginner skillathon
contest.In the promotional contest, Dathan was honored with the first-place logo and the
fourth-place photo.KailenSmerchek participated in the weekend’s Little Lamb
Camp.
In the Hampshire
show, John, Jordan
and Jessica Alf, Edgerton, exhibited the first-place February and March ram
lambs, and their February ram was named the show’s champion ram.They had the second and third yearling ewes,
second pair of yearling ewes, fifth January ewe lamb, second and third February
ewe lambs, second and fourth March ewe lambs and the second pair of ewe lambs,
young flock and best four head of ewes.Jessica Alf was awarded the show’s Top Gun award for the Hampshire
breed.In the promotional contest
competition, she also placed second in the logo and poster contests and third
in the photo and t-shirt design contests.Jordan Alf was chosen as a 2007 All-American Junior Show scholarship
recipient.
Also exhibiting in
the Hampshire show was Deanna Zernicke, Bonduel.Zernicke exhibited
the ninth and tenth January ewe lambs, the tenth pair of ewe lambs and the seventh
best four head of ewes.
Competing in the
Polled Dorset breed show, Mike Houfe, Milton
showed the first-place Polled Dorset October-November ram lamb and the
sixth-place March ewe lamb.Also
competing in the Horned Dorset breed show, Houfe had
the fourth-place yearling ewe, the second-place January ewe lamb and the
first-place senior ewe lamb and pair of ewe lambs.
Morgan Zernicke, Wausau,
exhibiting in the Columbia breed
show, had the first-place March ewe lamb, the second-place January ewe lamb and
pair of ewe lambs and the fifth-place yearling ewe.Zernicke won first
place in the intermediate poster contest.
In showmanship, Wisconsin
exhibitors have a long history of bringing home top honors, and this year was
no exception.John Alf won the
18-year-old showmanship division, John Jones won the 15-year-old division, and DathanSmerchek won the
11-year-old division.Katherine
Kuykendall placed second in the 18-year-old competition, Jessica Alf placed
third in the 12-year-old competition, Jordan Alf and KelsiSmerchek received fourth place in the 16- and
13-year-old divisions respectively, Morgan Zernicke
placed seventh in the 13-year-old division and KailenSmerchek placed in the top seven of the
seven-year-old and under showmanship division.In the team showmanship competition, John and Jordan Alf won the senior
division in team showmanship.
The 2008
All-American Junior Show will be held in Sedalia,
Mo., on July 4 to 6.Information on participating can be found on
the All-American Show website at www.allamericanjuniorshow.com.
New,
aspiring and seasoned dairy sheep farmers and artisanal
sheep milk cheese-makers from across North America
will gather to discuss dairy sheep farming and marketing at the 2007 Great
Lakes Dairy Sheep Symposium on November 1 - 3 in Guelph,
Ontario,
Canada..The annual symposium is sponsored by the Dairy Sheep Association of
North America (DSANA), and this year’s event is organized by the dairy sheep
producers of Ontario
and the Ontario Sheep Marketing Organization.
Sheep
dairy products are gaining popularity among U.S.
and Canadian consumers.Traditional
imported sheep milk cheeses like Feta, Roquefort, and Manchego
are being accompanied an array of prize-winning North American sheep milk
cheese originals.Because this industry
is in its infancy in North America,
the Great Lakes Dairy Sheep Symposium has become the industry’s primary source
of new technical information.
International and domestic researchers and veteran farmers will present
symposium workshops.The first day of
the symposium will focus on ideas, information and resources
to assist current and future producers in cost of production, marketing
strategies and nutrition of the lactating ewe.
Farm
tours will take place on the second day.The tour will feature a farm milking 500 ewes in a well-designed unit
with lots of good ideas for producers, a second smaller farm featuring a
rapid-exit parlor and a unique breed of sheep called the British Milk Sheep,
and a newly built plant processing sheep milk from the Ewenity
Dairy Cooperative.
The
final day will feature topics related to milking equipment and animal
health.Dr. George Fthenakis,
an international expert on sheep health from Greece,
will share his expertise in the best practices for udder health management and
production of quality milk.
The
symposium program, registration form and hotel information can be found at the
DSANA web site--www.dsana.org/--or by
contacting the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food & Rural Affairs
(phone-519/826-4047, fax-519-826-3442 or ag.info.omafra@ontario.ca).The registration fee is $185 (Canadian) per
person if paid by October 1 and $210 (Canadian) after October 1.Payment can be by check or credit card.Participants from outside Canada
need to be sure they have proper documentation for entering and leaving Canada.
Organizations and companies are encouraged to become sponsors and
exhibit at the symposium.Contact Mike Foran—519/826-4061 or michael.foran@ontario.ca--if
interested.