The MSA is pleased to advise that after our consultation with the Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation (MASC) they have adjusted their programming so
As per MASC: Stocker Loans are an important aspect of MASC's direct lending. These loans assist producers by establishing short-term feeder livestock financing.

    This past June several of our board met with Minister Kostyshyn and Deputy Minister Barry Todd to ask for some key items to be considered with regards to the Manitoba Sheep Industry. Then and in follow up letters we presented these issues:

1)   West Hawk Biosecurity

Task force set up to develop a protocol to be implemented following a disease outbreak in Manitoba and the closure of the West Hawk Biosecurity border. A plan is necessary to direct producers on a process for marketing their sheep when the border is closed. We would like to be included on this task force. (Note *See article below on West Hawk Lake Zoning Initiative) 

2)   Predator Protection incentives and education
Guardian dogs have proven to be the most effective tool a producer can use to protect their sheep from predators such as coyotes. However, the costs associated with obtaining, training, and maintaining a 100 + pound companion animal is significant. A dog (often Pyrenese or Akbash) is most effective from the age of 2 - 10 years of age. Other provinces have incentives to assist with predation protection. We believe in being proactive rather than reactive which brings us to a third item, namely Livestock loss compensation. We would like to see an incentive program and educational support.

3)   Livestock replacement compensation

The existing MASC $175 compensation fee for breeder ewes is below replacement value. The sheep industry is growing, and the fact that ewes are valued by MASC below replacement cost, limits borrowing opportunities for existing and new producers. A recent News Release from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency has increased the compensation value from $300 to $825 for animals destroyed as a result of disease situations. (Press release was included for the Minister to review). We would appreciate a review and an increase in the value placed on replacement ewes.

4)   Slaughtering and interprovincial trade

Existing policy prohibits the sale of carcasses across provincial borders. We recognize that CFIA is in charge of the policy regarding the exporting of carcasses internationally and inter provincially, however, we would like to have the province initiate dialogue with CFIA regarding interprovincial exports to develop this substantial opportunity.

 

On October 15th,  we received this response from the Minister. Read Letter from Minister 

 

MASC Lending and Predation Values -

   This fall, after discovering a Zoning Initiative has been in process for the past 4 years, MSA initiated a meeting to learn more about the process and how it will impact our producers.

     A  zone is defined as a geographic area having a distinct animal health status.  During a serious outbreak of disease, the West Hawk Lake information may make it possible to very quickly zone Canada so that trade and business disruptions are minimized in the unaffected half of the country.
     A group of our directors met with Betty Green, Chair of the West Hawk Lake Zoning Committee to learn more about the Zoning Initiative that was established by the Canadian Animal Health Coalition to track and audit livestock movement across the Ontario - Manitoba border.  In the event of a highly contagious foreign animal disease outbreak, such as Foot and Mouth Disease, ready access to this information will permit a quick determination as to whether or not the disease has spread beyond Eastern or Western half of the country and will provide evidence to our trading partners that the unaffected half of the country is free of disease..   

     According to Betty Green, "should an outbreak occur, all animal movement will be stopped in order to get 'organized' and ensure there is an understanding of the situation." 

     "All animals susceptible to the disease are then held on a stop movement until the Canadian Food Inspection Agency determines the disease zone and the required buffer zones around infected animals/ farms. As the trace out proceeds the zones are shrunk until the disease is eradicated. The country or part of the country is declared disease free after the last out break or after determining that there has been no disease transmission to the zone of interest. The time frame is usually the incubation period for the disease (e.g. 21 days) after the last infected animal found."

    After meeting with Green, it was evident that this Committee has invested a considerable amount of time developing and implementing the process. This proactive approach has been taken to minimize damage to our livestock industries should an outbreak occur.  

     The sender (the producer or owner who initiates the movement) starts the process by developing a permit. Livestock haulers crossing the border must stop and declare what type of  livestock and how many they are carrying and their final destination. The paper required is minimal, however, the recipient of the livestock must report that the load has arrived with the animals as indicated on the permit.  

     This is a Summary of the Progress of the West Hawk Lake Zoning Initiative to date:

 

The West Hawk Lake Zoning Initiative is now in its final year. Project activities will be completed at the end of December 2012 with funding ending March 31, 2013. As with any program it is important to review the successes in order to develop next steps. This phase of the West Hawk Lake Zone Initiative and its stakeholders have realized several achievements:

* The development and start-up of the site and team that has operated on a 24/7 basis for 18 months. This includes field representatives whose role is to communicate and educate at the grass roots level to ensure maximum participation of stakeholders.

* Progress made by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) with

its United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) counterparts in ensuring recognition of zoning for both countries. This began with a formal evaluation of each other's veterinary infrastructure..

* Recognition of zoning decisions in the event of a highly contagious FAD outbreak in either country is identified as a Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) priority.  An arrangement between the CFIA and the USDA is expected to be signed to that effect in the near future.

* Progress by the CFIA on a traceability amendment to the Health of Animals Regulation including mandatory livestock movement reporting for zoning.

* There is commitment by the Industry-Government Advisory Committee

to resolve discrepancies between provincial premises identification

numbers and national service providers. This will benefit zoning and national traceability movement recording.

* AAFC trade negotiators are raising the profile of zoning with their US trade counterparts.

 Read more about the  Zoning Initiative Process. 

 

    The Animal Industry Branch of Manitoba Agriculture and Food is reminding livestock producers to be careful in negotiating any sales of livestock, particularly from the farm gate. Any person who is buying livestock must possess a valid Livestock Dealer or Agents License issued by Manitoba Agriculture and Food, unless the buyer intends to keep the animals for at least 30 days. Individual order buyers and auction marts must have a dealers license. Abattoirs that are not exclusively custom slaughtering should have a dealers license.

Although direct sale from the farm is a viable marketing alternative, sellers should be assured of security of payment when negotiating transactions. All licensed dealers and their agents must carry a valid pocket license and produce it upon request. If an unknown buyer comes into the yard, demand to see their license before continuing with the sale.

     All advertisements to buy livestock must include the information that the dealer is licensed and the license number.

     The purpose of the Livestock Dealers and Agents Licensing Regulation is to protect sellers from payment defaults by the buyers. Licensed dealers are required to carry bond coverage. The level of coverage is determined by the volume of livestock they sell on an annual basis. If a default occurs, sellers can make a claim against the dealers bond to recover full or partial value of the livestock. Read more about the reason to use Licensed Sellers. 

 

Licensed Dealer List  

 

    This year's show and sale was very well attended this past August 2012 in the new Rivers Recreation complex.
     David Hunt, MAFRI Traceability Coordinator gave a slide show on opening night that indicates the procedure followed by the government in the case of a disease outbreak. Hunt educated us on the value of Premise ID's should an outbreak take place.
      An outbreak will affect the entire Manitoba sheep industry, but this can be minimized if the area can be contained quickly and effectively. If the government has knowledge of each species living on each farm, adjacent farms that can be impacted can quickly be notified and the outbreak can be contained. We urge you to call your MAFRI office or contact Heather Martens -  NEW Traceability Coordinator at 

204-945-4222 or heather.martens@gov.mb.ca to get your mandatory Premise ID application. They take only a couple of minutes to complete and all that is required is your name, legal land description, the type and amount of livestock on your property. 

    On the Saturday, our show and sale brought in lots of spectators and bidders - 100 + (including hockey players and their families at the rink who were very interested in seeing the sheep)! These were the average prices obtained:

Ram Lamb Sale AVG	Yearling Ram Sale AVG	Ewe Lamb Sales AVG	Pen of 2 AVG
$428 AVG	$390 AVG	$250 AVG	$177.50 AVG

A listing of the Junior winners is posted on our website. Special thanks to Show & Sale Coordinator Sarah Lewis who put in many long hours organizing the event.

     The sixth annual Mountainview Fall Breeding Stock Sale was a successful event once again this year, with the largest junior exhibit ever. There were 17 junior shepherds who took part with many others joining in the judging event who had not necessarily had experience with sheep before. Bethan Lewis was the top scoring individual in the Betty Wallace Accumulative Points Challenge. There were mostly new participants this year; the youngest being Benny Fox at age 2. Pat and Clifford Flynn of Makinak provided a lovely trophy which was presented to Bethan as an acknowledgement of her high scoring. Stourieknowe Texels, owned by Ken and Agnes McLaren donated a shepherd crook for the winning show person, who was, once again, Bethan Lewis.

     The judge was Chris Walwin of Crandall, Manitoba. Read more about the Mountain View Show & Sale.

Renewal Update

 

     The CSF continues its work towards securing a stable funding source to ensure a vibrant and profitable future for the Canadian sheep industry. Enabling the industry to become self-sustaining will provide the funds and flexibility to rethink the CSF as an organization and develop a robust Canadian sheep industry strategy that will:

• Establish and make known the value of the Canadian Sheep Industry nationally;
• Develop the sheep production knowledge base;
• Develop the financial autonomy to make decisive and producer based decisions;
• Gather all of the sheep industry players around the table to establish an ongoing and consensual path for the Canadian Sheep industry and;
• Measure the impact of each and every activity on the overall industry

    Given the diversity across Canada, the CSF is committed to a flexible implementation approach. As such, work has begun with each province individually to determine the best path forward in terms of implementing a $0.25 fee that will be collected when ear tags are sold.

     The fee will be collected at the sale of tags in lieu of provincial members paying dues to the CSF.

 

Fasinex and Fasinex 240 - for Liver Fluke

Available through your veterinarian - EDR required

90 day withdrawal required for sheep & goats

 

    Currently there is no product registered for use in Canada and there are no plans by Novartis to pursue a Minor Use Minor Species claim due to the regulatory burden and other company priorities. However, it is available if you have your veterinarian request an Emergency Drug Release (EDR).

    The active ingredient in Fasinex is triclabendazole which is a very effective drug (nearly 100% efficacy against early immature, immature and mature stages of liver fluke in cattle, sheep, etc.).

     Your veterinarian can apply for an Emergency Drug Release to the Veterinary Drug Directorate (VDD) to access Fasinex and Fasinex 240. Multiple producers can be on the EDR to reduce the cost of purchasing the product. The Canadian government, recognizing the need for Fasinex, is allowing Novartis to stockpile the product in Canada - making it possible for one to receive the product quickly. Novartis produces Fasinex in the United Kingdom so having a supply in Canada shortens the shipping time considerably.

    Bill Paulishyn, President of the Manitoba Goat Association noted the quick turnaround for his purchase this spring. "Dr. Ken Johnson submitted an EDR with about 30 names on it, including mine. He submitted it and we had the EDR approval in just over 24 hours. Dr. Johnson received the Fasinex for us in just over a week. Bill noted that Fasinex 240 is a 24% solution - stronger than Fasinex (100).

    There is a Maximum Residue Limit (MRL) established in Europe (EU) but since Fasinex is not registered in Canada, there is zero (0) tolerance for residue. The withdrawal period for the use of Fasinex through the EDR program is 90 days. If the animals are slaughtered before the waiting period is done and the product is discovered in meat it may trigger a recall so it is very important to observe the withdrawal period and the dosage as established by your veterinarian.

     Veterinarian Dr. Neil Versavel suggests that producers supiscious of fluke related deaths should contact their veterinarian and have it confirmed on post-mortem. "It is an easy diagnosis to make and if any flukes are located they should be sent in to the Provincial Ag Lab in 70% alcohol or a buffered formalin for positive identification of the fluke. The more recorded cases of fluke related deaths that we can accumulate, the stronger our case for the licensing of the drug in Canada." He also noted, "right now I think there are a fair number of animals dying from flukes that are not being identified. Producers should be suspicious of flukes if they are having healthy adult animals die suddenly for no apparent reason, especially if they have been grazing in low lying areas frequented by deer.  Usually these deaths occur in early winter, but they can occur as early as late summer or early fall. It is oftened stated that the problem is mainly in southeastern Manitoba, but I have diagnosed two cases within the Interlake from animals of Interlake origin.

I encourage all producers to vaccinate using 8-way instead of 7-way Clostridial vaccines since animals from infected areas usually die because of a Clostridium hemolytica infection."  

 

    

     Director Henry Nelson engaged over a dozen groups of Grades 4 - 6 students in a conversation about the food chain and education about sheep and their predators. This event is held at the University of Manitoba Glenlea Research Station (just south of Winnipeg) every September and is organized by Ag in the Classroom.
     Students loved answering questions and especially loved watching the sheep burp up their food and start to chew again. Henry made sure they learned the term 'ruminate'!

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     Jodie Pennington, a small ruminant specialist with Lincoln University will be coming to the Manitoba Rancher's Forum this year! Jodie has 17 years of experience with the cooperative extension service working with goats, sheep and the dairy industry. He was also a professor of dairy and goats in the animal science section with the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service in Little Rock prior to moving to Lincoln University. He has worked with goats and sheep for a total of over 35 years, primarily with dairy goats in the early years and mostly with meat goats. Jodie also has worked with sheep for over 20 years.

     His daughters were active in showing market lambs when they were in 4-H, and he has worked with youth in several areas, including judging market and breeding shows.
      "Small ruminants such as sheep and goats work well on both large and small farms but are especially adapted to small farms as they require limited facilities and are safer to handle than larger animals--which is important for young children and older adults," said Pennington. Sheep and goats can also use forage and other vegetation on the farm that is otherwise a negative resource that has to be mowed and maintained, a time-consuming and costly endeavour with high equipment and gas prices. Jodie will be discussing grazing systems for small ruminants specifically at the forum.

     Pennington says a person can make a good return on their investment with small ruminants if they have good management and plan their production and marketing activities well. One word of warning: Small ruminants require greater management than beef cattle but do have more potential for profits with good management.  

Attend the Conference - Earlybird Registration is until Nov 15th, 2012.

 

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