Reading Time: < 1 minute Provincial live lamb prices reported by Statistics Canada show an annual decrease in 2022 compared to 2021 for all provinces except Alberta, says Ann Boyda, provincial livestock market analyst with the Alberta government. “Alberta average live weight price was reported at $242.44 per hundredweight for 2022, up 4.7 per cent from 2021. Ontario has normally […] Read more
Alberta bucks trend in live lamb prices
Préval Ag plant and feedlot purchase seen as positive for the sector
Lamb sector roiled by fall of major player
Mounting losses sink company that was going to revolutionize the lamb business
Reading Time: 4 minutes Lamb producers in Alberta are facing a sea of uncertainly after a company that hailed itself as the future of the sector went into creditor protection owing more than $50 million. The two big questions are whether the massive flock owned by North American Lamb Company (NALCO) will flood the market and send prices into […] Read more
Lamb company had big ambitions but was never profitable
North American Lamb Company had an innovative business plan but expenses always exceeded sales
Reading Time: 3 minutes The North American Lamb Company (NALCO) started with lofty goals — and some sharp criticism of the sheep sector — when it was launched in 2018. “I will tell you right now that the sheep business, in my opinion, is a dysfunctional and declining business and I’m not saying that solely about the Canadian business,” […] Read more
Consult vet when newborn sheep and goats die
If a common infectious agent is the cause, steps can be taken to reduce the risk
Reading Time: < 1 minute Outbreaks of abortions and stillbirths in sheep and goats, and deaths in newborn lambs and kids, can have severe economic impact on a farm’s profitability. With the help of their veterinarian, producers can identify common infectious causes of abortions, stillbirths and deaths in newborn lambs and kids. This will allow the producer to take preventive […] Read more
Sherwood Park man invents new cattle tracker with multiple uses
Wireless rumen bolus can track cattle and other livestock and also measure their temperature to predict sickness or fertility cycles
Reading Time: 2 minutes It all started with a simple idea. Neil Helfrich, a Sherwood Park inventor, had a moment of inspiration when his wife brought home a puppy in 2007. The dog had a microchip implant, which identifies the animal but can’t track it if it runs away. A device able to do the latter, Helfrich realized, would […] Read more
A big bet on Alberta’s lamb sector
The Alberta processor has spent $8.5 million on a new feedlot and plant expansion
Reading Time: 4 minutes Is Alberta’s sheep industry ready for expansion? That’s the debate circulating in livestock circles this fall. On the one hand, there is the bold development of Sungold Meats. On the other is a somewhat cautious group of producers. The Alberta processor is betting two major projects along with pricing incentives will boost production in the […] Read more
Trade mission to Turkey opens doors
Need to upgrade cattle, sheep and goat genetics offers opportunities for Alberta companies
Reading Time: 2 minutes A provincial trade mission to Turkey has identified significant opportunities for Alberta in the areas of sheep and goat genetics, live cattle and cattle genetics, pulses, pet food, and agriculture-focused post-secondary education and training. The Alberta delegation included OC Flock Management (a Bowden-based company specializing in small ruminants’ reproductive technologies and genetics), ITS Global (a […] Read more
Lamb producers tallying the cost of coyote predation
Coyotes are classed as pests, and so producers receive no compensation for lost livestock
Reading Time: 4 minutes It’s always a nightmare when a sheep producer goes out into the yard and sees that an animal has been ripped apart by predators. “Some years are worse than others,” said Bill Gibson, a sheep producer near Bashaw. “We did lose 25 lambs one year in a short period of time, and that was very […] Read more
New carcass evaluation system key to moving lamb industry forward
An accurate evaluation system would be a basis for providing economic incentives for high quality
Reading Time: 2 minutes A key issue with Canadian lamb is the lack of homogeneity among lamb carcasses, resulting in inconsistent size of meat cuts. This is a challenge for retailers and restaurants as they strive to offer a consistent quality product to their customers. This challenge could be solved, in part, with an improved carcass evaluation system, something […] Read more
Not a baa-d idea: Sheep to replace lawn mowers in Edmonton cemetery
Lawn-munching sheep have become an institution — and tourist attraction — in Fort Saskatchewan
Reading Time: 3 minutes If Brian McDonald’s vision comes to fruition this year, St. Stephen’s Cemetery in north Edmonton will be maintained by four-legged, woolly grass eaters instead of lawn mowers. McDonald, sales manager for the cemetery, wants to use sheep to graze part of the 40-acre burial ground. “We have to do quite a bit of maintenance on […] Read more
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