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By LORI UIIEN If The Examiner Talk to anyone in Simcoe County or across the province who knows abotit sheep anti the word is that interest in sheep raising has skyrocketed in the past few years In Simcoe ounty statistics have yet to prove this point The number of sheep in the county has actually dropped from almost 16000 in 1071 to 11000 in 1070 to approximately 10000 in 1978 There are 204 farms with sheep and there were 200 in 1071 Meanwhile the number of sheep one year aiitl older in Ontario iiicreasetl from 77000 in 1077 to 83000 in 1078 Don Stephenson sheep specialist for the ministry of agriculture and food says he cant account for the decrease in Simcoe County since the rest of the counties showed an in crease He suspects the renew ed interest in sheep has not yet been reflected in the statistics and says 1070 will be the fur naround year with statistics showing the large number of farmers turning to sheep rats ing as profitable business Ontario is now the major sheep producer in anada climbing ahead of Alberta says Steve lalson assistant agricultural representative for North Simcoe Simcoe tounty is the second highest prodiicei in the province next to trey County There are several reasons why area farmers are taking close look at the sheep industry Stephenson says that the initial investment is low compared to investments by cattle farmers Because sheep grae close together and are very efiicieiit grazers less land is required ess feed is needed with sheep feeding grass all summer and hay all winter The animals are Cheaper to buy than cattle Market values for lamb have increased with producers get ting between 00 aiitl 07 cents per pound at public stockyards tip from approximately TS cents last year Stephenson says the price increases are in line with beef and hog price increases hilt are helping to make sheep production look like good enterprise SIITli MARKET Dalstiii says sheep iariiiei cater to the Easter market and the ethnic trade He explains lot of lambs are sold to people of European origin who con sunie far more lamb than North Americans particularly at Easter time Many county larmers sell lambs directly from their farms to customers who come north from Toronto Not only are sheep valiiahle for their meat but it well taken care of may bring in prize iiiotiey at shows and minimal income from the sale of wool Sheep are adaptable animals lalson says and can be raised without going to pasture This confinement process has often been used extensively in the past because larmers fotiiid the money earned from the sheep did not pay tor the buildings they were housed in hcsays The cheapest way to keep an animal is still outside lalson says Bob towan president of the Simcoe touiity federation of agriculture says sheep do well on land unsuitable tor production or cattle graing oi which there is plenty in county Stephenson whose principle function as sheep specialist is acting as consultant tor farmers who wish to enter the sheep raising business says sheep larmers can do as well as cattle farmers depending on tlieirilock dairy farmer may gross siioooo per year and end tip with $1000 it lies lucky whitt sheep tarmcr may gross only LIlllll the $21000 and end up with the same amount he says The majority of people enter mg into sheep farming are beef farmers who want to make change Stephenson says He says lot of back tti the land types are also showing in terest in raising sheep and the number of parttune female sheep farmers is increasing steadily lie attributes this to the sire of the animals which makes them easy to handle The fact that there are no morning milkings to worry about only twice daily feedings of hay also attracts people to the business Sheep raising definitely has its problems and Stephenson is the first to point them out to prospectiy sheep larmers malior problem is that people think sheep can look after themselves and they cant he says They need at tcntion By far the biggest headache for sheep raisers is predators ltogs and wolves climb over even the best fences and kill or damage animals towan says fences for cattle can be merely two or three strands of barbed wirewhile shccp fences must betopquality lredators can scrously hurt business as tarl Miller lift llillsdale totind out firsthand sheep larmci first it the ear ly 1000s and then from In to 107 Miller claims his business wasdestroyed by dogs He says in the old days when dog wandered where his sheep were graitiL he knew he could shoot it and the iarmcr who owned the dog would understand and not complain Now many oi the old larmers are gone he says and lit lllt place tlt lo tit traiisplaiicd city people ltilllTltSIl They dont understand oui way oi lite hcsays lointtng gun at llltll dog is like pom ting It at oiicot tlicii kids He says he lost many animals because he as not on the farm fullrtime to look after his flock when predators would attack After an attack livestock evaluator would come and assess the damage btit Miller said he would never be reinr bursed for the full price of lost animal and he lost money There was also hidden damage caused by dogs and wolves Miller says sheep are timid animals and the predators would often scare the ewes anti turn them into won ried sheep non producing mothers tutn if the cues did get pregnant they were so frightened by dogs and wolves they would abort The municipalities say farmer may shoot log it it is near his flock but shooting neiglibors dogs did not make liller very well liked person in the community he says After years ot headaches he decided tocall it quits It it wasnt for the dogs Id be right back in the business Miller says You never forget the little lambs theres just soincthingabout them lratlitionally sheep farmers have never lieci very orgaiiitd is group There are provin cial and federal orgainations but no group inSimcoetounty Sheep raisers are funny type oi tarnicr ltalson says Sheep have always been look ed upon as lll eytra part oi the larin ltlllllt sideline littlstiit is lit tllt process of searching out sheep iariiicrs in North Simcoe and finding out what their problems are He says sheep larmers must get into their business ill big gci way Ilock sics have already increased trom the traditional tI to to cites to well oycr ltttt he and sheep iarmcrs ari gctting the attcii two they never had litioic now that pcoplt are starting to see their liyclihood proiitalilc ltlllllts Silys Raising sheep way of life for George and Irene Mil MINESth Stafit Itsnot the money that keeps ieorge and Irene Miles in the business of raising sheep Its known fact that sheep farmers make living but are generally not the wealthiest farmers around For the Miles raising sheep is not just livelihood its way of hie Their farm located on the llth concession in Vespra lownship has had sheep grazing on it since before the turn of the century when Mrs Miles grandparents bought their first Shropshire And it makes the Miles very happy to know that their daughter and her husband are moving back to the farm from Sudbury in the near future to carry on the family tradition Miles enjoys every aspect of raising sheep llt feeds his flock which usually numbers about 70 twice daily makes sure the animals are well watered and leaves block of salt out for them to lick to maintain the innitrat balance in the blood Two weeks before lambing he feeds them oats for healthier milk He watches them closely to guard agains pneumonia an if lness common to sheep if they get soaked anti are not properly dried Lambs must be ill noculafed for white muscle disease which is similar to ar thritis in humans within few days of their birth He also has his flock treated for stomach worms three times yearly ALTIMN IIINi Sheep mate each autumn and the ewes are pregnant for five months When the lambs are born Miles keeps the ewe and her offspring separate from the others for little while to protect the newborn He says he could put an ewe in pen with 20 lambs and she would recognize her own iminediac ly Income from sheep raising come from three sources selling the animals wool shows and selling the sheep at the market or to breeder Each spring Milts has his sheep shorn puts the wool in bags anti takes in to mill in Blythe near Lake Iluron lle ays $125 for cacti sheep shorn here is an average of eight pounds of fleece per animal and he receives 30 cents pound Miles considers his pay ment cheap when wool is bought in retail stores for $150 pound few years ago all the Wool he sold would pay feed costs for the year btit that is no longertrue Selling his sheep in public stockyard in Toronto brings him between 00 cents and one dollar pound and it he sells purebred for breeding pur poses he can command light ly higher price BEST PART The best part of raising sheep for Miles is going to fairs and showing lllt litl oi his tlock Showing just gets lli your blood he says Last year the went to iairs across the province He says shows are the best form ot advertisingforshecpfarmers Judges look at the tllllt animal he explained The wool must havc good ciiiiip or wave and be oily ltry wool is lifeless he says and indicates an unbalanced diet The animal must be well groomed and trimmed behave well and stand upright Shropsliires and Southrlowiis are the only lyttltls oi sheep Miles raises tor the siiiiplc reason that they always been on the tarm and hes grown accustomed to them He says lllt most poptil ii sheep in ttiitario is Siiitolk because they tend toward larger lamb and heavy sheep Fortunately lilcs hasnt lost sheep in three years to dogs or wolves and considers lltlllstll lucky lrcdators are his big Qtsl worry tlts lit Hiys lll go fllltl one animal and kill it ltogs ill ittack several Just for the inn til it He says the dogs are generally average houstdogs and travel llt pairs My fence won stop tliciii llt says and they pctriiy the animals Illtilllh lfllttillIIIICI Miles highly recommends sheep raising to anyone on sidtiing tarming He says GS breeding ewe can be purchased for about 315000 and farmer can start otit with three or tour animals and grow llc rccoin llitlltls piirtlirtds tin his small farm of 30 acres he has ilock Ill ltiti There is quick turnover he says licii the lambs are five months old they can be sold And in the past five years the market price liastloubled Apart from the business aspect oi raising sheep Miles loves the animals They each hayc individual personalities to him and both llt and his ilt get attachedtoiliciiieasily lt been around sheep all my litc ll lilcs says it wouldnt seem right without them George Miles helps one of his newborn lambs with its first feeding fgétf £Z Simcoe County is now the second largest sheep producer In the province next to Grey County and Ontario has pulled ahead of My IIRI Ii KIIR lllttltNlttN lot of peo plc today are qtiite unaware of what goes on in modern hog barn remarks Will Nap oi Napri harms ltd it It No Thornton Many people still think of hog farming as mean ing lot of hard work and dirt drab surroundings no sticntii ic approach inst likc theold days They would have surprise Indeed they would have surprise Napri larins is limited company operated by Will and tarol Nap of Thornton and finger and Joanne ltix oi Stroiid Nap looks alter the hog operation itself where ltlllllll ed and thirty farrowiiig sows are kept lhe majority ot lllt resulting piglets arc sold as wtaiicrs though about iooo year are kept through to market sue the original barn on the farm with stone foundation is refinished to house the dry sows The new barn built in 15970 serves as the farrowini and nursery barn The first thing one becomes awareot when visiting the farm is the No Admittance sign at the door This is not an anti social sign it pist assures that no iiiiautlioried tSlltil in adyeiteiitly enter the barn and expose lllt pigs to tilllltlt coii lfllllllllilltilltilltltllftitst Napri the old adage an ounce oi prevention is worth pound ot cure is really taken to heart Visitors to the farm must not enter the barns without permission and when they do they must put on rub tier boots and coveralls proyid ed at the bum tor the purpose ind dip their booted feet in strong solution of disiniectaiit If the visitors have come than another farm they must also take shower before going into the nursery and iarrowiiig barns Itlltltl IIt llic larrowing barn in single storey stch sided struc turc with central corridor running the length oi the building with several rooms aloiigeaclisitfeiorthcdiiiercnt stage of the pig raising opera tion all completely tltisttl oti lroin each other tiitlowed doors allow the pigs to be observed and checked at any time of the day or night itlioiit need for entering the rooms and disturbing the pigs lltl necessarily In each iarrow iiig room there are rectangular pens sur rounded by easy to sanitic iigitl steel wire fences IIacli pen holds one sow and brood of 12 or more squealing piglets After they have nursed tsevcral time dayi they can retreat under crawl space to one side warmed by infrared electric lamps where there is no danger of them being laid on anti crush ed by the mother sow It was quite sight to seell saucy little piglets all jostling along the side of their mother stilltitlltlL and oinking as they got their fill at the bountiful pigateria When sow disturbed her brood to rise and cat or get drink the chorus of complaints was quite laughable There is no guesswork here Each sow is accompanied bv record lypical is Sow No Llaii in her record its ritteii that this is her iiltli litter She was bred Sept 33 The sire was liantlrace boar named Lanny llxpected larrowing date laii it 1070 Actual larrowingdate Jan 10 liittcr given iron injec tionlan 22 The sows at this farm have an aVerage gestation period of 110 days and No 253 was right on this schedule The earlier gestation and expected time of Hit days is noted to be sure that each sow is brought into the far rowiiigbarii iiiaiiiplctiiiie KIIS Ill2K harrowing is considered to take week and the little pigs remain with their mother total oi about month during which llltit they receive iron in icctions have their ears notch ed tor identification according to llltii mother and half the tail removed to picyent the pro blcm oi tail biting ltccausc the llttlt tlils are born out ot pri natal tciiiiwriturc oi 10 dcgrct tlic iarrowing rooms aic maintained by electric heatci and heat lamps at tciiiliiaturc oi degrees to avoid shock when the mother sow itiiioyctl it iariowing tune the lilllt pigs rciiiaiii tor iiioliei week in lllt itiiiowiiifl pen Eye teeth are also rcinoy edat tliistiinc from the iarrowiiig barn the Hill pigs are remoycd to the wciinci room where they spend another month before they are sold as weaiicrs or lltt go to the ltillgtlltlli barn wliirc they are raised to market sic lllttl the lciiialcs ot illllsi oi lfllsttl is titcttlltit sows lit the tilitl room they are negotiated tttiittlilti ltt tx litcatiw lllt barrows of male pity grow wiiicwliat itisici tlittti llt tllts lti thcy iit iiiitlliitl iitiiltlilli lit slt Sttlll ltoo watt tlttlltt littitcis maintain constant tciiipciatuic rttlll tltllitl and interior wt oi the train and the lit itiyidual rooms are stccl tttltll toi durability and because itseasy tosaiiiticand will not harbor coiitiiiiniition The walls are filled with lolii llltllts oi iibci glass insulation the ttlltlli with six inches to keep the barn warm ill lilltl and thereby save electricity whitt itllllllllllll good vciitila tion and to keep the barn cooler in summer lhcr niostatically controlled electric fans are set to come on at live degree intervals assuring closely regulated and constant temperature while maintaining lioodventilation unique tcaturc til the finishing burn for llll bigger pigs is sprinkler system where the pigs can cool off in the hot summerweather LIKE KIDS The pigs like this as much as kids like an old swimming hole says Nap It is really amusing to see the pigs irolick liig lllltltl the spray tit water We installed the system last year and it really works It keeps the pigs cool as well as spotlesst clean time per cent slope at the back of the back to back pens used by the pigs as hathrooin area at the opposite end to their feeding and sleeping areas giavitates the animal waste into deep narrow gutters with covered tops lhese lioltl twodays supply of waste When they are almost full slide gate at the end ol the trunk gttt tcr is pulled and everything stirred up by stationary baffles along the gutters rushes out in totlielioltliiigtank llillt the holding tank the It qtiiticd waste is pumped over Iiito huge concrete storage tank 00 feet across and 30 feet tleepaiitlholdingZiiiti000gallons or years production ttiice year in the sinnnier after two days of recirculation the waste is pumped into 3000 gallon spreader tanks pulled by iti tractors Distributor bars otit from the tank drops the iiitrogenrricli liquid manure betweentlie rows of corn and deeptillage cultivator pulled the axamlner Tuesday Feb 1979 Alberta as the molar sheep producer in the country Rising prices for lamb are one reason why more farmers are turning to sheep raising as profitable enterprise Examiner Photos Comfort of pigs considered at Napri behind immediately buries it to trap all the fertilizer value It takes less than three minutes to load iooo gallons of liquid manure gastight concrete silo it feet in diameter and 73 feet high is used to store high moisture shelled corn grown on the farm As required the corn is automatically unloaded from the silo and fresh milled daily and mixed with additional barley and highprotein pre mix and fedyd ry ESSENIIAI MINERALS Essential minerals and vitamins include iron zinc selenimum salt phosphorous calcium iodine and vitamins It and Selenium prevents Vitamin deficiency The breeding stock includes purebred Yorkshire Landrace and Iurock boars rossr breetling lhybridizingl results in pigs with exceptionally fast economical growth rates lot of factors are involved in the production of top qtiality pork emphasises Mr Nap These include good manage ment good records good breeding good feeding good housing and not least the pro viding of good environment and paying attention to the comfort and ACllAlHtllL of the animals There is lot more to pork production today than meets the eye Will Nap manager and coowner of Napri Forms Ltd Thornton holds one of brood of l4weekold piglets born in the controlled environment of the forrowing barn ti Mrs Robert Easton correctly identified last weeks entry in the Know Your County Contest as the Mldhurst United Church and wins two steaks courtesy of and Super Discount in Barrie Angus or Alliston if you know the answer to this weeks entry send your name and address and telephone number along with your entry to Know Your County Contest The Examiner Box 370 Barrie HM 4T6 Examiner Photo Winners are selected by random draw of all correct answers and will be notified by mail CALa Anyata