Katahdin Sheep will put Lamb back on the Menu
Franklyn Farm, situated Southwest of Mayerthorpe, Alberta, is a mixed farm with cows and Katahdin sheep. We share the farm work but sheep are my responsibility and Frank the cattle. Using big round bales during winter, the use of the tractor certainly is an asset for feeding. In the last few years it seems that drought, grasshoppers and then the final straw - BSE have made farming a real trial. The border still remains closed for entry to the US of sheep breeding stock even though we have opened it up to them. We are now exploring semen and embryo transplant procedures for the sheep.
Our surrounding area supports mostly gas, oil and lumber industries with Whitecourt, the largest major town growing rapidly in the last ten years. This is Boreal forest area and many farmers supplement, as we have done, our farm income with lumber, oil and pipeline revenues.
Our land is classed gray wooded, being mixed heavy to light clay type with lots of rocks. Our hay fields are rotated with oats, barley and canola. Frank has been successful in swath grazing early in the winter. Silage was made but the huge increases in fuel and fertilizer has us rethinking our methods of farming.
We try to be environmentally friendly on our land. We saw the natural enemies of the grasshopper thrive and multiply along with the grasshoppers until they were no longer a problem. Keeping the cattle out on the land longer returns more manure to the land. With the uncertain weather patterns that are becoming the norm, each year brings it's challenges.
Our main income has been from selling calves which are born March onwards. The Katahdin Sheep start lambing in January and again April or May to give a year round supply of lambs. Needless to say, spring is a busy time of year for both of us. Fortunately, like a lot of farmers, Frank has the ability to maintain the extensive collection of rusty iron that he calls machinery. Many items for sheep and cows have also been put together using a lifetime of collected "junk" and his expertise in welding. Frank's favourite magazine "Farm Show".
We enjoy the lifestyle and try and give the livestock the care and attention they deserve. It can be extremely cold some winters but both cow and sheep with wind breaks and good hay in front of them can do quite well. At least it is a dry cold - usually - and we don't usually get the depths of snow seen further East. Rain and wind can kill faster as I well know from my New Zealand farming experiences.
It took me a long time to get used to the winter when I arrived from New Zealand in 1982. Now I look forward to catching up on my spinning, weaving, writing, sewing and reading during the shorter work days. Frank was born here, just. His German father with his brothers came from near Gdanski in Poland to Canada in the early fifties and settled half a mile from where we now live. German was spoken at home so Frank can use it with our German visitors that have come to see the Katahdin sheep. Unfortunately, Frank was not taught to read German if you are writing to us.
Please take some time to browse through these pages and learn more about the Katahdin Sheep. It is my goal to see livestock cared for in a manner that is comfortable to them and it is usually best served through education and understanding of the animals needs. To this end I am happy to share my experiences and literature on raising and caring for Katahdins. I always advise prospective producers to get information from others in the areas they live in. I cannot tell you how to feed sheep in Ontario or the US. Mostly you need to determine what kind of market will suit you and your area.
Lynette 2008
| Franklyn Farm | History and care of Katahdin Sheep| Marketing | Recipes | Directory of Related Links |
Mail to: Lynette Kreddig
Box 486, Mayerthorpe,
Alberta, T0E 1N0 Canada
Phone/Fax: 780-786-4754
Email: Lynette Kreddig