Katahdin Sheep will put Lamb back on the Menu
Marketing lambs straight from the farm - If you are thinking of getting into raising sheep for sale, you need to first decide what and where your market will be. Your location may help that decision in that if you are near a city it will be easy to find buyers of fresh premium lamb straight from your farm. Maybe your workplace can provide many such interested consumers. Or you may have a Farmer's Market you can attend with your product.
Selling lamb direct from your farm to the consumer is a great way to move a lot of lamb if you have the time to do it this way. You will need to deliver the lamb to a provincial inspection facility and then pick up the product afterwards and deliver immediately or store in a specially licensed refrigerator/freezer. You need to be able to deal with a variety of customers some wonderful and some not so great. You also need to be able to deal with the occasional dissatisfied customer who may or may not have got a bad taste from your product.
It is imperative in this market that the product is safe to eat. There must be no bruising, vaccination lumps, abscesses or anything that can turn the stomach of a consumer. This means you pay particular attention to where you give shots, use only veterinary approved medications and observe withdrawal times. Any lamb sold by you is a reflection of how you farm and of course directly traceable to you by the consumer.
Frost the Kuvas (below) and Allie the Pyrenees look after the sheep. You can see by Frost's tail thumping away that he just loves his job and takes
it very seriously. I know we couldn't have sheep without the dogs to look after them. And they do it without killing the coyotes but by their presence and intimidation.
Marketing through the auction or direct to packers - There are a fair number of auctions held throughout Canada each month for the sale of small livestock - sheep and goats. While this can be handy for the ethnic trade it is in my opinion not a good place to sell Katahdins. They are not popular in the feedlots where an aggressive feeder lamb is wanted and they are perceived to be a slow finisher or not as desirable at the packers. This is due to a discount on the lamb being paid for the lack of a wool hide to sell afterwards. Crossing Katahdin ewes with another breed can overcome some of that and produce a faster growing lamb. Finding a feedlot that needs the out of season lambs may be possible but it is far better to finish your own lambs. At the present there is a shortage of lambs and you would have no trouble selling whatever you can produce for a good price.
Since Katahdin producers have no shearing expenses which add with a shortage of good shearers and costs for labour and bags we can eliminate those costs from production. Wool is paying an all time low at present so there is little return. Finish your own lambs and sell direct to a plant such as Sunterra. You should castrate and remove tails on the young lambs and know how and what to feed for finishing the lambs. You should contact a buyer at Sunterra to see if they are looking for more lambs well in advance. Sunterra has their own feedlots and they also buy from the US and may bring in New Zealand or Australian lamb if the lamb price gets too high here. If you do get a date to bring them in please don't abuse it by not turning up. They need to fill a kill quota and next time you will not be given a date. Although traceability is done with a unique ID tag when livestock leave your farm, a consumer is not going to have access to that information. Sunterra will however and they will reject any of the before mentioned problems and also lambs with canine tapeworm cysts. They have some great publications you can ask for. Sunterra also has a grading system of payout and will quote you a 100% price per pound rail. If your lambs are graded above 100% and Katahdin lambs usually are, then you receive the extra percent. For selling by liveweight this is not possible.
Selling directly to a restaurant - This is what I do for the most part although I have direct customers also. Since I am not close to a major city or Farmer's Market it has proven to be a reliable outlet. There is a lot of work each month sorting, weighing and trying to keep a year round supply. I also use Full Course Strategies to take care of the processing cuts and marketing end. Since my product is name branded with my farm, it is imperative that my product is top notch.
Showing - If you want to sell breeding stock, you will need to let people know you are doing so. Going to shows is a good way to do this. Here in Alberta the Calgary Stampede is in early July. Agribition in Regina Saskatchewan is also being well attended by a great group of producers with 95 Katahdins in 2006 show. The CKSA AGM is held during this show.
Association Meetings - A group of interested producers got together and formed the Alberta Katahdin Sheep Association. We try to meet during the summer for a BBQ, ram sale and or information day. Being on our website and included in inquiries will also get the word out. It is amazing how much you can share and find out when we get together and trade management stories.
Exporting - As mentioned before the border is still closed for
breeding stock to or through the US with no expectation of it being opened in the near
future. Although there is demand for Katahdins in South America where the
split carcass is roasted whole on coals and simply delicious, we cannot take
live animals through the US. This has brought about the selling of embryos and semen a whole
new ball game. To play in this field you need 1) someone desiring to
purchase your genetics. 2) A company proficient and knowledgeable in the
removal, storage and transportation of the precious products. 3) A broker who
can facilitate the transfer of the funds (so you get paid), the many pages of
paperwork and often be able to act as a go between in the translation of each
parties wishes. Getting it all down on paper is most important. 4) Are you
willing to change your farm management to enable the harvest of eggs and semen
when they are at their best - which may coincide with your breeding plans?
It seems there is a terrific demand out there for the Katahdin breed we just
have a problem to supply.
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Mail to: Lynette Kreddig
Box 486, Mayerthorpe,
Alberta, T0E 1N0 Canada
Phone/Fax: 780-786-4754
Email: Lynette Kreddig