Sheep farmers welcome Ridgetown research support
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
Feed cost savings of up to 30 per cent through DDGS use are just one of the research areas Ridgetown College's Paul Luimes is pursuing with the support of lamb producers, government and industry
by JIM ALGIE
Against the background of high-cost feeds in recent years, dried distillers grain with solubles (DDGS) showed up as "a real winner" in recent Ridgetown College feeding trials for market lambs.
Ridgetown ruminant nutritionist Paul Luimes calculated feed cost savings as high as $4.20 per lamb in DDGS trials completed in December. With their costs about half those of corn and soybeans, not feeding DDGS at rates up to as much as 30 per cent of a mixed grain and soybean meal ration represents "a missed opportunity" for growers, Luimes' research shows.
Even the extra cost of pelleting DDGS in feed to reduce sorting by lambs can justify the greater convenience of pellets, although the calculation depends on actual savings in labour and purchased, rather than home-grown, grains. Luimes has presented results of the trials to shepherds' meetings as part of a plan to build links with the industry.
He uses an advisory panel of sheep producers to pick useful topics for research. The Ontario Sheep Marketing Agency's Sheep News has published detailed results of past trials. In addition to an endorsement of DDGS over the past two years, earlier trials showed limited potential for use of corn silage in market lambs because of slower growth rates on silage.
The shepherds advising Luimes see his work mainly as support for an industry that deserves more respect. Luimes, who began teaching at Ridgetown in 2004, added participation in sheep-feeding trials in 2009 to his year-one Livestock Systems course – compulsory for 170 or so first-year agriculture students – in response to increased enrolment.
Former director Art Schaafsma had highlighted the need for sheep training at the University of Guelph-affiliated college and urged staff to build industry buy-in. Consequently, Luimes recruited producers. "It helps keep you honest in terms of the research you're doing," said Luimes of his producer panel.
Although projects to date have focused on market lambs, a planned 2014 trial managing pregnant ewes will be of greater potential use to at least one advisory committee member.
Dave de Kay's nearby Komoka operation provides lamb and beef for direct, retail sales customers. He hopes to learn more from the next trial about feeding his ewes. For de Kay, however, it's less about his own management than it is about building a cohort of passionate, educated sheep producers.
"I'll support it 100 per cent," de Kay said of Luimes' research. A 1980 Ridgetown graduate, de Kay farms an hour's drive east of the school.
Canadian immigration trends from regions where sheep products and lamb are dietary mainstays mean "the face of the consumer . . . is rapidly changing," de Kay said in a telephone interview. New demand for lamb, sheep's milk and cheeses provide new opportunities for Ontario producers, he said.
Luimes' approach supports expansion and sophistication among Canadian shepherds, who supply less than half of domestic demand for lamb, advisory committee member Bruce MacKinnon says. Breeding sheep manager for Wicketthorn Livestock near London, MacKinnon is another of Luimes' advisors.
Among other agricultural enterprises, Wicketthorn operates a 500-ewe breeding-sheep flock. The company has also provided financing and lambs for the Ridgetown program.
"I think what Paul is trying to do is show that there is money to be made in raising lambs and there are different ways to go about it," MacKinnon said in a phone interview. His boss, Wicketthorn principal Craig Connell, "understands how important research is," MacKinnon said.
Luimes's research, particularly on the economics of pelleted feed and alternate feeding techniques, has largely confirmed his own practice, MacKinnon said. "Sheep are notorious for picking and choosing what they want to eat," he said. "With the pellets, they can't do that and they don't waste nearly as much."
The feed trials seek to provide useful information for commercial producers. Annually since 2009, the three-and-a-half-month-long trials have also provided daily, hands-on experience for specialized sheep production students – about 15 at a time – in the care and feeding of lambs.
Luimes did undergraduate and masters work at the University of Guelph. His McGill PhD studies were in lactation physiology in cattle.
Since starting work with sheep, Luimes' close ties with producers have helped finance his research through support from government grants as well as in-kind industry donations to the program.
"It's really an industry of opportunity," Luimes said of sheep production. New interest among students reflects general economic strength in agriculture in recent years and practical training that can help with future employment, he said.
"I think hands-on is great, but it's got to be hands-on and brains-on," Luimes said. "I'm really enjoying the co-operation of the sheep industry and I think they're getting some trust in what I'm doing and some value out of it," he said. BF