Meet our September Faces of Farming calendar model: Kim Jo Bliss

By Kelly Daynard

Emo –Kim Jo Bliss spent much of her childhood on her grandmother’s beef cattle farm. Her grandma lived around the

corner and Kim Jo’s parents always knew where to find her if she wasn’t at home.

Fast forward 40 years and Kim Jo is now managing her great uncle’s farm. “I always wanted to be a farmer,” she said in a recent interview. “I really never wanted to do anything else.”

With a herd of 50 beef cows and some sheep, Bliss continues to value both the advice from and her relationship with her grandmother. “She’s not as active as she once was,” Bliss explained, adding, “But she’s still quick to offer advice and she’ll leave me messages telling when she thinks I need to move cows to another pasture.”

Bliss also works off the farm at the Emo Agricultural Research Station, operated by the University of Guelph. The station focuses on research primarily in the areas of crop and forages.

Today, Kim Jo is an active member of the Ontario beef industry and a strong proponent of agriculture in Northern Ontario. “Northern Ontario has a lot to offer,” she explained, adding that she often drives the 3.5 hour trip to Winnipeg to fly to southern Ontario for meetings. She represents the District of Rainy River on the Ontario Cattlemen’s Association and volunteers with a lot of agricultural and community organizations.

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Posted by Farm and Food Care on September 2nd, 2014 :: Filed under Beef cattle,Faces of Farming,Farm life,Sheep,Uncategorized
Tags :: beef, Faces of Farming

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By Jeanine Moyer

(Sebringville) - “What’s trending” is what launched Erbcroft Farms into the food market. Combining consumer

interest in local food and social media made a successful marketing strategy for one Ontario sheep farmer. Luann Erb, of Erbcroft Farms, says her twitter account as one of her most effective marketing tools.

Fourth generation farmers in Sebringville, ON, Luann and Tim Erb, along with their two sons, farm 300 acres, raising sheep, pigs, ducks and chicken. Faced with a career change in 2009, Luann chose to stay at home on the farm full-time to diversify the family income. “I needed to be able to manage the livestock on my own,” says Erb who decided sheep were just the right size for her. She quickly saw that the value of her sheep wasn’t realized through traditional markets and set out to create her own savvy marketing approach through social media. “Like any business I wanted to maximize my profits,” says Erb who recognized local food trends and social media as her best business opportunities.

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Posted by Farm and Food Care on May 30th, 2014 :: Filed under Agricultural Advocates,Sheep,Social media,Uncategorized
Tags :: #loveONTfood

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Jean L Clavelle

According to StatsCan as of January 1, 2021 there are over 12 million beef and dairy cattle, almost 900,000 sheep and lambs, and nearly 250,000 bison in Canada.   Which is a lot of animals.  Bet you didn’t know that each and every one of those animals can be identified by its own unique number (much like our own Social Insurance Number).  The next question might be why…?  Why would livestock need to have their own number?

Well it is simple really.  With individual animal numbers we are able to easily track where any one animal came from in Canada.  The ability to identify animals and their origins during an animal health or food safety emergency is paramount to the success of the response operation and the protection of human and animal health.  Meaning it gives us the ability to prevent the spread of disease and further, to eradicate disease as it arises - to protect not only Canadian livestock but consumers and customers as well.

It was initiated in 1998 by beef and dairy industry leaders who recognized the importance of protecting our national herd and assuring consumer confidence which lead to the establishment of a national identification program.  On January 1, 2021 the Government of Canada passed regulations for compulsory animal identification for both cattle and bison. The Canadian Sheep Identification Program (CSIP) followed suit with its own industry-led trace-back system introduced in 2004 applicable to all ovine animals in Canada.

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Posted by FACS on April 14th, 2014 :: Filed under Agriculture Education,Animal health,Beef cattle,Bison,Dairy cattle,Sheep,Traceability,Uncategorized
Tags :: cattle, education, livestock, rfid, technology, Traceability

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Sarah Brien is a farm girl at heart. Raised on a sheep farm in Ridgetown, ON, she is a fourth generation farmer who naturally inherited her love for the land and animals as well as her sense of community spirit and involvement from her parents.

Erin McLean’s family moved to a farm north of Peterborough when she was five years old. Today, the farm’s offerings include strawberries, peas and raspberries, squash and potatoes, maple syrup and jams and more. They also sell at at local farmers markets and their own two stores.

And, while these two come from different types of farms in different parts of Ontario, they share a common passion for farming – and for sharing their farm stories with the public.

Both are members of a group of 10 young Ontario farmers sharing day to day experiences from their farms through the newly created Dinner Starts Here on-line initiative (www.dinnerstartshere.ca) And, they share a page in the 2014 Faces of Farming calendar, published by Farm & Food Care Ontario. They appear on the month of January, 2014 on a page sponsored by the Farmers Feed Cities program.

You can watch a video interview with the two women at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hb5SVBRXxs&list=PLxl8ycqu125dgviFG5XoLXP_QPJTJD3IN or follow them on twitter @Mcleanberryfarm and @sarahlee516

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Posted by Farm and Food Care on January 27th, 2014 :: Filed under Faces of Farming,Future of Farming,Sheep,Social media,Speaking out
Tags :: Faces of Farming, Farmers, sheep

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By Jean Clavelle

Well, it’s that time of year.  Cattle are coming home from pasture, calves are being weaned and sent to feedlot and horse enthusiasts are enjoying the last few pleasant riding days left of the season.  No one plans to have one, but accidents do happen especially when animals are involved.  And whether you are the one involved in a motor vehicle accident or an innocent bystander it’s important to know what to do and how you can help when livestock are on the loose.

The top 5 things you need to know about livestock in an emergency:

1. Livestock do not understand lights and sirens mean pullover.  This will definitely not make them stop.
2. When an animal feels cornered, it will fight or try to run.
3. Livestock view us as predators and their natural instinct is to flee from predators.
4. Prey animals are herd animals and become extremely agitated when isolated or separated from other animals.  Single animals are extremely dangerous animals.
5. Once livestock are excited or scared it will take at least 20 to 30 minutes to calm them back down.
   Read All »

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Posted by Farm and Food Care on October 4th, 2013 :: Filed under animal handling,Animal welfare,Beef cattle,Broiler Breeders,Chickens,Horses,Misconceptions,Pigs,Poultry,Sheep,Transportation,Turkeys,Uncategorized,Veterinarians,Weather
Tags :: agriculture, animal care, animal welfare, cattle, pigs, Poultry, Transportation

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By Jean Clavelle

This year marks another triumph for the “We Care” billboard campaign initiated by the Farm Animal Council of Saskatchewan (FACS).  The program, which began in 1996, feature beef, bison, horse, chicken, egg and swine producers with their animals and are posted around busy thoroughfares of Saskatoon, Regina and Moose Jaw.

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Posted by Farm and Food Care on September 20th, 2013 :: Filed under Activism,Agricultural Advocates,Agriculture Education,Animal care,Beef cattle,Broiler Breeders,Canada,Chickens,Consumers,Dairy cattle,eggs,Faces of Farming,Farm life,Future of Farming,Horses,Media,Pigs,Pork,Poultry,Sheep,Speaking out,Uncategorized
Tags :: activists, agriculture, animal care, animal welfare, beef, Canada, chicken, dairy cattle, eggs, Faces of Farming, pigs, Poultry

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Guest blog by Brent Royce, Ontario turkey and sheep farmer

Recently, a local woman ran 108 km in two days to raise money for Ronald McDonald house of London. Great job!   I found myself wondering why someone would put themselves through that much pain and agony.  Suddenly the question turned around to me and I asked why have I pushed myself past that point of pain.

We raise turkeys and sheep along with about 500 acres of crops.  About a year ago, I started having chest and arm pains, which resulted from three bad discs in my neck and several pinched nerves. So why have I made my family suffer by watching me work myself into more and more pain? Why wasn’t I smart enough to stop and walk away from it?  The bottom line was that I have livestock that need cared for and fields that need planted and maintained.  I have committed myself to contributing to the food chain at the primary level as a farmer. Farming is my dream, my passion, and my drive.  Pain and discomfort came second.

Ronald McDonald house gave this runner a home and a place of comfort when she most needed it.  I get that. The fields, the barns, the animals reward me all the time and provide a place to put life in perspective.  I see life created and given. I see death and sickness which I can treat, but most of all at the end of the day I know I have done my best to provide families with good quality affordable food.

To make my family suffer watching me work through my pain is something I didn’t realize I was doing at the time and isn’t fair, but they know the animals must be cared for.
As of now I wait to see a surgeon; trying to fill my days while someone else does my work for me.  The truth is slowly sinking in to us all that, in my early 40’s, I could be limited to what I will be able to do for the rest of my life.

We have been lucky enough to sell the sheep and all their feeding equipment to someone that is passionate about the livestock and has the same commitment to agriculture as we do. The sheep have yet to leave our farm and that will be a real reality check.  We also have had to sell our combine due to the fact I won’t be able to operate it again without creating undue pain.

We have been fortunate enough to do what we love for 20 plus years and hope to be able to carry on by next spring.

A family that I respect very much has put me up to the challenge of blogging about farming as I know it. So this is my first attempt at it and perhaps we will have more to come on the challenges that have happened and will happen on this farm.

The one thing I can guarantee is that long term injuries in a self-employed business bring with them a lot of emotional rides. Thankfully we have great neighbours and friends that are willing to help out to get things done. After all, that is what rural Ontario is about.

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Posted by Farm and Food Care on September 12th, 2013 :: Filed under Agricultural Advocates,Animal care,Farm life,Feeding the world,Food,Sheep,Turkeys
Tags :: farm, Farm life, Farmers, sheep, turkeys

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By Jeanine Moyer

Ridgetown - Sarah Brien is a farm girl at heart. But when the farm work is done, she’s quick to trade in her rubber boots for heels and in an industry dominated by men, her stylish dress isn’t the only thing that makes Brien stand out – it’s her passion for sheep farming and desire to run her own farm that makes heads turn.

Raised on a sheep farm in Ridgetown, ON, Brien confesses she didn’t always want to farm. In fact, it was a last-minute decision to attend the University of Guelph for agriculture that changed her future. “Something told me agriculture is what I should do, and I haven’t looked back,” she says. In an industry with 3,800 sheep farms in the province, Brien and her family knew they had to differentiate themselves to be successful. The family has been proactive importing and exporting sheep genetics, and is part of a progressive purebred sheep breeders’ group interested in international trade.

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Posted by Farm and Food Care on March 21st, 2013 :: Filed under Agricultural Advocates,Agriculture Education,Animal care,Farm life,Sheep,Uncategorized
Tags :: agriculture, animal care, farm, Farmers, sheep

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Livestock handling tips from Dr. Temple Grandin

By Kelly Daynard

In a recent blog, we focused on a recent presentation by Dr. Temple Grandin that was held in Mississauga and promised to share more about the lecture, sponsored by the Farm & Food Care Foundation.

In a talk that was both entertaining and thought-provoking, Dr. Grandin gave some animal handing tips that were brilliant in their relative simplicity. Here are a few of her examples:

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Posted by Farm and Food Care on June 28th, 2012 :: Filed under Agriculture Education,Animal care,animal handling,Auction sales,Beef cattle,Codes of Practice,Dairy cattle,Horses,Housing,Meat/slaughter plants,Other livestock,Pigs,Poultry,Sheep,Temple Grandin,Uncategorized
Tags :: animal care, animal welfare, animals, beef, cattle, dairy cattle, farm, Housing, livestock, pigs

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The following is reprinted with permission from the Animal Agriculture Alliance in the United States (www.animalalliance.org). For its full collection of Meatless Monday resources, visit  http://animalagalliance.org/current/home.cfm?Section=Meatless_Monday&Category=Current_Issues.

The Myth of Meatless Mondays – Alleviating the Consumer’s Conscience Without Affecting Climate Change
Judith L. Capper, PhD, Washington State University

In July, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) released a report claiming that everybody should eat less meatand dairy products in order to mitigate climate change. It was an interesting report, not least because it recommended that if consumers were going to eat meat, they should choose “meat, eggs and dairy products that are certified organic, humane and/or grass-fed as they are generally the least environmentally damaging”. Working within the sustainability arena, I firmly believe that any production system has a role within agriculture provided that it is environmentally conscientious, economically viable and socially acceptable. However, the EWG’s promotion of organic or grass-fed systems as having a low environmental impact is ironic given that such systems actually have a greater carbon footprint per unit of meat or milk produced compared to their conventional counterparts.

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Posted by FFC on October 6th, 2011 :: Filed under Activism,Beef cattle,Feeding the world,Global Warming,Meatless Monday,Misconceptions,Organics,Sheep,Vegetarian
Tags :: activists, beef, Consumers, environment, meatless Monday, misconceptions, organic, Research, sheep, Vegetarian

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