In September of 2001, we bought 6 Katahdin ewes and one ram. At our very first lambing period
we were 100% successfull with 13 live lambs.
In November of 2006, Albe Sheep Farm moved to a new
property of 150 acres where there were an old dairy
barn. We adapted the barn into a sheep house.
The farm is now self sufficient for the animal feed,
ie we produce the hay and grains (oat/barley) ourselves
on our land. We have now 100 breeding ewes and two
purebred rams.
Albe Sheep Farm is a member of the
Ontario Federation of Agriculture, the Canadian Katahdin Sheep Association and Agrinat Coop.
In 2007, Albe Sheep Farm is a double-finalist at the Gala
of Excellence of Prescott-Russell (farm business and Jury Special Award).
They wrote about us (in French):
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The idea to start a farm business came from our
craving to eat healthy food from a natural and non
industrial environment. Naturally, farming became
our way of living.
The shepherd: Luc is a forest technician.
The shepherdess: Micheline is a programmer-analyst
and works for the Ontario Soil & Crop Improvement
Association.
The animals well-being and the respect of the environment
are constant preoccupations for us. We adopt beneficial
management practices to protect water and air quality,
to improve soil productivity andl sustainable land
use and to enhance biodiversity.
In March 2009 in Ottawa, the hay quality that
feeds our sheeps is awarded at the Seed, Feed
and Forage Championship Show. We won second place
for second cut hay and second place for third
cut hay. We also won a fifth position for hay
quality for its content in proteins and digestible
fibres. |
2009 Ottawa Valley Farm Show
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The "'Unbeatable Team"! Our two Border Collies,
Fany (down) and Charlie. Their role is to gather the sheeps
and drive them where we want them. Without them, it would be a lot harder to
do it. A Border Collie can replace 10 men by itself, fantastic!
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Fany and Charlie
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We have two llamas, Salt and Chips. Salt, our
oldest llama, is with us since the very beginning.
Chips joined us three years ago. They have a very
important role: they are the guardians of our
sheeps. They protect them against the coyotes
and other wildlife threats. Beware if you get
too close from the lambs, you'll meet them!
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Salt, a twelve year old llama
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