Sad to send three lambs to abattoir

My flock size was reduced this week as I dropped off three lambs at the abattoir.
I felt quite sad, but they had reached market weight and Rainy River Meats was in need of lamb (they have a difficult time keeping lamb on their shelf).
A friend of mine lost his lambs to wolves, so I’m happy I was able to market them, at least.
We still have “Charolette” and “Ruby” left so hopefully Maddie and Marlee are not too disappointed.
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I wanted to mention the successful carcass viewing night after the 4-H steers were butchered at the Rainy River Regional Abattoir.
First of all, a big thank you to the staff and all the volunteers who showed up on the Monday after the Emo Fair to process all 26 steers in one day. It is a big job but they tackled it nicely.
Anna Egli, the meat inspector with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, was kind enough to prepare a presentation and explain the meat grading process to 4-H members, leaders, parents, and some of the buyers.
Viewing the carcasses is a very important part of raising a market steer, and it is a great idea to see exactly just what you are growing and feeding people.
Anna chose the top carcasses and we are hoping we can make that a part of the award system in the future.
The steer shown by Darby Steele was chosen #1, followed by Ben Miller, Alan Gerula, and Savannah Hughes.
Great work to these kids and the farms the steer came from. I was really pleased since Darby was showing a steer she had purchased from me!
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I will have a new helper starting at the Emo Agricultural Research Station this week for about six weeks.
I know many ask if things are quiet now at EARS, but actually we will be very busy for a while yet. The fall work list is long—both inside and outside jobs.
The soybeans are closer to maturity, fertilizer needs to be spread, soil samples taken, and we have lots of seed to clean. I also have pages and pages of data to enter.
Never mind that I’ll be breaking out the hedge trimmer again to harvest our miscanthus plots!
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Just a reminder of the cattle tour this Saturday (Sept. 8) hosted by the Rainy River Hereford Association.
The bus will be leaving the Emo Agricultural Research Station at 8 a.m., with the first stop being Railview Farms (Philip Krahn and family). We then will head over to Pine River Ranch (Amos and Heidi Brielmanns), followed by McNabb Farms (Jack, Kathy, and Scott McNabb).
We then will stop at Zimmerman Farms (Ted & Deb Zimmerman), where a light lunch will be served.
From the Zimmermans, we’ll head to Flatt Farms (Tony & Penny Flatt) and then on to Bujold Farms (Louis, Shari, and boys), followed by a quick pasture visit at Joe Sletmoen’s and then to Vista Limousins (Stan and Vicki Calder).
We will end at Cornell Farms (Kim & Pat Cornell) in La Vallee, where we will have a few activities, entertainment, and a barbecue supper.
This event is open to everyone, and we hope you will take the time to come out, look at cattle, and visit!
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Just a quick note for those of you that are Internet savvy.
If my “Moos from the Herd” column does not appear in the Fort Frances Times due to space issues, it is always available online on the Times’ website (www.fftimes.com)