Widespread fires in southwest Saskatchewan claim livestock

Oct 20, 2017

Vet reports estimate the fires left some 400 livestock dead

Staff Reporter

Fires wreaked havoc in southwest Saskatchewan earlier this week, leaving hundreds of livestock dead.

Veterinarian reports estimate that 400 animals died or were euthanized as a result of the fires, according to a CBC news article yesterday.

“The loss of these animals is very difficult to cope with,” Grant Zalinko, executive director of the Ministry of Agriculture’s livestock branch, said to CBC.

The current toll does not include livestock that remain at large. Any producer who has livestock that may have escaped the wildfires but are still unaccounted for can call the RCMP or the Ministry of Agriculture’s livestock services.

The province’s Farm Stress Line or the ministry’s knowledge centre are available to help producers, if needed.

The communities of Leader, Burstall and Liebenthal have been evacuated because of the encroaching fires, according to the article.

In Burstall, 30,000 hectares have been burned and, near Tompkins, another 4,000 hectares have been scorched.

Steve Roberts, the province’s director of wildfire management, announced a fire ban which remains in effect.

Video: WARNING! Rough Start To Breeding Season!!

WARNING! Sheep Breeding Season Begins With A Bang! Breeding season is officially underway at Ewetopia Farms, but it didn’t exactly start the way we planned!

This vlog begins with us sorting through our rams to find the perfect match for a customer’s breeding program. What should have been routine quickly turned dangerous when one of our more nervous rams panicked. In seconds, Arnie’s knee was injured, and then I was slammed hard onto the concrete floor — both of us taken down by one ram!

Thankfully, it was just bruises, but it’s a reminder of how unpredictable and powerful mature rams can be. Once we recovered, it was time to get back to the real work — the start of breeding season.

We sorted the ewes into four breeding groups (two Suffolk and two Dorset), checking parentage as they ran through the chute, deworming those that needed it, and setting aside thinner ewes for session two of breeding season in a month’s time.This staggered approach keeps lambing organized and prevents overcrowding in the barns.

From rogue rams to the excitement of new breeding groups, this episode is full of action. Stay tuned for the next vlog, where we’ll share how we chose the rams for each group!