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THE BRANDON SUN • WINTER FAIR • MARCH 2024
try … which are quite excellent, to be honest.” In addition to the sheep wrangling and shearing events, experts will be on hand from both the meat and wool sides of the sheep industry to share information with people that stop by, Atkinson said. The Manitoba Sheep Association and the farmers and volunteers as- sociated with it are a great addition to each and every Royal Manitoba Winter Fair, said Mark Humphries, the general manager of the Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba. “For some years before this, we’ve been cementing that relationship,” he said. In addition to taking in sheep shearing demonstrations and cheer- ing on participants in the sheep wrangling event, fair goers can get up close and personal with the fluffy an- imals at this year’s petting zoo at the fair.
country has gone up with recent waves of immigrants from countries where the meat is a staple, Atkinson said. And despite a problem with predators such as mountain lions, wolves and coyotes that sheep pro- ducers are currently facing, this could cause the sheep farming industry to grow, he believes. “There’s huge room,” Atkinson said, adding that the more people who are willing to expand their palate and their recipe repertoire, the better. “Some people will just never try it, and other people are always willing to try something new, and that’s all we can ask.” Sheep farmers and representatives from the Manitoba Sheep Association will be on hand at the fair to hand out recipes featuring lamb. Every coun- try and ethnicity has their own take on cooking lamb, so there’s plenty of recipes to go around, Atkinson said. “It’s great to go out and experience new things when it comes to lamb or even goat for that matter,” he said. “We have a lot of recipes that we can
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Sheep are still a relatively small agricultural commodity in Canada, and are a lot more present in Europe and South Africa, Atkinson said, but added that he hopes this will soon change. “They’re a very good multipurpose animal. Providing wool and fibre is something that’s very much un- der-recognized. They’re an excellent animal as far as the environment is concerned,” he said. Sheep farms across the country can reduce the impact of climate change through pasture and grassland graz- ing, which improves biodiversity and soil health, the Ontario Sheep Farm- ers website states. Grazing can also be done in orchards and solar sites that offer important environments for pollinators and birds. Sheep also reduce the need for mowing, and wool is a fire that is natural, biode- gradable and renewable. The demand for lamb across the
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Public education for Manitoba’s sheep industry includes a shearing demonstration during the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair. (Hugo Giouard)
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