Black Kreek Ranch from Leeds County have been awarded this year’s Ontario Sheep Pasture award.
Black Kreek Ranch, home of Brad and Karen Davis and their children, is also home to a flock of 950 ewes (female sheep) in the Lansdowne area of Thousand Islands Township.
The sheep operation is rationally grazed, and flock is moved every 7 to 21 days (depending on time and growing conditions). The Davis’ aim for a 30–40-day rest period between grazing’s and paddocks are grazed anywhere from 3-5 times per year.
The entire farm is hard fenced into 15–20-acre paddocks while using portable electric net fencing to split the flock during certain times of the year. Grass seed species vary across the farm including timothy, reed canary, brome, fescue, red clover, alfalfa, trefoil, and ladino clover.
All paddocks are clipped off during the 1st grazing and sometime after the 2nd grazing to cut any headed-out or mature grass stalks.
This award, sponsored by MAPLESEED, the Ontario Forage Council and the Ontario Sheep Farmers, recognizes individual sheep farmers who are doing an outstanding job of pasture management. It is a way of encouraging sheep farmers to implement pasture management strategies to maximize production per acre.
“This year’s Ontario Sheep Pasture Award recipient has demonstrated their ability to utilize forages on their farm and utilized the concept of rotational grazing to its maximum,” states Ray Robertson, Manager of the Ontario Forage Council.
For their environmental and pasture improvements and management, the Davis’ were presented the award virtually at the Ontario Sheep Convention and received $250 and a bag of forage seed.