This is the recorded version of this live class held in the Winter of 2022

Cost: $45 - $65 (Sliding Scale)

To learn more about the sliding scale, check it out here.

Please choose pick up in Winnipeg shipping option to avoid the charge

Please note: this workshop is for individual use only. Please do not share or distribute. An email with instructions to access the class will be emailed out within 24 hours of the purchase.

Instructor: Brian Greaves

This Workshop will Look at the Following things:

When is it the best time to turn the flock out on spring pasture?

- What is best for the grass?

- What is best for animal health

Types of pasture management

- Set stocking

- Rotational grazing

- Strip grazing

Managing pasture to help reduce internal parasites

- Pasture length

- length of time on pasture

- Plant species

Selecting Rams to improve fleece Quality, length, Weight

Winter management of flock for health and wool quality

- feeding hay to lessen VM contamination.(vegetable Matter)

- Shelter

- Bedding

Shearing

- Timing

- Wool handling and Skirting

- Storage

About Brian Greaves:

Brian Greaves moved to Canada in 1993 to start Silver Bend Ranch with his wife, Karen Hill. They along with their children, Alison and Mark, raise cattle and sheep just north of Miniota, Manitoba.

Brian brought with him 18 years of New Zealand farm experience. In his last job as Livestock Manager of an 8,500 acre farm in New Zealand, he managed 16,000 ewes, 1,000 cattle, 350 breeding deer, 1000 goats and 25 brood mares.

Brian now farms 2¼ sections of light sandy soil. Formerly a grain farm, Brian has transformed it into a stock farm by developing both tame and native pastures, using multi-species grazing and rotational grazing, fencing dugouts and waterways, and using remote solar watering systems. As well, he has added corrals, pole sheds, calving barn, workshop, solar system and a new home.

After starting in 1993 with 10 heifers, 25 lease cows and 100 ewes, Silver Bend Ranch currently runs 140 cow-calf pairs and 80 ewes. Over the years, Brian has developed a commercial line of ewes with high fertility, fast lamb growth, high carcass quality and an average 10 lb. of fine range quality wool per head.

Brian is a certified wool grader, and is a trained wool judge and shearing competition judge. He is also a retired shearer who runs shearing schools for the Canadian Cooperative Wool Growers (CCWG).

Currently, Brian is the sheep and goat producer representative on the National Farm Animal Transport Code Development Committee. He also served as the MB Director of the Canadian Cooperative Wool Growers from 1999 - 2019 and was the representative on the Canadian Sheep Value Chain Roundtable.

He served as a producer representative on the National Farm Animal Sheep Code Development Committee and is a past director of the Manitoba Sheep Association and the Canadian Sheep Federation. Brian served his community on the Soil Conservation committee and as a volunteer Firefighter with the Miniota Fire Service.

Brian and Karen received the Upper Assiniboine Conservation District Award in 2009 and the Red River Ex Farm Family of the Year award in 2018.