Page 22 - RealDirtENG2020

DID YOU KNOW?
Sheep have nearly 360-degree vision? That’s because they have rectangular pupils57!
Amy Haak
Sheep, goats and animal guardians
In Canada, some sheep live outside, on pastures, all year long, with farmers feeding them hay and grain in the winter. Other shepherds prefer to keep their ocks in the barn, but most farms use a mixture of both systems. Many sheep farmers use dogs to help with herding, and to guard and protect animals from predators like coyotes. Donkeys and llamas are also good guardian animals.
Goats can be raised for milk or meat production, just like cattle. And just like dairy cows, dairy goats live in barns and are milked regularly. Meat goats may live on pastures too, but still need protection against cold winter weather and predators.
Goat milk can be an excellent alternative for adults with allergies or intolerances to cow’s milk—cheese, ice cream, yogurt, and curds are just some of the dairy goat products now widely available. It can also be suitable for children who can’t drink cow’s milk, pending consultation from a pediatrician.
Insects are farm
animals too!
Some farmers in Canada and other countries
are now raising insects. Crickets are a major source of protein for over two billion people from Mexico to Asia, and insect-based food products, from our to nutrition bars and pasta sauces, are now available in Canadian grocery stores too. Insect protein is also a major ingredient in
reptile and sh feed—it’s a more natural and sustainable alternative to other protein sources in sh diets—and research is underway in various countries as to whether it might be suitable for livestock and poultry as well.
Danielle Carter
Honey
Honey bees are vital for pollinating fruit, vegetables, and other crops, like canola. Canada produces about 75 million pounds of honey every year. More than 80 per cent of Canada’s honey is produced in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. About 9.3 million pounds of honey were produced in Canada in 2018, with 7.8 million pounds exported, mostly to the United States58.
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The Real Dirt on Farming
Mink
What about fur?
The fur trade has existed in Canada long before we were even a country. Mink is the most common animal raised for fur in Canada, followed by fox and chinchilla. Popular wild furs include muskrat, beaver, raccoon, coyote, and marten.
Just as with other farmed animals, farmers have to follow rules and regulations for raising fur-bearing animals, including a recently updated Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Farmed Mink (and Farmed Fox): www.nfacc.ca/codes-of-practice.
Sustainability is a big part of fur farming. Animals, like mink, help to reduce food waste by eating leftover eggs, cheese, sh, chicken, and other human food that has been discarded from grocery stores, restaurants, and other locations. Their bedding of straw or wood shavings and even the animal remains themselves are composted and recycled as a natural fertilizer, or used to make biodiesel,
an environmentally-friendly fuel.