The All Canada Classic Sheep Show returned to Brandon this past weekend, bringing together sheep producers from across the country to showcase breeding stock and connect with fellow industry members.
With about 250 sheep for sale and attendees from Nova Scotia to British Columbia, the event marked a milestone for the national sheep industry.
A local success story
Brandon last hosted the national show in 1981, and the event remained here for three years before moving westward across the country.
Bethan Lewis, chair of the show’s organizing committee, says it’s special to bring it back to Manitoba.
“We were pretty excited to host it in Brandon because actually in 1981 was the very first national show also in Brandon and it stayed in Brandon for three years. Then it started to transition from east to west every year. Last year it was in Quebec. Next year, it’s in Nova Scotia.”
The weekend drew a lively crowd, with over 210 people attending the banquet on Friday night and close to 350 visitors exploring the sheep sales and trade booths.
“There was a lot of the public travelling through because we have big trade booths as well," noted Lewis.
Highlighting industry goals and growth
Lewis says the event plays a key role in bringing together producers to showcase their breeding stock and share their goals.
“To me personally, the importance of the event is just getting out there with your breeding stock and highlighting what you’re working towards in your operation. Being able to sell your sheep into other people’s operations, you build all the connections and networking. It’s just really big for the industry to be able to have one place that we can come together and highlight our goals within our own operations and then our goals within the industry.”
As for the broader sheep industry, Lewis says it is currently holding steady with promising developments.
“There’s a lot more people coming into our country that actually eat lamb on a regular basis. We have a market for it and there’s a lot more research going in too. There’s a lot of genetics being brought in with semen transport of artificial insemination from other countries. I know there’s a couple of people up higher working towards having a few more federally inspected kill plants, so we can produce more lamb.”
Prices remain strong
The sale in Brandon saw some of the highest grossing numbers the show has seen.
“They all averaged over $1000, which was quite exciting to see," said Lewis. "The price of lamb is holding quite steady.”
Lewis comes from a family with deep roots in sheep farming.
“My family immigrated from the from the United Kingdom 29 years ago and we were a sheep operation there. When we moved to Canada, my dad was like, oh, I’ll do something different. I’ll find something else to do and it took all of six days, and now we had sheep and we’ve never not had sheep. Why change what you already know? We run about 200 sheep near Elkhorn, Manitoba."
She also farms near Brandon with her fiancé and his family, showing a strong commitment to the industry.
Growing involvement from youth
The event included a large junior show with 42 exhibitors aged six to 18.
"There’s definitely a new flux of younger ones coming up and it will be very exciting," added Lewis, who also serves as vice chair of the Manitoba Sheep Association, while her mother represents Manitoba on the Canadian Sheep Breeders national board.
The provincial association has more than 100 producers registered.
The All Canada Classic Sheep Show in Brandon this year highlighted not only top-quality breeding stock but also the strength and future promise of the Canadian sheep industry.