News

Sheep Supply for month ending August 2023

Sheep Supply for month ending July 2023

The Alberta Lamb Producers held its 2023 Annual General Meeting on Saturday November 18, 2023 when we saw 77 producers and guests in attendance (both in-person at the Red Deer Resort & Casino and virtually on Zoom). ALP's Chair, Emilie Wilson, started the meeting with warm remarks and board introductions, and also drew attention to the important industry stakeholders who were in attendance on our call. Emilie also reviewed ALP’s revised mission and vision, along with the newly established values for the organization.

The ALP business meeting followed, with Director acclamation and Director-in-training speeches. There were four Director-at-large positions open on the 2023/24 ALP board. Three eligible producers submitted valid nomination forms before the July 31, 2023 deadline to be entered as candidates in the 2023 election. As we received three valid nomination forms for the four Director-at-large positions, no election was needed to be held this year. ALP is pleased to announce that Jordan Allen, Martin Winchell and Darlene Hawco, were acclaimed at the AGM.  ALP will have one Interim Director-at-large position available and will be recruiting to fill the position after the AGM, as per our Plan Regulation. ALP was also pleased to announce that Jessica Chitwood has filled the vacant Director-in-training position.

Following the new Director and Director in Training speeches, Shannon Troke from King & Company Chartered Accountants reviewed the 2022/23 financial statements. ALP Finance Chair Judy Buck presented the 2023/24 budget, with Emilie Wilson (Chair) and Jordan Allen (Vice-Chair) presenting the ALP activity updates.
To submit a resolution for discussion at this year’s AGM, eligible Alberta Lamb Producers needed to complete our resolution form and submit it to the ALP office by September 15, 2023. Proposed resolutions would not be accepted past this deadline or from the floor at the AGM. ALP did not receive any proposed resolutions by our submission deadline of September 15, 2023, therefore there will be no conversation at the AGM regarding Resolutions.

ALP also extends a sincere thank-you to outgoing directors Judy Buck and Nicole Schieck, for their dedication, time and effort while serving on the board.

The AGM is only one evening—we want to hear from you throughout the year.  ALP is YOUR producer organization. Communicating with directors and staff will ensure you are getting the most from your check-off dollars.  If you ever have concerns, comments, tips on what we can do better—or just want to say hello—please feel free to contact the directors or the office for a chat. Director and staff contact information is available on the ALP website and in every N'ewesletter.

View the 2023 AGM Meeting Package 

View the AGM Meeting Minutes 2023 (to be approved by producers at the 2024 AGM)

Elections for the ALP executive and committee positions were held on November 19, 2023 during the first Board meeting following the 2023 AGM.   Elections results were:

Chair: Jordan Allen
Vice-Chair: Emilie Wilson
Finance Chair: Jolene Airth
Finance Vice-Chair: Richard Boscher

Jordan Allen and Richard Boscher will be representing ALP on the National Sheep Network (NSN). 

Yuri Montanholi from Lakeland College (Vermilion AB) is working with a company from Ireland through a provincial program called Invest Alberta. This Irish company (Cotter Agritech: https://www.cotteragritech.com/) has a technical solution, named SmartWorm (https://www.cotteragritech.com/smartworm) that uses weighing data to determine the sheep that needs deworming. This company is looking for establishing pilot studies/demonstrations in Canada. An RFID system in needed to implement this solution/APP.

If you are interesting in discussing this further, please contact Yuri @ This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

ALP is advocating on behalf of our producers to Minister RJ Sigurdson, Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation, Jason Hale, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation and Darryl Kay, Chief Executive Officer, Agriculture Financial Services Corporation to make some necessary changes to the 2023 Canada-Alberta Drought Livestock Assistance response program.

ALP has communicated our concerns about introducing the target areas approach for compensation and asked that the AgriRecovery response program removes this stipulation and includes all regions of Alberta, as the drought conditions are affecting feed prices across the province, regardless of the producer’s geographical location.

We also communicated that producers in our province have had a very challenging last few years, ever since we entered the Covid-19 pandemic recovery period. We know our producers have been facing prolonged and historically low market prices, coupled with a dramatic increase to the cost of production. When it comes to having a level playing field with imported lamb coming into our province, our local producers are unable to compete with Australian and New Zealand lamb.

We continue to see producers having to make the tough decision to exit the industry as it is no longer financially feasible to remain in the industry. For our producers to have a viable future and livelihood in the industry, more financial supports are needed and that is what ALP is advocating for with our Provincial government.

ALP raised these concerns with the hope that it will lead to a healthy and constructive process to ensure all industry players have the confidence needed to keep our industry healthy.

Should you have any questions, pelase reach out to the ALP office: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 403-948-8533

The governments of Alberta and Canada are providing $165 million to support livestock producers affected by drought and extreme growing conditions. Applications for the 2023 Canada-Alberta Drought Livestock Assistance initiative open October 30.

To be eligible for the initiative, livestock producers must:

• Be located (livestock or residence) in specified municipalities
• Have altered their usual grazing practices due to drought conditions for more than 21 days in 2023
• Have incurred losses to manage and maintain female breeding animals such as cattle, bison, horses, elk, sheep, goats, alpacas, yak, musk ox, deer, water buffalo and llamas. A minimum of 15 animals per type of livestock are required to qualify.

Benefits will be based on a feed-need calculation for feed costs incurred resulting from lost grazing days for eligible breeding animals on hand as of December 31, 2023. Eligible producers could access up to $150 per head to help maintain the breeding herd in drought regions.

Read the release: Applications opening for livestock drought relief

Read the letter and fact sheet regarding the announcement of the 2023 Drought support for livestock producers.

The Government of Canada is extending measures under the Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) Program Workforce Solutions Road Map and introduces a new requirement: for employers to periodically review the wages of temporary foreign workers. The purpose of this email is to provide details about these changes. 

The Program aims to enable Canadian employers to address labour and skills shortages on a temporary basis when Canadian and permanent residents are not available, while protecting workers in Canada, including temporary foreign workers. As part of ongoing efforts to improve the TFW Program, these changes aim to reflect and address the latest economic conditions.

For more information, please see the recent announcement: Government of Canada extends Workforce Solutions Road Map and introduces new wage requirements under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program  - Canada.ca

The Temporary Foreign Worker Program Workforce Solutions Road Map 

The Government is adapting to current labour market conditions by extending and modifying measures in the TFW Program Workforce Solutions Road Map, launched in April 2022. These measures, which were set to expire on October 30, 2023, have been extended and are now in effect until August 30, 2024.   

Measures include:   

• Continuing to allow employers in seven sectors with demonstrated labour shortages to hire up to 30% of their total workforce through the TFW Program for low-wage positions; 
• maintaining the employment duration of low-wage positions to up to two years; and
• adjusting the Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) validity period from 18 months to up to 12 months.

The seven sectors are: Food Manufacturing (NAICS 311); Wood Product Manufacturing (NAICS 321); Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing (NAICS 337); Accommodation and Food Services (NAICS 72); Construction (NAICS 23); Hospitals (NAICS 622); and Nursing and Residential Care Facilities (NAICS 623). 

New Requirement for Periodic Wage Reviews 

Along with these measures, employers will soon be required to update the wages of temporary foreign workers annually to ensure that these are not lower than the prevailing wage for the occupation and region where they are employed. This update must be carried out throughout the work period, which can last up to three years, depending on the program stream.  

This requirement will come into effect on January 1, 2024, when a new LMIA application is submitted.  

Employers will be required to apply the prevailing wage at the beginning of a temporary foreign worker's period of employment, revising the wage annually, no later than January 1 of the following year, to ensure that it is not lower than the prevailing wage for the occupation and region where these workers are employed. As a result, it is possible that the applicable prevailing wage may be different from the wage indicated on the approved LMIA.   

The Program’s definition of the prevailing wage remains as the highest of either:   

• The median wage on Job Bank*
• The wage that is within the wage range that an employer is paying the current employees hired for the same job and work location, and within the same skills and years of experience

* For positions in Quebec, the instructions of the ministère de l'Immigration, de la Francisation et de l'Intégration (MIFI) continue to take precedence. 

Job Bank wage rates are typically updated in November of each year. Employers will be notified of this update and the need to comply with this new requirement by the following January.   

It is important to note that the wage of a temporary foreign worker cannot be lower than the wage identified on the LMIA. 

Employers who fail to update wages accordingly may be subject to sanctions under the TFW Program’s employer compliance regime including administrative monetary penalties and bans from using the Program. 

Employers who hire temporary foreign workers for unionized positions must offer the same wage rates and forms of compensation as those established under the collective agreement. If the prevailing wage posted on Job Bank is higher than the wage stipulated in the collective agreement, the employer is authorized to pay the wage rate set out in the agreement. 

You are encouraged to share this communication throughout your respective networks, and with any colleagues or peers who may need to be aware of this information. Please note that all this information will soon be available online on the TFW Program website. 

If you have questions on the Temporary Foreign Workers Program, please visit Canada.ca or connect with the Employer Contact Centre. 

Thank you in advance for your usual collaboration. 

The Temporary Foreign Worker Program 

Employment and Social Development Canada 

October is Wool Month, and to mark the designation, a made-in-Alberta film showcases how one Alberta ranch is using their sheep to maintain a solar energy installation. 

The Solar Sheep of Alberta is part of the film series "Fabric of Canada" series created by the Canadian Wool Council (CWC), and features Janna and Ryan Greir of Whispering Cedars Ranch near Strathmore, Alberta.  “The Fabric of Canada” tells the unique stories of Canadian wool and the Canadians who transform it.

The Greir's have partnered with Capital Power to graze their ewes on the Strathmore Solar Site, and they delve into the fascinating and innovative world of solar grazing and discuss how the project has impacted their sheep and their operation.

Farmers Janna and Ryan Greir’s journey began as hobby farmers, but with Alberta’s boom in solar energy, they identified a unique opportunity. They proposed that their sheep be used to maintain the land around the solar energy panels. Their idea gained momentum and their small farm soon expanded into a bustling ranch where they now house over 400 sheep.

In the film, Janna and Ryan describe their symbiotic relationship with the sheep explaining that they use their “sheep as a service”. The sheep maintain the vegetal growth around solar panels and provide. Janna and Ryan also express their optimism about the future of the Canadian wool industry and their role in shaping it.

Click here to watch the video

Congratulations to Janna and Ryan, on being able to share their story with industry while showcasing their passion and commitment to raising animals in an ethically humane manner, focusing on high health, maternal performance and environmental stewardship.

Helping Families with Mental Health & Related Substance Disorders

This is a 10-week accredited course delivered virtually that has been proven to be successful with families coping with mood related disorders or substance related challenges.

Learn more and register for the December 13 webinar here: https://www.agknow.ca/events/cool-family-solutions