ROULEAU, Sask. – Longhaired Galloways graze alongside woolly sheep in the pasture adjacent to Len and Lisa Larsen’s farm home.
It’s an unusual sight on the flat, heavy clay land of the Regina Plains where grain farming is the most common agricultural practice.
Seeing sheep and cattle grazing together is even more rare. The Larsens learned that recently when they found conference speakers asking them for information, rather than the other way around.
“It would be nice to learn from someone other than yourself,” Len said of their venture into multispecies grazing.
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When the Larsens decided to move from a mixed farming operation that included sheep and 2,000 seeded acres to straight livestock, they did it with the goal of grazing 365 days a year and getting the most out of their grass.
Last year they introduced cattle, mostly Galloway for their hardiness and double hair coat, and some Angus, prompting neighbours to suggest the cows would sink into the clay when it rained.
But multispecies grazing intrigues the Larsens. A holistic management course solidified their desire to operate a sustainable farm that allows them, son Josh, 15, and daughter Renee, 12, to work together.
The family lives in the farm home just outside Rouleau where Len’s grandparents moved in 1946. The farm’s round horse barn is a local landmark.
Len’s mom, Donna, is a neighbour and business partner with her son and daughter-in-law, who began farming about 12 years ago. His dad died accidentally a few years ago.
Len and Lisa, who grew up in Grand Falls, N.B., met while they were both attending college in Lethbridge, Lisa was taking a secretarial course and Len was pursuing a career in law enforcement. He worked as a police officer in Estevan, Sask., for several years after they started farming.
But the commute became too much, and they decided to make their living from the farm alone. The conversion of the grain operation began.
“About eight or nine years ago, I thought I’d buy (Lisa) some sheep,” Len said.
Thirty ewe lambs have now mushroomed into 950 breeding ewes.
“We thought we’d never have more than 100 head,” said Lisa.
As the flock grew and the returns from grain farming didn’t, they started looking at options. Seeding their land back to grass made the most sense and they liked the idea of running two species together as a flerd, as some call a flock and a herd.
They have added 45 cows so far.
One benefit is the hoof action of the two different animals, which promotes grass growth. Len said the cattle knock down the taller species that tend to shade the smaller ones.
“We get way better utilization,” he said.
“I don’t really think the cows cost anything to graze,” he said at a recent forage conference where he spoke as part of a producer panel.
Another benefit is predator control.
Len said his research found that running even one or two Galloways with sheep in Scotland solved problems with predators because the cows become protective.
As their cows calve alongside lambing ewes, they hope that the two will bond. All their livestock are bred to give birth on pasture in June and July.
The sheep usually self-wean by mid-December, and the lambs are about 100 pounds when they hit the market at the end of January or February.
The Larsens background the lambs and then ship them to a feedlot where the last 20 pounds go on.
Len said hitting the Easter market is important to extract a good price. Marketing lamb is fairly easy since Canada produces only 50 percent of domestic demand.
Marketing through the BSE border closure was an experience as they spread out risk by shipping every two weeks.
They can keep their costs under control through their low-input grazing and feeding style.
Right now, both sheep and cattle are bale-grazing oats that were underseeded to fall rye. The Larsens also use swath grazing and with electric fences move their livestock every 10 days.
“We don’t go back for a year,” Len said, which helps avoid worming.
The sheep stay out in the pasture all winter, along with guard dogs, without much protection from the weather. This year, Len built a windbreak for the cows.
Lisa said they chose sheep breeds like North Country Cheviot, Columbian and Clun Forest crosses that are good foragers and can produce lambs on less grass. They walk a lot, are in good shape and decide how much they want to eat, she said. They don’t know yet how big the cow herd will get.
“We’ve got to get used to them and see how many we want,” said Lisa.
They had to acquire a different set of skills and knowledge. For example, copper is toxic to sheep at the levels normally fed to cows.
And, they had to get used to the fact that cowboys don’t always look kindly on sheep breeders.
The family works their livestock mostly on horseback and mostly in the field. As well, Lisa trains horses and teaches riders. They also board horses.
Their operation requires all family members to participate. Len said he wants to make a living but also wants to make sure the kids can come back, if they choose to.
