Sheep sale | University looks to reduce maintenance costs by selling flock of sheep
The University of Saskatchewan’s flock of 300 sheep has not escaped the latest round of budget cuts.
The university will soon sell the flock as part of its ongoing efforts to shear tens of millions from its operating budget.
Sheep have been kept on campus since 1911.
“While we are dispersing the sheep flock, we are not divesting the use of sheep in teaching and research opportunities,” said Mary Buhr, dean of the agriculture college.
She said selling the sheep flock will reduce maintenance costs. The limited budget for campus farm activities will focus on poultry, dairy and beef, and the school will buy sheep as needed for future student learning opportunities and research.
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“The college values providing an experiential learning experience to students, and that isn’t changing,” said Buhr, pointing to the new Rayner dairy research and teaching facility that will include an interpretive gallery and overhead walkway showcasing modern dairy and agriculture production systems.
The popularity of a sheep production course that was launched last winter surprised some at the university, said Fiona Buchanan, a professor in the college’s animal and poultry science department who taught the program. She said few students were initially expected, but the enrolment cap was raised twice to accommodate demand.
“I don’t like the decision to close the sheep unit, but I understand it is based on the current financial situation the university finds itself,” she wrote in an email.
“The sheep class will proceed and we will try to bring sheep in for it, but obviously it is not as ideal as having a breeding sheep flock.”
She said a permanent flock offers opportunities students won’t otherwise be able to experience. Other users of the flock will also be displaced, she added.
Coinciding with the recent infusion of student interest in sheep is the growing producer interest in Saskatchewan. A recent report indicates the number of registered ewes climbed to 68,000 last year from 60,000 in 2011.
