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More Grass More Trees More Lamb, located near Pinantan Lake, BC, cultivates a sustainable farming approach focusing on producing quality lamb for local markets while enhancing environmental practices. Our mission is to create a viable operation that integrates sheep production with woodlot management, fostering healthy ecosystems and community connections. We embrace innovative grazing techniques, promote multi-aged tree diversity, and target diverse markets for our lambs, ensuring that each sale supports a sustainable lifestyle for our family-run business.
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More Grass, More Trees, More Lamb Jennifer Cunningham, Jay Springs Lamb Co., Pinantan Lake, BC Canada
Outline • Who we are. • Where we are going and why • Marketing, value chain • How are we making it happen • Grazing • Take home messages
Where we are • Private land • Woodlot licence • Grazing lease
Where we are - 4 hours & 20 minutes from Vancouver, BC - 7 km east of Pinantan Lake, 34 km north east of Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada
Where we are going and why • 10 years of grazing on cut blocks • Vegetation control and site prep for plantation management
Building a value chain • Entered markets - conventional approaches • Too much work not enough pay • Quality attributes embedded in animals by enhanced management not supported by the markets we were entering. • Annual sheep sales in Kamloops and area • Breeding and selling purebreds • Selling commercial breeding stock • Local auction yards • Breeding for wool • Ethnic markets • Provincial lamb retail promotions/commodity market sales
Generation management – Considerations: Parents retiring, management of landbase for 3 families, assorted skill sets and knowledge bases, courses, estate and business planning, marketing………. Our mission statement: Our main goal: Develop a viable operation selling and producing lambs to a market that will support a small scale sustainable farm. Woodlot license 311 will be a viable and sustainable operation meeting the family partner’s social, financial and environmental objectives. Our want of a sustainable lifestyle motivates our business.
Result Each lamb needs to sell for more!!! Cost based pricing systems Much more responsive to your farm management and your skills
Branding yourself • What is in a name? • Can you live up to that name? • Will that name hinder or grow with you? • Are you the real thing?
How are we making it happen? • Management of farm and woodlot together. • Need more grass, more lamb, more trees.
Original Management Objectives • Improve production costs • expand grazing season to cut down on hay bill • increase production per ewe • increase gains on lambs • Increase flock to level of sustainability – financial, produce more lamb 3. Increase tree inventory on ranch to increase woodlot AAC while protecting wildlife and ecological values and creating an multi-aged tree diversity This is what we had at the time to work with: • 100 – 105 lb lamb finished on grass at 3-5 months
Agroforestry system – silvopasture • Blends management of trees, forages and livestock – interactions are planned and managed • System is operated for and evaluated as a single enterprise rather than as separate parts
