Responsibilities of a Director
NO SUNDAY CALLS PLEASE!
District 1 - Fraser Hodgson, Provincial Director
Counties - Kent, Essex, Lambton, Elgin & Middlesex
email: hurgrove@xcelco.on.ca
Fraser and his wife Ruth own and operate a farm of 400 acres in Lambton County along Lake Huron. Their operation includes cash crop corn, soya beans and wheat, a 25 head cow-calf purebred Shorthorn herd and a flock of 110 ewes. Our sheep are primarily commercial, although we do have a number of purebred Texel and Suffolk ewes.For many years, purebred sales were the mainstay of the business, but over the years, as the industry changed, our focus has changed to commercial meat production.
For more information on how to contact this producer, please contact OSMA at 519-836-0043
District 2 - Dennis Fischer, Provincial Director
Counties - Grey & Bruce
email: dbfischer@bmts.com
Dennis was raised on a mixed farming operation and joined the OSMA Board in October 2007. Dennis along with his wife Brenda Ann and their four children operate a farm just outside of Elmwood. They have a commercial ewe flock consisting of 450 ewes, and a small cow/calf operation. When not at home, Dennis works as a controller for a local company.
He has been involved with the local hockey association for several years, and currently schedules referees for three local arenas. He has also been involved with the local 4-H sheep club.
For more information on how to contact this producer, please contact OSMA at 519-836-0043
District 3 - Neil Mesman, Provincial Director
Counties - Huron, Perth, Waterloo & Oxford
email: bigskyfarms@everus.ca
Neil currently has 340 ewes and 5 rams, which are 50% pure Katahdin, and 50% Katahdin crosses with British Suffolk and Ile De France. He studied at the University of Guelph and graduated with a Diploma in Farm Operators and Managers. He took a diploma in Business Accounting from St. Lawrence College. In 2002 he bought his present farm, Big Sky Farms, near Punky Doodles in Tavistock. His partner, Dale, works as a financial advisor in Waterloo. Neil runs the 74 acre farm and does custom milking of dairy cows as a part time job. He began with all purebred registered ewes and focused on building the flock and selling breeding stock for the first 5 years and then began to use terminal sires to obtain a larger, faster growing market lamb.
For more information on how to contact this producer, please contact OSMA at 519-836-0043
District 4 - Chris Kyle,
Provincial Director
Counties - Brant, Regional Municipalities of Hamilton-Wentworth,
Haldimand-Norfolk & Niagara
email: ashlawn@sympatico.ca
The Kyles run a 400 acre mixed farming operation outside of Ayr. They expect to lamb out 200 ewes this year and hope to expand in the near future. The accelerated lambing ewe flock is predominately purebred Dorset, with 15 Charollais, and a few Suffolk. The lambs are marketed via auction through OLEX while some are sold privately. They make heavy use of rotated pasture but they lamb in doors. 45 to 50 Jersey cows make up the milking herd, while there is also a small Shorthorn cow calf component.
For more information on how to contact this producer, please contact OSMA at 519-836-0043
District 5 - Andrew Gordanier , Provincial Director
Counties - Dufferin, Wellington, and the Regional Municipalities of Peel and Halton
email: andrewgordanier@me.com
Andrew lives in the town of Shelburne with his wife and two children. Their home farm is about ten minutes drive south of town. Andrew grew up on a cow-calf operation and bought his first ewe four years ago.They have about 175 commercial Rideaus and 25 Purebred Ile de France sheep. Andrew studied Agriculture at the University of Guelph for tow years in their two-year diploma course from 1995-1997.
For more information on how to contact this producer, please contact OSMA at 519-836-0043
District 6 - Markus Wand, Chair, Provincial Director
Counties - Simcoe, District of Parry Sound and District Municipality of Muskoka
email: mwand@sympatico.ca
Markus farms full time in partnership with his parents in Powassan where they operate a sheep flock of 400 ewes and 100 beef cows. Markus graduated from the University of Guelph in 2003 with an Honours Degree in Agricultural Science (focusing on Animal Science) while excelling in track and field. He currently is a national calibre Scottish Highland Games Heavy Events competitor, having placed third at the 2006 Canadian Championships.
For more information on how to contact this producer, please contact OSMA at 519-836-0043
District 7 - Judy Dening, 2nd Vice Chair, Provincial Director
Counties - Metropolitan Toronto, Regional Municipalities of York and Durham, Counties of Victoria, Peterborough, Northumberland and Haliburton
email: theshepherdsgate@xplornet.com
Judy and her husband Henry bought a small 50 acre farm just south of Lindsay. 1 year later we bought 10 sheep. I was finishing my 2nd year of University at Trent, when I decided I'd rather be farming! I haven't looked back. Those 10 sheep have grown to 120, and a New Barn, thanks in part to the Environmental Farm Plan, will allow an expansion to 230 breeding Rideau ewes and 20 Suffolk ewes.
For more information on how to contact this producer, please contact OSMA at 519-836-0043
District 8 - Chris
Kennedy, 1st Vice Chair, Provincial Director
Counties - Hastings, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington, Prince Edward & Leeds
email: kennedy_chris@hotmail.com
Chris joined the Board in June 2000. He is part owner, Chairman and General Manager of Topsy Farms Ltd. In 2001, Chris was elected a three year term as Vice-Chair of the Provincial Board in 2001.Starting with sheep in 1974, the farm now runs about 600 ewes in a pasture based system on Amherst Island. Lambs are sold through Cookstown and the freezer trade. Recently Topsy farms has started marketing wool through value-added products.Chris was born and raised in England. He completed his formal education with an Agricultural degree from Cambridge University. Then he worked with sheep in England and Scotland before coming to Canada in 1973. He is now a Canadian citizen. Chris has played a very active role in representing the sheep industry on the Ontario Farm Environmental Coalition and the Ontario Farm Animal Council on environmental issues, and was a member of the Provincial Nutrient Management Advisory Committee. He continues to be involved in environmenal issues, including predation, on OSMA's behalf, and is the OSMA representative to the Ontario Federation of Agriculture.
For more information on how to contact this producer, please contact OSMA at 519-836-0043
District 0 - Allan
Burn, Provincial Director
Counties - Renfrew and Lanark, and the Township of West Carleton and the City of Kanata in the Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton
email: cairnfarm@hotmail.com
Perth-area producer Allan Burn was acclaimed to the Provincial Board representing District 9 in September, 2002. Burn and his wife Gail are members of the Canadian Sheep Breeders’ Association and raise Dorset Horned sheep. Burn is a graduate of Macdonald Agricultural College in Quebec. Burn replaces Philip Jones, also of Perth who has served on the OSMA board since 1999.
For more information on how to contact this producer, please contact OSMA at 519-836-0043
District 10 - Colleen Acres , Provincial Director
Counties - Russell, Prescott, Glengarry Stormont, Dundas and Grenville, and the Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton except the Township of West Carleton and the City of Kanata
email: colleen.acres@sympatico.ca
Coleen lives near Osgoode, Ontario, south of Ottawa on a 500 acre farm where they cash crop corn and soybeans. She is a 4th generation sheep producer. They breed purebred sheep of 4 breeds, Suffolks, Hampshires, Polled Dorsets and Rideau Arcotts as well as maintain a commercial flock. The total flock size is around 450 ewes. They also keep a small herd of commercial beef cows. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Queen’s University in Political Studies. Colleen worked in the Canadian seed industry for 15 years before returning to the farm on a full time basis in 2005. The farm is operated by herself, her mother and father, her husband Dwayne Bazinet and their three sons.
For more information on how to contact this producer, please contact OSMA at 519-836-0043
District 11 - Mark Lenover , Provincial Director
Counties - Kenora, Rainy River, Thunder Bay, Cochrane, Algoma, Sudbury, Temiskaming, Nippising & Manitoulin
email: mlenover@ntl.sympatico.ca
Mark and Camille's farm is located fifteen miles north of New Liskeard in the district of Temiskaming. Their commercial flock consists of Rideau Arcott ewes crossed with Suffolk and Texel rams. Their farming started out as a mixed farm, with four different livestock commodities until the early nineties where they only had the sheep flock left. A flock that started with forty ewe lambs has expanded to around five hundred plus ewes.
For more information on how to contact this producer, please contact OSMA at 519-836-0043