Introduction to Small Ruminant Production

Getting started in small ruminant production? To help facilitate education and knowledge transfer, Ontario Sheep Farmers (OSF) and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) offer an online Introduction to Small Ruminant Production Course.

Each online course covers both sheep (meat, fibre, and dairy) and goat (meat, fibre and dairy) species, providing an overview of each of the sectors and introductory concepts.

The online professional development course is designed for individuals who are thinking about starting a sheep and/or goat farm and can be viewed at your own pace in the comfort of your home.

Registrants are given 1 year to complete the course from the time of registration. This is a self-guided course that has open registration and that you can start at any time.

Course Breakdown 

• Module 1. Introduction
• Module 2. State of Industry - Sheep
• Module 3. State of Industry - Goats 
• Module 4. Organizations and Legislation 
• Module 5. Genetics, Selection
• Module 6. Health 
• Module 7. Handling / Infrastructure 
• Module 8. Reproduction and Production Systems 
• Module 9. Pasture/Predation/Fencing/Parasites 
• Module 10. Nutrition 
• Module 11. Lambing/Kidding
• Module 12. Marketing and Processing 
• Module 13. Economics and Record-Keeping 
• Module 14. Wrap Up
• Module 15. Farm Tours

The course fee: $50 per participant. 

Participants must have a working computer or tablet and internet connection (highspeed preferred)