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It’s not a profession that is on the mind of everyone, but it’s one that is in demand.
The in-demand career is a Shepherd, which is something Jared Epp has been doing since the early 2000s.
He said it all began thanks to a wedding gift.
“When I got married in the year 2000,” said Epp. “I got a Border Collie puppy as a wedding gift from my horseshoer and my friend.”
Epp said he wanted to train this puppy to herd sheep as it grew up.
Epp would then move to Saskatchewan around 2002 and connect with the Meewasin Valley Authority about doing some potential grazing.
Grazing allows for a safer and more natural growth of the grasslands which is something Epp said is very important.
“One thing we’re doing is targeting certain species that are invasive or exotic,” said Epp. “Sometimes we have sights that are too overgrown and they pose a big fire risk… so you just reduce litter and such for a fire.”
The amount of sheep Epp uses depends on the year.
“The lowest we’ve used here is maybe 40 all the way up to 440,” said Epp.
Here’s Shepherd Jared Epp with his Border Collie herding sheep as he prepares for some grazing demonstrations this weekend. @CKOMNews pic.twitter.com/h3VxNF4v0G
— Will Mandzuk (@WMandzuk) July 17, 2024
Each year the weather changes in the Spring/Summer season and with that the grazing season changes although changes are mostly site specific.
The grazing season usually starts around May long weekend and spans until October, although Epp has started earlier than that.
“I’d say the earliest that we’ve started is May first,” said Epp. “That was back in probably 2009 or 2008.”
Now more heat appears to be making its way into the province bringing daytime highs into the 30’s.
Epp said there is no real way to keep cool, so he has to switch up the schedule.
“The sheep if you get them out earlier enough they will have filled up by late morning,” said Epp. “They can camp out under some trees all afternoon.”
Epp said his main concern is usually with his dogs as they take a longer time to cool off so he doesn’t want them out in the heat for too long.
Sheep herding and Shepherd work has changed a lot since Epp first started.
One of the changes he’s noticed is the amount of conservation projects.
“In those early days there were extremely few conservation grazing projects,” said Epp. “If you fast-track it 20 years to today I could list 12 that I’m aware of.”
Epp also mentioned the projects in the early days wouldn’t last very long.
The demand right now for Shepherds is high and Epp has in-person demonstrations for those who are interested.