Shearing Success + 3 Markets To Go!
Hello Lamb Friends,
Shearing is over and it was a huge success. We know how many adult ewes and rams we have - 135. The shearers charge by the animal so it is the only time each year when we know how many sheep there are. We did not shear the lambs this year.
There was quite a crew - three blade shearers - Kevin Ford, Kathleen (?) and John O’Connell and electric shearer Gwen Hinman along with a handful of volunteers. I missed the day sadly because I was selling our lamb at the Amherst Farmers Market but Mark was so happy to get it behind him. Here are some photos from shearing day taken by Sam Wood who owns Sky Hill Farm in Leyden with her partner Mark Waller. Sam and Mark were part of the volunteer crew who helped with shearing. It takes a village.
The wool has all been spoken for. It will be used to insulate a farm building on a friend’s farm. Farmers supporting farmers. This week, Mark moved the sheep back out to green pastures where they will stay until the grass stops growing.
Here is an interesting 22 minute video interview with Kevin Ford. He has been shearing our sheep for over 35 years. What an amazing man. He is still shearing at 80! (Yes, you read that right.) Sheep shearers live a very interesting life traveling from farm to farm to shear. All of these folks have actually traveled all over the world to shear. Having lunch with them is quite the good time. Oh, the stories they tell!
Mark was so happy to inaugurate our new greenhouse with shearing day. The structure worked out great. When winter comes, we will split the flock in half and use both greenhouses to house the sheep and lambs. Our primary goal of qpplying for the Mass Dept of Agriculture Farm Viability Grant was to make our facilities safer to work in as the years go by. We are so thankful to the State of Massachusetts for running this program. In exchange for helping to finance the new facilities, we placed a covenant on our land for it to remain in agricultural production for ten years. We are so thankful to the State to have been awarded the grant.
Head on out to the Amherst Farmers Market tomorrow. It is Shepherd’s Pie Season for sure - recipe here. We will have plenty of ground lamb and other cuts for you to stock your freezer with this winter. Every week until the end of the market, I am running a special offer. Amounts are limited so arrive early.
ALSO - we have a limited supply of Bone In WHOLE Legs for holiday meals. They weigh between 4 and 6 pounds and are $16/lb. If you would like one, please speak up and I will bring to the market. You can call or TEXT me at 413-325-5718. You can also pick it up at the farm store.
I will also have Tea Towels and Pottery for holiday gifts. Here’s a video of some new designs. They are also available on my website HERE.
And lastly, kitten update. The kittens are beginning to swim around. They moved themselves from the library to the kitchen one morning. They are over achievers for sure. Here they are cuddling up with Pretzel, Julia’s Diabetic Alert Dog. Kittens always love Pretzel and she loves them.
Hope to see you tomorrow. According to the latest weather prediction, it looks to be a decent day.
Your shepherds,
Mark, Kristin, and Julia
So good to see that Kevin is still shearing your sheep. Great video! I was fortunate to have Kevin Ford travel to SD in 2008 and teach Blade Shearing at our local Fiber Festival. I have sheared my own flock for +20 years. Thanks for the post.