Our small flock of sheep play a multitude of important roles in the holistic ecosystem of the farm. By using rotational grazing methods where the sheep and chickens intensively graze one small section of our field for a few days then leave it to rest, we are utilizing animals to help improve the quality of our pasture and build healthy soil. Keeping ewes in a pen over the winter provides an on-farm source of manure that we can trust, which we add to our compost pile to create a clean, balanced source of nutrients and micro-organisms that we use as an input in the gardens. Ultimately, our lambs provide an additional income stream through seasonal sales of whole and half lamb shares. We are happy to be able to produce a clean, healthy protein to feed our customers (and ourselves!) along with our primary vegetable crops. On top of everything else, we really enjoy having animals on the farm to take care of and enjoy. Plus… who can resist the undeniable cuteness of baby lambs!!

We raise Gotland sheep, a heritage breed originally from the Isle of Gotland in Sweden. Gotland have only been raised in the US for a little over 10 years, but are becoming more and more popular with US farmers and shepherds. Gotland are known for their distinctive silver and grey ringlets and black face and legs. They are a dual purpose breed, raised with the goal of having two high-quality products from each animal: the meat and the hide. Gotland meat is considered a mild and sweet flavored lamb, and we think it is absolutely delicious! Their beautiful curly wool also makes for gorgeously luxurious sheepskin hides that range from pearly white, to silver, to dark grey or black. Getting two marketable products from each animal drastically increases the profitability of our livestock enterprise, and adds diversity to our farmers market offerings. Gotland sheep are typically mild-mannered, good mothers, and slightly smaller and therefore easier to handle, which make them a great fit for our management style.

*If you are interested in reserving a whole or half lamb for purchase in the fall, please contact sara@squashblossom.farm to get on the list!