Heritage sheep are rare, but their wool is special. The Livestock Conservancy’s new Shave ‘Em to Save ‘Em project is focusing fiber artists on using rare breed wool and yarns to draw attention to their unusual and fine qualities.
Read MoreThe muffled, deep Maaa of a ewe “talking” to her newborn lambs reaches my ears before I open the barn door. Newborn lambs nursing, tails whirling, makes walking to the barn on frigid mornings worthwhile.
Read MoreThere are a few dairy sheep breeds you could add to your farm. The East Friesian sheep is considered the best breed of dairy sheep by researchers.
Read MoreAdd to Favorites There are endless compost bin plans available online. A basic understanding of what components a compost bin must have is essential. Composting is among the easiest, environmentally …
Read MoreYarn weights are considerations when deciding which fiber breed or species to raise for your yarn. Wool, fleece, and fiber can be harvested from a number of wool-yielding animals, including sheep, goats, rabbits, camels, llamas, alpaca, bison, and yak!
Read MoreWhat struck me right away when my first Icelandic sheep lambed were the similarities that these sheep had with dairy goats. I had a commercial goat dairy in years past and these ewe lamb mothers had udders that would be respectable for a good milking dairy goat.
Read MoreOne way to maximize your wool value is to target fiber festivals which include spinners, weavers, and dyers. As a small producer specializing in fine wool sheep, our business depends upon finding innovative and profitable ways to market our wool.
Read MoreThere are numerous breeds in the world and raising sheep serves many purposes. Some sheep breeds lend themselves to provide the whole range of products, Rambouillet sheep, Dorset sheep, and some other sheep breeds are good providers of wool fiber, lambs, milk, and eventually, meat.
Read MoreWould you like to raise Dorper sheep, one of the fastest growing breeds in the United States and many other countries? There is good reason for the popularity of the Dorper sheep breed.
Read MoreRaised for their hides, meat, milk, and wool, sheep are versatile. In addition to providing a local source of food and fiber, small flock owners are looking to support livestock conservation by venturing into raising rare sheep breeds.
Read MoreIn 1915, A.T. Spencer purchased New Zealand Romney rams from the Panama-Pacific International Exposition (the 1915 World’s Fair) in San Francisco. The prized rams could not be returned to New Zealand, and A.T. Spencer seized an opportunity.
Read MoreSuffolk sheep were first recognized in 1797 in sheep breed books. Since 1888, the Suffolk sheep have traveled to new continents and become a staple of American and Canadian sheep farms.
Read MoreAdd to Favorites Raising pasture pig breeds is talked about frequently in farming discussions. Not too far back in agrarian history, pasture pig breeds were more common. Keeping a few …
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