Megan Posted April 10, 2005 Report Share Posted April 10, 2005 Do you make your 100% living off farming sheep? I would like to hear experiences and what you do, how many sheep, ect Thanks! And if this has been discussed before (although I didnt find anything) I would be greatful if someone could lead me to the previous thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimahall Posted April 10, 2005 Report Share Posted April 10, 2005 That is a good question. I have just started with sheep and am what most call a "newbie". Though we had cattle and goats for years. I went with the Icelandic sheep for several reasons to numerous to post tonight. However, I know of a Icelandic breeder that claims to make 100% of her income from sheep. She has an excellent article on her website. I would suggest reading it. Then you will have a little more to go on. What i have found out though is...the more you learn, the more you realise you know very little. The book Raising sheep the modern way, is a good start. Our library has it. Below is the link to the Icelandic Breeder's website. Tounge River Farm, Bunker MO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimahall Posted April 10, 2005 Report Share Posted April 10, 2005 I just noticed that you are in Maine. There are several Icelandic sheep farms in Maine. They may be able to help answer your questions. Frelsi Farm Clark, Elaine E. P.O. Box 54 Limerick, ME 04048 (207) 793-4640 frelsi@prexar.com www.frelsifarm.com Flock code: FFC Glacier Hill Farm Terranova, Joe and Lyn 185 East Road Chesterville, ME 04938 (207) 293-3435 jlterranova@gwi.net www.glacierhillfarm.com Flock code: TLJ Northern Maine Icelandics Holcombe, Gary J. PO Box 157, 536 Main Rd. Bridgewater, ME 04735 (207) 425-7113 garyjh@ainop.com www.northern-maine-icelandic-sheep.com Flock code: NMI Oak Ridge Farm Poulin, Roger and Deborah 109 West Front St. Skowhegan, ME 04976 (207) 858-0855 deborahdp@verizon.net www.OakRidgefarm-Icelandicsheep.com Flock code: PRD Stillwaters Farm Eliason, George & Olga 74 Chick Road Lebanon, ME 04027 (207) 457-1092 stillwaters@metrocast.net www.stillwatericelandics.com Flock code: SWF That?ll Do Acres Laing, Peter & Diana 467 Muzzy Ridge Road Searsmont, ME 04973 (207) 342-2114 sheep@thatlldoacres.com www.thatlldoacres.com Flock code: LAIN Lehto, Carol P.O. Box 164 North Anson, ME 04958 (207) 635-2223 lehto@ctds.net Icelandic Sheep Breeders of North America Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Fosher Posted April 11, 2005 Report Share Posted April 11, 2005 Megan, There are lots of ways to make a living off sheep. The key is to find something you're good at and be very good at it. Don't try to be all things to all people. For me, that has meant focusing on the commercial-scale production of high-quality slaughter lambs. We run 650 ewes and produce about 1,000 lambs per year. This puts us firmly at the small end of commercial production, but we are large enough and consistent enough that our lambs are in demand. The problem that most commercial sheep buyers have is that sheep are too scattered about in small numbers. They have to rely on auctions and order buyers to meet their needs. They don't have time to chase down four lambs at this farm and two at the next and eight at the next. Here in New England, you can be a major player if you have 100 consistent high-quality lambs to offer in a group. I know a buyer who would gladly send a semi-trailer to your place to pick up lambs in lots of 100 or more. He was paying me $1.30 a pound last fall when the auctions were paying $1. This is for a 70 to 80 lb, fairly lean (but not skinny) lamb. We have also tried to break out of the commercial commodity market to a certain extent by offering vegetation managment services with our sheep. This is very labor intensive, and makes raising good lambs especially tricky -- if someone is willing to pay you to graze a place, chances are that it's not the best feed in the world. Basically, you have to look for a problem that you can solve with your sheep, and set about solving it. There is a huge demand for lamb in the Northeast, and you could tap into that. If you live close enough to population centers (Portland, Boston) you could sell lamb by the cut at farmers' markets and capture a larger share of the value that's added by packers and breakers. There's sheep dairy, speciality fiber production, show sheep flocks, and rare breed seedstock flocks, all of which can make money if you know what you're doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pipedream Farm Posted April 11, 2005 Report Share Posted April 11, 2005 Bill, I would think the difficulty in the Northeast (if it's like the Mid Atlantic) is the cost of land needed to support a flock of sufficient size to be 100% supported by a sheep operation. If you do not already own or have access the needed acreage I would think it would be very difficult (expensive) to establish such an operation. Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Megan Posted April 11, 2005 Author Report Share Posted April 11, 2005 Can show sheep also be used for wool? (assuming you get a wool breed) Also, how much does wool do you usually get off a sheep when you shear it? And how many would you need to make it into a good business? Is there a demand for whole wool right now? Or would I need to send it away to be cleaned and spun before many people would really want it? (Any books on wool sheep (ie. care of the sheeps wool while its still on, ect ect) that you would recommend?) Sorry these are probably some very novice/stupid questions, but I am trying to learn!! I will look into buying/checking out that book that you recommended, but I would like to hear some life experiences too! Thanks again!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted April 11, 2005 Report Share Posted April 11, 2005 Megan, Okay, I am NOT a sheep farmer, but I might be able to give you some iformation anyway. There is a big sheep& wool festival somewhere in the northeast (someone from up that way can point you to it), in the fall I think. You could go to the festival and talk to folks who are producing wool. There isn't much (if any) of a commercial wool market in the U.S. Most folks who do well selling wool are selling to specialty groups like handspinners. Anyway, places like fiber festivals usually have resources available (inlcuding classes) to answer questions like yours. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jordi44 Posted April 11, 2005 Report Share Posted April 11, 2005 Megan - I think that Festival mentioned is the Maryland Wool and FiberFest - it's the first weekend of May - and is amazing! They have wool breed shows there and everything from raw products to finished crafted items. Sat. is a good day - there's a lot of shows and the "serious" lookers/buyers are there. Here's there website: http://www.sheepandwool.org/ We'd talked about going again this year, but with gas prices... Maybe next year. I've shown there and it's lots of fun with a lot of breeds that you might not see elsewhere. I would guess wool would be better "added income". There's a lot you can do, but it depends upon how creative you are. Selling raw fleece straight to market hasn't been very good for several years - when Russia broke up, the market crashed. If you can keep good quality fleeces - clean, good lenght & strength, and sheared/prepared properly, then you might be able to work up a good market for handspinners. Check out groups in your area - look for local fairs/festivals where there are demos, etc. - there's probably local guilds in your area - and see what they prefer. Look at the breeds of sheep and see what you think you want to have. If you don't love them, you'll hate them. My daughter has us "expanding" - I grew up in 4-H showing white Rambouillets - we added blacks (Natural Colored which can be any breed or mix of) and ended up going straight colored. Then she wanted Karakuls - rare breed, unique, my verdict is still out - probably more for enjoyment then real money. She also wanted a couple of Tunis this year - not a wool breed, per say, but we're going to see if we can "capture" the red genetics in our colored breeds - and the national sale is in a doable distance every year from us - and they sale well there. Show sheep are a whole other story. I started in 4-H when I was 9 - I'm 40 now. It's a disease - it gets in your blood and you have to love it or again, you won't do it long. Show lambs obviously sale higher than market price, but you have to compete and get a reputation for winning stock to do well with it - and then, it's flaky. There are a lot of politics and it gets frustrating at times, but I wouldn't miss the fairs for anything. There's no reason that you can't sell fleeces from show sheep - they're often cleaner and better managed, but most are shown shorter than desirable market length, so you have to let them grow back out after the show season. If you want to chat - feel free to email me. I'm no expert and I'm not up on the New England area, but I've shown for years - basically a small hobby flock, but especially if you have kids that get involved in 4-H, it can be rewarding - just not always financially. I met a lady from CA once, they were keeping 80 sheep on a 1-acre dry lot. She felt all the problems they had were worth every penny - because it kept her son out of trouble by giving him something to do. Great kid, too. So it's all a matter of priorities, what you can afford, and what you are up to handling - I'd suggest do a lot of actual looking, if you go to festivals - ask questions. If people aren't busy getting ready to go into the show ring, most are happy to talk. When you do decide on a type - get just a few to try it out - maybe 3-5 ewes and a ram (if the ewes are breeding age) and try a year or two to see how it goes and get your feet wet. As for buying show stock - find someone that wins consistently, but don't necessarily buy a show winner. What won today with Mr. X showing may not win tomorrow - especially with you showing it (an unknown person to the judge). Good luck and enjoy whatever you get into. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Fosher Posted April 11, 2005 Report Share Posted April 11, 2005 Mark, Whether land costs are an impediment depends on how much you care whether you own the land or not. In most areas of New England there is land that is available to use for little or no rent. The hidden cost, of course, lies in the fact that a land owner could pull the plug on you pretty quick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted April 11, 2005 Report Share Posted April 11, 2005 Jordi, Actually I was thinking of a fiber festival that's in New England. I know I've seen it advertised, but can't remember the name. My poor old brain thinks maybe Connecticut is the location, but I wouldn't swear to it. That's not to say the the MD Sheep & Wool Festival isn't great, but I think it would be a bit far to drive for someone from Maine. Bill, As someone who is looking for land to lease I wish I could say the same for this area as far as land availability is concerned. I do have a friend, however, who leases a hundred-acre farm in SC for something like $800 a year. He's paying well above the going rate so that the owners won't be so inclined to pull the plug on him.... J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Fosher Posted April 12, 2005 Report Share Posted April 12, 2005 I believe that there are sheep and wool festivals in most of the New England states. Connecticut is the earliest, with a one-day event in Tolland the last Saturday in April. There's a sheepdog trial there Saturday and Sunday. New Hampshire has one Mother's day weekend. There used to be a dog trial there, but I'm not sure whether there still is or not. The Massachusetts Sheep and Wool Craft fair is held Memorial Day weekend, and includes a dog trial that runs Friday to Sunday. Vermont's festival is held in the fall, and I don't know if there is one in Maine or Rhode Island. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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