In the midst of a journey
Sheepy McSheeperson and Cheezer
Almost three years after first filing our paper work for a business license in Washington state, finally we have a webpage up and going. I consider that a huge feat being somewhat technologically challenged. In trying to pick a point of where to start the story of our farm, I picked a moment that began our journey into livestock weighing over 7 pounds. In 2015, we added two babydoll sheep to our suburban homestead just outside of South Seattle. Chickens had been the gateway drug into livestock and sheep seemed like the next logical progression. (I did try at one point for a mini jersey which was quickly shot down) It is one of those days that I’ll always remember. Our yard turned pasture was waiting for ruminants to devour it. So off I went for a drive north to Bellingham, WA where I picked up two babydoll wethers. Handing over cash and then stuffing them into a large dog crate in the back of a Subaru wagon, homeward bound we went on I5. Inevitably we ended up sitting in traffic. The two boys just laid down the whole ride home and nada a peep came out of them. I always wondered if any of the other drivers looked over and realized that it was sheep in the back and not dogs. Not knowing much about what I was getting into, I went with babydoll sheep because they were a miniature breed that could be raised for meat. The original plan was to raise them into fall and then have them slaughtered for meat. But soon enough they ended up with names. Cheezer and Sheepy McSheeperson. Just like that they were off the menu. Both of them are long gone and no we never ate them. In fact, Cheezer made the trip all the way out from Seattle to Stevens County, WA with us.
Those two sheep opened the door down the rabbit hole for me into “real” livestock. We already had the large gardens, orchard, and chickens. The sheep made me realize that there was so much more. Growing up in suburbia, opportunities to be around livestock were not so abundant. But when we lived outside of Seattle and realized that we could legally keep livestock, I figured why not. And now, sheep have become the backbone of our little operation. We no longer raise babydolls and have since settled on working with Katahdins. Not only did Cheezer and Sheepy give me my first real taste of working with livestock, but the experience sent me down other rabbit holes within agriculture as well. Each one of those holes added to the knowledge base of agriculture production and more. Farming requires you to be knowledgeable about a great deal of many things. You need to have a working knowledge of chemistry, husbandry, ecology, welding, husbandry, fluid dynamics, math, and yes even politics. As a general statement, this is the antithesis of most business that becomes successful because they are extremely good at one thing. But maybe that’s part of the point. That agriculture, not just regenerative agriculture needs to understand that there are many parts to making everything work and that they are all interconnected. Just like we all are as a community of people.
Through this blog, I am planning to share stories, articles, experiences, how-to’s and more that encompasses not just the homestead or farmstead life viewed through the lens of regenerative agriculture, but life in general. As a human being living in a complex world, and there are multiple sides to all of us. In my case agriculture takes the lions share. I’m sure there are tons of other blogs out there from other farmers who are all trying to share their stories. In this space, I share mine. I hope visitors to this site find value in what we are trying to do in all that we doing and even if you can’t support the farm by buying lamb meat or some electric fencing posts, send us a message to let us know we’ve made a connection to you. We are all in this together whether your are another farmer, eater, or somewhere in between.