Archives

2022 Lamb Reservations Open

Dec24

The ewes are almost all bred – awaiting confirmation and assistance with lambing dates in about a week of the final four to breed. There will be around 43 Finn x Babydolls to choose from and around 20 purebred Babydolls. Most will be available to travel to their new homes third week in May or early June.

I’ve created separate pages with a complete list of the breeding pairs and their expected offspring and guidance in reserving lambs. I’d love to help you add the joy of sheep to your farm lives in 2022!

Picture is of Brea with her threesome in spring of 2021.

Brea with red (Harmony), white (Harper), and blue (Harley) babes enjoying spring day

2020 Shearing Date Set for March 15th

Feb17

Due to availability of some of my work force I’ve shifted from Saturday to Sunday morning for the annual shearing day. Once again Brent Winslow will be harvesting the fleeces for me. The time is a bit uncertain, but mid to late morning is planned. Any one wishing to watch and/or join in is invited. A lunch will be served after the shearing. I should have some Finn x Babydoll cross lambs already by that date for snuggles.

The Count Down to Shearing and Lambs – 28 days

Feb15

Shearing date has been set for the morning of Saturday, March 16th (usually around 10:00, but rather fluid). This is a fun day with friends, family, and interested members of the public invited. Potential new shepherds are especially welcome, since they are often pressed into service and, thus, have a chance to learn a bit about the process before they have to do it for themselves. A light lunch is provided. Lambs could begin arriving as early as the 15th, so there may be lambs to cuddle (or just watch frolic) during the event! RSVP appreciated.

Shepherds’ Harvest a Success!

May15

Depleted inventory at end of the weekend.

Shepherds Harvest display including new sign.

I wasn’t sure my operation was large enough for a solo booth yet, but made the leap as a learning step and a hedge against the forecasted rain.  It worked out well partly due to the thoughtfulness of Jessica Anderson who stopped over to give me a break each day. Having repeat customers search me out in spite of my drastic relocation tells me the word on the wonders of Babydoll wool is getting out there! I had a great time talking to dozens of creative, adventurous folks – women especially.  I’m loving seeing the younger generations get drawn in to working with fiber.

Once again I am sold out of prepared colored wool (except for yarn), so I am happy my flock produced an abundance of black lambs this year – 23 out of 28.  I have rams in abundance so will carry them through the winter for their fleeces, then market them for meat if they are not scooped up for breeding stock.

One anecdote I heard that is very exciting… a woman who makes felted booties said she had tried using Babydoll wool and was unable to get them to shrink in spite of multiple passes through the agitation and hot water in her washing machine.  She now refers to them as the Superwash breed!  As someone who isn’t a fan of hand washing – I’m thrilled!

Readying for this Weekend’s Shepherds’ Harvest

May9

I’ve been working towards the Shepherds’ Harvest weekend for months now, but it wasn’t until this morning that it turned out I will be in my own booth.  I’m not sure where that will be.  The North Star Farm Tour was ousted from Building A so we are dispersed to the commercial buildings and out-of-doors.

Five of my fleeces are entered in the Fleece Competition and Silent Auction: 2 dark gray Babydolls, 1 off-white Babydoll, 1 super black Finn x Doll, and 1 bright white Finn x Doll.  All of these are from animals that wore protective coats for much or all of the year leading up to shearing.

I will  be bringing additional skirted fleeces, rovings, top, quilt batting, and yarn – all natural colors. I’m throwing in a photo of myself and Sasha, my livestock-guardian-dog-in-training so you will recognize me when you see me this weekend.

 

Calvin’s first fleece – intense black but smaller

Tammy’s fleece (will be in competition) – gorgeous grays and SOFT!

Becka’s fleece will be in competition. She is half Finn half Babydoll.

A sampling of the fiber that will be for sale next weekend (or any day on-line). It does not include items yet from this year’s shearing, like super black lamb and a wool/alpaca blend.

Natural Babydoll Lambswool – Olivia.

Me and my new LGD Sasha.

Preparing for Lambing & Shearing Invitation

Mar14

Right off the bat I invite anyone interested to stop in to watch (and perhaps take part in) the annual shearing event this Saturday, March 17th at Prairie Plum Farm.  Shearing will start between 10 and 11 a.m.  Actual starting time is a little fluid as the shearer has one farm to attend to before me.   Come early (9:30?) … I’ll have hot beverages, you can see the flock in their heavily padded “before” state, AND I already have lambs to cuddle. I’ll be serving lunch afterward in the greenhouse.

Becka with babies all tagged and with tail bands are free to roam the south end of the greenhouse.

New for 2018… Like many newer animal farmers, I’m expanding my flock with each season.  I’m expecting to have between 28 and 31 lambs this year compared with 19 last year.  In a pinch, the 2017 feed bunkers would do, but the girls are really big right now with their full fleeces and growing babies. They want their space. To oblige and reduce ranker and stress, I constructed 2 6′ feed bunks (based on Premier1 plans.) Thank you, Carol, for your help!

Another addition this year is a chute for handling flow of the sheep – (purchased from Premier1) to aid me in doing more with the flock without help and to reduce stress and hassle – especially on shearing day.  If such a system can keep Bets Reedy and Diane Crane farming sheep into their 80s, sign me up as well!  

All 14 expectant ewes dining at once. The new chute is in the upper right.

I’ve invested in improved electrical service to the barn.  This will be helpful for shearing, but also powering the various tank heaters and, possibly, heat lamps.

Something to improve my comfort with extended watches in the barn, is a composting toilet.  This will be situated in the upper barn in close proximity to the lambing activity.  It should be ready for this weekend’s shearing event! (No more chemical toilets!)

Also arriving this weekend is a 12 week old Pyrenees x Anatolian Shepherd guard-dog-to-be. I’m hoping to have this little lady help me ward off the coyotes that abound in the area. As I move the larger flock to pastures further from the house, the opportunity for the surrounding packs to poach a few lambs could be irresistible.

Stop by this Saturday – and feel the fluff!  RSVP would be appreciated.

North Star Farm Tour

Sep21

I will once again be taking part in this very enjoyable event.  Carly, Brea? and I, along with wool and fruit products will be traveling to Melodee and Hugh Smith’s Clearwater Yak farm outside Welch, MN for the weekend of September 3oth/ October 1st.  I just got back a bunch of roving that I will be selling.  Hope to see you there!

http://www.northstarfarmtour.com/

 

Olivia’s off-white Babydoll rovings. More off-white besides her’s will be available.

Tammy’s rovings (Babydoll).

Fergie’s rovings (Babydoll) Warm light brown.

Finn x Doll twin combined rovings. (greater portion of their fleeces were sold as coated raw fleece). First fleece and luxurious! Brighter white than Babydoll.

Penny’s rovings. Darkest Babydoll.

Moonshadow, the Shetland’s, pindrafted rovings. Beautiful silver!!

Hattie’s Babydoll rovings. Cooler lt. brown.

 

Shepherd’s Harvest Outcome

May17

It was a wonderful time at Shepherd’s Harvest in Lake Elmo, MN this past weekend.  Unlike last year when I borrowed mittens, both days were warm and sunny.  The fleece competition went about as well as could be expected.  Three of my four fleeces got first place ranking (blue) and the 4th got 2nd place – because it was competing against one of my other fleeces.  I was especially happy about receiving 2 ratings of 19, 1 of 18, and 1 of 17 out of a possible 20 pts. for cleanliness and purity.  In all, I sold 8 plus 2 halves out of 10 fleeces taken to the event, so I am very satisfied.  One customer already reported back that she spun some from one of my fleeces “in the grease” and loved it!  I got to talk sheep and wool the entire 2 days, plus was able to see friends and the other exhibits.  It was great!  I’m looking forward to seeing some of the folks who stopped at the both at the North Star Farm Tour September 30th and October 1st.  I’ll be at Clear Spring (Yak) Farm with a couple of this year’s lambs and more wool.

The display got a little sparse towards the end. Note the ribbons displayed on the card/rovings rack.

 

Shearing Day at Prairie Plum Farm

Mar19

It was a super busy day at Prairie Plum Farm on Saturday.  Guests pitched in and helped shear the flock – learning as they went.  There were also 2 new arrivals – ram/ewe twins, tentatively named Calvin and Calista from Hattie and 5 lambs were reserved to go to new homes.

Steve Johnson showing good form holding Beck a in the on-deck circle.

Naomi Johnson and Ken Heidlebaugh taking a break after cornering Bashful and removing her coat for shearing.

Brent Winslow in the middle of shearing, Carol Wiegrefe and Moonshadow watching. He’s hoping for an opening so he can make a jail break.

Kari Jovaag awaiting fleece to scoop up, Lilly contemplating next coat to hand over, and Carol discussing some random sheep with Sara West.

Larisa Walk and Hailey working out the intricacies of the bag holder for storing the new fleeces.

The newly shorn ladies in their new spring attire.

The first morning for Hattie’s twins. Watchful mom to upper right.

Twin sisters (Fergie’s) cuddling in the corner of their jug.

Fantastic Fleeces

Feb18

I’ve become super excited about this coming season’s shearing!  This week I was out changing up coats on the flock to keep ahead of growing wool and got to see and feel their fleeces – up close and personal.  They so impressed me that I’ve decided to enter a number in the fleece competition at Shepherds’ Harvest fiber festival this May.  If all goes as planned, here is the line-up:

Sheep          Division                  Class                Breed

Olivia           Purebred                 Medium         Babydoll Southdown

Adrien         Purebred                 Medium         Babydoll Southdown

Becka          Colored                   Medium?       Babydoll Southdown X Finnsheep

Bro              White                      Medium?       Babydoll Southdown X Finnsheep

Below are a few close-up images of the wool beneath the coats.  Nina’s fleece is always longer than most, but she was only coated since November, so Olivia’s, who also trends longer, will be entered.  She’s been coated since last shearing.  The Finnsheep crosses may be fine enough that the judges will move them to the fine category.  There they would be up against Merinos who have very fine textured wool.  Since cleanliness is highly weighted, I’m thinking they should do fine anyway.   I am planning – time permitting – to post pictures/ weights of fleeces and offer for sale on this website.  The fleeces exhibited at Shepherds Harvest will be auctioned off there (unless I get an “offer I cannot refuse” 😉 ).  I am also planning a shearing day open house (March 18th) where newly shorn fleeces can be purchased.  My coat provider, Rocky, was telling me that it’s been a good wool growing year with some flocks growing into sizes of coats they’ve never had to use before.  Click on each image for a close up look at their crimp!

Nina’s back wool – luscious and long!

Adrien’s back wool – still nicely dark.

Bro’s back wool – perhaps 4″ long!