lamb
Meat In 2016, we invested in breeding stock in order to begin the process of producing the quality of animals that we wanted to see in our local food supply. Not only were we concerned about the quality of meat, but we were concerned about the health and vigor of the animals in our climate and in our farm system. To us, that means breeding for these specific qualities:
- Cold AND heat tolerant (able to weather climactic stress with minimal human assistance)
- Strong, protective and prolific mothers. This is twofold:
- A preference for ewes that can indepedently birth, nurse and wean two or more lambs in a season
- A preference for ewes with good milk flow and high milkfat content, resulting in happy and healthy growing babies!
- Ability to efficiently turn their mother's milk, grass and legumes into muscle and fat without the supplemental feeding of grain
- Parasite resistant (where parasites are managed in an organic system of grazing and nutrition, without parasiticides or chemical dewormers)
Within our system, we have chosen to breed Clun Forrest ewes to Blue Faced Leicester rams. The resulting lamb is a mule lamb, a hybrid, typically demonstrating the best traits of both parent. These lambs are born in March and April and are ready for slaughter in the early fall. With our preference traits and our organic system, we are able to offer you healthy and happy, certified organic lambs that have never seen a lick of grain - we're proud to say they're truly grass-fed and grass-finished. Moreover, we finish them on the most lush, nutrient dense pasture we have to ensure the sort of marbling you're looking for in your lamb cuts.
Fiber and Pelts While our sheep are primarily raised for meat, we do raise a small line of the threatened breed, Leicester Longwools, specifically for their fiber. These animals are sheared once a year and their wool is sent to our local mill to be processed into batts for spinning and yarn for knitting or crocheting. We are currently waiting for our 2018 wool to be processed for 2019 sales.
It is very important to us that the entire life of our animals is respected and not taken for granted. One way that we do that is to utilize every resource of the animal. While alive, we shear them for their wool, but what about their fleeces at slaughter? When our animals get harvested, we use not only their meat and bones but also their pelts! At slaughter, we have our processors save the intact pelts and then we. bring them home, salt and dry them and have them professionally tanned and cleaned. These beautiful pelts come in a variety of textures, colors and sizes. To inquire about sizes and pricing, contact Sarah at goodsteadfarm@gmail.com.
