On thirteen acres we raise a handspinner's flock of sheep and Cashmere producing goats. Our group is on free pasture and browse year round. We supplement with hay, grain ration, vitamins and minerals as needed in the changing seasons. We do not claim to be "organic certified", "humane certified" or hold any other "certificate", but our animals are treated humanely, our feeds are as natural as we can afford them to be and our animals are not fed antibiotics unless they need them for accute sickess or injury. Prevention takes much effort, but not so much as prolonged treatment of a sick animal. We believe that good stewardship is integral to healthy, sound animals. If you have an interest in seeing how our animals are raised and how our products are developed, we invite you to schedule a visit.

We focus on the quality of the animals' environment. Our pastures are rotated as needed. Feeds are purchased from the local cooperative. Our hay is grown on the farm or purchased locally. It's air dried and stacked to promote good airflow. Feed bins and water buckets are cleaned frequently. Fields are not sprayed routinely for weeds, but this may one day be necessary as the ideal images in the media for organic are not always most beneficial for the flock. Common sense may be making inroads in public perception.

The flock and herd are fed only well-stored, fresh feeds, hay and fresh water. The pastures are rotated and walked to look for hazards and noxious weeds. Animals are checked morning and evening for general appearance, cud chewing and gait. Fences are kept in good shape and are appropriate to the animal being enclosed. Our health program consists of routine vaccinations, foot trimming, worming and coat checks for external parasites. We also look at gait, eyes, noses, teeth and general demeanor of the animals.

For breeding ewes/does: Annual Covexin-8 booster is given 4 weeks prior to due date. Worming and feet are done as needed and prior to breeding. Sheep feet are done again at shearing. For goats, we try to trim hooves every two to three months. For both sheep and goats parasite checks (checking inner eye area tissue) and deworming are continued throughout the summer and fall as needed, up to the first hard frost. For worming we use limited amounts of Cydectin, Ivomec and Safeguard according to need. We also use parasitic wasps and sticky traps to control barn flies as part of our integrated approach to managing insects, IPM. Our minerals are fed loose and free choice. We purchase them from Fertrell. They include a percentage of diatomaceous earth and are kelp based.