Articles with the Tag farming

23: Joseph Morel – Sustainable Farming at Eastman Farm

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Despite growing up on a Vermont farm himself, Joseph Morel of Eastman Farm didn’t think that there would be an opportunity to continue this way of life while raising his own family. But through perseverance, developing community with neighboring farms, assistance from the Vermont Land Trust, as well as support from the people of Barnard,

Rotational Grazing Tips: Portable fencing is an effective pasturing system

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Since we started raising sheep back in 2008, we practiced rotational grazing to help manage our pasture and promote the health of our flock. Portable electric fencing is an easy and cost-effective way to implement this system. Rotational grazing has several goals. It is designed to promote a healthy pasture and healthy animals by promoting

16: Kate MacLean, Longest Acres Farm

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Kate MacLean and her husband Nick of Longest Acres Farm in Chelsea have a familiar farmer story. Tired of working in office jobs, they visited Kate’s farming cousin in the country and fell in love with the lifestyle of hard work, fresh air, and a direct connection with animals and the environment. They haven’t looked

15: Kristen Judkins, Gilead Fiber Farm

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Kristen Judkins grew up spinning and knitting, but didn’t have her own fiber farm until she won some angora goats in an online essay contest. Join us for a chat about all things fiber and learn about the small mill where Kristen also processes roving and yarn for other shepherds. You can find Kristen’s work

13: Linda Doane, Shepherd of Shetlands

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Linda Doane is a national treasure in the shepherding world. After sampling some imported Shetland fleeces, she decided she had to have a flock of her own. The problem? No one was raising this breed in the United States. Working with a Canadian partner, Linda and her husband Tut imported the first flock of Shetland

Starting an organic sheepskin tannery

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When we couldn’t find a non-toxic option for tanning sheepskins from our flock, we decided to go full-scale DIY and start our own organic sheepskin tannery. Vermont Natural Sheepskins is the first commercial, organic tannery in the USA. In this video episode, Sarah shares how she and Rick decided to take the initiative to start

Getting started with sheep farming

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When we bought our house in 2006, we knew the building was sound, but the land needed improvement. What to do about the ice-slalom of a driveway? How could we plant a vegetable garden if the front yard was full of pine trees that blocked out the sun? The idea of driving a tractor on

Winter Wonders As The Snow Settles In

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In October, I closed the last journal entry by wondering how we—and the animals—would do once winter set in. Our summer and autumn experiences were great, but once there was snow on the ground, how were we all going to adapt our routines? I’m pleased to report that the state of the flock is excellent!