Cory was our driver years ago.  He came back a few months ago covering one of the driving positions, but his real goal here at the farm is to run a flock of sheep.  He is also a fantastic go to project person.  Right now, he is filling in for the driving position, but has been invaluable to me, working on some projects that really need to get done.  In the meantime, he is working on his plans for his flock.  He recently attended a meeting with the USDA for starting farmers and ranchers.  There he learned about grant money the government offers to help get you started and they offer assistance with the paperwork.  I think the most important lesson he learned was the value of showing up and meeting people in person, and building relationships. For our part, we are working on getting the appropriate pasture mix growing.  Nigel and I hope to take a short drive around the farm to see how it is all looking.  The beauty of having sheep is they offer a different source of fertility to the soil.  They also make fantastic little mowers before we run chickens.  Typically what we do for the chicken pasture is we grow it, we mow it to the right height for the birds, and then we move them on.  Using sheep for the mowing means we save on diesel for the tractor, we save hours running the tractor (very important because a tractor’s life is not measured in miles, but rather in hours) and we save time someone has to drive the tractor mowing.  With the crew as tight as it is, we are always looking for ways to save them time.  Overall, having sheep is such a positive addition to the farm and, if all goes well, we will have lamb available.

 

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