KARL EBEL: REGENERATIVE RANCHER
MY FIRST LAMBING SEASON
WHEN FARMING IS HARD
Growing Pains
I was feeling it tonight. I thought it was burnout.
So I sat down and put pen to paper: I wrote down everything that has happened over the past 6 weeks.
Pulling the flock off pasture for a historic winter storm, working sheep solo for the first time, pulling lambs: one a success and one leaving me with nothing but sore muscles and an ear-tag with no owner. Building our first permanent infrastructure. Initiating spring’s intensive grazing program. W-A-I-T-I-N-G on edge for the remainder of the flock to lamb. Working to remain consistent in the business building side of my farm… and more.
Looking at that paper full of experiences I realized…
It’s not burnout, it’s growing pains.
The experiences of the past 6 weeks have been unmatched opportunities for growth.
As I correct my perspective, I shift to thankfulness. Thankful the Lord has brought me through each new and difficult experience.
I know more now than I did 6 weeks ago… and while it doesn’t eliminate the exhaustion, it does lift my spirits.
I’m sore, but I’m growing… and that growth is worth the exhaustion.
-the Shepherdess 🐑🌱
“My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”2 Cor. 12:8
LAMB IS STUCK | HOW I HELPED MY EWE GIVE BIRTH
From scattered to following.
8 months ago I stepped on pasture and the flock scattered. They did not trust me… they did not understand what I was there for.
As I began to work with the flock, they came to the place where they would follow my feed bucket. They came for what I had to offer.
As I continued the rotational grazing program (moving them to fresh pasture daily), my sheep began to understand: I was there to care for them.
In time, I no longer needed the feed bucket to draw them. They came to know the sound of my voice. They began to respond to my call.
Now when I step on pasture there is no hesitation or fear; my sheep follow me.
They came first in hopes of receiving something. Now they come because they know me, they trust me. (And, TBH, they are animals so they probably do still hope for food at some point🤷🏼♀️).
This process has drawn me back to the relationship I have with my Shepherd.
I think, as Christians, we often come to Christ because we want something out of it. We want that feed bucket full of hopes and dreams.
And He is patient with that.
But as we grow in our relationship with Him we understand that He is doing something greater than just carrying that feed bucket. We begin to understand that His plan is bigger and, regardless of what He gives us, He is leading us to the very best.
And we begin to draw near and trust Him for Who He is as much as what He gives.
The process of building trust with this flock took time and is still a work in progress. Even so, our trust in Christ is a work in progress.
Nevertheless, His care is unconditional.
And as a shepherdess I now understand the delight He feels when His sheep draw near without the use of a feed bucket. 😅
-the Shepherdess
The Lord God says: “So will I seek out My sheep and deliver them from all the places where they were scattered…” Ezekiel 34:12
Preparing for Lambing Season My Lambing Kit
Books on Regenerative Farming and Agriculture
Use this code for 30% off the book list below! (hey all! Update for 2022, you must buy all 5 books to qualify for the 30% off. Thanks for understanding!)
“PUB35“
Salad Bar Beef by Joel Salatin
Management Intensive Grazing by Jim Gerrish
The Art and Science of Grazing by Sarah Flack
Grassfed to Finish “A Production Guide to Gourmet Grass-Finished Beef” by Allan Nation
Quality Pasture “How to Create it, Manage it, and Profit from it.” By Allan Nation
(books from the following sources are already discounted, the coupon will not work at this site.)
Temple Grandin’s Guide to Working with Farm Animals
Grass Productivity by Andre Voisin
HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR SOIL QUALITY
6 Ways I’m Building My Farm Into a Business
Committed.
“It’s not crazy, it’s being a shepherdess.”
7 words that set me free as I was rigging up electric fencing at 11pm the other night.
At the end of the day sheep are sheep. Not pigs, not cows, not chickens, not ducks. Sheep are sheep and they need a shepherd(ess).
When I made the decision to buy this flock I had already been managing it for several months.
When I became a shepherdess I did so with the understanding that these sheep will require more of me than any other animal I probably could have chosen.
If I were to retain any other expectation, I would quit.
As I remind myself of that commitment , frustration fades into a sense of duty. I am sure that time and experience will smooth out some of the bumps, but, by the grace of God, I am committed.
-the Shepherdess🐑🌱
How I Left the CITY and Started a SHEEP FARM
BACKYARD SHEEP | 28 SHEEP IN MY BACKYARD
DIY Homemade Sheep Chute Build (Part 1)
Diversity: a Corner Pillar in Regenerative Farming (Part 1)
Show notes from Mack Farms. (Foreword and Editor: the Shepherdess)
Foreword: The principle of Diversity is a corner pillar in Regenerative Agriculture. As regenerative farmers we should pursue the principles of diversity in every area of farming. So doing will maximize not only efficiency, but also profitability. The following show notes are from Elijah Mack and they outline a few of the ways that we, as regenerative farmers, can weave a safety net of diversity on our farms.
Diversity “Resilience is Diversity in motion”
– Daniel Griffith, Timshel Wildland
Diversity is stability, a safety net in your farming infrastructure. Farming comes with very little guarantees. Diversity is a way to cover your bases and build security into your operation. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth… and diversity was fundamental in His design! Diversity with the blessing to be fruitful & multiply. Creation is still dynamic. (Gen. 1:1, 28)
Here are a few ways we can diversify as Regenerative Farmers:
Diversity of Equipment
Practical application:
Try to ensure the equipment you invest in is diverse in it’s usability (aka: no single-purpose equipment!!!). Focus on building an inventory of tools that you can multitask with. Rate what you decide to invest in on a Scale of Permanence, by asking how hard will this be to change once I build it? Once you build permanent infrastructure or invest in an expensive (single purpose) tool it is hard to re-configure it.
Here are some tips to make sure your equipment on farm can be diversified:
- Delay the construction of buildings, gates, handling facilities until you know what works.
- Make buildings open and multi-functional, livestock, equip, manure, hay
- Ask yourself: Do I need permanent fence, gates, etc? Can I do something creative with portable electric fencing to achieve the same end goal?
Diversity of Skill Sets
As a Regenerative Farmer, consider yourself – the human body/mind – as the ultimate tool. Also consider how your livestock might be able to do the work for you.
- Diversify your skill set: Jack of all trades, master of none.
- Historically, specialization of tasks has been a downfall. A lack of diversity creates economic frailty; on a personal level and on a national level.
- The Livestock is your first employee on your regenerative farm – use them. As you approach a task, ask yourself the question: “Is there a way I can employ the livestock’s natural behavior to perform this task?” (planting seeds, brush clearing, etc)
Diversity of Creatures on Farm
Think of farm animals as collaborators, not competitors.
Farm examples:
- Cattle – grazers – 80% forage, 20% browse
- Sheep – 50/50
- Goats – browsers – 80% browse, 20% forage.
Consider the forage needs of these “typical” farm animals and then ask yourself, “how can I manage these animals so that they maximize the various forage resources on my farm?”
To be continued!…
Deworming my Dorper Sheep (FAMACHA SCORING and Selective Drenching)
I wouldn’t have believed you.
If you would have told me a year ago that I would the shepherdess of a flock I worked so hard to ignore, I would not have believed you.
For years I shoved off anything farm related, hoping if I ignored it long enough it would go away.
But last May I felt like the Lord was was leading me to use my gifts in management and marketing to produce a solution to the crisis that was unfolding in our nation. Grocery stores were empty. Millions of animals were being euthanized due to centralized processing closures. A food system that sustained 300+ million people was cracking in half.
So what do you do when you receive a wake up call?
I knew I didn’t want to go back to sleep. So I did the next thing: I looked out my window at 30 acres of grass and asked myself: how much food can I grow here?
And I started growing it… with no previous farming experience.
I hope people following my journey will do the same thing. Look at your resources, no matter how small, and ask yourself: “How can I be part of the solution?”.
For you, the answer may or may not be becoming a farmer. However, I believe the Lord has given everyone of us gifts and resources to steward; first for His glory, and second for the service of others.
Thank you for following this journey I am on. It’s all new to me, but His grace is sufficient… and I’m finding myself so very satisfied in a life that I tried to ignore for so long.
-the Shepherdess
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13
Interview with Mack Farms in Pennsylvania
JOIN US for “the Shepherdess Small Farmer Livestream”
THIS MONTH’S CO-HOST: ELI MACK OF MACK FARMS IN PENNSYLVANIA
WHAT MY Dorper SHEEP EAT IN THE WINTER
As promised, here is a complete list of what my Dorper sheep eat in the winter. This is what I feed my sheep in the winter when I remove them from pasture and confine them to a winterized barn. I rarely have to confine my sheep. However, winter storm URI blew through and buried our pasture in 9″ of snow. For this reason, I pulled my Dorper sheep off pasture and fed them in a warm, shedded area for about a week.
Here is what I fed my 26 Dorper sheep every day while they were in their winter housing. This is a ration for my BREEDERS, not my eaters. Our beef and lamb for market is grass fed entirely. The pellets and grain I feed my breeder ewes disqualify them from a grass fed to finish program. This is fine because their purpose is to breed, not to be eaten.
WHAT DO MY 25 SHEEP EAT IN A DAY?
(Images below. All items purchased from my local Atwoods store.)
2 square bales of hay.
20-25 lbs of 13% All-Stock pellets.
1 Mineral Block (Free choice. Will last much more than a day)
1 Ranch Pro 18% Protein Block (Free choice. Will last much more than a day)
I hope this helps you!
-the Shepherdess
“Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31
TUTORIAL: DIY Portable Shade Structures for Sheep and Goats
BE SURE TO PROPERLY ANCHOR THESE STRUCTURE.
This DIY portable shade structure allowed me to launch a rotational grazing program for my sheep over summer at a fairly low cost. Because I found the hog paneling on sale, the total cost of one of these shade structures was just $60. It took 4 of these DIY shade structures to comfortably shade my 25 sheep. Every time I moved to a new paddock, I simply flattened the shade structures and pulled them to the new spot.
If the wind was set to be greater than 10MPH, I had to make sure I anchored each structure with tent stakes. Otherwise, these shade structures would literally fly across my pasture like a kite. Be aware of the deficiencies in this design, but also know that this list and tutorial will give you a good starting place for cheap, portable shade structures for a rotational grazing program.
Each portable shade structure requires:
16×4′ Feedlot Panel (you can go wider than 4′, but I wouldn’t go any longer than 16′)
Plastic Zip Ties
2 Lengths of 90″ long CHAIN Link
4 Metal Snap Hooks
Blue Polyester Tarp (might recommend choosing shade cloth instead. The blue tarp is waterproof, but does not have much UV tolerance)
4 Tent Stakes
I hope this helps you!
-the Shepherdess
“The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.” Psalm 24:1
SHEEP FARMING DURING WINTER STORM URI
WHAT DOES A SHEEP FARMER DO?
Strength in weakness + What it takes to be a Shepherdess.
“And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9
When I started farming I had NEVER managed livestock and would NEVER have been labeled an “outdoorsy person”. In fact, my real job was digital marketing in the retail industry.
But God is able.
“Don’t be a farmer.”
“You could make more money in one week than you’ll ever make from that flock.”
“Those sheep aren’t worth it.”
These are things I heard when I became interested in Regenerative Agriculture this year.
And, from an external perspective, they were all right… I felt crazy too. But at the end of the day becoming the Shepherdess of this flock was not a choice I made, but a calling I received. And one day at a time I am stepping into what I believe that Lord wants for me.
What does it take to be a shepherdess? T-I-M-E. Time. If there is anything I’ve learned from this journey is that sheep need your time. The more you give them, the better they respond to your management.
It hasn’t changed since the beginning of time: sheep need a shepherd(ess). When you leave sheep to themselves they deteriorate. When you take the time to shepherd them, they thrive. Under the care of a shepherd(ess) sheep change. They begin to trust, they begin to follow, they begin to understand the way you work and move in response to your behavior.
And if you draw it back to Christ, the Great Shepherd, it is the same. He is always there: telling us to draw near to Him, seeking us when we stray, never leaving or forsaking us. He gives us not only His time, but He gave us His life on the cross.
So I look at these sheep with dirty knees: totally reliant, kind of dumb… and I see myself.
Then I switch to the perspective I have as their shepherdess: When they are thriving, I am happy; when they stray (aka: bust out of the electric fence), I am grieved. With this shift in perspective I get a glimpse at the love of Christ.
It is a love that relies not on my capabilities, but rather, Who He is and what I am to Him.
-the Shepherdess🐑🌱
“For you were as sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.” 1 Peter 2:25
SHEEP GRAZING the Garden Cover Crops
How to Brood Chicks for BEGINNERS
Why I Rotational Graze My Sheep in Winter
I wanted to quit rotational grazing my sheep this month.
There is no green grass, we have already made one pass through each paddock since the first frost, and the sheep are becoming more difficult to contain. While we are feeding hay, I assume their constant escape of the electric fencing is an instinctual drive to find more and better food.
Thanks to some encouragement from sister, and farm-partner in crime, I am continuing this rotational-grazing-sheep-thing over winter.
I realize that not everyone lives in a mild winter-climate like Texas, so barn and bedding are essential for many farms… but with average temps at just 40-50 degrees in my parts, I don’t feel like I have any excuse to pull the flock off pasture.
Here is why I am rotational grazing my sheep over winter:
I am rotational grazing my sheep for even manure distribution.
The flock puts off about 150lbs of manure per day. Having this spread across 30 acres instead of in a barn is worth the moves. Plus, I have NO machinery to scoop and redistribute deep bedding, were I to house the flock in a well-maintained barn. By continuing to rotational graze, the sheep are ammending for my lack of machinery and spreading their own manure across the pasture.
I am rotational grazing my sheep for Parasite Management.
The parasites that can plague sheep are dormant, but not absent, during winter. Paddocks still need rest time during winter for UV sanitation and parasite die off. By rotational grazing my sheep over winter, my pasture paddocks continue to receive 30-45 days of rest between grazing.
I am rotational grazing my sheep to avoid soil compaction.
When I wanted to pause rotational grazing over winter, I considered designating a 7-acre pasture to be my “winter pasture”. However, as I watched what happened when I left the flock in one spot during days and days of rain, I realized I’d end up with a mud pit by the end of winter. I know for a lot of climates there is no other option than to leave your animals in what is called a “sacrifice pasture”. For me, however, my winters are mild and I do have the ability to maintain my rotational grazing program.
I am rotational grazing my sheep over winter to maintain personal work habits.
Confession: I feel like consistency is difficult for me to cultivate and maintain. By maintaining my rotational grazing program throughout winter I am staying in the groove and constantly working with the flock. When spring comes and the weekly rotational grazing program shifts back to a daily rotational grazing program, I will have a better chance of adjusting back to that work load.
Do you rotational graze your animals? If so, are you able to maintain your rotational grazing system over winter? Tell me in the comments!
-the Shepherdess
“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” Galatians 6:9
