Link to ONx Maps App: https://apple.co/3uW6shP
January Farm Update
Hello Friends,
The year is new, the pasture is quiet, but plans for the coming season are mounting! I think it’s funny how you come out of summer dead-tired, but by January you cannot wait to start all over again :). I hope you enjoy the update and make sure to register and join me on January 27th for a LIVESTREAM FARMER MEETUP!
We are still enjoying some good grazing! Here in upper East Texas, temps stay pretty mild throughout the winter. Certain grasses will persist through our cold season. Thanks to my sister’s diligent efforts with her portable chicken coops the pasture has been a little greener this winter! (link to a video on chicken-for-fertilizer)
A slower pace on pasture has allowed me to dust off my leather working tools and create a small collection of leather wallets for sale. I have a few more left here and all proceeds are toward my work here on the farm! CLICK HERE for a video on how these wallets were made.
Thank you all for your support!
Until next time,
-the Shepherdess
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.” Matthew 7:7-8
Happy New Year…
Thanks to a very special flu, I have barely had the energy to post a recent photo, let alone a month-by-month recap of 2021… so I won’t be doing that this year.
But I want to say this: “He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.” 1Thess. 5:24
Depending on how the year went for you, reminiscing could bring waves of grief or feelings of accomplishment.
2021 contains both for me. God has been so good to me and my work at Harmony Farms. At the same time, 2021 bears with it the pain of losing one’s I loved and the sting of unmet expectations.
But He that calls me is faithful. That is my anchor as I reminisce on 2021 and look forward to 2022.
He also will do it: that insurmountable object before you is nothing for Him.
This amazing fog has covered the farm for the past couple mornings and evenings. It’s so thick, I can’t see anything on the other side of it. But as I begin to walk through the fog the path clears just enough for me to take the next step.
Maybe there’s something in that for us.
Happy New Year and thank you all!
-the Shepherdess
Full Time Farmer with Only 20 Acres!!
My Documentary for the National Grazing Lands Conference
National Grazing Lands Coalition invited me to speak at their National Conference this year. While I am unable to attend the national conference in-person, National Grazing Lands allowed me to submit this video documentary on my small scale cattle ranching (to be aired at the conference)! This is a pretty complete summary of the past 18 months of my life as a beginner farmer. It outlines my micro ranching for profit startup, my transition from beef to Dorper sheep as the main focus in my farm business, and the ways I am marketing my farm products (Dorper sheep).
Video Timestamps:
2:54 Micro Ranching for Profit
14:20 Why did I switch from beef to Dorper sheep?
16:24 American Agriculture in Crisis.
20:04 How I am selling my farm products.
27:39 This is harder than I though it would be.
Thank you so much to all who have been with me on this journey from the very beginning. I am so grateful for your support of my Dorper sheep farm.
-the Shepherdess
In Loving Memory
“Take care of your lambs, girl.”
“Take care of your lambs, girl.”
Those were his last words to me.
My grandad passed away yesterday.
For the past few years he lived close to the farm.
He drafted plans for chicken coops, helped install sheep fencing, and would always tell me how good my flock looked. He loved lambing season and would daily ask “how many new ones today?”.
I am grateful for the time we had with him… but more than anything I’m grateful for the Gospel we were able to share with him. I want to share the following verses straight from the Bible and I hope you’ll take time to read them.
“For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” Titus 3:3-7
Life is short no matter how long you live. If you know Christ, share Him with others; if you don’t now is the time to seek Him.
I’m going to be taking a week off of YouTube and social media. Small Farmer Virtual Meetup will also be postponed until December.
I’ll be spending the extra time with my family and taking care of my lambs :).
The Shepherdess at Harmony Farms
September Farm Update
Hello friends!
What an exciting thing to be nearing the end of summer! Autumn ushers in a slower pace as we round off a busy spring and summer here at Harmony Farms. I’d really love to see you at my Small Farmer LIVESTREAM this month. It is a free event and I hope you will join me and farmers across the world as we talk about what’s happening on our farms!
The Good:
I was so thrilled with the results of the first Shepherdess Livestock Sale. It was such a pleasure to meet with buyers and send these lambs to their new homes. I am so grateful to each buyer who invested in my operation by purchasing my stock. Many are asking when my next Dorper lambs will be available for sale. March/April 2022 is the tentative date for pre-orders on my next lamb crop.
I slowed the rotation from once a day moves to once a week moves. The intense heat brings significant relief from one of my primary enemies in pasture: the barber pole worm. Hot and dry weather decreases the parasite load on pasture and allows me to slow my rotation without compromising animal health.
The Challenging:
Heat kicked in hard this August (heat index of 104+ for several weeks). I had to be extra vigilant to stay on top of hydration and electrolytes for the flock. A really helpful tool for that was Apple Cider Vinegar. I added about 1/2 cup per 40 gallons of water during a severe heat wave. The addition of ACV really increased the flock’s water consumption, which helped relieve much of the stress that the heat induced.
Thanks for reading this farm update! I really appreciate you being a part of what I am doing at Harmony Farms.
-the Shepherdess
“But those who wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31
DIY Covered Mineral Feeder for Sheep
SELLING MY FIRST DORPER LAMBS
How Rotational Grazing Saved me $200K
Shepherdess Dorper Ram Lamb Preview
Tue, Aug 10 at 7:45 AM
The Shepherdess Dorpers Ram and Whether sale goes live TOMORROW at 8AM CST!! All purchases will take place at ShepherdessDorpers.com and pickup will be arranged after the sale.
I was asked to describe the traits that put these rams at the top of my flock, so here they are!
Each Ram lamb has a tag # and you will have the opportunity to buy the specific rams described below! First come, first served. No reserves.
2111: From the moment of birth this ram lamb has displayed an ideal build and stellar rate of growth. He was the largest lamb at weaning and has the nickname “mammoth” on pasture. His mom is probably the strongest ewe in my flock, maintaining excellent condition clear up to weaning.
2110: This ram lamb falls in close behind mammoth: he has displayed excellent rate of growth from the beginning. This ram is almost an exact replica of my commercial flock sire: strong build and excellent markings. His mom is extremely productive, lambing at just one year old and maintaining incredible body condition clear up to weaning.
1824-RL: In addition to excellent rate of growth, this ram lamb is the offspring of my most parasite resistant ewe. This ewe has produced offspring that consistently makes it through inspection with outstanding scores on the FAMACHA scale. This parasite resistance is an incredible trait to carry into your flock.
2109: This Ram lamb is the offspring of one of my most resilient ewes. She is highly productive, dropping twins unassisted at nearly every lambing. She has been with the flock since 2018 and is a total veteran on pasture! This ram’s mom has more color on her body than my other ewes. This is purely cosmetic and does not effect the productivity of the animal, but I wanted to list this in case a pure white body is high on your priority list.
1904-RL: This ram lamb is out of one of my favorite ewes: She is highly productive and my best shedder, dropping 100% of her coat before any of my other ewes. She lambed twins effortlessly on her first lambing. She has perfect markings with a pure white body and jet black head. I call her my “show sheep” and you will see her in most of my youtube thumbnails and profile pictures.
Looking forward to tomorrow!
-the Shepherdess
”So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase.” 1 Corinthians 3:6
🎉DETAILS ARE HERE!!!
Save the date for August 11th and 8AM CST!! I will be selling 10 head of Dorper Sheep from my Flock. Details are explained in the video above and more can be found HERE AT ShepherdessDorpers.com! If you have any questions, please email me at shepherdess(at)harmonyfarms.blog .
**Please note, the buy button will be viewable on August 11th at 8 AM CST. First come first served, no reserves. Thank you all very much!
-the Shepherdess
“Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. ” Psalm 100:3
QUICK TOUR of my Rotational Grazing System for Sheep (Small Scale)
Hoof Care
Weaning Lambs
July Farm Update
Hello Farmers!!
It has been a BIG month here at Harmony Farms. We weaned 2021’s Dorper Sheep lamb crop in preparation for the August 11th Shepherdess Dorper Lamb sale and completed a flock expansion project! The video above gives you all the details. Thank you for joining me on this journey. Scroll to the bottom for the LIVE ONLINE EVENTS I am hosting this month!
The Good:
I have just completed a 3000 mile trek to bring some of the best Dorper Sheep Genetics back to Harmony Farms. I am now running two lines of genetics here on the farm: a registered flock and a commercial flock. I am so grateful to the Lord for open doors.
This month we weaned 2021’s Dorper lamb crop! I am so excited about how these little not-so-little lambs are looking. What you see is 100% grass and mom’s milk only. We did not grain supplement any of our Spring 2021 lambs!
The Challenging:
The workload is heavy right now. Acclimating the new livestock, giving the entire flock their annual pedicure (aka, trimming 140 hooves), and maintaining the daily rotational grazing program… it’s been non-stop! I’m enjoying the gift of strong, black coffee and the help of an incredible support group.
Online Events:
Small Farmer Virtual Meetup with INTEGRAZERS
Farm on the Web Workshop: Using Instagram for your Farm Business
Thank you for reading and supporting my work here!
-the Shepherdess“Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.” Psalm 100:3
Building a 2nd Flock
My name is Grace and I am the Shepherdess at Harmony Farms. I jumped into farming in 2020 with no previous experience in agriculture. My background and primary occupation is in business management and retail marketing. My goal in farming is to build a profitable farm business on 30 acres by the year 2027! I am doing this with a flock of full blood Dorper sheep.
This month marks my one year anniversary as the Shepherdess at Harmony Farms. As I close out year one I am beginning the process of building out a second flock of Dorper sheep. This video gives some insights on why I am doing this. Thank you all for following my Dorper sheep farming journey!
-the Shepherdess
“A man’s heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.” Proverbs 16:9
MY FIRST LAMBING SEASON
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
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
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🐑🌱
BACKYARD SHEEP | 28 SHEEP IN MY BACKYARD
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
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
Day in the Life of a Shepherdess
Winter Chores on a Sheep Farm
FREE INSTRUCTIONS: Electric Fence for Sheep
