January Farm Update

Hi friends,

Time for the monthly farm update! The winter storm rolled through and everyone stayed pretty cozy. Meanwhile, I completed a unique project (scroll for more). 🥩

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Quick note: For those waiting for breeding stock, I plan to have 2 breeding-ready rams for sale tomorrow night. Click the button below to be notified about availability:

This month I took on a unique project.

I converted roughly 500lb of meat into shelf stable, meals ready to eat.

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This meat was the accumulation of a couple of years: meat that is amazing quality but not marketable (eg. a grass-fed sheep that is too old to market as lamb or home-butchered meat that can’t be sold to the public).

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I am excited to share a video of this process with you, including recipes (hoping to publish on the channel by the end of the month).

This was my first time canning and preserving food. I enjoyed the learning process. I might not recommend making 500lb of meat your first pressure-canning project, but rest assured you can do it if you have to 😅.

I ended up with 220 jars (or 617 meals worth) of finished product.

I lost about 8 jars due to rookie mistakes, but those still remained edible – just not shelf stable.

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I now have Lamb Stew, Taco Filling, BBQ Sandwich Meat, Teriyaki, Stroganoff, and MORE stashed on the shelf.

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My version of fast food and a great backup for the grocery store the next time the world shuts down.😅

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I emptied my freezer just in time to fill it again with a new round of market lambs!

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January’s lambs finished out nicely. Average finish weight for this group was 95lb with a carcass yield of around 50% – super pleased with these numbers! (reminder: click here if you are looking for a breeding ram from these genetics)

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Due to low quality winter pasture I supplemented this group at a rate of 1.5-2lb per head per day during December and January. The supplement was a 50-50 mix of whole oats and alfalfa pellets.

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If you are interested in raising your own meat sheep, buy my book for beginners: the Basics of Raising Sheep on Pasture ​

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Stay the course,

-the Shepherdess

“…yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast.

I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me.”

Psalm 52:1-2