We Have a New Website!
View and purchase fleeces and blankets, plus reserve for next year! We've been hard at work this spring, creating a new, beautiful website to sell our fleeces and blankets. You can even reserve your fleece for 2015 online!
Shearing is Done
This year we started a little early. We decided to take advantage of the beautiful warm weather. We ended up shearing close to 100 sheep and 2 angora goats this year. We have some very nice fleeces for sale. They have all been carefully skirted for your hand spinning pleasure. Whether you spin in the grease, wash it or send it out to be processed into beautiful roving you won’t be disappointed.
Our lambing season is in full swing. With the exceptional warm February, our lambing percentage is 187%. Four sets of triplets really helped the average. Lots of twins and very few singles. I am very happy with my numbers this year. We have 84 lambs and there are still 24 ewes left to lamb.
Work on the Farm
Now that our lambing season is winding down we have some extra time to work on the barn roofs. The big winds we had back in February tore the roofs off of two of our barns and collapsed the southern wall of one barn. We were very fortunate. We did not lose any livestock. There will be some long hours, milling boards to replace what was destroyed and rebuilding.
Spring is almost here on the calendar but the outside environment tells me spring has sprung. We took on the project of refurbishing the old Freeman manure spreader. It has been parked for over 40 years. Can’t believe the tires still hold air. Soon we will be adding nutrients back to the fields. None too soon for the pasture is starting to come out of dormancy and it’s time to over seed and start the pumps. Unless we get some rain out of the overhead clouds. The ground is so dry, I worry about the feed conditions for the sheep this summer. The one thing that I have learned over the years about being a rancher is that nothing is set in stone. Conditions are always changing and you have to learn to adapt. What worked well one year might not be the best approach for this year. We take each day as it comes.
Now that our lambing season is winding down we have some extra time to work on the barn roofs. The big winds we had back in February tore the roofs off of two of our barns and collapsed the southern wall of one barn. We were very fortunate. We did not lose any livestock. There will be some long hours, milling boards to replace what was destroyed and rebuilding.
Spring is almost here on the calendar but the outside environment tells me spring has sprung. We took on the project of refurbishing the old Freeman manure spreader. It has been parked for over 40 years. Can’t believe the tires still hold air. Soon we will be adding nutrients back to the fields. None too soon for the pasture is starting to come out of dormancy and it’s time to over seed and start the pumps. Unless we get some rain out of the overhead clouds. The ground is so dry, I worry about the feed conditions for the sheep this summer. The one thing that I have learned over the years about being a rancher is that nothing is set in stone. Conditions are always changing and you have to learn to adapt. What worked well one year might not be the best approach for this year. We take each day as it comes.
Lamb at the Farmers Market
Romano’s Farmers Market | June 5- September 11 | Fridays 10a - 2p
It is also time to start thinking about the farmers markets for the summer months. Romano’s Farmers Market will start June 5- September 11. Fridays 10am-2pm. We will be there selling our wonderful cuts of lamb. It is very mild in flavor. They feed on the native grasses and brush. We supplement with Sierra Valley alfalfa. We do not give our lambs grain, growth hormones or antibiotics. Along with our meat products we will have our beautiful wool blankets, natural and hand dyed yarns that are made here in the USA. We will also feature our signature wool felted soap made with sierra valley artesian spring water.
Romano’s Farmers Market | June 5- September 11 | Fridays 10a - 2p
It is also time to start thinking about the farmers markets for the summer months. Romano’s Farmers Market will start June 5- September 11. Fridays 10am-2pm. We will be there selling our wonderful cuts of lamb. It is very mild in flavor. They feed on the native grasses and brush. We supplement with Sierra Valley alfalfa. We do not give our lambs grain, growth hormones or antibiotics. Along with our meat products we will have our beautiful wool blankets, natural and hand dyed yarns that are made here in the USA. We will also feature our signature wool felted soap made with sierra valley artesian spring water.
Fiber Festivals 2015
Retzlaff Winery
Spinning with Treadles to Threads Guild
Livermore, CA
June 6, 2015 | 10am-4pm
Blacksheep Gathering
Lane Events Center
796 W. 13th Ave.
Eugene, OR
June 19-21
Monterey County Wool Auction
Monterey County Fairgrounds
September 7
California National Wool Show
Mendocino County Fairgrounds
Boonville, CA
September 11-13
Trailing of the Sheep Festival
Hailey, ID
October 8-11
www.trailingofthesheep.org
Fiber Fusion
Patrick Ranch
Durham, CA
October 10-11
Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival
Canby, OR
September 25-27
Lambtown
Dixon Fairgrounds
Dixon, CA
October 3-4
Retzlaff Winery
Spinning with Treadles to Threads Guild
Livermore, CA
June 6, 2015 | 10am-4pm
Blacksheep Gathering
Lane Events Center
796 W. 13th Ave.
Eugene, OR
June 19-21
Monterey County Wool Auction
Monterey County Fairgrounds
September 7
California National Wool Show
Mendocino County Fairgrounds
Boonville, CA
September 11-13
Trailing of the Sheep Festival
Hailey, ID
October 8-11
www.trailingofthesheep.org
Fiber Fusion
Patrick Ranch
Durham, CA
October 10-11
Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival
Canby, OR
September 25-27
Lambtown
Dixon Fairgrounds
Dixon, CA
October 3-4
RSS Feed