Shropshire Sheep
Shropshire sheep are a triple purpose breed: meat, wool, and tree-friendly. We started grazing Shropshires in our Christmas trees in 2019. Grazing sheep reduces our need to mow grass, and the sheep can eat weeds close to tree trunks without damaging trees. We're proud to be the first breeder of Groverman Shropshires in Vermont. Shropshire sheep are the best choice for orchard grazing because they have a proven history of success in eating grass while leaving crop trees alone.
Our ram and ewes come from Groverman and Hiemke lines. Our lambs start life grazing in our tree plantation alongside their mothers. The ewes teach lambs proper tree grazing behavior, so all our lambs learn to eat grass and weeds while avoiding trees.
We added Shropshire sheep to our farm as part of our environmentally-friendly farming mission. We use intensive rotational grazing, moving the sheep to new pastures every couple of days. Regenerative grazing can sequester carbon in soils, improve soil’s water-holding capacity, increase soil organic matter, and increase microbial diversity. Theses improvements in soil health are good for our Christmas trees and for the planet.