The Farm
A small farm with a flock of sheep
The farm is in the low hills of Goshen, New York, 66 miles north of Manhattan and west of the Hudson River. It is a place of health, of birth and of well being. We pride ourselves by raising our sheep on pasture in the natural, time-honored small farm way.
The flock was founded on Saxon Merino rams imported from Australia in the early 1990's. We treat our sheep as the special beings they are, and we respect the land that sustains them. In Summer the sheep graze 100 acres of lush, native grasses; in Winter they eat sweet, local hay cut on the farm.
Pastures and hay fields on the farm slope gently into a famous ancient lake bed noted for its productivity called "The Black Dirt"; the weather is mild here, the rainfall is ample and the sheep thrive on this fertile land.
In addition to our sheep, the farm is red barns, old tractors and trusty dogs. Working on a farm is a traditional way of life. Tending sheep fulfills a need to care; we are grateful to have this opportunity. And the land is an offering: we grow a restoring garlic in the fertile fields where the flock has over-wintered in years past; nothing is wasted here.
Since the import of Saxon Merino rams, Catskill Merino ewes have been bred and selected to produce exquisite fine wool and the best of lean lamb.
Since the import of Saxon Merino rams, Catskill Merino ewes have been bred and selected to produce exquisite fine wool and the best of lean lamb.
In the spring before the ewes lamb, the flock is shorn and their wool is spun into soft merino yarn at a small spinnery nearby.
The yarn is hand-dyed on the farm and sold online from the Yarn Store as is pasture raised lamb sold online from the Lamb Store. And both are available at the Farm Stand on Saturday at Union Square in New York City.
Poem and me