Looking for the following:
Type of opportunity:
Lease (1 to 5 Years), Lease (5+ Years), Internship / Mentorship, Incubator / Mentored Lease, Business Partnership, Employment.
More info: I am aiming to start running a small flock of sheep, with the aim of scaling up eventually. My hope is to begin with a flock of less than 10 hair sheep the first year, probably katahdins if I can find a good source. The goal is a restorative grazing operation that employs rotational grazing and silvopasture techniques to build up both the soil and the flock. I have farm experience from growing up on a cattle farm, but no direct experience with sheep. I will be able to build fence and water infrastructure.
Equipment & infrastructure:
More info: I have plenty of experience building fences other animal related infrastructure, so my needs are minimal.
Qualifications and goals:
Previous farming experience:
Volunteer, Employee
Number of years experience:
10
Other qualifications:
More info: I grew up on a traditional (non-regenerative) cattle farm in Surry County, NC. It has been 5 years since i have lived and worked on the farm, but in that time I have been studying regnerative techiques and in the last few months volunteering at Long Branch Environmental Education Center in Leicester, which operates a non-profit permaculture farm.
Production goals:
Sheep/Goat (Dairy/Meat), Woodlot or forest products.
More info: My intention is to sell living animals iniatially, but with the goal of eventually slaughtering all my own animals for sale to local markets and restuarants. Good stewardship practices can concurrently grow better pastures and better forests that can give higher yields of higher quality timber.
Personal experience and production goals summary:
I have worked on a cattle farm for most of my life, as I grew up on one. Since finishing university I have found myself drawn back in with the innovations that have been going on in the realm of regnerative agriculture. I can adapt the experience I have gained from my time there to he new techniques of regnerative agriculture. I hope to start a small flock of sheep that will hopefully be able to scale up gradually as new outlets and markets are located.
