Shear delight Farmers of all stripes “live in seasons,” Lynde says, and so it goes for her. Right about now is when the sheep go for their annual buzz cuts. “It’s really nice to shear … themonth before lambing,” Lynde said. “You can see what’s going on. You can see the body condition of the sheep. There’s nothing around the udder for the lamb tomistake and start sucking on.” It also boosts indoor capacity: “You can fit more in the barn when they’re shorn, because they’ve lost a good width around them.”
Season of the lambs Soon after shearing, Lynde’s farm becomes a four-leggedmaternityward. “They lamb in late February andMarch,” Lynde said. “That’s the timewhen you’re really paying attention tomake sure there are no health issues.” As the lambs get older, she said, somewill be sold for breeding stock or formeat. And then “we get back to breeding season again”—the rams will head out to the pasture in earlyOctober.
Spinning yarns Lynde does her own direct marketing through her website and on social media. “People that are spinners like to buy a fleece and spin it for themselves, or like to buy the wool that’s already been carded and prepared for spinning,” she said. “I also have some made into yarn.” That, she added, would be sold in a niche market; pre-COVID, she’d also sell at fiber fairs. Lynde also works through Fibershed, which seeks to emphasize locally grown or raised fibers.
Herd intelligence Sheep have brains. “It drives me crazy when people say sheep are stupid,” Lynde said. “Sheep are a prey animal. The way they stay alive is that if somebody spooks about something and runs, they’re all going to run.” They also know their own: “It’s just interesting how they stick together. They recognize people, they recognize each other and they have their friends.”
Kevin Hecteman khecteman@californiabountiful.com
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