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BigNH if you do not mind me asking how much sheep do you have roughly? Do you raise them for fiber or meat/milk, or both? Also are there many costs associated with keeping the sheep immunized and keeping them fed throughout the long winter?
BigNH if you do not mind me asking how much sheep do you have roughly? Do you raise them for fiber or meat/milk, or both? Also are there many costs associated with keeping the sheep immunized and keeping them fed throughout the long winter?
We winter about 20 brood ewes. We own Cheviots and Southdowns. We do use the fleeces from the Cheviots to spin but only as a hobby and 4H project. Not much money in wool. Our market is in free ranged, grass fed lamb. At the end of a good season we get to put a couple of lambs in the freezer and then barely break even. As we try to keep our lambs as natural as possible there is minimal
We administer any needed meds. A visit from the vet can be expensive. Due to newer laws any sheep to be showed have to have a rabies shot given by a licensed vet. The whole flock is immunized for overeaters (cdt) and as we administer it the cost is less than a dollar a head.
If we were to feed our sheep baled hay and bagged grain all winter it would be expensive. Decent hay is running $6 a bale or more and commercial feed is $10 or more per 50 lb bag. We work cooperatively with another farm to harvest hay to keep the cost down (they have the equipment, we have the labor). We feed out a variety of silage with as little grain as we can get by with. We hope to soon be making all our own feed, but this is a learning experience we've been playing with for a couple of years.
Over the course of the next month or so most of the brood ewes and thier lambs will be turned out to pasture. The selected show sheep and lambs are kept seperate so they can be grained and fed for optimal growth. Our kids make premiums through out the show season that they use to buy new sheep, fencing, equipment, etc. They are allowed to keep some of their earnings for themselves.
We would like to continue to expand our herd to the point of turning a buck but right now it's mostly at the hobby status. It's a labor of love and I couldn't imagine living any other way.
I actually saw an amazing farm in Goffstown the other day on Shirley Hill Rd. just beyond the left hand turn for Back Mountain Rd. There are what I believe to be two seperate farms from the little research I have done. The Shirley and Welch's farms, and the Welch's farm has an incredible view of Manchester. It's amazing that there is an area of land that flat up at that elevation that just happens to overlook Manchester.
The land is now conserved I am pretty sure which is unfortunate because you can never have any portion of the land. However, I guess it prevents them from sticking a ton of poorly designed, no acreage, million dollar homes on that land, so that is a good thing...
The land is now conserved I am pretty sure which is unfortunate because you can never have any portion of the land. However, I guess it prevents them from sticking a ton of poorly designed, no acreage, million dollar homes on that land, so that is a good thing...
Actually some towns will give a long-term lease of farmland to someone willing to work the land and who has a plan to keep the land/property maintained in accordance with thw towns goals.
For example Hollis has a very large section of apple orchard that is actually owned by the town- but is leased to a farming operation.
It's actually a pretty good deal for everyone involved.
IIRC - Some Conservation Easements allow farming. The easements are designed to prevent developers from planting McMansions or worse "affordable housing".
I, too, am looking for land - primarily for breeding horses (though, I would love to have dairy cows and sheep again - I just know that is too much work for one person!!) Ideally, I would like enough land on which to make my own hay as well as have plenty of pasture for turnout (and appropriate turnout sheds for the broodmares.)
My biggest problem is trying to find a horse-friendly area that is also close to culture - I am a writer and musician, and while I am essentially a hermit, I know I need to be around other musicians/artists (choirs, concerts, writers' groups, composers' workshops, etc)
(I should say that is the biggest problem NEXT to lack of money :lol: )
wetherford - Try Corrales or Ruidoso new Mexico. Horse country if there ever was any.
Sorry I didn't notice this was on the NH thread. You should also check out farms in northern Mass. That state actually supports, or at least it did, exurban farming. Try the mass town just south of the NH border. Also contact the Grange in both states for farm info along with the Future Farmers of America chapters.
A couple of weeks haying at an upstate NY dairy farm cured me of wanting to operate a farm ever. A small garden is enough for me.
There may be a farm for sale in Canterbury. Large house with horse barns. Right now its being leased. Its on Intervale Rd. Get off exit 18 take a right right again onto Intervale. Approximately 3 miles, just as road turns from pavement to dirt.
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