Tag: Farming

Safety for Sheep and Shepherd

Lambing

By Linda Poole, Regenerative Grazing Specialist

When NCAT’s Livestock Team recently held a series of webinars for people considering a new livestock enterprise, many folks indicated they were thinking of getting sheep. Sounds good to me! Sheep were first domesticated 11,000 years ago, and for centuries women and children tended sheep or goats while men managed larger, potentially more dangerous stock, such as cattle and horses. Today, sheep can be handled without a lot of expensive infrastructure, and well-socialized sheep are friendly, calm, and fun to be around.

But with their small size and cute-and-fuzzy-factor, it’s easy to underestimate sheep. It’s also a fact that they can maim or kill you. This is not intended to cause you to fear sheep; it is fair warning to respect them. Safety is especially important if you’re working sheep alone, without someone to watch your back or lend a hand if things start to go sideways.

Safety with sheep is a topic better suited to books than blogs, but by paying attention to these common-sense guidelines, shepherds can work more safely:

  • Source your sheep from a reputable breeder. Those cheap sheep on Craigslist or at the auction barn might harbor health or behavior issues that you just don’t need in your life.
  • NEVER turn your back on a ram, and this goes double during breeding season. Tame rams can be the worst, going from Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde in an instant when their hormones surge during breeding season. Don’t play with or pet rams. Petting a ram is like feeding a bear – neither usually ends well for the animal.
  • Ewes can thump you, too, especially when they have baby lambs. Stay attentive to the body language of sheep around you.
  • Keep your head up and eyes open when you bend or kneel to eye level with sheep. This can invite a charge, and it puts you right where a sheep can inflict maximum damage.
  • Instill respect in your sheep. I train sheep to keep at least a few feet away from me unless I invite them in closer. My tool for this is a plastic grocery bag tied to the stout handle of a 6’ long leg crook. Working the flock, I hold the stick still beside my leg until I want the sheep to move off, then I gently wiggle the bag low to the ground. If I want more energy in the sheep, I lift the stick higher and give the bag a stronger shake. If necessary, I can use the stick as a prod to repel a disrespectful sheep. To catch a sheep, I herd it into a stout fence corner, and then use the crook to carefully catch its leg without ever getting my head down where I could get rammed.
  • Always be alert, fair, and firm. Practice low-stress stockmanship. Good stockmanship is essential to safety for sheep and shepherd!
  • Many old shepherds, myself included, have bad knees and sore backs from foolishly trying to block or catch a running sheep. Use your brain, save your body: set things up to keep sheep from stampeding in the first place. And if they do, step aside and let them go. Then start over, this time keeping things calm.
  • Working yards don’t need to be large or fancy, but they must have good footing, good visibility, and sound fences in a sheep-smart layout.
  • Implement biosecurity. Some diseases are communicable between humans and sheep. Good hygiene practices reduce the risk of passing diseases between species. If you develop an unexplained malady, tell your doctor that you raise sheep.
  • What’s your emergency plan? Do you have an escape route? Got your mobile phone? Does someone know where you are, when to expect you back, and what to do if you don’t show up?
  • One of the most useful references on safety for shepherds is (ironically) the Beef Quality Assurance Handbook.

Small ruminants are wonderful creatures and can be the basis of a rewarding, fun, and profitable business — so long as you always think of safety first.

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HOLISITC FARMING: a jigsaw puzzle

landscape field trees hill

Looking at your farm as an interdependent entity means evaluating how each aspect, crop or product interacts with the ecosystem of your farm much like a jigsaw puzzle where all the pieces are an integral part of the whole.  Most farmers only think about these things when it comes to growing zones and choosing plant varieties. There is so much more to this equation if your long-term goals include stewardship, sustainability, and consistent profits.

Farming is a challenge under the best of circumstances.  Weather and rising cost of inputs being only two of the variables you must accommodate to succeed.  By examining the micro-environment of your farm, you can make informed decisions about plant and animals that will not only grow and make money for you but will continue to enhance the ecosystem of your farm.

Monocropping (planting only one type of plant or raising only one type of animal) only makes your farm subject to the whims of the market and attack by pests. This type of single mindedness will need a large amount of inputs like fertilizer and pesticides to bring your ecosystem even close to being back into balance and ready to monocrop year after year.  This type of farming is not only riskier and more costly but unsustainable.

Holistic Farming works with the environment not against it. By having diversity in your crops and animals you not only work with nature to create a sustainable farm, but you create multiple income streams. Both of these factors are important in creating a sustainable farm.

Subscribe to this Blog to join us on the Agriculture Adventure of making your farm a reality.

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USDA Opens Applications for 1890 National Scholars Program

close up shot of a book on brown dried grass
Producers, educators, and partners are encouraged to share this opportunity with students in their communities who may be looking for a path into agriculture and conservation.
This month, USDA opened applications for the USDA 1890 National Scholars Program, an opportunity designed to support students who want to build careers in agriculture, food, and natural resource sciences at the nation’s 1890 land-grant universities. The program offers full tuition, paid internships, and hands-on experience, with applications due March 8, 2026.
As many producers know, the future of grazing lands, conservation, and working lands depends on the next generation of professionals entering the field. From technical assistance and research to education and producer support, strong land-grant universities play a vital role in preparing the people who will help farmers and ranchers succeed in the years ahead.
USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins highlighted the importance of encouraging young people to pursue meaningful careers in agriculture and natural resources, particularly through the 1890 land-grant institutions that have long served rural and agricultural communities. Programs like this help remove financial barriers while giving students real-world experience tied directly to the land.
By investing in students today, the USDA 1890 National Scholars Program helps strengthen the workforce that supports grazing lands and working farms and ranches nationwide. Producers, educators, and partners are encouraged to share this opportunity with students in their communities who may be looking for a path into agriculture and conservation.
Read the USDA Press Release

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Farming is more than a business; it is a lifestyle choice

Farming is more than a business; it is a lifestyle choice. It is a 365 day a year job requiring long hours filled with ever changing tasks and challenges. Successful farmers will tell you that it also takes a great deal of stubborn determination, resilience, and optimism to face the challenges and losses that are a part of the agricultural life. They will also boast that no other career will be as rewarding as taking care of the land and animals, building a life, and providing food for their community.

Farmers are stewards, they cannot succeed if they neglect the constant care of their land, crops, and animals. Many lifelong farmers will tell you “The secret is to take care of the land”.  You will often hear the word “balance” when talking to these wise people who have managed to not only endure but succeed through the hard times.

In 21st century terms they are talking about conservation, sustainability, and environmentally sound practices. In 2026 I am going to explore how to make the dream of Farming into a reality. Subscribe to take part in this discussion.

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Dreaming of Farming?

Small Garden

How much land do you need? How many and what kind of animals? Start where you are and take small steps toward your goals…you will get there. The important thing is to start.

For years we talked of farming, being self-sufficient and someday; then one day we realized that was what we had been doing all along. You don’t need a large homestead to farm – hundreds of acres and just as many animals. All you need is to make the most of what you do have. If you are a good steward of what you have it will grow and before you know it you will be asking yourself if you want to take on more or be content with what you are busy doing now.

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