I am not proud of needing to create this link opportunity. Extreme heat this summer and a D2 drought determination has had the grass in suspended animation, while feed and virtually ALL input costs have skyrocketed. In the meantime, the infrastructure grant I am working on with Maine Farmland Trust has been cancelled, the grant program I was intending to submit to the USDA for the breed program has been cancelled, even small farmer grants to develop and test sustainable practices… cancelled till further notice.

Regenerative Agriculture takes time and money, the truth of which results in better drawdown of greenhouse gas emissions. This has been a “free service” of proper grazing, but it’s not free, nor should it be.

This growing season has been particularly tricky. A cold spring gave way to a slow start to grass, while early summer rain made it impossible to make hay, then crazy temperatures made the parasites bloom, now the drought. Sounds like a farming story, and I guess it is.

Yes. I am still praying for rain, and being able to find my winter feed, with less than half of what I need put up and stacked as baleage, which is higher in protein, but spoils fast as soon as you open the wrap so needs to be consumed fast. It now waits for cooler temperatures as it ensiles into the great fermented grass I have come to rely on to get the sheep thru winter, well nourished. For reference: Each of these bales costs $75, lasts less than a day, and the sheep need at least 200 of them, (maybe more this winter since the pasture season is likely to end early), to get thru till the grass grows again. This is only 85. Not entirely sure yet where I am going to get the balance, maybe out of state? Add for trucking…

I am developing this link for anyone who simply wants to help me sequester more carbon, build healthy soil, enhance biodiversity of grassland birds, and make sheep happy. “Donate to the Sheep Cause” also helps pay for the imported semen, laparoscopic breeding of Polwarth sheep (only ones on the North and South American Continents), keep three tractors and an old truck up and running, provide good infrastructure, running water and housing for 200 sheep (more after lambing), and all the labor involved with pasture rotation, fecal sampling, sheep husbandry (why isn’t it wifery?!), routine maintenance, digging out noxious plants like burdock and thistle which would get stuck in the wool… you get the picture. It’s a good thing I love my job!

If you feel inclined to donate, you already have my deepest gratitude from the bottom of my heart. If you would be more comfortable donating to a non-profit, I’m working on that! Specifically to support the Small Ruminant Residency Program: To train and place the next generation of sheep herders.

Thank you for stopping here, and considering joining me in a quest for planetary stewardship. It matters! And ANY little bit helps.

With Gratitude!
~Nanne.