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HIGHLIGHTS OF NORTHLAND SHEEP DAIRY
Karl North
Northland Sheep Dairy
Marathon, New York
The design and development of our farm began with long-abandoned farmland withoutbuildings in 1980, and today combines a number of features not often found together on organicfarms.
A strong concern with energy efficiency is expressed not only in solar building design but ingeneral farmstead layout.
An equally strong focus on resource self-sufficiency has led us to a dairy operation that aimsto minimize off-farm inputs of fuel, fertilizer, feed, and machinery. Features of our system nowbecoming more widely adopted include seasonal grass-based dairying, intensive rotationalgrazing, animal breeding for hardy, 100% grass diet efficiency, the use of animal traction powerwhere appropriate, and a shift in perspective to see the primary function of animals as soil build-ers. As such, grazing animals have come to represent for us the driving engine of a sustainableagriculture; consequently we pay close attention to every step of their carbon and other soilnutrient cycling function, from maximizing manure production per acre, to efficient aerobiccomposting.
A third emphasis from the outset has been to maximize independence from a wholesaleagricultural marketplace that is generally predatory toward family farmers. Essential to thesuccess of this effort to have been: our choice of sheep as the dairy animal with the most productdiversity potential, our on-farm cheese-making aiming for artisan quality dairy products, and ourinvolvement in building an attractive local farmers market in order to sell all our products (dairy,meat, yarn, sheepskins, and apple cider) direct to consumers in retail form.
Lastly we have always tried to manage the farm as an integrated whole, partly because asorganic farmers we recognize such a complex whole to be the reality we must work with, butalso because of the synergistic potential in looking at all parts of the enterprise as an integratedsystem. In an attempt to further wean ourselves from an academic agricultural paradigm largelybased on isolated disciplines and piece-meal problem solving, we have taken formal training inHolistic Resource Management, a unique decision-making model that recognizes social andecological concerns as crucial to ultimate success in any enterprise.
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We will stay at the cuttingedge of dairy farming
DeLaval products, technical expertiseand service are second to none. Wefocus our attention on sheep and goatdairy farming as a whole, as well ason each individual farmer. Whateverthe size of your business, whereveryou are in the world, we remaincommitted to making your life a littleeasier and your business moreprofitable.
For more information,contact [email protected]
DeLaval Inc, 11100 North Congress Avenue,Kansas City, Missouri 64153-1296
©2002 DeLaval. The manufacturer reserves theright to make design changes.
Cornell Sheep Program100% Virgin Wool Blankets
Created from the wool of Cornell Dorset andFinnsheep breeds and their crosses, these blanketsare ideal for football games and cold nights, and asgifts for graduation, wedding, birthday, Christmasand other occasions. Red stripes near each end andred binding accent the 100% virgin wool. Yourpurchase of blankets helps to support the Cornell
Sheep Program, and $10 from each sale goes to an undergraduatescholarship fund. Each blanket is individually serial-numbered on theCornell Sheep Program logo label and comes with a certificate ofauthenticity.
The blankets come in four reasonably-priced sizes:Lap robe (60 x 48 inches, 1 stripe) $65Single (60 x 90 inches, 3 stripes) $89Double (72 x 90 inches, 3 stripes) $99Queen (78 x 104 inches, 3 stripes) $119
Add 8% New York State sales tax and $7 per blanket for shipping.
Purchase at:Cornell Orchards, Cornell Dairy Store or
Department of Animal Science127 Morrison Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853-4801.
Telephone: 607-255-7712 ~ Fax: 607-255-9829
www.sheep.cornell.edu (click on “blankets”)
RR # 3 Markdale / Ontario, Canada N0C 1H0
Telephone (51 9) 53 8-2 844 Fax (519) 53 8-147 8
E-mail: wooldrift @bmt s.com
Chris Buschbeck & Axel Meister
The University of Vermont
Center for Sustainable Agriculture
63 CARRIGAN DRIVE
BURLINGTON, VERMONT 05405
(802) 656-5459
http://www.uvm.edu/~susagctr
Home to theSmall Ruminant Dairy Project
In collaboration with the University of Vermont Departmentof Animal Science, we provide education and support to anincreasing number of sheep and goat dairy farmers in thestate. Many of these farmers produce premium farmsteadcheeses for which there is growing demand.
Services include:• T echnical assistance to Vermont dairy sheep and goat
farmers.• N ew England Dairy/Meat Goat and Dairy Sheep
Directory.• W orkshops on cheese making, animal health and
nutrition, grazing, and more.• Business planning assistance.• F armer-to-farmer networking through discussion groups
and pasture walks.
For more information, contact Carol Delaney, SmallRuminant Dairy Specialist, by phone at (802) 656-0915or by email at [email protected].
OLD CHATHAMSHEEPHERDINGCOMPANY
East Friesland Breeding Stock
Increase your yield with the world’s premier dairy sheep. 230% lambing rate,producing hardy, fast growing lambs. Beyond dairy use, half-breed East Frieslandsare the ideal commercial lamb-producing ewe. Half bred market lambs have 6%more meat and 7-8% less fat than most other market breeds.
Buy with confidence from the largest sheep dairy farm in the U.S. We feature overtwelve distinct bloodlines including stock from Silverstream in New Zealand. Weoffer purebred and crossbred rams and ewes, and back them with extensiveproduction records and health guarantees. We also feature the most reasonablepricing in North America.
Contact Ken Kleinpeter for more information: (518) 794-7726 ext: 11 [email protected].
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Producers of Award-Winning Sheep’s MilkCheeses and Yogurt
Specializing in servicing fine restaurants,Select specialty foods stores,Customized corporate gifts,
Mail Order
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155 Shaker Museum RoadOld Chatham, NY 121361-888-SHEEP-60www.blacksheepcheese.com
INVESTIN
THEBEST
LEADER OF INNOVATIVE SHEEP AND GOAT
EQUIPMENT FOR THE PAST 20 YEARS
✓ Lambing Pens
✓ Kidding Pens
✓ Variety of Feeders
✓ Scale
✓ Club Lamb Products
✓ Supplies
✓ Working Alleys
✓ Fitting Stands
✓ Show Rails
✓ Goat Products
✓ Sheep Products
✓ Misc. Products
SYDELL Inc.46935 SD Hwy. 50Burbank, SD 57010
1-800-842-1369 • Fax: 605-624-3233Web Site: www.sydell.comE-Mail: [email protected]
Call for a free complete catalog of over 300 products.
J.R. FARMSEAST
FRIESIANDAIRY SHEEP
• Breeding Stockand F1 crosses
• Milk productionrecords available
• Closed Flock,Maedi-Visna-negative
• Economicallypriced
BILL ANDLAURAMCKAY
RR2 Tavistock, ON
NOB 2R0
(519) 462-1446
e-mail:
CARR VALLEY CHEESE CO.Makers of Sheep, Goat, Cow, and mixed milk
American Originals, 100 years in the making, theproduction of all cheeses at our two
manufacturing plants issupervised by a Wisconsin Master Cheesemaker.
Carr Valley Cheese Co.S3797 Cty., Hwy GLaValle, WI 53941
608-986-2781
www.carrvalleycheese.com
Mom Replacer
Lawrence J. Hickey President
GOLDEN AGECHEESE CO., INC.
1577 MILL STREETWOODHULL, NY 14898
(607) 458-5365 Fax (607) 458-5779
Web site:www.goldenagecheese.com
Raise your lambs easily and efficiently on milk replacerusing one of our automatic feeders and sell more of your
valuable ewe milk.
LAC-TEK
• Feeds up to 50 lambs
• 25 lb milk powder hopper
• Up to 6 nipples for lambs
• Fully automatic
• 2 gallons water heater
• 110 or 220 volts
• Low price
NURSOMAT• Feeds up to 80 lambs
• 25 lb milk powder hopper
• up to 6 nipples for lambs
• Fully automatic
• 5 gallons water heater
• 110 or 220 volts
Our machines automatically mix milk at apre-set concentration and temperatureand deliver it to up to 6 separate nipples.It mixes on demand. The milk, therefore,is always fresh. A rinsing cycle allowsdaily cleaning. Daily servicing, includingwashing and filling the hopper, takes only5 minutes.
BIOTIC INDUSTRIES147 Ebb Joyce Rd
BELL BUCKLE, TN 37020 [email protected]
Phone: 931-437-2514
