Monday, September 23, 2013

A Shrug of Many Colors

Our special customer, Julie, sent us this picture of a beautiful shrug she wove.

Julie hand-spun the yarn from wool our sheep grew. From top to bottom: Emily (2013), Carmen (2012), Blossom (2013), Daffodil (2013).   

Julie wrote: "The colors were so lovely I wanted to make a piece in all their natural glory and it makes me happy to think of your girls playing together." 

Thank you for sharing about your beautiful work of art! 

If you have purchased fleece from us and would like to share your creative projects, please email your pictures and a description of your project. 

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Edison Departs Grace Valley Farms

Many of you know, Edison, our long-time flock ram. We purchased him from Pepper Hollow Farm back in 2006. 

He was a tremendous addition to our flock and fathered many lambs for us.

 His descendants have won many fleece awards, including 4 Reserve Grand Champion ribbons. Edison has added staple length, poundage, good handle, and luster to our fleeces.

Since most of our flock is related to Edison, it was time to bring in new genetics and say goodbye to our old friend. 

While Dee was here visiting us, she was able to locate a new owner for Edison in Iowa. The next day we got the paperwork ready and Edison headed to Iowa.

We will miss our friend, Edison, but are glad to know he is at a good home and will be fathering many more lambs. Edison now resides in Iowa. He is currently preparing for breeding time at his new home.

Goodbye Edison!


Sunday, September 8, 2013

A Visit From the Folks at Peeper Hollow Farm

It was great to visit with Rick and Dee from Peeper Hollow Farm in Iowa. We were privileged to host them at our farm for several days. We discussed sheep for many hours, swapping stories and learning from each other.

Dee was very helpful in teaching us about different color patterns in recessively-colored Romney sheep. We are looking forward to studying the patterns in our flock and mapping family genetics.

We took an enjoyable day-trip to Yellowstone. It was great to get away for the day and enjoy God’s beautiful creation.

Thank you, Rick and Dee, for all your insight into raising quality, healthy Romney sheep!

Saturday, September 7, 2013

A Visit From the Folks at Tawanda Farm

We recently enjoyed a visit from our friends, Carol and Maggie, of Tawanda Farms in California. They brought four new sheep to our farm. The three white ewe lambs and the one ram lamb will bring excellent genetics to our farm. These lambs all come from solid lines of working Romney sheep.

 Geneva, Gladys, Graham, and Goldilocks.

We are excited to add Graham to our breeding program. His fleece is beautiful and fine, measuring approximately 30 microns.

All three of our ewe lambs carry solid white genetics.

It was great to spend time with Carol and Maggie, learning from their vast experience and expertise. At Grace Valley Farms, we are looking forward to expanding our business and offering more high-quality products to our customers. Keep your eyes open for new changes in the coming months!