Two to four sheep. More than you might expect.

Sheep are one of the most versatile and underappreciated educational animals on a farm. Through our sheep program students learn wool production from shearing to spinning, grazing management and its role in soil regeneration, small-scale livestock care, and the economics of animal fiber as a sustainable resource. For many of the young people we serve this will be their first real encounter with where the materials in their world actually come from.

There is also something uniquely calming about sheep. They are gentle, they are curious, and they have a way of slowing people down that no classroom exercise can replicate. That quality is intentional. We choose our animals carefully and we choose them for what they teach beyond the curriculum.

How your donation will be used:
Funds go toward the purchase of two to four sheep, shelter and fencing appropriate for sheep housing, feed and veterinary care for the first year of operation, shearing equipment and fiber processing tools, and the development of a sheep program curriculum including wool production, grazing rotation, and small livestock management that travels to our extension network.

How it will be tracked and reported:
Sheep health and care is documented daily and reviewed monthly by program staff. Donors receive quarterly updates with photos, health and care summaries, and program enrollment numbers. Wool production is tracked seasonally and reported as both an educational milestone and a potential revenue stream for the foundation. All equipment and animal purchases are documented with receipts and included in our quarterly financial reporting.

Why this matters:
We are teaching students where things come from. The food on their plate, the fiber on their back, the work behind both. Sheep teach that story better than almost anything else on the farm.

Sheep Program