Forecasting

Well we here at Wheely Wooly Farm hope the new year is finding you fulfilled in satisfying results of your new year's resolutions!  Thank goodness for the fun of this dreamy time of year to help alleviate the winter ills, right?

Speaking of winter ills, our weather has had it's ups and downs.  One week, we are in nasty cold, and the tree frog syndrome of mittens and fingers sticking to everything returns.  That gecko feeling is not my favorite, but you do it and get through it.  The sheep were fine during the cold.  When the wind howled (air temps deep into the teens below zero, with wind chills in the 30's or more below zero), we brought them in to keep their ears warm.  They are VERY appreciative! lol  The next week, things get milder and everyone goes back outside.  Chickadees are hoping around, and an occasional owl is heard hooting off in the far distance.  Sheep are peaceful...laying down, chewing cud, only to occasionally stand and shake out their fleeces, or wander over for a chin scratch and sweet nothings.

Speaking of ups and downs, something that is definitely on the way up is trends in fabrics and food.  There is MUCH excitement out there regarding healthy foods and clothing!  What a wonderful time to be in sheep!  More and more people are coming to appreciate the value of wool.  In fact, some have told me it's like a new discovery for them, having grown up with synthetic clothing.  The discovery of real wool really puts everything else into perspective!  It's like store bought cookies sitting stale in sealed packages, with a chemically after taste verses fresh, gooey homemade cookies hot out of the oven.  Wool performs in ways that astonish.  Some have told me they feel that wearing wool was the first time they ever felt true warmth, and that they won't be without wool ever again!  Funny, that's how I feel! :)

Wool is a sustainably produced product that comes from sheep, who are outstanding in environmental sensitivity to soils, flora and fauna.  In fact, that is another trend to watch, how sheep build and protect soils.  Don't believe a little sheep farmer?  Just take a drive in the country to see all the topsoil in bare, exposed fields blown onto snow, on roads, on houses, cars, and in ditches far from the fields.  It pains us to see such loss.  If you head to the researchers, they are desperately seeking solutions to preserving, and stopping the loss of topsoils.  Sheep are IT!  I love sheep.  Sheep do it all.  You won't see erosion like that on a sheep farm!

So unlike our weather, sheep are on a long run up.  They provide us with a farming model that protects and preserves soils, plants, wildlife, and water.  They happily give us high performance clothing of super high quality.  They feed us incredibly healthful foods.  Have you ever noticed that the most powerful and wealthy cultures on the planet rose out of sheep diets?   Sheep yield important byproducts that all of us would miss (pill casings, buttons, crayons, shampoo, etc.), and don't forget what the image of sheep peacefully grazing on nice pasture does for the mind.  It's an image that has endured through the ages.  Humans love sheep.

The forecasting by trend experts has caught on.  Sheep fever has never gone away.  It will always be with us.  And as more people emerge from synthetic lives and learn the facts, sheep are on the up and up.

Want to support your local sheep farmer?  You can find us at the Appleton Farmer's Market, or contact us for on-farm sales.  We thank you for your support!