Desert Weyr Blog
-
AI Class Results
We’ve finished our first round of lambing, and the AI Class results are in. Nine total ewes lambed to AI, giving a 26% result. However, as everyone knows, we had some straw failures and other issues where the ewe did not get proper doses of semen. If I remove those sheep from the group, 28… Continue reading
-
Scone Recipe and AI Class, Completed
We hosted a class on sheep artificial insemination during the first week of December. Eleven students from all over North America came to learn about the non-surgical AI procedure that Dr. Purdy developed. Students got to practice thawing straws of frozen semen and performing the procedure on our sheep. All told, we inseminated 34 ewes.… Continue reading
-
How I Got 15 Meals From a Nine-Pound Heritage Turkey
Thanksgiving is over for this year, and all of the leftover turkey is gone, too (finally). For the last several years, we haven’t had turkey on Thanksgiving. It was because I couldn’t find a locally raised heritage bird. I like the flavor of heritage breeds, and I want to support rare breed conservation. If I… Continue reading
-
Freezer Management
One of the hardest things to manage when you use chest freezers for storing sale meats is how to handle the deepest areas. It’s easy to lose track of inventory in there! Fortunately, we’ve discovered a few tricks over the years that apply to anyone with a chest freezer. My secret is this: wine boxes!… Continue reading
-
How Do You Ship Sheep?
So, you’ve found yourself buying sheep from across the country. What’s involved in that process? From the time you agree to purchase sheep to the time your new sheep arrive at your farm, there’s a lot to know. The rules vary by state, but you can read about the basics below. Paperwork Every livestock shipment… Continue reading
-
Non-Surgical Sheep Artificial Insemination Seminar
The American Black Welsh Mountain Sheep Association and Desert Weyr, LLC are pleased to announce an intensive two-day seminar on non-surgical sheep artificial insemination taking place on December 5th and 6th of 2018. Dr. Philip Purdy from the USDA National Animal Germplasm Program will be teaching our class. The class will cover important AI topics,… Continue reading
-
What Are Clusters, Anyway?
Black Welsh Mountain sheep in North America are highly inbred. Our founding population was very small, so we do not have much variation from which to select. The USDA’s National Animal Germplasm Program performed a cluster analysis study on the population. This study looked at individual pedigree information and the population as a whole, then… Continue reading
-
Art and Ag Tour, 2018
We’re getting excited for the first Art and Ag Tour in the North Fork Valley next weekend. This event showcases our many art studios and galleries, plus our wonderful agricultural products. Here at our farm, the community has been invited to help weave a special wall hanging for display. We’ll have the loom warped and… Continue reading
-
Ram Evaluations are Done!
One of the tasks we conduct every year is evaluating all of the sheep and deciding their fate. We try to provide top-quality sheep as breeding stock, and that only happens because we cull heavily. Today, we evaluated all of the adult rams. We currently have 28 rams on the property, and we want to… Continue reading
-
98 Degrees, <10% Humidity... What to Cook?
It’s hot, hot, hot! We’ve had no rain, and our temperatures are soaring with low humidity. I don’t want to cook anything inside and heat up the house, but we have severe fire restrictions. No open flames are allowed, so outdoor BBQ isn’t an option, either. Luckily, I’ve just discovered the Instant Pot. I know… Continue reading