The many benefits of buying & eating locally raised lamb

Let’s talk lamb.

Did you know that about 74% (more than 28,000 tons annually) of all US lamb and sheep products come from Australia and New Zealand? These two countries are 9,858 miles and 8,266 miles away, respectively.

That’s a looooong way for meat to travel… And a lot of energy and fossil fuels used to transport something that we raise right here on the Farm in Mondovi, Wisconsin. Plus, coming from that far away, it’s almost impossible for a consumer to verify the quality of the raising conditions.

But since you can come to Together Farms and see how we raise the animals, you can be sure our lambs are grassfed and treated well.

We raise our sheep alongside our grassfed beef, in a practice called multi-species grazing, a foundational principle of regenerative agriculture. The practice helps improve pasture quality and soil health and increase biodiversity.

It’s good for the animals and good for the environment!

We also use rotational grazing, which means we move the lambs and sheep to new pastures weekly. In the winter, they eat the pasture they couldn’t keep up with in the summer or hay we purchase from other local farms (no corn silage, oats, grain…. just grass either in its fresh and growing form or in a dried form in the 6 months when grass doesn’t grow in these parts).

Our goal is nutrient-dense meat, so to achieve that, we give the animals a diverse diet, high-quality free-choice minerals & salt at all times, and high-quality apple cider vinegar (dosed right into their water every day).

We also need our animals to be healthy and happy, so they are given access to fresh air, sunshine, and actual pasture. Giving them all lots of room to roam allows them to use their natural instincts and behaviors - a lamb can be a lamb here! Just doing this prevents 99% of the problems that require pharmaceuticals, confinement, or mutilation (like tail docking) in the conventional/factory world.

So, if you’re planning buying and eating leg of lamb, lamb roast, or another cut of lamb...

Get your locally raised grassfed lamb right here, or in the Farm Store, and support happy & healthy animals, a clean & robust environment, and a small Wisconsin family farm. All good things!