Sheep are Generous Creatures

Some people don’t like to work with sheep. I don’t blame them. They can be infuriating little creatures, especially if you’re trying to herd them. They’re always getting themselves in some kind of trouble it seems (There’s a reason why us humans are compared to sheep so much in the Bible). On the ranch we have both sheep and cattle. We’ve thought about cutting back on the sheep from time to time to simplify the operation, but I’m so glad we haven’t. They never cease to fascinate me — these creatures that grow magic fleece on their backs — it’s like something out of a science fiction novel.

Sheep are generous creatures. They produce wool every year that both sequesters carbon and keeps us warm. The best socks and sweaters (in my opinion) came from the same fleece that kept a sheep warm during wintertime. Wool is an incredible organic material. It is naturally flame resistant and even feels great in the summertime too. Thinner fabric made from wool actually retracts moisture from the skin – so you sweat less. Try it! Wool also doesn’t leave behind harmful microfibers found in synthetics like polyester or rayon. These types of materials shed tiny plastic pieces that end up polluting our water through the washer machine. According to oceancleanwash.org, synthetic clothing produces 35% of plastic pollution in the ocean and even pollutes the air around us as we wear the clothing.

Now that shearing is over and the wool has been hauled into the warehouse in town, we are lambing. It’s my favorite time of the year. Seeing all those white lambs playing in the grass is such a source of joy, especially after a long dry winter. Sheep often give birth to twins and triplets. Even in bad years we can have a decent lamb crop because sheep have more twins and triplets on average than cattle ever do.

Running both sheep and cattle is a benefit to the land too. Sheep increase biodiversity because they often eat the shrubs (for example sage brush) that cattle don’t like so you can avoid one plant species dominating large parts of a pasture. When run on a rotational system, this is especially beneficial. Sheep are peaceful creatures and are easy to run with cattle too.

Lastly, the meat sheep provide is phenomenal. It’s always been so strange to me why lamb and mutton isn’t more popular. It’s by far my favorite meat. I would take a lamb chop over a steak any day, and nothing beats a rack of lamb with mint jelly — my ultimate favorite meal. My dad says mutton went out of style in America during World War II. The army was apparently fed a bunch of rotting mutton and since then, lamb and mutton hasn’t recovered its reputation. Try it out!! I truly believe a demand in USA lamb is better for the planet – environment and health.  I would really love for my family to start skipping the sale barn and selling some of our own mutton in the future. So stay tuned on that…

Last week my dad, husband, and I butchered a sheep so we could have grass-fed meat in our freezer for the summer. In about five seconds, it was over and the sheep was dead. It struck me how remarkable it is that the sheep never made a sound.  They are silent under stress. Even when docking, it’s very rare for a sheep to cry out in pain. The prophet Isaiah related Jesus’ dignity in the face of death like that of a sheep for a reason. “He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent , so he did not open his mouth.”

I believe there should be an air of respect when eating meat — Respect for the animal’s life and respect to its creator God. Try to buy meat from someone who gave that animal a good life. Perhaps before a dinner of delicious lamb chops, thank God for that creature’s life and ask Him to make you more generous like the critter whose life ended to preserve yours. Let’s make dinner sacred and special again.

I hope I remeber to be grateful myself, especially when I’m herding sheep and they won’t go where I want them to go — like a gate they’ve been standing in front of for ten minutes but STILL don’t see. God make me as generous as a sheep.