Smith Farm Black Welsh Mountain Sheep came about in the winter of 1994/1995. The Farm has been in the Smith Family for at least 7 generations. Agriculture had been the primary source of family income up until 1970 when full time farming was finally shut down due to lack of available labor. Part-time truck farming continued and in the summer of 1994, a corporate downsizing coupled with a mid-life crisis found us one evening contemplating what to do with the farm that would allow us to keep our agricultural status and still be interesting without being a lot of work. A neighbor with an eccentric assortment of chickens, geese, angora goats and a weathered ram of unknown heritage, suggested we might want to think about sheep and gave us some old issues of "Shepherd" Magazine.
Livestock to both of us was cats and dogs, so the prospect of "real" livestock was daunting. Basil found an article in one of the Shepherd Magazines about a flock of Black Welsh Mountain Sheep that was being raised down in Georgia. After a little research and a few phone calls, we arranged a visit with Mr. Thomas Wyman at Wye River Plantation on Maryland's Eastern Shore in October of 1994. Between Mr. Wyman's enthusiasm and the charming good looks and nature of his treasured Black Welsh Mountain Sheep, we fell in love with them and arranged to purchase 7 bred ewes. Basil began building pasture fence (actually he is still building pasture fence) and I began reading up on sheep in general and lambing in particular.
Finding a veterinarian who would help us manage our new flock was a challenge. We are located in a suburban area, and the local vets were specialists in small animals or horses. We finally located a large animal practice about 45 minutes away. Our first lambing season was exciting, and a humbling learning experience. We have improved with time but I don't think we will ever stop learning.
After our novice experiences with our Black Welsh Mountain Sheep, and hearing about the work and problems raising some of the other breeds from speaking with other breeders, we have concluded that we made a wise choice in breed selection. If anyone is contemplating raising sheep, we would highly recommend this breed.
With this year's lambs, we are now up to 100 sheep. We have been working on selling breeding stock and are continuing to expand a freezer lamb market. We are also exploring local markets for pelts, wool, and yarn.
