About SkyLines Farm

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WHY SKYLINES LAMB?
When you serve SkyLines Farm lamb you can feel good, knowing that it was raised the way Mother Nature intended . . . nourished entirely by mom's rich milk, our own lush green summer pastures, and a free-choice salt, vitamin, and mineral mix formulated specifically for sheep. Absolutely nothing else.

Unlike much of the lamb raised today, our lambs are never pushed to grow faster with fattening grains or supplements that sometimes even include animal by-products. Instead, they grow at their own natural pace, eating only the simple, fresh foods on which sheep were designed to thrive.

SkyLines lambs graze in our hayfield after harvest

ORGANIC MANAGEMENT PRACTICES
No drugs or chemicals for the 100+ flock
Since 1992, all of the SkyLines Farm sheep have been hand raised by organic methods (though not certified). Following even stricter management guidelines than the USDA's organic standards, SkyLines sheep never receive routine antibiotics, growth or fertility hormones, unnecessary and potentially harmful vaccinations, or pesticides such as sheep dips or chemical wormers.

It's still working, year after year
In addition to avoiding drugs and chemicals, our organic approach includes regularly scheduled doses of the miracle herb garlic, lots of fresh air and exercise for the animals, intensive rotational grazing techniques, and more.

This philosophy for managing the animals and the farm itself has kept the entire SkyLines flock in superb health for years, without having to rely on the drug and chemical "quick fixes" that so many consider to be essential.

More details on our organic practices
Visit the Management Practices pages to learn about all of our organic management methods and see how successful they've been over the years. There you'll also find details and photos of the team of Great Pyrenees guard dogs who provide the ultimate in predator-friendly protection for the sheep.

RAISING SUPERIOR GRASSFED MEAT
More and more research is demonstrating that grassfed meat is better for our own health, better for the animals we raise, and better for the environment too.

But raising quality grassfed meat requires more than simply allowing the animals free access to grass. Good management of that grass is critical. Two major components of grass management are actively managing the fertility and tilth of the soil and controlling the animals' access to the pastures so the grasses can rest and regrow.

Rotational grazing makes for good grass and happy sheep
SkyLines Farm's intensive rotational grazing system allows us to effectively manage the farm's grass while also fulfilling each sheep's very natural desire to graze on the freshest feed possible. A network of many subdivided pastures with strategically placed gates and runways allow us to easily and frequently move the sheep from pasture to pasture across the farm as they harvest the grasses.

Once the sheep are moved from a pasture after grazing, the grasses can rest and regrow undisturbed, and the soil can begin to absorb and break down the natural fertilizer the sheep left behind.

Over the spring-to-fall grazing season, the SkyLines flock slowly makes two or three trips through the farm's pastures, so they are always dining on actively growing, highly nutritious, "salad bar fresh" greens.

Lean and great tasting lamb
Thanks in part to this natural diet and lifestyle (and possibly the periodic doses of garlic), friends and customers frequently comment on SkyLines lamb's just-right leanness and great flavor. They tell us just how much they like our lamb by coming back for more, year after year.

How much lamb to order?
You can purchase either a half or a whole SkyLines lamb (individual cuts are not available at this time).

With a whole lamb, you will net about 28-40 lbs. of frozen lamb meat, in individually wrapped and labeled packages. To give you an idea of how much freezer space you'll need for a whole lamb, visualize roughly the amount of space a 5-gallon bucket would require.

What cuts to order?
When you purchase SkyLines lamb it will be custom cut to your exact specifications. You're welcome to order your own preference in cuts, but as a guideline, most people order something like this from a whole lamb:

How is the price calculated?
When you purchase your meat in bulk directly from the farm instead of by the package from the grocery store, you're spending your food dollars differently. You're supporting America's small farms and reaping the many benefits of carefully and sustainably raised food. It's also priced a little differently . . .

In accordance with Idaho law, you actually purchase the live animal and I will arrange to have it processed for you. The standard practice is for the buyer to pay the producer by the "hanging weight" of the animal, which is the weight of the useable portions of the slaughtered animal before cutting and wrapping.

In addition, the buyer pays the processor's fee for custom cutting, wrapping, and freezing the meat for storage. The 2008 fee for transporting and processing is $80/lamb.

What will my lamb cost?
Prices for SkyLines' half or whole freezer lambs are . . .

How does it work?
Ordering your lamb
In keeping with the natural cycle of life on the farm, SkyLines lamb is only available once a year, usually beginning in late August. I take reservations for lamb throughout the year and fill orders on a first-ordered, first-served basis the following fall.

When you call or write to place your order, I will ask you to specify:

• Whether you want a smaller or larger lamb
• How you want it cut
• How many servings you'd like per package (two, three, four)
• Whether you'll pick your lamb up here at the farm or would like me to deliver it or ship it

At that time I'll let you know the approximate date when your lamb will be ready. I will contact you againa few weeks before that date, with a heads up that your lamb will be ready soon and to confirm delivery or pickup.

Processing
Every year I arrange to have SkyLines freezer lambs professionally and humanely slaughtered by a local meat processor either right here on the farm or at a state-inspected processing plant in Moscow, Idaho.

Your lamb is carefully cut to your exact specifications, double wrapped with heavy-duty freezer paper, labeled with your name, the type of cut and the date, and placed in a commercial freezer. Two or three days later, your freezer lamb is thoroughly frozen and ready to go into your own home freezer.

Getting your packaged lamb home
Once your freezer lamb is ready, I'll contact you to finalize arrangements for delivery. I'll be happy to personally deliver your lamb locally at no charge, or you are welcome to come to the farm in Harvard to pick it up.

Free delivery is also available to the Lewiston, Sandpoint and Coeur d'Alene, ID areas as well as the Spokane, WA area. To conserve fuel, I consolidate multiple deliveries in a general area to a centralized meeting place.

Shipping to more distant buyers (in the northwest only) is via UPS Second-Day Air or USPS Priority Mail. Shipping charges will apply as well as the cost of an insulated shipping box, dry ice, and handling.

Payment
Payment is due at the time of delivery. For lamb that must be shipped, I require a 50% nonrefundable deposit at the time of reservation, with full payment made before your lamb can be shipped. PayPal, personal check, or money order are all gladly accepted.

How to order SkyLines lamb?
Call or email today, for more information or to reserve your fall freezer lamb. For restaurant sales, please call or write.

(Sorry, no processing of lambs by customers - all lambs must be processed as described above.)

  

Thanks for being part of the solution! When you purchase lamb or wool from SkyLines Farm, you're supporting sustainable agricultural practices and America's small farmers.

SkyLines Farm Purebred Romney & Romney-Cross Sheep Exquisite Handspinning Fleeces, Organically Raised Grassfed Freezer Lamb 4551 Highway 6 Harvard, ID 83834 • 208/875-8747 www.skylinesfarm.com • melissa@skylinesfarm.com