© 2000 - 2009. Website design, text and photos are copyright by Ronda Jemtegaard unless otherwise noted.
Reproduction by any means, electronic or mechanical, is forbidden unless written request
is submitted to and approved by Ronda Jemtegaard of Greener Pastures Farm.
In this age where it's now easy to clone and delete parts of photographs,
and some farmers and webmasters are doing this to published photos of their livestock,
please note that all photos on this website are unaltered in any way!
Colors, conformation, etc are exactly as depicted.
FOR SALE:
- Taking reservations for 2009 Cascade Farmstead breeding stock lambs; we have found these to be the most efficient and easy care livestock for the frugal farmer.
- Female pullets (young hens feathering out) available now: Price per bird based on age. We have the following breeds: Anconas, Black Australorps, Buff Orpingtons, Columbian Wyandottes, Partridge Rocks, Rhode Island Reds, Silver Laced Wyandottes, Single-combed Brown Leghorns, and Easter Eggers, providing a variety of plumage color as well as egg color for your backyard laying flock. Chicks must be picked up at our farm, minimum of 3 chicks per purchase.
FOR BARTER:
- We need honey bees! I'm willing to barter chickens, geese or sheep for bees, depending on the conditions the bees are in. Call for more info.
We keep only small easy-care livestock that thrive
on pasture, are productive, practical, and do not
require pampering by the frugal farmer.
Photos of our Cascade Farmstead sheep, Pilgrim
geese and several breeds of chickens can be found
here, as well as information on how to care for your
own flock, and what you need to get started,
whether you are on a large acreage in the country,
a suburban homestead, or a back yard in the city.
We produce animals for choosy consumers; we have worked long and hard to find the best breeds that meet our needs for tasty quality food for our table. At the same time, we require low maintenance for the farmer. We have tested many small breeds and species on our farm, and have now selected livestock that are the most efficient, hardy and easy care breeds to keep on our pastures without breaking the budget for additional feed.
Our livestock are pastured year round, and our sheep receive quality hay when the pasture growth slows. Organic is a way of life for us, and was a big part of our decision to raise small hardy breeds such as our Cascade Farmstead Sheep, Pilgrim geese and heritage breeds of chickens. They require less maintenance than most other breeds, are easier on pastures than larger livestock, and are beautiful to look at while grazing the grasses and forages in our fields.
We operate our farm independently. We do not hire out the care of our livestock, we butcher our culls ourselves, and any injections necessary for our livestock are given by one of us. We design and build our own fences and buildings and make any repairs with our own hands. We do make an exception during haying season, and hire teenagers to work with us as we haul it from the fields and put it in the barns!
Our farm was planned with aging in mind; all of our livestock are small so that we can continue to manage them for the remainder of our lives.
The rest of our farming enterprises were planned with the same goals; our garden beds are raised for easy maintenance and access, and our bee hives are smaller for easy lifting.
"Begin as you mean to go on" is a wonderful British saying that we have taken to heart, and have applied it to many aspects of our life on the farm.
We are located near Vancouver, in SW Washington State, and have experience shipping lambs and adult sheep nationwide. For over 300 pages of information about everything, including many photos and descriptions of how to build shelters or begin with various species, check our Site Map!
That which you vividly imagine, sincerely believe,
ardently desire and enthusiastically act upon
will inevitably come to pass.
William R. Lucas
Cool stuff to help survive the times:
Retail Me Not: Coupon codes and discounts for 20,000 online and local stores!
PBS is not just for paperbacks! You can also trade hardback books and audio books on tape or cd! You merely pay for postage. Swap a CD is a sister site; I'm trading my old CDs for some my teenager likes!
News From the Farm!
November 16, 2008
We put 9 breeding groups together, and witnessed 3 different matings take place right away. What a handsome assortment of rams... I'm already counting the days until lambing season!
December 11, 2008
We are taking our breeding groups apart this coming weekend in anticipation of freezing temps next week. Last spring all of our Cascade Farmstead ewes produced lambs within a 15 day period, so we feel confident that they are all bred, and besides, keeping sheep fed and watered in freezing temps is way easier with just 2 groups in two pastures, than with 10 groups in ten different pastures!
Our handsome black American Soay ram; Greener Pastures2 Jesse James is available for sale; $100. Call us right away if you want him; we are butchering all for-sale animals that are not sold right away.
We will have a few starter flocks of Cascade Farmstead sheep available in 2009. Contact us now to get on our waiting list!
December 20, 2008
If you wanted Jesse James, too late. He was a big ram, and is a big carcass. We still have his son available for sale as breeding stock; the wide horned Crown of Thorns, but time is limited.
We have made some difficult decisions about rams we had held over for breeding stock; nearly all of our Soay rams are slated to be butchered in the next week, maybe two weeks as weather permits. We have added a Meat Lamb page with information for locals who want to purchase grassfed lamb for the freezer.
December 27, 2008
The snow has been lovely, but I'll be glad to see it go. We butchered nearly all of our Soay sheep during this cold weather; our freezers are stocked with leg of lamb, and the cuts we are not partial to (or that came from older rams) are being ground into burger.
While butchering both Soay and Cascade sheep, we are finding that our Cascade sheep actually got fat on the same amount of feed that our Soay sheep required to maintain good condition. Translation: yet another cost savings because we won't have to buy as much alfalfa hay next year, and we can feed it much more sparingly.
January 28, 2009
Lambs are due in April, and can leave their mothers in June or July. Can't wait!!!!
NEW! I am now offering custom knitted heavy duty wool socks for sale! This is a pattern I developed 5 years ago for hunters, farmers, etc, and my entire family swears by them for warmth, softness & durability.
NEW! We are offering Building Plans for our various styles of chicken housing. Click here for more information.
February 12, 2009
Jon, a hunter of 30+ years, is offering his expertise in the form of classes on how to humanely slaughter small livestock, and butcher, cut and wrap. He finds butchering sheep and goats the same as butchering wild game, just on a smaller scale. These classes are available to locals only, of course, and if you live in the SW Washington area and would like to learn how to process your own homegrown meat, click here for more information.
February 18, 2009
I hate it when I make a mistake when I knew better... I sold 2 adult geese last weekend, who were temporarily penned with a pair of geese I was keeping for myself. I knew it was very late in the season to break up groups of geese, but did it anyway. Apparently the gander had bonded with one of the geese I sold; because he was calling and calling for his love for days and died of a broken heart last night. Poor poor Gus. Of course, he was my favorite. I performed a necropsy to be sure it was a broken heart and not something else. Fortunately, Gertie appears to be bouncing back after I put Gilbert and Gladys with her. I put the 4 eggs Gus had sired into an incubator and hope to get a son from him.
February 24, 2009
I placed a big order for sexed chicks; we will have female day-old chicks available early April. $7 each, minimum of 3 chicks, must be picked up at our farm in east Clark County the same week they arrive. You may call ahead to reserve your choice of Anconas, Buff Orpingtons, Partridge Rocks, Silver Laced Wyandottes or Easter Eggers. I have experience with all these breeds (except the Easter Eggers) and chose productive breeds that have a variety of plumage color to compliment your back yard as well as egg color to add fun to your egg carton.
March 6, 2009
This Sunday is "International Women's Day." And surprise, surprise... I have something to say about that!
Skilled labor for free? That seems to be expected when the labor is performed by women. I thought we had passed all that in my generation, but apparently not. I see that women across the USA are offering their skilled labor for pennies. Surely not, you say. But when I mention knitting and other needlework, then most people unfamiliar with this skill will nod and agree that “it’s not worth much.” WHY? If men did it, it would certainly sell for at least a minimum wage, or much more.
I understand that many women like to knit as a hobby. Fair enough. I really do understand that. But if you want to give away your efforts, then please… donate your items to a charity, rather than sell them on eBay for next to nothing. Undervaluing our work hurts all of us.
I spend a 40 hour week knitting a custom item from my own design, a design proven over the course of 5 years. I ask for minimum wage for my efforts, though I believe that my skill and product are worth as much as any other skilled labor performed by men. But I have yet to have a buyer. And how could there be buyers when so many knitted items are being offered for pennies, or often less than cost of materials? Women, wake up and unite! Value your time. Value your work. Value your creativity. Value yourselves.
March 15, 2009
My husband has arranged to hold classes on home slaughter and home butchering for Saturday, March 21. This class is obviously available to locals only. Small class sizes; call ahead to reserve your space.
April 7, 2009
Yesterday was a zoo, but it was fun. Chicks arrived, people arrived to pick up the chicks they had reserved, and our border collie is in heaven because she has chickies to watch over. It went so well that we decided to do it again in a month. Now taking reservations for chicks available in early May; Black Australorps, Buff Orpingtons, Columbian Wyandottes, Partridge Rocks, Rhode Island Reds and Single-combed Brown Leghorns.
April 15, 2009
Our first lambs of 2009 were born April 10th! We found them a couple hours later; they were dry and had bellies full of their dam's milk. As a practical farmer, I expect nothing less from my sheep. More twins on Easter, and even some triplets the next day! However, this morning I was able to witness (and photograph) the birth of a lamb, a miracle that never ceases to amaze me. This afternoon I move the young chicks outside into a chicken tractor equipped with a red brooder light, so that they can be on pasture and OUT of my house!
More chicks coming in May; the waiting list is filling! We will have sexed female chicks in the following breeds: Black Australorps, Buff Orpingtons, Columbian Wyandottes, Partridge Rocks, Rhode Island Reds, and Single Combed Brown Leghorns. You can find photos of these breeds at Feathersite.
April 28, 2008
We've had 40 Cascade lambs born since April 10th. What fun! Just a few more ewes to go before our lambing season is over. Once again, this breed has exceeded my expectations in hardiness, productivity and in fun color variations.
May 4, 2009
(Wee hours) My insomnia is your gain... I added more photos and webpages about the exciting colors, numbers and other data about our Cascade Farmstead sheep! There is much more to do, but it's a dent in the workload.
Chicks arriving today, and I have my supplies ready to go. Chick buyers will have to wait until Tuesday to pick up their chicks (and no later than Saturday) because tonight I'm attending my son's school function!
May 27, 2009
Bees! I finally got my hives painted, and am in need of a few swarms of honey bees. Prefer barter, but willing to pay cash.
2009
Cascade Farmstead Lambs are here!
Lambing season ended in early May this year, and what a spectacular crop of lambs we have had!
New pages of information and photos have been added as time permits, with much more coming! Click on Cascade Farmstead sheep below.
Our first lambs of the season are shown at right, airborne, racing toward me!
