It has been found that lamb which has been exclusively grassfed contains more of the newly discovered cancer fighting/cancer preventing Conjugated Linoleic Acid than any other source.
We strive for diversity; we have kept a variety of genetics in 8 different bloodlines in our Soay flock, as well as 2 more lines in our son's flock. In addition to keeping fine specimens of horned ewes, we concentrate on retaining bloodlines that produce polled and scurred ewes. Polled and scurred genetics are rapidly becoming lost on this continent! For American Soay ewes, we advocate utilizing American Soay rams from polled or scurred bloodlines to retain these traits in American Soay sheep.
Small, primitive breeds of livestock are coming into their own as people realize that bigger or more refined breeds are not necessarily better. "Small" is easier to handle, and "primitive" requires less intervention on our part. This is the way of the new organic farmer; smaller livestock that are easier on our land and need fewer drugs or chemicals, or none at all, to maintain their health. The new Slow Food movement embraces the idea of waiting a little longer for something better. Roast leg of Soay or Soay Ram Burger display the wonderful flavor that makes the "wait" worth far more than "weight" that might had by other breeds.
Greener Pastures Farm is proud to bring you the wave of the future by bringing you a direct link to the past.
That which you vividly imagine, sincerely believe,
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.
There are two types of Soay sheep found in North America. British Soay sheep, as they are called on this continent, are generally representative of the horned, dark-fleeced "Park Sheep" found on the mainland UK. Our British Soays originated from England, via Canada, and are registered with RBST; Rare Breeds Survival Trust in the United Kingdom.
American Soay sheep are representative of the same tiny sheep as those found on Hirta in the archipelago of St Kilda. American Soay sheep have an interesting history beginning with an import from Scotland to a Canadian zoo. Just like our British Soay sheep, our American Soays come in smaller, medium and larger sizes, yet American Soay sheep still retain the many unique characteristics found on St Kilda. All of our American Soays are very hardy, and are registered. American Soays are perfect for organic farmers looking for a low maintenance type of livestock.
Soay sheep are a step back in time beyond the Bronze Age into the Neolithic or Stone Age. They are rare, tiny, and very low maintenance livestock that resemble small deer. Soays are the oldest breed of domestic sheep on earth; so primitive that they do not require shearing! Wool from Soay sheep naturally sheds each year, or can be harvested by plucking.
We are located near Vancouver, in SW Washington State, and have experience shipping lambs nationwide.
For more information about sheep in general and Soay sheep in particular, check our Site Map!
If you are considering the purchase of sheep for your farm, please visit our newcomers section to guide you through the questions you should ask, the equipment you should have, and the options available to you! Newcomers!
