The Farm

We are a real, working sheep farm in Maine supplying wool for Ramblers Way, along with our partner farms and ranches.

Ramblers Way Farm history

Ramblers Way Farm is a 75-acre sheep farm located off Route 35 in Kennebunk, Maine.

We started setting up for sheep in summer 2007. This included laying out pastures and fields, clearing back growth from the hay fields, and getting our existing barns in working order.

We got our first five sheep in November 2007: four ewes and one ram. That first winter was a learning time. Each day, we were faced with new questions. What type of space were we going to need? How much grain and hay? Did the pastures seem adequate? Was there going to be a predator problem? Was lambing time as hard on a farmer as everyone said?

We soon found out that the area here was perfect for this type of farming and our methods of sustainable agriculture. Indeed, lambing seemed quite simple at that point! (One pregnant ewe, one lamb, perfect picture book lambing!).

We added more sheep the next summer. The next lambing went well, but, as suspected, lambing can certainly be hard on a diligent farmer.

Now, we are at 50 sheep and growing! The fields are more than adequate, and the barn is in working order. We enjoy spending every day alongside our sheep, and seeing what kind of fun (and sometimes mischief) they get themselves into.

At Ramblers Way, we raise Rambouillet sheep for their superfine fleece, flocking instinct, large size, good mothering skills of the ewes, and our desire to bring one of the earliest breeds of sheep in the United States back into prominence.

sustainable, organic & ethical

We raise the sheep while striving to maintain a sustainable, organic, and humane farm.

One of the ways in which exceed the industry standard for humane treatment is by bringing the ewes in every night and housing them in the barn. This is done so that we can inspect each sheep daily, and it has helped us to not lose sheep to predators.

As the number of sheep multiply, we will no longer be able to practice this particular undertaking but will continue to bring them to a central corral area for the same reasons.

Our hay production is our second most important job on the farm. The hay from the fields at Ramblers Way goes to feed the sheep at the farm, and any surplus goes up for sale. With more sheep grazing the pastures, the less acreage we have to hay. We are trying to adjust this by a rotational grazing plan that allows us to hay some of the fields before the sheep get there. We also fertilize our fields with organic compost which brought up production on the fields that were not grazed.

At present, we have two other farmhands with varying skills and experience to work the sheep and maintain the acreage, including hay production. At different times of the year we also get assistance and advice from surrounding neighbors, farmers and friends. Without this generosity of the community, we would be hard-strapped to get everything done!