As our primary forage-land management and soil-building tool, the sheep are central to the ecological and economic success of Prairie Turnip Farm. In our current setting we plan to top out at dynamic 100-125 ewes depending on drought conditions, forage quality and market. Our flock is well on its way to becoming a landrace, with genetic input from Katahdin, Corsican and Dorper sheep. With the exception of an occasional ram or ewe, our flock consists of mixed-breed animals that have been very strongly selected for maternal characteristics, predator survival, parasite resistance and that sweet and tender meat that comes with hair sheep in general. We currently do not castrate ram lambs as the young males develop more rapidly without and we enjoy a market that prefers intact ram lambs for slaughter. Our sheep are not injected, poured or otherwise treated to make it possible for them to thrive in our east-central Kansas environment. Rather we employ the power of genetics, multi-species rotations and diverse forage matrices to keep the animals healthy. Slaughter lambs are ready at 6-9 months of age and they provide succulent, lean, mild, and oh-so-tender meat without anything but the forages grown right here – not an ounce of grain, ever.

We enjoy 1.5-2 inch thick lamb chops grilled over hedge (Osage Orange) wood coals cooked to a warm-bright pink, juicy center. As with any lean meat, lamb can be ruined by cooking beyond medium. If you love stew in the winter or barbeque in the summer simply place a leg or shoulder roast in your crockpot and slow cook it all day. Pull the meat and add it to your regular stew recipe along with the broth, or pull and shred the meat and add it to your favorite bbq sauce (freeze the broth for a lovely wintertime onion soup). We prefer a spicy vinegar sauce, but the lamb meat is perfectly able to stand up to a sweet, tomato-based sauce as well.

We sell a very few breeding sheep and cuts. The bulk of our lamb business is slaughter lambs, which we will deliver to an excellent Kansas State inspected processor near our farm.

To reserve a lamb or cuts, please contact us at prairieturnipfarm@gmail.com. Phone: 785-312-2372.