“It all started when I learned how to knit.”
Lee Langstaff, Shepherd’s Hey farm
Lee Langstaff, Shepherd’s Hey farm
In the early 1980s, Lee Langstaff took a casual knitting class with one of her friends, and little did she know how this knitting class would change her life. “I fell in love with the wool as soon as I touched it.” Over the next few years she started learning how to spin wool, and took advantage of her close proximity to the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival, the largest of its kind in the United States. Once her brother purchased a farm on the Montgomery County Agricultural Reserve, she really began to explore the the foundations of wool and fiber farming, and Shepherd’s Hey Farm was born. At first the family had a small starter group of a few rams and ewes, and little by little the farm began to grow. This year they birthed 43 new lambs!
Lee was featured in our "Growing Legacy" film. See Lee (and her flock) in the trailer here.
Shepherd’s Hey Farm sells high quality wool fleece and spun wool to at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival, and also to individuals by request online. Lee breeds the sheep for their natural color, uniformity of the fleece, and good quality crimp, which can influence the spinning process. I was surprised to learn that the sheep wear coats, shown in the picture below. This keeps the wool clean and prevents UV damage from the sun, which changes the color of the wool.
Shepherd’s Hey can’t keep all of the lambs born on the farm each spring. Some are sold to other fiber farms to improve the quality of their breeding stock. Those which are not appropriate for breeding or long term wool production are pasture fed for several months then brought to a local, USDA-approved butcher. Lee takes great pride in knowing where her food comes from, commenting that commenting that “it provides a direct engagement with mindfulness and gratitude" She takes care that the lambs on her farm are raised humanely.
“The majority of animals that end up in a grocery store don’t have a good life, and I don't feel comfortable about that for myself.”
Lee and her brother David believe that the the Agricultural Reserve contributes to both the farming and larger communities in many ways. The zoning rules and limitations on development mean that farmers can afford to stay on their land, and the close proximity of farming to more developed areas exposes the greater community to the many wonderful things that farmers produce. According to the Farm Bureau Federation, there are 2.1 million farms in the U.S., with 99% being family-owned, but many people have never visited a working farm or have a clear understanding of how farm products are generated. Many Montgomery county residents don’t even realize that a large portion of the county has been reserved for agricultural purposes, but Lee feels that as soon as people see the view and the working farms that make up that view, they fall in love, and that is key to keeping the land safe. She believes the best way to advocate for the Agricultural Reserve is to keep it pristine, and let the view speak for itself. I’ll talk more about how we can all contribute to keeping the Agricultural Reserve clean and trash-free in a future post.
Shepherd’s Hey allows visits by appointment. If you would like to visit the farm, keep up to date with the new lambs, or purchase some wool, you can follow Shepherd’s Hey Farm on Facebook or stop by their booth at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival.
Photos: Annabel Kauffman and Shepherd's Hey Farm
