SweetMeadow Farm 2025
This post was authored by Stephanie LaRochelle in January 2026, it is entirely the fault of her apologetic daughter Sophie that posting was delayed 7 months. Please enjoy this overdue retrospective on the year of 2025 at SweetMeadow Farm.
The year our bodies began to betray us…
With a shoulder replacement and tendon reattachment for Guy and a meniscus tear repair for Stephanie, we were forced to face the fact that small scale livestock farming is for the able bodied! We made and met a commitment to reduce our livestock numbers by 30%, purchased an Agri-Tech handling system for the cattle and a flippable squeeze table for the sheep, took a couple shows off the calendar, rewired and reconfigured the sheep lane fencing, and stocked up on ibuprofen and acetaminophen!
Thanks to our children for taking over farm chores throughout hospital stays, recuperation, and the long trek to Louisville, we were able to not only muddle through, but also celebrate several successes throughout the year.
Stephanie attended the Ohio Sale in May, bringing home a new ram from Hickory Grove Farm, “Mick”. He has a pedigree full of old Canadian and imported Australian genetics that have
worked for us. The pregnancy scan looks great with 100% confirmed in lamb. Here’s to hoping “Mick” joins the rams from the past that have made a difference in our flock: Heidi Barkley’s “Psalm”, Hickory Grove’s “Essie”, Travis Johnson’s “Chronicle”, and Deakin Family Farm’s “Deuteronomy”. We’re excited to welcome lambs starting late February 2026.
We sold ewes privately to several young Border enthusiasts and consigned a Blue Faced yearling ewe to the inaugural BFL online sale. Our champion yearling ram, “Stache”, has gone to Vermont to work in a predominately black Border flock. A few steers went as show prospects, and Top-of-the-Hill Farm in Wolfeboro, NH, purchased our feeder lambs and beef weanlings for their beautiful farm market. Outsourcing meat sales worked better for us this year.
Early summer brought hay making, grazing the back pasture, baseball for the grands, a home-improvement project that quickly grew from a bedroom refresh to a full kitchen and laundry room renovation, family time in the woods of Maine, and a brand new grand niece!
Stephanie, Iris, and Colby ventured to the North East Youth Sheep Show in West Springfield, Mass, for Colby’s 2nd year. He had a yearling ewe and a ewe lamb to exhibit and friends to reconnect with. It was a great long weekend.
Eastern States Exposition was a surprising success for us. The judge, Jacob Reister, liked the kind of sheep we raise, and we came home with lots of show swag and the Supreme Champion Ewe of week 2, aka “Wool Week”, with “Gossip”, a white Border Leicester yearling ewe. This was our second time winning Supreme Ewe at ESE: “Gaida” received this honor in 2019. With several of our animals in the ring from other exhibitors, we were also privileged to win the Premier Breeder award for 2025.
These successes prompted us to enter NAILE – the North American International Livestock Exposition, for the first time since Iris had aged out of the Junior Show. With Guy still in a shoulder sling, and Stephanie working a distinct limp, we made the 16 hour drive to Louisville, Kentucky, with 3 sheep in the back of the Ford. While the length of the drive and the overcrowding of the first weekend was a bit overwhelming for us, Iris’s work in the show ring did not disappoint. Our ram lamb and ewe lamb each placed second in their February class, and “Gossip” placed first and later took Grand Champion White Border Leicester Ewe from the younger yearling ewe class! While Iris had to fly back for work, Stephanie and her BFL bestie, Duckey, took “Gossip” to the top 5 line up for Supreme Champion Ewe! By all accounts, a great showing.
In amongst the travels to the 2 big shows and the 2 big operations we also ventured to the New York Sheep and Wool Festival, spent time at the family camp in Aroostook County Maine, made 2 trips to North Carolina to spend time with Sophie, enjoyed a day trip to Fryeburg Fair, hired out the re-fencing project, poured cement pads in the newer barn, and kept all the livestock safe and well fed. It was a good year.
Spring Update from SweetMeadow Farm
It’s been a beautiful spring here in Webster. We had a barn full of lambs from an outstanding group of brood ewes this year. Even using four different rams on our ewes we kept the lambing season to seven weeks. We started off with four sets of triplets, then finished with one single and four pairs of twins. Lots of ewe lambs! We only retained two ram lambs, and they’re both reserved for other flocks…
It’s been a beautiful spring here in Webster. We had a barn full of lambs from an outstanding group of brood ewes this year. Even using four different rams on our ewes we kept the lambing season to seven weeks. We started off with four sets of triplets, then finished with one single and four pairs of twins. Lots of ewe lambs! We only retained two ram lambs, and they’re both reserved for other flocks. We sent a few off for Orthodox Easter, sold some to repeat customers, and have put two ewe lambs into our grandsons’ names. Fingers crossed they’ll exhibit at the NorthEast Youth Show! We’re planning to take a show flock of both the Borders and the Blues to Eastern States, and we’re heading to Michigan with the BlueFaced for the National Show. Shearing has started and the sheep are out on pasture – where they belong!
It’s been a great spring for the cattle, too. We’ve had a very close calving group with 8 calves born in under a month. It’s an easy care herd. The mamas calve outdoors and if needed they stay in the barn for some bonding for a few days then spend a couple of weeks in the calving meadow until joining the full herd. The calves spend a lot of time snoozing in the sunshine and running about. They’ll nurse and graze for 6 – 8 months before weaning.
We made the trek to the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival the first weekend in May. We hadn’t exhibited there in a number of years, and with lambs too young we took three yearling ewes. The BlueFaced ewe, “Ruckus”, competed in a class of 19 long-wooled black sheep and stood 3rd. The Borders stood 2nd and 4th in a strong class with “Prosecco” taking Reserve Champion White Border to Sarah Jakeman’s beautiful yearling.
“Ruckus” a SweetMeadow BlueFaced yearling ewe shown by Stephanie and Guy LaRochelle at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival.
“Ruckus” place 3rd out of 19 in a class of 19 long-wooled black yearling ewes.
“Prosecco” a SweetMeadow Farm Border Leicester Yearling Ewe shown by Guy LaRochelle at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival.
“Presecco” took Reserve Champion White Border Leicester at the Festival.
“Glacier” a SweetMeadow Farm White Border Leicester yearling ewe shown by Stephanie LaRochelle at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival.
“Glacier” took 4th in the Maryland Sheep and Wool White Border Leicester Yearling Ewe class.
With a short turn-around time at home, we continued our sheepy travels with a trip to the Ohio Showcase Sale in Greenville. We took 2 yearling ewes that we thought were exceptional. The judge agreed and we placed first and took Grand Champion with “Glynnis”. Both ewes sold to new buyers: one to Indiana and one to Maryland. It was a good sale for Borders, with 29 head entered. We’re planning to consign to the fall online ABLA sale as well.
“Glynnis” a SweetMeadow Farm White Border Leicester Yearling Ewe took Grand Champion at the Ohio Showcase Sale in Greenville.
The 2023 weanling calves have moved across the street to a summer field. The grass was quite high, but they seem very happy with their field. It’s a daily half-mile walk to bring a bit of grain and keep the water filled. We’re fortunate to have the support of ag positive neighbors!
First cut hay is nearly all in. It smells so good in the barn! Lots of our “free” manure was spread earlier and the grass is quite thick. With a new-to-us tedder and rake, the one-man hay operation has moved along smoothly. Help with field runs, transport and bale wrapping is all he needs. With retirement from his full-time job, he’s been able to work in the fields in a more timely way allowing a bit more dry hay for us this year.
We’ve sold quite a lot of beef this spring and have 2 more to process this month. Awesome burger is still available. We also have lots of lamb sausage and 1 full lamb package available. No more lambs until September. Email to get on our list if you’re interested.
The gardens are in full bloom with peonies, scented day lilies, bleeding heart, bachelor button, iris, baptisia, columbine, lilacs, phlox, forget-me-not, cranesbill geranium, violets, lily-of-the-valley, mock orange, viburnum and lupine. The hops are taking over the front porch, the songbirds are busy, the weeds are persistent and the stock tank pool is ready. Bring on summer!
This post was authored by Stephanie LaRochelle, owner of SweetMeadow Farm, on June 5th 2024.