Jackie Zeisloft-Brehm

We are new sheep owners, we purchased our first 3 Southdown Babydoll sheep this past August. We have been interested in raising sheep for awhile now, hoping to learn to spin their wool. We homeschooled our children the past few years during COVID. We have been learning new and more homesteading adventures. Making jellies and jams, harvesting sap and cooking it into syrup. We garden and raise chickens. We tried to raise bees, but need to give them some time to warm up to us. We are currently exploring staghorn sumac as an addition to our farming practices, having been harvesting it and exploring it beneficial uses, and popularity. We have grown a few varieties of mushrooms, herbs, fruit trees and bushes, and many flowers in addition to our regular vegetable gardens. We recently moved up to Bar Harbor area as my husband followed a new job opportunity and created a new opportunity for our family and our children(we are loving the new school district, they enrolled right after the holidays). We are searching for some property to create a great space for our flock and continue working with the land to grow some amazing varieties of fruits and vegetables for not only our family but hopefully more.

We do not currently have a business plan, we have been living this life as an adventure thus far, learning when we can, studying and trying all new opportunities as we could afford and as they present themselves. I think our plan could change as we determine how much space and limitations we face. We would like to raise sheep and sell wool, but not create a burden on the landscape. We want to rotate their pasture and use their natural process to our benefit(in how they stomp down the land and fertilize the ground). We would love to plant fruit trees, making applesauce and apple butter is a tradition that my grandmother had passed down to me. My grandmother(whom is currently not doing so well in health at the age of 93) has been a huge role model in gardening to me(I grew up in her pea patch eating all the yummy rows of peas) and a role mode to my children. My children know the importance of helping their elders, as we always picked extra and planted more for not only Great Grammy but also the special needs adults whom I worked with, who may not have always had access to farm fresh goodies. We like the idea of a farm not to big to manage, but big enough to have a few extra rows of strawberries /blueberries for others to come and pick, they can meet the sheep and maybe attend a spinning class.. pick your own herbs and flowers. Enjoy the experience you can find on a small farm. We can create a more specific buisness plan after I look up what this really means to the other farmers who may look at our profile and read more about our plans and passions.

We have been living this lifestyle. Canning, cooking, exploring these healthy life choices. I have attended a few women in agriculture events, heard from others farming adventures. Visited many farms, talked with many farmers.