Sheep Industry News February 2023

the things we’d like to do,” he said. “We just have to manage it like we do everything else on the farm.” The wool is no different. In the farm’s early years, John sent most of it to the area wool pool. But the recent trade war with China interrupted that market and left John and Martha looking for other options. They’ve worked with several domestic mills to develop a wool clothing line that so far has sold under the Elly’s Acres name. “This whole region was once really strong in sheep and wool and the infrastructure needed to sustain it,” John says. “But then it just vanished. There used to be a lot of meat packing here, a lot of mills here. But as the country transi tioned from local and regional to regional and national, it all went away.” While John is somewhat guarded about the breeding of his flock, he says his focus is to breed for fine wool and good meat. “I don’t have the super finest 14-micron wool, but our wool is really good,” he says. “The other piece is that our operation is grass-fed, pasture-raised. That causes them to grow a little slower, but people love it. There’s a different taste profile, and it makes a difference our customers can taste.” ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES The farm is located in the heart of maple country, and John hopes to start tapping trees in the coming year. It’s a revenue source he’s planned on since buying the property, but chose to pursue building the sheep flock first. He’s work ing through the process to bring in H-2A help to work with both the sheep and the syrup, and even purchased a home across the road from his as a place for farm labor to live in the future. A cabin on the farm had also fallen into disrepair. It took five years, but John and Martha eventually refurbished the home and regularly rent it through Airbnb to people traveling to nearby Syracuse, N.Y. “There’s no TV, and that’s by design,” John says. “It does have wifi, but we wanted it to be a place where people could rest and enjoy nature. We do farm tours for the people who rent it, and for farm income diversification it was a key investment for us. “We’ve done the ‘easy’ upgrades on the property. Now, we’re starting to look at some bigger additions. The next barn is going to be a huge project. We might build a second Airbnb. There’s a lot that we can still do with the property that we have.” The one thing he doesn’t want to do is build a farm that is one day a burden to his children. “They both started work ing on the farm at a young age, and have been instrumental in its operation from an early age. But it isn’t my goal or mandate in life that they take over this farm one day,” John says. “I wouldn’t be surprised if one or both decides to do something with it. But I don’t want to saddle them with something that can’t be successful.”

(Above) A holding pen near the pastures allows John Lemondes to sort sheep. (Right) An old family photo of JJ tending to newborn lambs with mom's approval.

20 • Sheep Industry News • sheepusa.org

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