Sheep Industry News July 2023

“I went to nursing school with my sister and was a nurse for 29 years,” she says. “My dad’s foreman – Emilio Hua rte (who followed in his dad’s footsteps as a foreman with Talbott Sheep Company) – got connected with a gentleman who had started putting some goats together in the Santa Cruz Mountains. He was a developer and needed to clear the land. Emilio helped him out and one thing led to an other and Emilio started doing targeted grazing with these goats. Then they got a three-year contract, but the developer

drée says. “I did feel a bit guilty when COVID hit, and even wondered if I should go back. But I’m happy where I’m at with the sheep and goats.” BALANCING SHEEP & GOATS While some targeted grazers in the state run only sheep, Star Creek employs both sheep and goats on most of its projects. “We realized from grazing the same areas over and over

wasn’t really interested in being in the livestock business. “Emilio and I grew up together, so he came to me and said he thought this was a great opportunity and that I should buy the company. I thought he was crazy. I used to see goats on people’s places and wonder why anyone would want to have a goat around, and now I own thousands of them. I will say, goats have cool personalities.” The opportunity came along at a time when things in Andrée’s personal life were shifting. She was also taking a more active role in her aging father’s flock. And while the two operations are very different in nature, it made sense for Andrée to take on both. For more than a year, she balanced sheep (and goats) with nursing. Eventually, Star Creek’s po tential was enough to persuade her to leave the mainstream profession behind. “I loved my job and was at the same hospital for 29 years, but when I decided to pick one, I never looked back,” An

in Marin County that those areas started out really brushy,” Andrée says. “But after four years of grazing, that vegetation has changed. The brush has been reduced and the native grasses have come back. Once those grasses come back, the sheep tend to do a better job. The goats are great for clearing out the brush. "Over four years, we went from all goats to mixed herds of goats and sheep because that’s what the vegetation called for. This is an outcome we want to see in those areas. We want to see those native grasses coming back.” Star Creek employs Dorper sheep for grazing alongside the Boer goats. Andrée’s wool sheep are all from her dad’s flock and have only recently begun to do select targeted grazing work. “They seem to work better in the vineyards than my Dor per sheep,” Andrée says. “The wool sheep are less interested in the other stuff in the vineyards than the hair sheep. And

22 • Sheep Industry News • sheepusa.org