Our Farming Practices

Four Hills Farm and all of our cooperator sheep farms practice humane treatment of animals.  To put it simply, we let sheep be sheep.  All of our sheep are raised outside on pasture. We practice rotational grazing where the livestock are moved from pasture to pasture allowing the animals to graze the most nutritious tops of the plants and then move to the next pasture when the good grazing is gone.  Rotational grazing allows the pasture a rest period to fully recover and grow back to a grazable condition.  This practice helps produce the greatest quantity and quality of forage for the sheep to harvest.

We do not advertise our lamb as a grass-fed product although mainly they are.  We do sometimes feed the sheep supplemental grain while they are out on pasture in order to compensate for weather related pasture shortages, the nutritional needs of ewes nursing new lambs and occasionally, to help a group of lambs grow in order to meet market demands.  In all cases we only offer supplemental grain to the lambs while they are out on pasture, (no feedlots). 

No antibiotics or hormones are ever used in our lamb production.  If a sheep gets injured or sick and needs an antibiotic, we do treat the animal.  If that animal is a lamb, the lamb will have a specially colored ear tag placed on it to identify it as not eligible for sale as a naturally raised Four Hills Farm lamb.

Cooperating Farms

In addition to having lambs born and raised on our farm, Four Hills Farm also contracts with cooperating sheep farms across Kentucky in order to maintain a year round supply of market ready lamb. In all cases, Four Hills Farm inspects each farm and each flock of sheep to assure the production of a carefully raised uniform, quality product.  Four Hills Farm sets the production standards.  The cooperator farms are required to maintain the same high standards as Four Hills Farm in terms of diet, animal welfare and naturally raised lambs.

Farm Partners:

News Flash!!! Starting in July 2010, Four Hills Farm will have our breeding flock of Katahdin sheep and all their lambs residing at Tall Grass Farm Foundation (about 4 miles down the road from our home farm).  We have worked out a lease arrangement to run sheep on their land which has great fences, shade, forages, water and barn space for the sheep.  We are excited about it because this is a win-win situation.  Four Hills Farm can greatly increase the grazing land available for our sheep and Tall Grass Farm Foundation can showcase an example of quality local food production that is environmentally sustainable and economically viable. To learn more about Tall Grass Farm Foundation visit their website  www.tallgrassfarmfoundation.org