ON-FARM IMMERSION . . .
A
customized program of individual one-on-one
learning.
Immerse yourself in the daily life of a working
65 acre sheep farm in beautiful northern
Idaho!
Work alongside the shepherdess
as she goes about the business of running
a thriving 40-ewe sheep farm!
The shepherdess
with some of the newly shorn, expectant
ewes.
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Is
this what you've been waiting for . . .
?
Have
you dreamed of someday moving to the country to
live the good life and raise some animals? To
finally live your dream of being a
farmer?
Here's
the perfect opportunity to step into that life and
try it on. See for yourself how it feels to live
and work with sheep and other farm animals. See how
rewarding life can be when the rhythms of the
natural world determine your daily activities!
Are you already living the farm life, but
want to move into sheep for wool and meat? Want to
raise them using organic and sustainable methods?
Want to learn how to direct-market their products
and stay off the commodity treadmill?
A
Farm Immersion at SkyLines Farm will give you
the first hand knowledge and practical skills you
need to raise happy, healthy, productive sheep by
organic methods. You'll also get an understanding
of the mindset and skills you need to be successful
in direct marketing their products.
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What SkyLines Farm
is About
I've
been raising sheep using sustainable and organic methods
since 1992. Over the years I've slowly and carefully grown
the flock to a peak size of nearly 100 vibrantly healthy breeding ewes.
I've recently scaled the sheep operation back to my current size of 40+
ewes and their lambs and added a few beef calves to the mix.
We all live and thrive on this beautiful 65-acre farm in remote northern Idaho.
The animals
generate three products that I direct-market to consumers
locally and nationally:
>
Premium natural-colored and white wool for
handspinners
> Hardy & productive breeding sheep for
other farmers
> Lean, healthy, 100% grassfed lamb and beef for
families
How it Began
for Me
I've
wanted to be a farmer since I was four years old, but it
didn't happen until much, much later (read early 40's). As a
city girl with no agriculture background it was a struggle
to create a new life that expressed my own sustainable
farming vision. What I would've given during those years for
a real-life farm experience with a real-life farming mentor
who understood what I was going through!
I've
learned a lot over my nearly 20 years of small-scale
farming...and 25 years of research, learning, and
growing...and now you can share and learn from that
experience!
Is it Your
Turn?
Are
you ready to take the leap? Are you willing to try on a
new life and see what it feels like? I vividly recall how it
felt to be standing on the precipice of a new life. I've
drawn on that experience, plus my background in adult
education, to design a hands-on, real-life program for
passionate would-be farmers like you!
What's a Farm
Immersion?
A
Farm Immersion is a short term of study at
SkyLines Farm - from 1 day to 5 days. It's a unique
and intensive educational experience for one or two persons
at a time. Every day you take the gorgeous drive out to the farm
and learn and work one-on-one with me, following a
custom-designed program of study in sustainable farm living
and livestock production. If you're live out of the area,
accommodations are available nearby at a private or state campground,
motel, or B&B near the farm.
What Does a
Farm Immersion Include?
Your Farm
Immersion includes individual instruction & hands-on learning,
resource materials, and lunch every day.
The
learning is customized to each participant's particular
interests and needs, whether you're considering a radical
life change to farm/rural living and raising livestock and
need a complete overview....or if you're a more experienced
farmer looking for very specific knowledge about sustainable
sheep production.
Every
Immersion starts out with a tour of the entire farm to
see the operation and meet the animals. I'll take you
through an in-depth explanation of what we do here, why, and
how.
Design
your own learning experience. Before you arrive I
develop a customized program of study just for you, based on
our previous conversations. We'll
spend each
day of your Farm Immersion working together while you
Learn What you Want to Learn and Need to
Learn about caring for livestock and farm by
sustainable methods.
The
shepherdess explains why & how to treat a
newborn lamb's navel with
iodine.
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Possible Topics of Study for your
Immersion
Depending on the time of year, your particular interests,
and the time you have to spend, your Farm Immersion can
explore a wide range of important farming activities,
including hands-on experiences during the appropriate
season. Some of the major topics you can choose from
are:
Do you want to learn
about . . .
- Growing and marketing
premium wool for handspinners
-
Shearing sheep (February-March)
- Washing, carding,
spinning wool for handspinning and other crafts
- Lambing season management (March) NOTE: During this time
period, Immersions focus completely on caring for mothers
and babies to ensure a successful lambing season. Other
topics are only addressed as time allows.
Do you want to learn
about . . .
- Planning a rotational grazing system for pasture
management & parasite control
- Building & maintaining a variety of fencing styles
- Low-stress livestock handling
- Planning winter rations & getting hay in
Do you want to learn about . . .
- Trimming sheep hooves
- Using garlic/molasses for organic control of internal
parasites
- Evaluating and selecting lambs for market and breeding
stock sales (late summer)
- Planning ram/ewe pairings for breeding based on production
records and production goals (early fall)
Do you want to learn
about . . .
- Direct marketing
breeding stock and/or freezer lamb to consumers
- Farm recordkeeping
- Feeding, housing, and caring for other farm animals
including horses, cattle, goats, chickens
- Living with, working with, and training livestock guardian
animals
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Three of the
SkyLines Farm Great Pyrenees livestock guardian
dogs
(LGDs) hang out with their stock on a warm fall
afternoon.
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Other
Possible Topics . . . Farm
Living
Your
Immersion can also be customized to explore more general
topics. Over the last 25+ years of rural living, mostly as a
single woman, I've had to develop an amazing array of skills
just to survive without calling for help every other day.
You can spend part of each day learning about useful skills
for a self-sufficient life, such as:
-
Living with wells and septic systems
- Acquiring and handling firewood (including buying
firewood, chainsaw use and safety, felling trees, storing
firewood)
- Using & maintaining wood stoves for heating
- Plowing snow & maintaining farm roads
- Working with basic power tools
- The joys of an ATV and small tractor
- Organic vegetable gardening techniques
- Composting farm waste materials
- Living with and training livestock guardian animals
- And much, much more.
Choices. Choices. The bottom
line is this . . .
You design your own experience.
Decide what you want and need to learn, how much time you
want to spend - from 1 day to 7 days - and together we
create a custom Farm Immersion that fits you!
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Typical Daily Schedule
March 1 - November 1
This
may vary somewhat based on your interests & the
workload of the season, but it's a blueprint for
most days . . .
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8:30am
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Morning Cofee/tea
and review plans for the day.
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9-10
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Lecture/discussion
on farming topic for the day.
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10-12
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Work and learn with the animals.
Various farm projects.
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12-1
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Lunch
break.
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1-5
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More
work/learn projects or lecture/hands-on
experience with your specific topics of
interest.
Possibly do evening chores:
Feed animals
or visit pastures to check on animals and
feed livestock guardian dogs
(LGDs).
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Heads Up!
This is a one-of-a-kind educational opportunity on a
real working farm. You need to
be prepared to help with the inevitable emergencies that
arise, such as dropping everything to usher the cows home
after they break through a fence, repairing the fence, or
helping doctor a sick or injured animal . . . it's all part
of real life on the farm!
View from the
deck in early summer. Here, the organic vegetable
garden is just about
ready for planting, while some of the ewes and
their lambs spend a day grazing
a small paddock on the other side of portable
electric fencing.
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Rates for a SkyLines
Farm Immersion . . . the customized, one-on-one
learning
experience
of a lifetime!
First day $150/person, Additional days up to 5 days $100/person.
Second person half price.
Example:
One person comes for 3 days of learning. Cost = $350
Two persons come for 3 days of learning. Cost = $525
(For a lambing season Immersion in March/April add $50/day/person)
Rate includes one-on-one instruction,
hands-on learning, access to my extensive library of reference books on organic agriculture
and livestock production, take-home resource materials, and a delicious lunch each day.
Details
- Immersions Available March 1 to November 1, by
advance reservation.
- Please contact me to discuss details, your interests and
preferences for an Immersion, and dates you would like to
reserve. Contact me well in advance of your anticipated
start date, because designing a custom program for you takes
time.
- One or two participants at a time, women or couples
only.
- Children 12 and over are welcome, and must be supervised
by an adult at all times.
- Sorry no dogs or other pets.
- Smoking in designated outdoor area only.
Payment
Terms
Advance payment required. 50% nonrefundable deposit to hold
your reservation, with the balance due on the first day
of Immersion. PayPal or personal checks are gladly accepted.
Contact me before sending
any payment. For more info or to schedule a Farm Immersion,
call 208/875-8747 or write me at
melissa@skylinesfarm.com.
Getting
Here
The farm is located in the panhandle of northern Idaho,
about 45 minutes north of Moscow, 90 minutes south of Coeur
d'Alene, and 15 minutes east of Potlatch. If you're flying,
free pickup at Spokane Int'l Airport (2 hours away) is
available for stays of 1 week or longer, with free pickup at
Pullman-Moscow Airport (1 hour away) for shorter stays.
Contact me for travel information.
As
preparation for an Immersion you may want to visit each page
on this website.
Be sure to see SkyLines Farm's Management
Practices
for in-depth discussion
of my organic approach to sheep production.
Write
for more information or to get on the mailing list for all
SkyLines Farm educational opportunities.
SkyLines'
Angus
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SkyLines
Farm employs working
Great Pyrenees livestock guardian dogs.
Please leave your dogs at home.
SkyLines
Farm 4551 Highway 6 Harvard, ID 83834
208.875.8747
Purebred Romney & Romney-Cross
Sheep
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