FineFeltFarm: The History of FineFeltFarm

Our History

Established in 1998, Fine Felt Farm was created to bring our family closer together. Each family member has responsibilities to make this a success. We discussed and reviewed many breeds of sheep and found that the Karakul would offer enough diversity for each family member to participate. Karakul sheep are thought to be the oldest breed in the world. (To learn more about Karakul sheep click on http://www.karakulsheep.com) In choosing Karakul sheep we would be assisting in sustaining a rare breed which is listed in the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy, ALBC. After learning more about the Karakul's history and characteristics we decided that our foundation flock should be reflective of those original traits. We started learning more about the history of Karakul entering the United States, who might have sheep with the original characteristics and what traits are undesirable. Since climate conditions, forage and terrain are very different than in their native land of turkistan, the characteristics vary in todays flocks within the USA. Our goal is to breed our Karakul with traits as close to the original sheep of Turkistan as possible.

In 1999 we came across another breed with a unique history and also a rare breed which can only be found in the United States of America, the Navajo-Churro Sheep. The Navajo-Churro are also listed with the ALBC. Native to the southwestern United States and famous for the wool being used to make the Navajo Rugs, the Navajo-Churro are now gaining popularity as more people seek to preserve the breed and heritage. As with the Karakul, our desire is to develop the Navajo-Churro sheep with original characteristics and traits. For more information on the Navajo-Churro sheep, check out the Navajo-Churro Registry web site at http://www.navajo-churrosheep.com/

Our Mission:
To promote the Karakul and Navajo Churro breeds through public awareness at Shows, Fairs and Sheep & Fiber Festivals while sustaining and fostering the original characteristics, quality and integrity of each breed.

September, 1998 - Our First Show
Our first sheep show was the Virginia State Fair in Richmond. A wonderful learning experience.

October, 1998 - Montpilier Virginia
Wendy entered her first felting art work and was honored with second place.

January, 1999 - Our first crop of Lambs are born

We were very excited to have our first crop of Karakul lambs born, three ram lambs and two ewe lambs.

May, 1999 - Attended Maryland Sheep & Wool (MSWF) Festival
We entered our second show, our first time at the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival. We had a fantastic time and learned a great deal.

August, 1999 - Bought First Churro Ewes
Discovered a breeder in Virginia who had some Navajo-Churro sheep and purchased two ewes.

September, 1999 - Virginia State Fair
Our second year attending the Virginia State Fair. Our hard work finally paid off and we won Reserve Champion Karakul Ewe.

October, 1999 - Montpilier
Wendy entered a felting piece and won the "Guilds Choice Award". Wendy was very pleased to receive this recognition.

October, 1999 - SAFF
At the Southern Animal Fiber Festival, SAFF, Wendy entered a felted art piece and wins first place. Wendy was extremely honored to win at such a prestigious festival.

May, 2000 - Attended Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival
Our second year at MSWF. We were extremely honored to win the "Shepherds Award" given to the breeder who had the most informative and educational display. We were selected from nearly 100 breeders at this years show. In the show ring we won Reserve Champion Karakul Ewe. We took our Navajo-Churro sheep, our first time showing them.

June, 2000 - Sheep On Display at Smithsonian, Washington, DC.
We were approached by the Smithsonian to donate our Navajo-Churro sheep for the 2000 Folk Life Festival held on The Mall in Washington, DC. The Smithsonian was featuring Native Life in and around the Rio Grande. Our proximity to Washington, DC made this contribution possible and it was an honor to support the Smithsonian. We were privileged to meet the Manzanares family of Tierra Wools. http://www.tierrawools.com/ They were on The Mall to talk, in part, about the Navajo-Churro sheep and what they represent to Southwestern Culture.

August, 2000 - Purchased First Churro Ram
We finally found a ram that would fit well with our ewes.

September, 2000 - Purchased Second Churro Ram
Our second purchase was to offer a different bloodline.

October, 2000 - Attended New York Sheep & Wool Festival

Our first show in Duchess County, New York was a wonderful experience. We were asked to provide the breeds display for the Karakul and Navajo-Churro sheep. We received many wonderful responses from all who stopped by and of course our children did their part.

October, 2000 - Montpilier Virginia
Wendy was honored with the "Guilds Choice Award" for the second year in a row for felting.