ABOUT US
Mint Creek Farm is owned and operated by Harry and Gwen Carr, with the help of their children, Jonathan and Raya. The Carrs started with 50 acres in 1992 and have grown to 220 acres. The sheep were originally part of their plan to enliven and enrich the soil that had been so depleted by modern mainstream agricultural practices.
The Carrs studied Biodynamic agriculture at the Michael Fields Institute and learned that planting perennial grasses and legumes is the first step in revitalizing farmed-out land. They also saw demonstrations of how to rotationally graze livestock, and learned how frequent movement of grazing animals is good for animal, forage, and soil health.
Harry learned to plant mixes of legumes and grasses suited to the different conditions of the farm through trial and error and by talking to area farmers. Soil tests showed great improvement in soil fertility and texture after having the sheep rotationally graze in a particular area. It made them particularly happy to know that the thick sward of grasses on their ground was holding the soil there, so that it wasn’t washing downstream and eventually adding to the hypoxic zone in the Gulf of Mexico.
In addition, the Carrs learned that rotationally grazing perennial pasture is actually the best carbon-dioxide-absorbing natural system there is— even better than planting trees, because the forage plants are kept in their vegetative state.
Sheep on grass. Who would have guessed that a combination so simple, so traditional, could help with global warming?
ABOUT OUR LAMB
In general, lamb is very digestible and is hypoallergenic for many. Our lamb tends to be leaner, and the flavor is mild and delicate.
All of our sheep are 100% grass-fed, which means that what fat they have is rich with Omega-3 fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). All grass-fed meat contains high amounts of Omega 3's, as opposed to the Omega-6 fatty acids prevalent in grain-fed animals. The ideal human diet provides a balance of these two types of fat, weighing a bit heavier on the side of the Omega 3's. (The average American diet is very heavy on the side of the Omega 6's.)
CLA is a natural cancer-preventing substance primarily found in red meat; it is found in greatest concentration in grass-fed lamb. According to the May 2005 issue of the Stockman Grass Farmer, some of grass-fed meat's benefits include: 500% more CLA, 400% more vitamin A, 300% more vitamin E, 75% more omega 3, 78% more beta-carotene than grain-fed.
More Information on nutrition and grass-fed animal products can be found in books by Jo Robinson such as Grass-fed is Best.