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You have arrived at the website of Pitchfork Ranch (est. 1986) located in Swartz Creek, MI, where we raise purebred Bluefaced Leicesters, Teeswaters and classic /ccara llamas. Our flocks and llama herd are not large, but highly selected and true to breed. We sell both breeding stock and fleeces, and have a limited meat lamb business that caters to the ethnic market. We do not travel to many shows, but we can usually be seen at Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival, Michigan Fiber Festival and New York Sheep and Wool Festival at Rhinebeck, along with a few other events.
We also have a modest (35?) flock of laying hens for eggs and amusement, and raise a few (40 – 50) turkeys for sale as fresh birds for Thanksgiving.
To take advantage of our proximity to Canada, we became USDA Export Certified Flock in the Scrapie Flock Certification Program (SFCP) in 2017. We are inspected annually to maintain this certification. Our exports of sheep to Canada averages around 3-5 per year.
Stewardship of the land is one of our most essential responsibilities. To demonstrate that our actions match our words, we enrolled in the Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program (MAEAP) and were verified compliant in Cropping, Farmstead and Livestock Systems in October of 2023. We are inspected every 5 years to maintain this status with the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD).
Enjoy browsing our site.
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In May, 2024, we came to the very difficult decision to disperse our Romney flock that we had started in late 1986. We have greatly enjoyed the Romney sheep and the Romney people. We are fortunate to have been able work with this breed and share their genetics throughout the US. We have retained all of our notes and lambing records from the beginning so if anyone has any questions, I hope we’ll still have the answer. Again, we are very fortunate that 3 excellent breeders purchased all of our ewes, rams and lambs. Purchasers are Cheryl Dunlap of Ohio, Phyllis Looker of Ohio and Lorre Garland of Virginia.
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So, yeah, not a lot of BFL ewes were born here this year, which explains why we have none for sale. But the boys…ooooh la la!
Click here to see the proven white yearling ram who did a great job on cleanup after AI. Transport to MSWF available.
Click here to see three of the ram lambs that are big enough to bring with us to Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival this year, where all will be for sale (unless they are sold beforehand).
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