2019 Conservation Farm of the Year
Congratulations to Isabel and Etienne Richards of North Brookfield for receiving the 2019 Conservation Farm of the Year Award! Originally from South Africa, the couple came to the USA in 1999 and made careers as a small animal veterinary and an IT software professional in White Plains, NY. In 2015, Isabel and Etienne moved to quiet North Brookfield where they now own a 100 acre rotational grazed farm raising 165 Katahdin sheep and 300 lambs. The majority of their lambs are sold for meat at different times during the growing season. Their goal is to have their breeding stock to be efficient grazers with proven parasite resistance that grow consistently on forage. To date, the Richards have built their own 14,000 feet of high tensile fencing while setting aside over 7 acres of stream and pond buffers where 200 trees were planted. They have worked with the Madison County SWCD and the Upper Susquehanna Coalition to design and install a high capacity water system throughout the grazing paddocks. They have utilized the local expertise and contractors to maintain critical field diversions, convert previous corn fields into permanent pastures, learn fence building and grazing management skills and to build a new 60'x120' lambing barn equipped with close circuit cameras.
Congratulations to Isabel and Etienne Richards of North Brookfield for receiving the 2019 Conservation Farm of the Year Award! Originally from South Africa, the couple came to the USA in 1999 and made careers as a small animal veterinary and an IT software professional in White Plains, NY. In 2015, Isabel and Etienne moved to quiet North Brookfield where they now own a 100 acre rotational grazed farm raising 165 Katahdin sheep and 300 lambs. The majority of their lambs are sold for meat at different times during the growing season. Their goal is to have their breeding stock to be efficient grazers with proven parasite resistance that grow consistently on forage. To date, the Richards have built their own 14,000 feet of high tensile fencing while setting aside over 7 acres of stream and pond buffers where 200 trees were planted. They have worked with the Madison County SWCD and the Upper Susquehanna Coalition to design and install a high capacity water system throughout the grazing paddocks. They have utilized the local expertise and contractors to maintain critical field diversions, convert previous corn fields into permanent pastures, learn fence building and grazing management skills and to build a new 60'x120' lambing barn equipped with close circuit cameras.