About Leyden Glen Farm

Mark and Kristin began raising sheep in 1979 as a way to combine Mark’s interest in farming and land stewardship with Kristin’s interest in wool fiber, yarn, and knitting. Our flock has grown from the humble beginnings of four Romney ewes to the present breeding flock of 200 plus ewes. Our flock is still based on dual-purpose Romney sheep, which means that both their meat and wool fleece is desirable. In 1999, we moved to our present 54-acre farm composed of abandoned apple orchards and pasture. Our farm is located just north of the Leyden Glen – hence the name of our farm. The Leyden Glen sheep also graze neighboring hillside pastures in Leyden, Greenfield, and Bernardston, Massachusetts.

We practice rotational grazing which is a pasture-based management system. We use electric net fencing to protect our flock. The fence is picked up and moved frequently, giving the sheep a new section of grass to eat while letting the just grazed section rejuvenate to be grazed later in the season. During the grass growing season our sheep eat only fresh green grass. During the summer and fall season, Mark harvests hay for the sheep's winter feed. He produces large 800-pound round bales which are fed to the sheep while the grass is dormant and under snow.

We do not use antibiotics or hormones in our feed. Our sheep always have access to the outdoors and adapt to the changing seasons of our New England climate. In the winter, we shelter our sheep in a “greenhouse barn” at our farm in Bernardston. Baby lambs are born in January, February, and March and sometimes later. In late April/May, the sheep and their lambs begin grazing our fields.