The Spicy Lamb Farm is about celebrating the abundance of life. At the Spicy Lamb Farm, we raise Dorset sheep for premium all natural lamb, wool and hide products, and some breeding and show stock. In addition, we have plans for a spicy herb/vegetable garden, wildflowers, pumpkins, and an orchard producing organic varieties of apple, pears, and plums.

The Spicy Lamb Farm is part of the Cuyahoga Valley Countryside Conservancy and is open by appointment.  We are just getting started and have much to do...putting in the orchard and garden, building the pavilion for ag-tourism and education, and pasture fencing.  We plan a three-tiered enterprise composed of agriculture, ag-tourism, and education.

Farm Scenes

In addition to our farming enterprise, we provide ag-tourism opportunities for visitors to the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.  These opportunities will include:

• Farmyard Tours
• Lambing Days
• Sheep Shearing Demonstrations
• Border Collie Demonstrations
• Pumpkin Picking
• Hay Wagon Rides
• Sleigh Rides
• Culinary Dinners and Picnics 

At The Spicy Lamb Farm, we are dedicated to educating the public on the critical need for local sustainable farming and environmental stewardship. We are concerned with the preservation of remaining open spaces, responsible urban development, and environmental equity for all people. We want to empower people to make better decisions about land stewardship, to understand the importance of the cumulative impacts of each individual choice, and how to get personally involved.

Send us an email if you would like to be informed of our ag-tourism and educational events.

Press Release

 

Local non-profit mirrors green initiative in the White House

The White House lawns have not seen any type of garden for 20 years, but now with the Obamas in Washington, the idea of freshly-grown vegetables is becoming popular. In an interview with Oprah Winfrey, Michelle Obama said her family’s garden will serve several purposes.

“We want to use it as a point of education to talk about health and how delicious it is to eat fresh food, and how you can take that food and make it part of a healthy diet,” she said. “We want the White House to be a place of education and awareness.”

For the past decade, the Cuyahoga Valley Countryside Conservancy has been part of developing local taste in Northeast Ohio through its rehabilitated farmland in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Peninsula, Ohio, its local farming and farmers’ markets with fresh produce and more. This year marks its 10th anniversary of service to local citizens. Special occasions for 2009 include the leasing of the 12th rehabilitated farm and the new and larger farmers’ market located within the park.

In conjunction with the national park, the Conservancy is a non-profit organization that re-envisions and rebuilds local farming and food systems in Northeast Ohio. For 10 years the Conservancy has been rehabilitating dormant farmland, working with local farmers and positioning itself as a catalyst for locally grown foods. In addition, this organization educates the public with the benefits of consuming the freshest foods. Within its four initiatives including farmland, farmers, food and community, the Conservancy looks back at its 10 years of service to Northeast Ohio.

“We can be a part of the movement to transport Ohio’s economy and landscape into a thriving community-based farm and a food-based community,” Conservancy founder Darwin Kelsey said. “We can also help to change the region’s economy. We are only a part of the process, but we can be a significant part to overcome the lack of public knowledge to get the work done.”

The national park was established in 1974, but the 700-800 farms within the park remained dormant until 1999. At this time, the Conservancy was established, and with the partnership between Kelsey and the superintendent of the park, the remaining land was inventoried, amounting to 85 useable farms. Kelsey said the Conservancy’s original goal was to rehabilitate 30-35 of the farms, but in the last 10 years, that number has changed to around 20 farms.

“The Conservancy takes the decomposing farms and rehabilitates them so farmers don’t have to spend months or years before the farms would be operational,” Kelsey said. “If we get to 15 rehabilitated farms, we will declare victory.”

Kelsey said one of the Conservancy’s biggest successes comes from the farming initiative. By the end of this year, 12 farms within the park will have been rehabilitated and leased by the Conservancy to local farmers. The rehabilitation process lasts for approximately a year and a half and calls for funds of several hundreds of dollars. Financed by the
Conservancy, the rebuilding is not conducted by the farmers. They are only responsible for additional facilities added to what the Conservancy initially leases them.

Several of the farms leased by the Conservancy include The Spicy Lamb Farm, Sarah’s Vineyard, Basket of Life Farm, Goatfeathers Point and the Greenfield Berry Farm. The Spicy Lamb Farm was created by Laura DeYoung and David Wright with a mission to work an economically viable farm with educational and agricultural tourism opportunities. DeYoung and Wright raise Dorset sheep for premium all natural lamb, wool and hide products, as well as breed for show stock.

DeYoung said in terms of marketing their products, their link to the Conservancy is a huge benefit. However, she finds educating the public about environmental stewardship, sustainable farming and cultural heritage preservation to be even more beneficial.

“We are concerned with the preservation of remaining open spaces, responsible urban development and environmental equity for all people,” she said. “We want to empower people to make better decisions about land stewardship, understand the importance of the cumulative impacts of each individual choice and learn how to get personally involved.”

Kelsey said educating people about locally grown foods showcases the importance of the community economy, energy security and climate change. Today, only two percent of Ohio residents have any involvement with growing their foods. The Conservancy wants to increase this number through the farms it offers.

“The Conservancy has done several things that matter,” Kelsey said. “We have revitalized a dozen farms that will be a vehicle for communication for the future. We have done concrete and tangible things that have helped with farmland protection.”

The Conservancy’s community initiative supports DeYoung and Wright’s efforts to further educate the community. Specifically, the Conservancy wants the public to be aware of the industrial food system, which supplies roughly 98 percent of all food consumed in America. According to http://www.sustainabletable.org/, a Web site dedicated to celebrating local sustainable food, educating consumers on food-related issues and building community through food, many of today's farms are actually large industrial facilities, which are referred to as factory farms. These consolidated operations produce food in high volume and have little regard for the environment, animal welfare or food safety. To maximize profits, they often risk the health of consumers and the effects on rural communities.

Another development by the Conservancy was the establishment of the farmers’ markets. In 2004, the Conservancy opened a farmers’ market in Peninsula, which was the first ever in a national park. A year later, a second opened in Akron, Ohio. Still in business today, but in new and larger locations, the markets allow the farmers, along with outside vendors, to sell their home-grown products. The markets with more 60 vendors total have attracted more than 75,000 customers since 2004 and have generated more than $1 million from local produce and products. One of the markets will be relocating this year to Howe Meadow, which is within the national park. By the end of June, farmers’ markets at Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens and at the new location will offer customers fresh and locally grown products.

To reconnect people to land, farming and food production and processing, the Conservancy offers a wide range of programs including tours of working farms, monthly reading and discussion groups or workshops and summer camps for children. It also offers celebration dinners, festivals and volunteer opportunities for such events.

Kelsey said the Conservancy has overcome many obstacles since the beginning, such as complicated farming regulations and the need for sufficient funding. To accomplish all it does, the Conservancy receives money primarily through grants and various services. Plus, he noted that the Conservancy’s efforts have helped it become part of a national contribution in which the public is now beginning to think about the food it purchases and eats.

“We are working to re-build community-based agriculture,” Kelsey said. “People ask, ‘Why does it matter what I eat?’ Now, people are starting to think about how their food choices will affect their health and community.”

A professor at the University of Missouri found that roughly 75 percent of American consumers have consistently indicated a strong preference for foods grown in the U.S., preferable locally on small family farms. More and more Americans are buying locally grown food from people they know and trust.

When the Conservancy was first established, its goal was to save as much land as possible. Today, its focus is much broader with a goal to encourage the nation small steps at a time to learn about locally grown food and the benefits that come with it.

“Now, the president and first lady have a garden for the first time in a long time,” Kelsey said. “The world is changing, and we are a part of that. We have moved from a narrow focus to a broad focus. The Conservancy is beginning to develop a broad public understanding of how important it is to be aware of where food is produced and how it is produced.”


About the Countryside Conservancy
Since 1999, the Countryside Conservancy has become a catalyst for growing a local food network in Northeast Ohio. This unique nonprofit rebuilds farms in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and runs farmers’ markets in the park and at the historic Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens. Other programs help up-and-coming farmers find land, connect local growers to chefs and consumers and educate citizens about the importance of local food systems. Visit www.cvcountryside.org .

Farm News
You can follow what is happening on the farm under TheSpicyLamb using Twitter. We also created The Spicy Lamb Farm cause under Facebook where you can follow our news of agriculture, ag-tourism, and education. As we shoot videos, they are being put up on YouTube under thespicylambfarm.

We are looking to form some play groups for the children this summer. In addition, anyone interested in volunteering on the farm is welcome.

Our blankets are now available at Park Place in Peninsula.

Environmental Sketch
The farm is located at the headwaters of unnamed tributaries in the Stanford Run watershed along the divide of the Boston Run watershed. Stanford Run and Boston Run are tributaries of the Cuyahoga River. Surrounding the farm are mature woodlands. Redtail hawks, coyote, wild turkeys, and other wildlife are often seen on the farm.