Young Farmer Saves His Grandfather’s Flock of Tunis Sheep

Elizabeth Ferry
Vermont Correspondent
CORINTH, Vt. — Some places in Vermont are so beautiful that they take your breath away. Central Orange County, on a sunny summer day, is one of those places. Traveling dirt roads over rolling hills that are blanketed in mature woodlands and spotted with open fields, one sees vistas which, is it easy to imagine, are not so different than they were 50 and 100 years ago.
Sheep farming boomed on these hills, as it did throughout the state, in the mid-1800s. By the 1860s, it went bust. So why would a young man, starting a farm today, chose to raise sheep here?
"The opportunity presented itself at a time when I was susceptible to foolish ideas," deadpans Ben Machin, viewing his grazing flock of 45 ewes and 30 lambs.
Machin's profile is different from many young farmers his age. For one, he grew up on a diversified family farm in South Washington, a few hilltowns over from his current location in Corinth. And for another, he is tending the nation's second-oldest flock of Tunis, a heritage breed of sheep.
"I like manual labor, and I've always been interested in all kinds of farming," says the 35 year old. A love of the outdoors led him to become a forester by profession. He and some colleagues recently became partners in Redstart Forestry, a highly regarded consulting business.
The “opportunity” that he describes came in 2007. Machin's grandfather had died, leaving his flock of Tunis sheep, started in the 1920s, in need of a new home. Rather than seeing the flock go to slaughter, Machin decided he would take it and start his own farm. He calls it Tamarack Tunis, a name that reflects the flock's history at his grandfather's Tamarack Farm in Greenwich, N.Y., as well Ben's dual interests in forestry and farming.
The Tunis is a dual purpose breed. Machin's affection for them is apparent. He speaks thoughtfully of their many fine qualities: hardy, good browsers, easy at lambing, calm disposition, soft fleece, and fine flavored meat.
And they are beautiful. Cream colored wool on their bodies is set off by a cinnamon color on the face and legs. Machin points out the modestly sized bodies, broad faces, and soft ears of the old style Tunis that his grandfather bred. He dismisses contemporary trends to grow tall, long-legged Tunis as reducing them to "runway models."
Tunis is considered one of the oldest breeds indigenous to the United States. Its predecessors were imported from North Africa in 1799, when the United States was a young nation. (Founding Fathers, including George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams, all kept Tunis sheep in their time.) These sheep crossed with other breeds that had been brought from Europe to the American colonies. In time, Tunis developed as a uniquely American breed.
"This is a breed that pre-dates cheap petroleum-based grain," Machin says as the livestock eagerly explore their first full day on new pasture. He rents, in exchange for spreading lime and manure on the fields, about 35 acres within a few miles of his home. The livestock are rotational grazed with temporary fencing, moved approximately every two days.
The topography and soil quality in Corinth are more favorable for grazing than for raising field crops. About one quarter of the land is formerly neglected pasture. Machin takes pride in helping to bring it back into production and has seen "dramatic improvement" in just a few seasons.
The flock feeds on grass-fresh in the growing season, and hay, which Machin harvests, in winter. They only get enough grain "to keep them interested when I call," he says with a grin.
The sheep will be six to eight months old when they are slaughtered in November and have a hanging weight of about 40-50 pounds. "These are freezer lambs, not Easter lambs, that way we can take advantage of all the good summer grass to grow healthy, larger lambs" he explains. He currently direct markets the whole animal to customers, and is considering teaming up with a vegetable CSA (community supported agriculture) for fall delivery. Fine local restaurants are another potential market. Machin has a plan in place to grow the flock and be selling 150 lambs each year within 3 to 4 years.
Though pure bred Tunis are the backbone of his flock, Machin also owns some Navajo Churro ewes that he crosses with a Tunis ram The cross produces a hardy sheep with a longer and softer fleece fiber. "Eventually, I'll be hoping to sell the fleece to hand spinners," he says.
The sheep gather around him as he talks, gently nudging bucket in his arm. The sun is already getting hot at 10:00 a.m. and it is time for Machin to shift from farmer to forester. In the long-range view from this tree-lined pasture, it's clear that the transition of this flock from grandfather to grandson holds promise — for the farmer, for the sheep, and for the land.