Hearts & Roots is located just south of Elie, Mantioba on Treaty 1 territory. We raise registered Shetland and Icelandic sheep on 20 acres of forages that we’re slowly populating with hardy fruit and nut trees. We also grow certified organic garden plants in our greenhouse for sale every spring and our selection includes many plants used for natural dyes.
Our journey to shepherding was unusual. We started out as organic market gardeners and sheep were imported as a management tool. We used them to recycle the cover crops that preceded our vegetable production.
We planted 20 apple trees in 2019 in an unproductive yard and began to experiment with sheep grazing in and around them. With a little stucco wire around each tree, and good grass at their feet, the sheep were easily deterred. From that year forward, we’ve been slowly planting more and more trees out in the pasture.
The goal is a healthy orchard throughout our pastures of full sized trees spaced accordingly to maintain good grass production. Good grass we hope will allow us to continue to use sheep as a management tool, rather than mechanical or chemical interventions.
To maintain good grass we do a version of what is often referred to as rotational grazing. That said, we’re more likely in the ‘opportunistic grazing’ camp. Opportunistic grazing is just a way of saying we use the principles of rotational grazing as a guide without sacrificing flexibility in the plan. We graze small paddocks and move our sheep every few days. We make sure that not to overgraze and that forages get the opportunity to rest a regrow before we revisit. But outside of that, every potential move is fair game.
While we continue to learn, the simplest way to ensure good grass is to understock. Less sheep is less pressure and our primary goal is plant food first. We’ve taken a step back from that since jettisoning the market garden, but each year with each tree, we get a little closer.
Icelandic wool from Hearts & Roots
Having access to annual forages also helps. Each year we grow cover crops between our rows of asparagus which the sheep recycle at the end of the season. There are more animal days per acre on annual cover, but we’re still partial to the low-input, slow work of perennial crops.
We’re lucky our farm has plenty of shelterbelts. They run east to west every 250 feet. This gives our sheep plenty of shade in the hot summer months and provides a great template for fencing. Each of our five wire, high tensile, electrified paddocks is approximately 1000’ by 250’ and we can split that into even smaller paddocks with a gallagher smart fence.
Beautiful icelandic and shetland wool from Hearts & Roots
There’s still so much to learn, but integrating sheep into our farm has been a joy. Without the opportunity to scale, the sheep will never be an economic engine. But, there’s plenty of creative ways to work with these small hardy breeds as effective land management providers.
To order dye plant starts check it out here - dye plant starts should be ordered by March 31st!
Learn more about Hearts and Roots on their Website.