In this episode of Talkin’ Dirt, I sit down with Audrey and Michelle from Lucky Ewe Farm on Lopez Island in Washington’s San Juan Islands.

They talk about how they got into sheep, what it’s like managing a small band on an island, and the role sheep play in their daily life.

The conversation also gets into lambing season, working with dogs, and how sheep behavior can shift depending on the landscape. Audrey and Michelle share some of the unique benefits and challenges of farming on a small island like Lopez and talk about why they’ve made the difficult decision to begin transitioning away from sheep ranching.

This was a reflective look at small-scale farming and life with a small band of sheep.

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In this episode of Talkin’ Dirt, I sit down with Julie Hansmire of Campbell Hansmire Sheep, a Western sheep rancher running bands between eastern Utah and the mountains of central Colorado.

We get into what a full year looks like for her sheep, from lambing season to trailing them into high country. Julie shares what it takes to manage not just thousands of animals, but the herders and guardian dogs that keep them moving and protected.

We talk wool, meat, public grazing, stewardship, and the recent ballot initiative to reintroduce wolves back into the Colorado wilderness, all from the perspective of someone living it every day.

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In this episode of Talkin’ Dirt, I sit down with Grace, the owner of Briscot Farm and Sanctuary here in Washington State.

Briscot was recently hit hard by the historic floods that left their entire farm underwater, and Grace shares what that experience was like — from the immediate impact to the long road of recovery. When I visited to record, the farm was in the middle of a community cleanup day. It was incredible to see so many people show up to get their hands dirty for such a meaningful mission.

We talk about how Briscot began, the animals they rescue and care for, what it takes to sustain a sanctuary day-to-day, and how community support makes all the difference. We also get into agro-tourism, USDA funding challenges, and an interesting workaround Grace shares for farms that rely on on-farm experiences to keep going.

This is a powerful conversation about resilience, rebuilding, and the people doing the work of caring for animals and keeping small farms alive.

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