In general, lamb is very digestible and is hypoallergenic for many. Our lamb tends to be leaner, and the flavor is mild and delicate.
All are 100% grass-fed, which means that what fat they have is rich with Omega-3 fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). All grass-fed meat contains high amounts of Omega 3's, as opposed to the Omega-6 fatty acids prevalent in grain-fed animals. The ideal human diet provides a balance of these two types of fat, weighing a bit heavier on the side of the Omega 3's. (The average American diet is very heavy on the side of the Omega 6's.)
CLA is a natural cancer-preventing substance primarily found in red meat; it is found in greatest concentration in grass-fed lamb. According to the May 2005 issue of the Stockman Grass Farmer, some of grass-fed meat's benefits include: 500% more CLA, 400% more vitamin A, 300% more vitamin E, 75% more omega 3, 78% more beta-carotene than grain-fed.
More Information on nutrition and grass-fed animal products can be found in books by Jo Robinson such as
Grass-fed is Best.

The Sheep. The Feed. Life.

We believe that life processes can only be generated out of substances already filled with life. Therefore, soil fertilization should always mean enlivening the soil with living substances: manure, compost, and green manure. We do not use synthetic fertilizer on our soil because this causes the soils to lose their life and their capacities to store water and air.
By keeping on our farm a sufficient number of animals in the right harmonious combination of species, we create nature’s ultimate fertilizer for our land and its vegetation. This mixed complement of animals creates a balance that is achieved as each of their manure contains qualities of different emphasis.
We feed all the animals on the farm from feed that is grown on the farm organism itself. This step allows our farm to build its strength and individual character as an organism. The exchange of the feed from the farm organism to the herd, and from the herd’s manure back to its soil, creates a process of mutual adaptation. This adaptation finds its expression in the microbial life in the digestive tract of the animals that gets shaped by the specific flora of the farm (a fermentation pattern), and leads to higher performance and a higher level of health in the animal.

We at Mint Creek Farm aspire to the following dynamic aspects for our farm because what we do to the land affects the land, the animals, the consumer, and ultimately, Mint Creek.

The Sheep

Currently, the flock of about 300 ewes and their resultant lambs have been line bred from East Friesian dairy sheep, crossed with a Duke's mix of meat breed animals, to improve their meat quality.
The result achieves the best of both worlds, greatly increased milk production than a meat-breed animal would attain, while maintaining an excellent meat quality. The lambs raised on the superior milk production of this animal grow quickly and maintain excellent health. Mint Creek Farm has achieved growth in young lambs in excess of one pound per day without feeding any of the usual grain or crop feed.
The sheep are raised outdoors and are lovingly cared for. Since their breed has the remnants of the East Friesian's “rat tail,” they are not tail docked. We prefer not to castrate, as we feel that the energetic essence of the animal is disturbed by this, and it likewise affects the "chi" of the meat. The young lambs nurse their mothers for at least 60 days.

The Feed

These sheep are fed from a mixed sward of perennial legumes and grasses. We also use winter and summer annuals such as oats, cereal rye, turnips, and millet. This is supplemented with our farm-grown hay made from a mixture of alfalfa, clover, and grass.
We care for our sheep using herbal remedies and organically approved wormers. (Antibiotics are only given to sick animals, which are later removed from our herd.)
Sheep do not always get everything they need from the forages they eat. Because we want to improve the quality of their health and the soil which grows their forages, we provide a mineral supplement for them. The exclusive supplement we use is kelp.
Kelp is seaweed (Ascophyllum nodosom), which is quickly dried at a low temperature to assure the retention of its valuable constituents. It contains a balance of 60 trace minerals and elements, 21 amino acids, and 12 vitamins. Because the minerals are in plant tissue, they are easily digested and assimilated by the animals.
Mint Creek is in a humid climate where the rainfall leaches minerals from the soil. While we can take mineral supplements, the difficulty is keeping each mineral in balance. An excess of one can create a deficiency of another. Seawater has a perfect balance of the trace minerals we require for good health. Plants grown in the ocean are an excellent source for these trace minerals.
Kelp is fed to our sheep as a free-choice mineral supplement throughout the year. It has no binders or additives and is not manufactured or synthesized.

Specially Prepared Hay

Mint Creek Farm is located in east-central Illinois where we lately have had warm, wet winters with very little snow. We therefore rotationally graze our sheep as long as the ground conditions tolerate. When the weather gets too wet in the winter,
we switch from pasture grazing to feeding alfalfa, clover, and perennial-grass hays. This, in addition to natural sea kelp for minerals, provides optimal food for the sheep, while protecting the pastures.
Because our sheep are healthier outside in the fresh air during the winter months, we create a special area that is protected from the prairie winter winds. There, the sheep eat our specially prepared hay until the pastures are ready for grazing.