The Rural Voice, 2005-07, Page 24Thousands of years ago, the
emergence of agriculture
meant a drastic change in the
way people were living. Rather than
taking what nature and the land from
a vast area. could give them as the
hunters and gatherers had, farmers
exploited a relatively small amount
of land very intensively and over a
long period of time.
Success could perhaps be measured
by how much you got back from
your own little agricultural corner of
the world.
Nancy Hislop and Roy Langford,
who own a farm just outside of
Auburn, in Huron County which they
called A Touch of Herbs, believe in a
full circle approach to farming. An
avid gardener and certified herbalist,
Hislop feeds her flock of Navajo-
Churro sheep from the bounty of the
couple's fields and gardens. Many of
her herbs are used to dye the wool.
"I love sheep," she says. "If it
came to giving up a few rows in the
garden or the sheep, it's no contest.
The sheep come first."
It was the fact that she did spinning
that prompted Hislop to first consider
a sheep farm. "I knew about Navajo-
Churro and knew 1 wanted some but
I thought they'd be out of my price
range."
In the spring she noticed a for sale
ad for a flock of Navajo and made
the call. "She told me she needed to
have the sheep gone by May, so I
called Ray at work and asked him
how fast he could get a fence up and
a barn ready. That's how I got my
flock. It was instant."
A rare breed, Navajo-Churro sheep
are touted as being disease resistant,
good mothers, and good at taking
pasture. Tender meat was another
benefit.
"And we've found it all to be true.
Everything I've read."
The fleece is variegated, and in
some cases, soft enough to wear next
to the skin. The animals are also
smaller than other breeds. "Thirty in
our little barn was perfect. I love
Navajo for their size and attitude,"
says Hislop of the calm breed. "They
are productive for milking and live
quite well as far as pasture animals."
Hislop sends the fleece to be made
into yarn and roving (for hand
spinning) which they sell. She uses
her herbs to dye them. "There are
20 THE RURAL VOICE
Rare Breeds
Naneb Hislop raises rare breed Navajo-Churro
sheep but her attitude to farming makes her a
rare breed as well
Story and photos by Bonnie Gropp
Nancy Hislop and her grandson Conlon McRae, bottle feed some
Navajo-Churro lambs.
many you can use from carrot tops to
tomato vines. You know the blue that
the Celts wore on their faces in
battle? That comes from woad."
Prior to dying the yarn, Hislop uses
mordant to hold the colour, then it is
placed into the dye for as long as it
takes to achieve the colour she's
looking for. "The thing with herb
dyes is that you can't be exactly sure
what colour you will get. Like the
sheep when they're born, you never
know what colours they will be."
In keeping with their full circle
approach to farming, Hislop and
Langford also sell the lambskins and
the meat, which they describe as
"very mild."
"We have had good comments
from our customers. They say it has a
different taste, less strong than some
other types of lamb "
l