Pinwheel Farm has carefully bred and selected its unique landrace sheep since 1997 to provide delicious meat and luxurious wool, with excellent mothering and milk production, good temperaments, and ability to thrive in brutal Kansas conditions. A detailed overview of our breeding program is in the farm’s blog.
We don’t routinely vaccinate, dock, or castrate our animals. They graze rotationally on unsprayed pasture when available, supplemented with highly nutritious tree browse and locally-grown hay (brome and alfalfa). We use antibiotics and other medications only when necessary due to illness or infection.
We sell our forage-fed lamb and mutton meat direct to consumers. Our processing is currently done under State inspection at Bowser Meat Processing in Meriden, KS. We have been working with some of their staff members since our first ever batch of lambs!
At Pinwheel, we define “lamb” as an animal less than a year old, “young mutton” as an animal less than 2 years old (usually less than 1 1/2 year), and “mutton” as anything over 2 years. Lamb has smaller cuts, is more tender and has the mildest flavor. Mutton has a richer flavor and may require more careful handling to produce a tender product on the plate. It is traditional for many cuisines: Indian, Mediterranean, Mexican, etc. Young mutton is in between.
We typically have lambs processed in the fall and early winter, at about 6-9 months of age. Mutton and young mutton may be processed in early summer or fall.
All ages are available as frozen retail cuts at our Farmers Market booths or at the farm by appointment. Email for current price list.