The Practical Shepherd: Trials, Errors and Successes While Maintaining Profitability, by Abram Bowerman
It was the best of ewes, it was the worst of ewes. Abram Bowerman took an early interest in sheep and realized his first goal — becoming a real shepherd — at age nine, when he bought his first ewe at an auction. Today he owns and makes a living on several hundred sheep. The Practical Shepherd tells his story and provides practical advice for those who, like him, desired nothing more than to make a living from the land and build a farm business that can be passed down to the next generation.
Bowerman doesn’t present an everything-you-need-to-know compendium of raising sheep on pasture, so much as his story of what’s worked for him. It’s less of a comprehensive guide than a realistic tale of what a successful modern sheep operation looks like.
The book begins with a helpful discussion of the benefits of small ruminants and the foraging habits of sheep. Sheep graze differently than cattle — wanting a lot more forbs in their diet, and thus being able to survive on more marginal land — but Bowerman stresses the importance of still providing them high-quality pastures, especially during key times of the year.
Bowerman goes on to discusses all the various aspects of sheep care: fencing, water, handling, lambing, etc. He also delves into more subjects that are more art than science: sheep psychology, diet changes, learning to recognize healthy sheep, etc.
There are also several unique chapters in the second half of the book, including Bowerman’s description of how he turns sheep pasture into the annual home garden by tarping and mulching a 45-by-100-foot section every year. The garden moves to a new spot the next year and is left for weeds and grazing, which rebuilds the soil and helps reestablish fungal dominance. Also interesting is the chapter on the symbiosis between sheep and orchards and “Goats — Less Work than I Thought”
Bowerman leaves some of the least-exciting but most important content for the end of the book — the chapters on markets, overhead, controlling costs, etc. Since the subtitle emphasizes profitability, the chapter on “Our Global Neighbors and Controlling Costs” is insightful. Bowerman describes how hands-off many Australian and New Zealand sheep farmers are, because they have developed herds that require little maintenance and can manage large numbers of sheep with few workers. His own goal has been to direct almost all of his labor efforts toward reducing feed costs through pasture management and controlling the breeding season. This has paid off — a few years ago he accepted an invitation to teach at a grazing school right in the middle of lambing season. Not a single ewe or lamb died the two days he was there.
While not a polished writer, Bowerman presents a down-to-earth perspective on an agricultural path that is possible with hard work and determination. He provides “lessons learned over the past twelve years in the production school of hard knocks.” And his lessons work: he has been profitable each of those twelve years. That alone should be a good reason to listen to what he says.
