Eight years ago, Susan Gibbs was living in Manhattan and working 70-hour weeks as a producer for CBS News, when a chance encounter with a paperback edition ofStorey's Guide to Raising Sheep
changed her life forever. "I'd been in television for a decade, and I was stressed out by my crazy schedule," she explains. "I wanted to try something new that would allow me to work with my hands and create something more tangible. I can't say why, but the idea of raising sheep appealed to me."
So Gibbs did what any good news producer would do — a ton of research. She visited several farms, read nearly everything published about animal husbandry, and even got herself a subscription to Sheep Magazine. "Within a year of buying that fateful book," she says, "I'd quit my job, relocated to a farm in upstate New York, and bought my first five sheep."
The learning curve proved steep, but Gibbs fell in love with her small flock and the cadence of farm life, even when it called for mucking messy stalls, trimming hooves, and trudging through snowstorms to check on her fleecy wards. Over time, as she gained experience, Gibbs acquired more animals and moved to bigger pastures — first to property on Martha's Vineyard, then to the outskirts of Charlottesville, Virginia, where she bought Juniper Moon Farm and settled in with her flock, now 75 strong, of Angora goats and Cormo, Cotswold, and Babydoll Southdown sheep.
To help generate income for her growing business, in 2007 Gibbs started America's first yarn and fiber CSA (community supported agriculture). The program works on the same model as the popular farm CSAs operating nationwide, except that, instead of fruits and vegetables, members pay in advance for a share of the next season's yarn. "We've sold all our shares every spring and fall since we began," Gibbs reports. "It's a real win-win situation: Members help support the farm's day-to-day operations by subscribing to the CSA, and in exchange they get high-quality fiber for their knitting, as well as the chance to forge a connection with the farm and all the people who help run it."
Shareholders receive weekly e-mail updates on the comings and goings at Juniper Moon Farm, plus they're invited to visit the property by appointment and attend member events, such as the winter solstice party and twice-yearly shearing festivities. At last fall's Shearing Celebration, some 150 people traveled to Virginia to visit the farm and help with the work, which ranges from wrangling sheep for shearing to dyeing, drying, and twisting the wool into skeins. "I really look forward to the shearing parties," says Gibbs. "Most of the time I work in a vacuum, taking orders online or helping out in the barn. So meeting my customers and seeing their love of the animals and our yarn is an affirmation of everything I do."
All of that outreach to CSA members — including a photo-filled blog and live LambCam — has helped create a devoted community of knitters. In fact, when a particularly tough winter left Gibbs low on funds, as well as feed for her animals, shareholders rallied support through an online knitting auction, with all proceeds going to restocking the farm's dwindling hay supply. "The generosity of the CSA members has really been overwhelming," notes Gibbs. "There were definitely times when the farm wouldn't have made it without them."
How to join in the fun at Juniper Moon Farm
To Buy Yarn: Susan Gibbs's Yarn CSA accepts 100 to 140 members each spring and fall; subscriptions cost $175 and include about six skeins of wool, e-mail newsletters, invites to farm events, and discounts on additional yarn purchased at Gibbs's online shop. To join the CSA or buy yarn, go to fiberfarm.com.
To Attend Events: You don't have to be a CSA member to take part in Juniper Moon's next sheep-shearing celebration, which gets under way Saturday, November 6, at the farm, just outside Charlottesville, Virginia. Click here for details on the all-day party and other events.
To Plan a Farm-Stay Vacation: Would-be shepherds can visit her site to sign up for a three-night or weeklong getaway at the ranch. Prices start at $750 per adult (kids are $50 extra each) and include a private room, meals, and the chance to try out life on a farm.
