Rural White County is not a place one would expect to see sheep grazing peacefully. At least that wasn’t the case until Chad Lepley arrived with his plan of building a sheep dairy business near Bald Knob called Yahuah’s Farm.
“I did a lot of research because I wanted to find something to make money for the farm and benefit my family,” Lepley said. When he discovered the health benefits of sheep’s milk and the potential market for alternatives to traditional cow and goat milk, Lepley said that producing sheep dairy products was a logical choice.
“Our goal is to be the first certified sheep dairy farm in the state,” he said. Sheep’s milk has yet to catch on in mass popularity in the United States, although it is a major element in Greek feta cheese and Italian ricotta, which are both marketed here.
“Honey Boo Boo is the first sheep I got in Wisconsin,” Lepley recalled, adding with a chuckle, “She got that name up there.” He soon learned that traveling to and from Wisconsin to buy an entire herd of sheep would “cost an arm and three legs” and has opted to grow his herd through breeding to a large extent.
“Dairy sheep are not like normal sheep,” Lepley said. “They love attention. They love my kids, and they will follow us around. We put a lot into [the sheep].”
There are 29 sheep at Yahuah’s Farm, with more, hopefully, on the way in November. They are grass- and grain-fed and are kept in a fenced area of the 21-acre farm.
Sheep’s milk is rich in protein, with 1 cup containing upward of 15 grams, Lepley said. Sheep’s milk is also a good source of calcium, vitamin C, vitamin B-12 and thiamine. One cup of sheep’s milk has been shown to provide up to 51 percent of the recommended daily amount of riboflavin, which is essential for good vision.
Lepley was quick to point out that sheep’s milk gets high praise in one other very important category — taste.
“When people try it, the reaction I get is, ‘Wow,’” he said.
Lepley’s goal is to eventually become a supplier for grocers and health food stores. However, for now, friends and local residents have been taste-testing Lepley’s dairy products, including a sheep’s-milk ice cream that he hopes to market in the future.
In addition to the usual dairy fare of milk, cheese and ice cream, he noted that health and beauty products, such as soap, lotion, shampoo, conditioner and moisturizer, are excellent uses for sheep’s milk. As an offshoot to his dairy endeavors, Lepley said, he plans to learn about how to shear his sheep as his business progresses.
To protect his sheep from predators, Lepley has seven Turkish Anatolian shepherds on his property. Five of the dogs are kept in paddocks, while two roam the premises.
“When the word ‘shepherd’ is in the name of a dog, you know that when they love something, they will protect it with their life,” Lepley said of the dogs. “We can’t be here all the time, and with coyotes and other animals around, their job is to guard the herd. They are awesome with my kids, too.”
Those who are interested in learning more about Yahuah’s Farm may visit the business on Facebook.