Vermont Grass-Fed, Heritage-Breed Lamb,
Sheepskins, and Wool Products
t for id "pix" GoBottom: Mike Ghia
People and Programs
There is a lot to know about raising sheep and about starting and running a farming business, and a number of people have helped Tamarack Tunis. In particular, Chet Parsons of UVM Extension, Mike Ghia, Rose Wilson, Pam Knights, and Mark Canella of the Intervale Center have been incredibly helpful. Local folks with sheep experience, Steve Long, Mary Hays, and Chuck Wooster; have all generously come by to look things over, assist with difficult births, lend equipment, and give good advice. We were overjoyed to have Mary Azarian design our logo, Tim Newcomb and Jon Gicewicz have done a wonderful job creating our brochure and website, we look forward to more work with composting expert Tom Gilbert of Highfields Institute, and we depend on Justin Klarich for his accounting expertise. Local dairy farmers and haying experts have also been helpful in advising about hay making, equipment, and many other things more difficult to list: the Whites, the Loftuses, Devins, and the Old Goat, Mr. Halpin.
Tamarack Tunis has also been greatly assisted by the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board's Farm Viability Enhancement Program, the Intervale Center's Success on Farms Program, and technical assistance provided by Community Capital of Vermont with the support of USDA Rural Development. These programs, working in concert, have assisted with the development of a business and marketing plan, helped connect Tamarack to the Vermont farming community and the skilled group of consultants working to provide technical assistance to new and /or growing farms, and provided access to credit for the construction of a barn.
