Just south of Excelsior Springs, on Belle Ridge Farm, Pam and Ed Piepergerdes are spending their retirement tending their land and shepherding a unique breed of livestock animal. Walking towards the barn the soft bleating of a ewe and the faint tinkle of a bell can be heard around the corner, as a flock of Jacob sheep file through the gate to get an afternoon treat of milled grains that Pam has prepared for them. The Piepergerdes started their journey of raising sheep in 2009 with an unfulfilled promise. Ed says that their daughter Kristin reminded him that when she was a little girl he’d promised to someday get her a pet sheep for the farm. “Now, I don’t believe it, I think I was set up, but I said to myself, If I did make that promise, I guess I should get a sheep, just in case,” chuckled Ed.
Ed says he began looking at sheep and by the end of that first weekend they had four Jacobs on their farm. Although their daughter was older with a family of her own, Ed says he wanted to surprise her and her family with the sheep. With a twinkle in his eye, Ed recalled:
We’ve got our daughter, our son-in-law, and our two granddaughters and I wanted to give them the sheep as a Christmas surprise. But, It was just before Thanksgiving when we got them and I couldn’t hide them that long. So when they came for Thanksgiving I had four strings that went all over the farm, across the fields, through haystacks, and each one of them had to follow their string which ended up at their lamb here in the barn. The look on my daughter’s face when she saw that lamb was pure delight!
Jacob sheep are a heritage breed animal with unique qualities which set them apart from many modern commercial breeds of sheep. They are a dual-purpose breed prized for both meat and wool production. In addition to their black and white wool, and small to mid-sized frames, Both male and female Jacobs have distinct horns and can have two, four, and sometimes six horns. Ed says that’s part of the fun of raising this distinct breed, “you’ve got so many characteristics you’re you’re trying to breed for, there’s a lot to consider.” With fewer than 200 farms in the United States raising Jacobs, the Piepergerdes have gotten involved in the conservation of the breed. Pam currently serves as the Business Manager for the Jacob Sheep Breeder’s Association (JSBA) and together they attend annual meetings and other regional events.
Shearing for Jacob sheep is done once a year and the Piepergerdes’ have an annual tradition to mark the occasion. Their shearer, Guy Frazier, happened to come for his first visit on St. Patrick’s Day, so Pam who, “has a little Irish in her background,” always makes fresh Ruben sandwiches to feed their volunteers and to celebrate the day’s work. As the fleeces were bagged and set aside, Ed described the unique qualities of the Jacob wool. “You’ve got the black and the white, but you’ve also got what’s called lilac color, which is kind of a blue-gray, and we raise a lot of the lilacs,” he says. Pam added that a spinner can get any shade of gray from a fleece, without having to dye the wool, but simply by blending. The Piepergerdes love to have friends and family, especially those with children, attend their event because it’s both fun and educational. “We really enjoy it,” says Ed, “and I guess that’s all that matters is that you’re having a little fun!”
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