Help local farmers continue to produce award-winning cheese

UPDATE: Thank you, co-op shoppers! With your help, we raised $1,600 in just one month to assist Shepherd’s Way Farms in their rebuilding process. You can still make a donation; scroll down for details!

Shepherd’s Way Farms’artisan cheeses, including their flagship Friesago and delectable Big Woods Blue, are sold at most Twin Cities co-ops. Shepherd’s Way tasty, aromatic cheeses have repeatedly won a number of awards and – in 2004 – earned the Reads an invitation to represent Minnesota at the International Slow Food Convention in Italy.

Fire, unlike lightning, can strike twice
In January 2005, an arsonist set fire to the Reads’ operation twice in a week. The first fire destroyed thousands of dollars in winter feed. A few days later, the arsonist returned, and set fire to the operation’s lambing barn (the equivalent to a maternity ward for sheep).

More than 300 ewes and 200 lambs died, either during the fire or in the months that followed, due smoke inhalation or trauma. The barn was totally destroyed. And milk production – a crucial element in a cheese-making continued operation – came to a halt.

Help make temporary digs permanent
A temporary greenhouse shelter has served as the lambing barn since the fire. And thanks to good timing a big leap of faith, the Reads were able to save and move the top half of a historic 1930s barn – which was scheduled for demolition – from Big Woods State Park four miles away, onto their property last winter.

It’s now resting safely on beams, waiting for completion of the 10-foot masonry walls and finishing, which comes with a roughly $50,000 price tag. Upon completion, the preserved historical agricultural building will serve as the new lambing barn for moms and babies. But money’s a bit tight.

Add a sheep to your family
You can help. For a $100 non-tax-deductible donation, you can adopt (and name) a Shepherd’s Way Farm ewe, by completing an online adoption form.

Your donations will contribute to the Reads’ efforts to feed the flock, resum milking and complete the barn’s construction. In return, you’ll receive a picture of the flock and your chosen sheep’s name will be displayed on the Shepherd’s Way website and in the barn for farm visitors to see.

What’s more, you’ll help support the sustainable, local farming efforts of one of the nation’s top-notch cheese producers, that resides in your own backyard.

You can also send a check for $100 payable to Shepherd’s Way Farms to:
8628 160th Street East
Nerstrand, MN 55053

Read more about Shepherd’s Way Farms
The Reads were named “Food Artists of the Year” by Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl in the Jan. 2 issue of CityPages. Go to www.citypages.com to read the story.