ETHICAL MEAT
Why buy from us?
Our priority is happy, healthy animals while causing minimum harm to our environment. Raising meat ethically means putting the animals' needs first, regenerating our environment for a healthy future, and educating ourselves about best practices. Our sheep live on pasture and are grass-fed, grass-finished. We use a rotational grazing system to limit their impact and to sustain the health of our grass and our animals. We seek advice from professionals like the OSU Small Farms program to ensure we follow best practice. We also dedicate part of our property to native habitat restoration, to help offset our farm use. For every one acre we farm, about two acres is for habitat preservation. Buying from us means supporting all of those practices.
We want our customers to enjoy every bite, knowing that their food aligns with their principles. Our customers are invited to visit our farm (please schedule in advance!), so you can see our ethical standards in practice.
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What standards do we follow?
We follow standards developed by veterinary professionals that make sure our animals are living their best lives. We use the Animal Welfare Approved standards from AGW, some of the highest standards for animal welfare in the industry. We are not certified by AGW, but we use their standards as our guideline. We hope to pursue certification in future as our farm business grows.​
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Buying meat directly from the farm: How does it work?
You can buy a 1/2 or whole animal. We charge per pound, plus the cost the butcher charges to prepare the meat. We take pre-orders at any time, to reserve lamb for our next slaughter date. Our next available slaughter date is December 2025. You have a choice of buying a half or whole lamb. The lamb is processed by a professional, licensed butcher according to your cutting instructions. If you aren't sure how you want your meat cut, we can help. If you buy a whole lamb, we will deliver your order for free in the Eugene/Springfield area, or you can pick up your order from the butcher in Eugene.
Price
Our 2025 lamb is $6.50 per pound for the hanging weight (head, skin, feet, guts removed). Average hanging weight is about 50-60 pounds, or approximately $325-$390 for a whole lamb. Your final exact cost is calculated at butchering. There is also a butchering fee of $135 ($67.50 for 1/2 order) that you will pay directly to 4 Star Meat, our butcher. Oregon regulation requires that pricing be handled this way. We accept Paypal, Venmo, Zelle, or cash. To order, email us at follyfarmstead@gmail.com.
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How much freezer space do I need/how much meat is a whole lamb?
A lamb at 50-60 pounds hanging weight will yield about 37-45 pounds of cut and wrapped meat. When you receive your order, the meat will be frozen and packaged in the different cuts you ordered (chops, roasts, ground meat, etc.). There will also be some fat and bones if you asked to keep these in your cutting instructions. One whole lamb will be about four grocery bags full of meat + bones and fat. If you want a better visual of how much meat you will receive, watch this video from our favorite YouTube butchers.
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Why do we sell this way?
First and foremost, because it is more humane for our animals. Selling this way means our animals are slaughtered on site, on our farm. They do not go through the stress of transport, separation from their flock, or the conditions at a slaughterhouse. In order to sell individual cuts of meat, we would have to transport our animals live to a USDA-inspected slaughterhouse. Instead, we use a local, experienced and Oregon-licensed butcher who travels to our farm. The animal is dispatched with minimal stress where it has always lived. The carcass is then taken for butchering in a licensed facility.
If you have questions or concerns about buying lamb, please don't hesitate to contact us. We would be happy to discuss the process with you. More information is also available from OSU: Using custom-exempt slaughter and processing facilities in Oregon.