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Saving Cherished Slow Foods, One Product
at a Time
Navajo-Churro Sheep
Ovis aries
Brought into New Mexico's Rio Grande Valley by the Spanish explorers in the 16th Century, the Navajo-Churro sheep breed is North America's earliest domesticated farm animal. They are descentants from the ancient Iberian bred, the Churra.
Once numbering two million, the breed was dissipated by a federally-imposed interbreeding initiative and a government-mandated livestock reduction program. By the 1970s, only 450 Navajo-Churro sheep were left in the United States.
The Navajo-Churro sheep boasts many attractive characteristics. The meat is lean with distinctive, sweet lamb flavor. In addition to excellent meat production, these sheep provide abundant milk and have a highly desirable fleece. The sheep is hardy, living lightly on the land and requiring less water and grass than other sheep. The sheep is long legged with a narrow body and fine bones. The coat is prized its variant array of natural colors.
Producers
Birch Tree, MO
Five Ponds Farm
Marian & Erik Van Beever
HC 3 Box 148
Birch Tree, MO 65438
417-764-3641
marian@fivepondsfarm.com
www.fivepondsfarm.com
Pittsboro, NC
American Livestock Breeds Conservancy
www.albc-usa.org
P.O. Box 477
Pittsboro, NC 27312
Pittsboro, NC
Phone: 919-542-5704
Email: albc@albc-usa.org
Ojo Caliente, NM
Navajo-Churro Sheep Association
www.navajo-churrosheep.com
Ojo Caliente, NM
email: churro@taos.newmex.com
Chehalis WA
Kimberlee Kerley and Douglas Meyer
Mountain Niche Farm
397 Deep Creek Road
Chehalis WA 98532
360-740-4667
kim.kerley@earthlink.net
http://www.mtn-nichefarm.com/
Click here to read about the Navajo-Churro Sheep Presidium
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