Story

In 2012 I bought a farm in Wilder, Idaho. I referred it, built a nice barn and faculty to begin a sheep farm. I decided to focus on a Heritage Breed of Sheep that was not found in the United States in a pour percentage if you could find the breed. They are only found basically in Northern Ireland, England and Wales and were not allowed to be Exported out of Europe. I took it on as a challenge and decided if there was possible a way to be able to breed up to 100% Kerry Hill Sheep I would try to take the challenge on.

 

I began in 2013 by purchasing 12 registered  North Country Cheviot ewes and would use them as my base ewes of my project for the goal being to some day be  able to import semen from England that I could then A-I my ewes . 

 

By 2014 I was able to find  a Doctor from UC Davis Vet School,  who had gone to Europe in the 80’s and 90’s and was able to get some Kerry Hill Semen. He was  able to do A-I with the Kerry Hill Semen that he brought back and surgically inseminate my ewes . This meant in 2014 we had our first 50% Kerry Hill lambs born in the USA.

 

These ewes were cute but didn’t have the coring or the confirmation of a 100% Kerry Hill Sheep.

 

Year after year I would have a Vet  do the A-I with the  100% Kerry Hill Semen I could find. I knew however I would never be able to reach 100% Kerry Hill lambs as I began. With none Kerry Hill Sheep and it would be impossible to get to 100%.

I didn’t give up and each year I was able to breed up my flock into the 90%  being Kerry Hill.

 

After trying to find some help on being able to accomplish hopefully  my goal of being able to get a 100% Kerry Hill ewe or Ram or hopefully both!!

 

 

I found my “Pot of Gold” and Europe open up the borders so if a Ram and a Ewe could pass being in quarantine and pass all of the testing , Europe through much paper work and testing would allow 6 day old Embryos to be exported to the USA with much red take and certification.

 

I am proud to announce that in 2024 I was able to surgically breed my recipient ewes with 6 day old embryos. It was very difficult as I had to bring my ewes to be 6 days pregnant . Not an easy task to successfully accompuse.

The success rate of doing so is 45% 50 % successful.

 

Greentree Farms—I happy to tell you we have 4 beautiful ewe lambs 100% Kerry Hill

And 2 100% Ram lambs. We are the first in the USA to successful have live birth of Kerry Hill Sheep born in the USA!!!