ANNOUNCEMENT COMING SOON
Our Mission
It has been impressed upon our hearts to do our part in supporting the widows, orphans, and poor within our communities. This conviction comes from the commands in the holy scriptures, specifically James 1:27, which says: “Pure and undefiled religion is to take care of widows and orphans.”
We are setting out to provide fresh, locally-produced, quality meat for as many widows as we can, at no cost to them. We are a small, family-owned, first-generation farm, so our supply is limited in the total number of people we can provide with free food. However, we have the potential to grow much more over the next couple of years as our breed of sheep average nearly 2 lambs per year, so we can double our flock rather quickly.
For this coming March-April, we have up to 12 lambs that we can harvest. Our goal is to average 20-30 pounds of meat per lamb and provide the yield of one lamb per person.
That is up to 12 people that could receive 6-months to a year’s supply of fresh, quality meat that they wouldn’t have otherwise, at absolutely no cost to them. Our target demographic this year will be to provide for elderly widows and widowers, but we are open to others as the Lord leads.
However, we are not able to provide that many lambs on our own as we haven’t been blessed with the means. As much as we would love for it to cost nothing to produce and give, it simply doesn’t work that way, and we still have our family to provide for: food, shelter, and bills. So it is not right for us, nor do we find it biblical, to take from them in order to give to others.
A basic rundown of our normal recurring expenses would look like:
- Hay, supplemental feed, and minerals. Hay and supplements are primarily needed during the winter, and breeding and lambing season. Freezer lambs may need protein tubs during the winter until spring harvest depending on forage quality.
- Fuel and maintenance on cars, trucks, and farm equipment (ATV and a tractor).
- Currently, our ewe flock is on property 20-minutes away, which consumes a lot of fuel and time.
- Land grazing rights (usually requires either rent or an exchange of labor and services for rights).
- Annual promissory note payment (we bought our sheep on a five-year loan).
- Vet supplies, like vitamin or iron shots, recovery supplements, and syringes.
We are looking to partner with local churches, civic organizations, and generous individuals for donations and to network with, supplying the names of people in our communities that need help. While any one person may nominate anyone, these churches, organizations, and generous individuals would nominate people they know in the community that are in need of what we are offering (the exact procedures will be laid out in the trust).
Donations are not limited to monetary gifts. Farms have a variety of needs! Equipment, tools, vet supplies, feed (hay, protein tubs, etc.), gasoline and diesel, and much more. If you produce hay, professionally butcher animals, or you’re an attorney, accountant, secretary, etc., there are ways you can help us achieve our mission through discounted prices/rates or volunteering (not limited to these types of people or necessarily just those means, simply providing an example).
estimated production
By spring, we are culling over half of our ewe flock to select for our best performers (size, ability to maintain weight on grass-alone, and parasite resistance), so we will take a hit in total production, but our lamb crops each following year will be much stronger and bring better meat yields. We’re also considering bringing in a high-quality Dorper ram to cross with our Katahdins for larger lambs, but we want to ensure we maintain the taste and qualities of the Katahdin breed (parasite resistance, incredible pasture-performance, etc.).
Below is a table of our estimated production using only select ewes in the 2026 breeding season:
| Year | Bred Ewes (1) | Total Lambs Born (2) | Est. # Lambs For Donation (3) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 20 | 30 | 18 (450lbs) (4) |
| 2027 | 32 | 48 | 29 (720lbs) |
| 2028 | 51 | 77 | 46 (1150lbs) |
| 2029 | 82 | 123 | 74 (1850lbs) |
(1) Assumes all ewes are successfully bred.
(2) Assumes 3:2 lamb-to-ewe ratio or an average of 1.5 lambs per ewe.
(3) Assumes an even 50% sex split of lambs, and that 20% of ewe lambs are not suitable or desired for reproduction, and that 100% of ram lambs are donated.
(4) Assumes an average yield of 25lbs per lamb.
microgreens
In addition to producing fresh, high-quality lamb, we also want to expand the operation to include organic microgreen production. The primary benefit of growing microgreens is the ability to grow and deliver highly-nutritious, very tasty, and zero-prep food on a weekly basis, whereas lambs have a one year lead-time for development. And the nutrients in microgreens have been shown to improve cognitive function, AND prevent or delay the onset of diseases like Alzheimer’s, which aligns with our target demographic. Since microgreens have a shorter shelf-life (~14 days, and up to 21 days if properly stored), any spoilage can be collected to feed to the sheep so that nothing is wasted.
In order to produce microgreens, we need a well-insulated, climate-controlled growing shed. We have some resources from our stint of growing microgreens last year, like a few stainless steel growing trays, drinking-water safe garden hoses (lead-free), a single 5-tier growing rack, and growing lights for that rack to get started, but as demand increases, we will need more supplies to expand the operation.
With the right set-up and support, we can produce at lot of food for a lot of people. This would also be a great project for volunteers and even older kids (no experience or gardening knowledge necessary) to involve themselves in doing good for others and gain knowledge and experience.
operating costs
There are a number of expenses when it comes to farming. Below is a detailed estimation of all our operating expenses for our current flock size. We hope to have all of our operating expenses covered through donations so that we don’t have take from our family and their needs while at the same time, supplying all of the time and labor into this ministry.
If we are able to find suitable land for our flocks to graze that is closer to our home, then we can save a few hundred dollars every year in just fuel costs.
cost summary
- Operating expenses $4,800 / year
Hay, fuel, maintenance, minerals, vet/medical supplies, etc.
- Processing fees $900-$1,200 / 2026
This is the cost of the slaughter, butchering, and packaging 12 lambs depending on hanging weight or processor. This amount will vary year to year based on lamb production.
- Organic microgreens $11,000 / year
Supplying our recipients of lamb with a year's supply of fresh, organic microgreens at 3.5oz a day (totaling 80lbs a year per person)
- Annual sheep investment $8,800 / year
Our sheep purchase was financed over 5-years. Since we are giving away all of our product (lambs) to sell and subsidize our investment, we feel it is reasonable to allow anyone who feels led to support us in this way to be able to do so.
- Legal fees* $1,500 / one-time
This is to help us afford the services of an attorney or firm to draft the non-profit trust for us, expediting the process. We're able to draft a sufficient document ourselves to get started, but we would like to a professionally drafted trust so we know we are employing all the benefits, protections, and rights of a trust.
FULL BREAKDOWN
Total annual budget:
$900-$1,200 for processing 12 lambs
$4,800 minimum operating budget (excludes loan, land, and processing fees)
Totaling a need of $4,700-$6,000 to cover operating expenses and processing fees.
$13,600 including loan
Totaling a need of $14,500-$14,800 to cover operating expense, processing fees, and our financial investment into the sheep.
Categories
Fuel and maintenance for traveling to and from the farm, transporting livestock or hay, and farm equipment (ATVs and tractors).
$1,350.00 / year or $112.50 / monthOver 10k is driven annually to and from the farm. That does not include trips to the feed store, hardware store, hauling hay, or moving animals from one plot of land to another.
Assuming an average cost of $2.45 per gallon and $28.50 per oil change every 5,000 miles, it costs ~$900 a year to drive to the farm, or at our current flock size, roughly $20.00 per sheep (annual cost / total number of sheep on that farm).
5 gallons is usually enough to cover a month’s supply of ATV usage on the farm, so that is an additional $147.00 a year.
Additional fuel is needed throughout the year when transporting hay, livestock, or equipment:
Budget ~$250 / year.Diesel fuel: Budget for 30 gallons / year (estimation)
~$100 / year
Winter feed, such as hay and supplemental grain/protein tub.
~$2,800.00 / yearFor our current flock size, we estimate it takes 45 bales to feed hay from late fall through May (when grass is growing well). At $40 each, this would cost $1,800.
Additionally, our ewes at certain times of the year are supplemented with grain or alfalfa hay to meet nutritional needs (such as before breeding or during lactation). To flush 20 ewes for a minimum of four weeks out of the year costs $525.00 in organic alfalfa hay (5 large square bales).
Assuming consumption of two protein tubs per month for four months (Dec-March), budget $465.00 for 8 proteins tub.
This year, we are flushing with a cheap grain mix out of necessity, which doesn’t fit our goals of being organic grass-fed. For our ewes (before a major culling) for a month, it will cost around $130.00.
Free-choice minerals which are needed for good health and reproduction, as it fills in any nutritional gaps in the forage.
$375 / year or $30 / monthBasic vet supplies and rare trips to the vet.
Budget $250 / year.Things like syringes, supplements (iron and vitamin-B shots, high energy drenches), and dewormers. An itemized list will be produced.
Supplies are currently stocked for the most part.
Temporary fencing supplies: solar energizers, step-in posts, polybraid wire, and reels.
We have enough to get by, but more is needed to make paddock moves more efficient, and to replace old or broken wire, posts, and reels.
Good solar energizers range from a few hundred dollars to $1,200.
Step-in posts: $5.14 each ($256 for a bundle of 50 posts, or roughly a paddock’s worth).
Polybraid wire: $73.18 per 1,320 feet (one reel worth).
3:1 Geared Reels: $62.95-$116.99
Land usage rights for grazing; this costs rent or an exchange of our time and labor or services.
Slaughter and processing fees range from $75-$100 per lamb, and then that meat must be stored in a freezer until consumed.
For 12 lambs, this will cost between $900-$1,200 depending on processor and hanging weight.
Annual loan payment for the sheep until 2029
$8,800 / year
legal structure
FEED MY SHEEP OUTREACH will be structured as a, unincorporated, not-for-profit ecclesiastical ministry, operating under a private trust, falling under classification as a 508(c)(1)(a). This allows us to open bank accounts under the trust, gives us tax-exempt status (by nature of the ministry), and the trust regulates where donations (given to and by the ministry) go and how they may be used. This protects the ministry, ensuring that it is carried out according to our vision laid out in the trust without undue restrictions and regulations, and that the donations/gifts are not misappropriated, and also protects us at Twelve Stones Farm from any false allegations or accusations that we are running some type of elaborate scam or not carrying out what we promised.
Operating as a trust, this creates a fiduciary responsibility to our donors, and those served by our ministry, which is one of the greatest responsibilities anyone can possess in law. It is an honor and sacred duty, and one that must be upheld or face the consequences
While we could spend hours of research in how to properly draft a private irrevocable trust (under common law, not public statutes), and we may do just that, but we would love to either work with an attorney or firm already experienced in this area of law that could draft these documents for us. There are services that we could pay for, typically ranging $1,000-$2,000 dollars for professionally drafted declaration, trust articles, certificate of existence, and conveyance documents.
So if this a particular area you feel led in supporting us or providing legal guidance in developing such a trust, please reach out.
conclusion
We believe this could be a very effective ministry that provides 6-months to 1-year supply of meat at no cost to the recipient, and at an at-cost rate to the supporters of our ministry (no compensation for our labor or time unless donated to us for that explicit purpose). While we at Twelve Stones Farm are strong believers that the creator of the earth sent His son for the redemption of all mankind from their transgressions, that the one who we call Jesus or Yeshua is the Messiah prophesied in the holy scriptures, so that for all of those who repent and believe in him who God sent will live forever in the Kingdom of Heaven to come, no one is excluded from receiving free lamb due to their religious or political beliefs and affiliations. We give according to need, discretion, and leading of the Holy Spirit.
While we are still getting our ducks in a row (spreading the word, updating our website to feature this ministry and online donations, drafting the trust, opening a bank account under the trust, etc.), we need your support and we pray that you will carefully consider donating, spreading the word, and helping us find the people who need what we have to offer.
To those of you who have never had sheep/lamb, it is incredibly tasty, easy to cook (just like any other red meat), and we are amazed every time we cook it how we didn’t grow up eating it. We will provide all recipients with a lamb cookbook (digital or printed) with recipes for every cut of lamb they have been given.