A Visit to Steve Palosaari's Farm

Lately I've been afflicted with the crazy notion that I'd like to raise a few sheep.

There's only so much you can learn from books. At some point you have to talk to a real shepherd...

...about hay

...and pastures

Of course, sheep can get you started onto bigger and better things...

...like Longhorn Highland cattle. These critters are the next best thing to having buffalo. They remind me of pictures of the extinct Aurochs, the wild cattle from which modern breeds are thought to descend. This guy is only a teenager, quite friendly, but a little scary when he starts romping up the field.

Talking sheep in front of the barn that Mikael roofed back in the day when he worked for Steve's brother.

Steve raises Suffolk and Hampshire sheep, primarily for meat. He gave us a package of tenderloin steaks which were absolutely delicious.

The bull of the woods. Imagine meeting him in some dark barn at Halloween.

These highlanders are totally cool. Someday I may have to get a couple to roam the property as lawn ornaments. They use their horns to groom their coats and scratch where it itches.

These cute little calves....

...can grow up to be bulls like this. Steve assured me that this guy is friendly, but I was perfectly content to keep a hefty gate between us. I guess it's a question of scale. His three draft horses make this guy look like a runt.