New sheep at the farm

Green Connect Farm now has a small breeding flock of Damara sheep! This unusual breed originated in East Asia and Egypt, before moving down to Namibia and remaining isolated from other breeds for around 2000 years. Damara were only introduced to Australia in 1996. Also known as ‘African fat tail sheep,’ Damara are very goat-like; they have horns, come in a variety of colours (single or multicoloured) and have short, coarse hair rather than proper wool! In cooler regions they can grow a slightly woolly winter coat (which they naturally shed when the weather warms up). As well as looking a bit like goats, they eat like them too!

They are non-selective grazers and will feed on grass, weeds, bush and shrubs… so will LOVE joining our goats to clear old vegetable beds and generally tidy up areas on the farm! Damara are hardy, disease resistant and low maintenance; they don’t need shearing, or their tails docked.

Our impressive Damara ram (male) is named Dougal, plus we have five young ewes (female) in a variety of colours. Damara sheep are exceptionally good mothers, but we will have to wait until January next year before seeing our first lambs (as it will be a while until the ewes are mature enough to breed). In the meantime, keep an eye out for some beautiful brown, black and multicoloured sheep with unusually large tails when you visit the farm!

Enjoy,
Emily Henderson
Fair Food and Farm Manager

In your box:

Note: We sometimes need to make changes to what we pack in your veg box based on the quantity or quality of produce that we can harvest and source. If you have any questions about what is in your box, don’t hesitate to contact us at [email protected].

Did you know?

Beetroot comes from the taproot of the beet plant and has a sweet and earthy flavour. They are delicious eaten boiled, roasted, or raw and can be added to a huge range of dishes, including bakes, pastas and smoothies. The green leafy portion of the plant is also edible! Young leaves can be eaten raw in salads and mature leaves are good boiled or steamed and eaten in a similar way to spinach