OFGC Sheep Farm Tour

On Friday, July 12 the Ohio Forage and Grassland Council (OFGC) will offer a farm tour beginning in Jackson County and traveling through Ross and Vinton Counties to sheep farms in South Central Ohio. This tour will take place the day before Ohio Sheep and Hay Day at the Jackson Agricultural Research Station on Saturday, July 13.  

The tour will depart from the Red Roof Inn (1000 Acy Ave, Jackson, OH 45640) at 9:00 a.m and head Northwest to Chillicothe for the first farm stop at Pastured Providence Farmstead at 3316 Chapel Creek Rd, Chillicothe, OH 45601.

Pastured Providence Farmstead is home to Paul and Heather Dorrance, their children, livestock, and pastures. Paul is a veteran of the United States Air Force and Heather previously was a pediatric occupational therapist. Now they are full-time farmers and parents. Passionate about healthy, local food, and a fullfilling life, they are dedicated to producing all-natural products for consumers inculding lamb, beef, pork, poultry, honey, maple syrup and more. They raise St. Croix sheep for the purpose of producing 100% grass-fed lamb.

After a BBQ lunch in Chillicothe, the group will proceed Southwest to Vinton to the farm of Scott Payne at 303 Coal Valley Rd. Vinton, OH 4568 6.  
Scott works for Ohio State University as the farm manager of the Jackson Agricultural Research Station. At the station they have a flock of Katahdin sheep and he runs the same breed at home on reclaimed strip-mined pasture ground near the Jackson/Vinton county line. Along with the sheep, Scott and his wife Jamie are raising two children of their own on the farm.

The tour will end back at the Red Roof Inn at 4:30 p.m.  

We invite any sheep or forage enthusiasts to join OFGC on Friday, July 12 for the tour! There will be a small registration cost to cover transportation and lunch, but partial funding will be provided by the Ohio Sheep and Wool Program through an educational programming grant. Final details will be annouced in June.

To pre-register for this great event or to learn more, contact Gary Wilson of the Ohio Forage and Grassland Council at 419-348-3500 or Christine Gelley of OSU Extension at 740-732-5681.