On May 11 and 12, 2023, a small flock of sheep from the Hadley Farm came to the UMass Amherst campus as part of a student-led, participatory reimagining of our campus land, how it’s used and valued, and toward what ends.
Please scroll down for more details regarding this event as well as Zoom recordings of our speaker symposium! |
Thank you to all those who made our spring 2023 graze and symposium a success!
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Did you miss our symposium on May 11 and 12? Check out the recordings below!
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Why sheep?As grazers, sheep have played a central role in the history of land management in New England and around the world. They take us back to our roots as the Massachusetts Agricultural College and as a land grant institution. Sheep help start a conversation about how we use our land and toward what ends.
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Where will they come from?The sheep will be joining us from Hadley Farm, UMass Amherst's educational farm for equines and livestock. Hadley Farm is home to the university's Animal Science, Pre-Vet, and Vet-Tech programs. The Farm is located roughly one mile away from the main campus.
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Will they be comfortable?The health and safety of our wooly visitors is paramount. A safe, fertilizer- and pesticide-free site has been selected in consultation with the sheep care team and vets. We have well-established safety protocols in place that have undergone extensive reviews by the necessary boards.
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Upcoming Events
During the grazes, we will have several tables representing a diversity of participants involved in on-campus research projects, sustainability efforts, and student wellness:
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Join us for a suite of student and community-led activities or simply sit back and enjoy the pastoral pleasure of watching sheep graze! After the graze, join us at 4:00 pm for our speaker symposium to learn more about the role of sheep in land management, art, climate resiliency, and sustainable agriculture! Check out our Project Overview page for more info about research related to these topics!
Thursday, May 11, 2023:
10:00 am-3:00 pm | Sheep graze! 4:00-6:00 pm | Speaker Symposium Day 1 Topic: Business and Beauty of Sheep Hybrid format Integrated Learning Center Room S211 or Zoom Click here for Zoom Link or use QR code above! Panel of speakers: Bianca Artadi Soares, Project Manager, Star Creek Land Stewards, Inc. & Talbott Sheep Co. Nancy Winship Milliken, Artist, Nancy Winship Milliken Studio Nicole Brown, Assistant Professor of Classics, Williams College Walter Denny, University Distinguished Professor of Islamic and Museum Studies Open Q&A Discussion with speaker panel ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Friday, May 12, 2023: 10:00 am-3:00 pm | Sheep graze! 4:00-6:00 pm | Speaker Symposium Day 2 Topic: The Science of Pastoralism Zoom format Click here for Zoom Link or use QR code above! Panel of speakers: Ilse Kohler-Rollefson, DVM, League for Pastoral Peoples (LPP) and co-founder Camel Charisma Pvt. Ltd, Author of Hoofprints on the Land Haven Kiers, Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture, UC DavisSheepMowers, UC Davis Jeanne Carver Founder/President -- Shaniko Wool Company Awarded the American Sheep Industry Innovation Award 2023, Coauthor: Stories of Fashion, Textiles and Place: Evolving Sustainable Supply Chains Check out this new article that features Jeanne's work and the issue of fast fashion! Danielle Peláez, Education Coordinator, Soul Fire Farm Open Q&A Discussion with speaker panel |
"We all must be thoughtful and intentional about the way we take care of our surrounding landscape."
-Frederick Law Olmsted
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