The Land
Roger and Cathi Wilken bought a house and 69 acres on Bonnyvale Road in Guilford, Vermont in 1971. Over the years since, they've added neighboring lots, nearby until they now have about 100 acres.
Most of the land is forest, and in the Vermont Forest Management program. About 15 acres are in pasture. At the time of purchase, the pasture were hayed by a nearby farmer, who stopped because the pasture needed some animals to revitalize them. Cathi tried horses for a while, not very satifactorily. Eventually, it was growing a beautiful crop of goldenrod, and had to be brushhogged yearly.
Mowing With Sheep
In 1993 Cathi decided that the cost of mowing would equal about 2 years of having sheep do the work, so she invested in Polly, and her lambs Wally and Doodle. They were swamped, so it was time to increase the flock.
By 2009, the flock of 12 grown ups and 14 lambs keeps keeps Cathi busy moving fence.