Starting Young

My name is Aaran and I am the youngest Gentleman Farmer. I am 13.

I have Devon Closewool sheep. Devon Closewool sheep are really under rated. Everyone talks about Dartmoor Greyface and Whiteface and the Longwools but not much gets said about Devon Closewools. For anyone who doesn't know anything about Devon Closewool sheep here is a picture and some facts :

- they were a cross breed between an Exmoor Horn and a Devon and Cornwall Longwool

- the breed isn't that old.

- they are a rare breed.

- most of the national flock is in Devon in the North and West of the County.

- they are awesome sheep who make good meat and good wool.

- if we had another Foot and Mouth Crisis they would be wiped out as they all live so close together.

- they are gentle and nice sheep. Even my ram who is called Rhino as he has one bit of horn in the middle of his head is massive likes to sit and be scratched.

I want to be a farmer as I like the countryside and looking after animals. I also like driving tractors and mud, but not in the same place as the animals. I don't ever want to be in an office or not have to do lambing. I like lambing a lot.

I became a Gentleman Farmer because I need to make as much money as I can from my sheep so I can buy more sheep. I sell my lambs into the meat chain - just the boys - and I use the money from this to buy more ewes. I look after my sheep very well and I have just applied to be a member of the Devon Closewool Breed society. I learn everything I know from my neighbour who is 81 and takes me out to her flock on her quad at 100mph.

This year I had 8 lambs - only two are boys. They will sell for about £60 each in September for meat but I haven't castrated them so I can sell them as pedigree rams and hopefully make some more money from just the two of them to buy more girls. Selling their wool means I can add to the flock fund otherwise it just goes to the Wool Board and I get about £1.20 a fleece even though it's really really good fleece. So buying my fleece means you are supporting a future farmer and wool grower :-)

Gentleman Farmers have taught me a lot about wool. I know that I can shear them as lambs but there isn't much in the way of useable fleece for other people to do things with. Its very soft and at the moment, the lambs were born in January, its about 3 inches long. If I shear them as a shearling so before their second birthday, this is the best fleece they will ever produce. Its lustrous and like silk is long and soft.