82-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, September 12, 1992
Sheepberry Farms: A Hobby Out Of Control
LOU ANN GOOD
Lancaster Farming Staff
HALIFAX (Dauphin Co.)
Sheepberry Farms is the result of a
hobby out of control.
That’s what John and Lynn Zer
phey tell people who question their
saneness for moving to the remote,
mountainous region of Dauphin
County from the artsy community
of Mount Gretna.
The Zerpheys’ lifestyle took a
surprising turn in 1985 when Lynn
begged her husband to purchase a
Border Leicester sheep after
watching a wool spinning demon
stration.
Intrigued with the textures and
colors of using natural wools and
with the unique personalities of
sheep, the Zerpheys soon became
adept both as fiber artists and as
sheep and llama herders.
Soon their six-acre plot in Mt.
Gretna was not sufficent to raise
the sheep that they continued to
add to their herd. Because the Zer
pheys wanted to continue working
at their Y-Z Printing business in
Elizabethtown, they looked in
Lancaster and Lebanon counties
for a farm. The high prices dis
couraged them. Two years ago,
they saw an 84-acre Dauphin
County farm advertised in Lancas
ter Farming.
They took a drive through the
winding, mountainous roads until
they came to a breathtaking view
of a valley surrounded by moun
tains. The dilapidated house, bam,
and outside buildings did not hin
der their ability to see what the
place could become.
Sheepberry Farms established
The first year was one of back
breaking cleanup as the Zerpheys
removed IS truckloads of trash
accumulated in the buildings,
Llamas are great kissers according to John
'■'’by '
A4ni.t
“This Is therapy,” said Lynn of the time required to care for the sheep and llamas.
replaced broken windows, and
pronounced war on the rats. They
painted the weatherbeaten build
ings white and trimmed them in
blue. They enclosed the whole
84-acres with a high tensile fence
and partitioned inside areas with
wooden fences.
Before the purchase of the Dau
phin County farm, neither of the
Zerpheys had a farming back
ground nor did they know the work
required to maintain a farm. What
they did have is an appreciation for
nurturing the land, a passion for
reading about every aspect of
farming, and a willingness to ask
the right people questions.
“We did our homework,” Lynn
said. “We wrote to Penn Slate for
information on sheep, contacted a
vet, and read every library book
that we could find on the subject.”
Lynn’s eyes still shine with
wonder as she talks of her “beauti
ful sheep” and the amazement of
getting so much free information
from Penn State Extension. The
Zerpheys joined the Sheep and
Wool Association where they
found people willing to share
information on the care of sheep
and wool.
Llamas added to sheep herd
The Zerpheys own about 80
head of sheep including Border
Leicester, Lincoln, Rambouillet,
and Suffolk breeds. Intermingling
with the sheep arc several stately
llamas that arc used both for breed
ing and for their soft, luxurious
wool.
As far as they know, Sheepberry
Farms is the only farm in the stale
to raise llamas and sheep together.
About three years ago, Lynn
visited a lady who owned llamas.
“I was just taken with them right
off the bat,” Lynn said. “But, when
h r
< t '(V"
The Zerpheys raise several llamas,
the wool in their projects as fiber artists
my husband found out how much
they cost, he was not so intrigued.”
Nevertheless, the couple
researched llamas and discovered
that llamas and sheep could feed
on the same grain and hay. Both
species are copper sensitive and
can be housed together.
In February 1989, the Zerpheys
purchased their first two gelding
males. They chose Bolivian llamas
with short wool since long hair
causes more stress on llamas dur
ing hot weather.
“When my husband visited a lla
ma farm, he got ‘baby’ fever and
purchased three bred females,”
Lynn said.
Llamas have a gestation period
of IVA months and they almost
always birth during daytime hours.
For the past several years, the
Zerpheys have bred llamas but
have never seen a birth since both
husband and wife continue to work
full time at their printing business.
“We come home and here’s a
baby,” Lynn said of the llama’s
ability for easy birthing.
The Zerpheys sell the babies
with the stipulation of visiting
rights. Lynn personally delivers
the llamas with a bag of feed, hay,
and registered papers. She offers
service after the sale believing that
healthy animals are productive
animals.
In 1990, the Zerpheys partici
pated in a Penn Stale tour of a
3,000-head sheep ranch. They
The Zerpheys work together to process wool from their
flock. Known as fiber artists, John weaves and Lynn hand
spins, knits, and crochets.
were surprised to find that Hamas
were used to guard the sheep from
predators.
Although they have a Bordci
Collie that does well with the
sheep, he becomes intimidated by
the llamas, which assume respon
sibilily for the sheep
Animal care
In the daily care of the animals
Lynn, who is a registered nurse
said that her nursing ability comei
in handy to insert a prolapse uteru;
back into a sheep, sew it up, anc
assist with birthing. Ironically, she
cannot bring herself to innoculate
her own sheep although she is
adept at diagnosing health
problems.
One of the most beneficial
methods for diagnosing health
problems is to sweep the aisle
where the animals are housed two
times daily.
Vfamesipad
xj/oies
r breeding purposes and for
*y use
“Looking through the manure
pile is not glamorous but it’s the
thing to do,” Lynn said. It’s there
that parasites, diarrhea, and eating
problems can be quickly
diagnosed.
A typical day for the Zerpheys
starts at 5:30 a.m. They spend one
hour feeding the animals before
they leave the home at 7 a.m. for
their printing business. They have
a neighbor who looks in on the ani
mals during the day and does odds
and ends around the place, but the
feeding and care of the animals
remains the Zerpheys’. It’s 8 p.m.
before they return home.
The Zerpheys are strong advo
cates of herding llamas and sheep
in the same area. They find that
rotational grazing allows them to
Rotational grazing
(Turn to Pag* B 3)