Application Deadline

- May 30th Fall
- November 30th Spring

Application Link

Interested in gaining experience in the sheep industry – from birth to plate?

Apply for a Fall or Spring Internship. No experience needed. Download the application HERE and please Contact us at simon@simonsheep.com for more information and to receive an application. Interns receive valuable experience in barn cameras, hoop barns, lambing barns, lambing, weaning, nutrition, feed delivery, shearing, wool preparation, direct meat sales, and much more.

About The Internship

The first time sheep showed up at the farm was in 1930, when Stephan’s great grandfather, Sam brought one baby lamb home. The next year, he purchased six ewes from Texas, through the county agent. There have been sheep born and raised on the farm every year but one since, 95 years. The numbers have varied over the years. They have been a mainstay in recent years with about 1,700 ewes that are lambed, and the lambs fed and sold as market lambs. In 2012, the farm was given the official name of Simon & Simon Sheep, Inc., when Stephen and Sarah moved home to join the operations. Other livestock to have resided on the farm include: cows, pigs, horses, donkeys, goats, llamas, turkeys, chickens, and numerous pets of all types including a skunk!

Currently we run white faced crossbred ewes bred to Finn-Dorset and Rambouillet. We lamb in the fall, spring, and do accelerate lambing in May. They are all lambed out on the farm in our barns. We graze the sheep in the

summer months on native pasture, wheat, and barley stubble. In the fall and winter, they graze on milo stalks or are fed in pens, depending on their state of production.

Due to predators (coyotes) we use a guard dog, tow donkeys, and Nite-Guard lights. No lambs are ever out in the pastures for grazing because of the predators. The new lambs have access to creep feed until weaning at two months of age. All of our lambs are fed to about 140 pounds and marketed with Superior Farms.

We retain, two to three hundred ewe lambs for replacement ewes.

Innovations

We have barn cameras to ease night time lambing checks. A hoop barn is part of the lambing set up. One of the new features is the Infinity Pasture. We believe better lamb starts with better feed. That’s why we developed a revolutionary approach to sheep nutrition – one that provides fresh, living green plants 365 days a year, no matter the weather, without relying on trucked-in hay or grain. The Infinity Pasture is an innovative indoor sprouting system that grows fresh barley sprouts daily to provide our flock with a consistent, nutrient-rich diet throughout the year, even in the harshest winters.

Future plans include: making wool pellets, selling processed lamb on the farm and providing a commercial kitchen.

Expectations and Duties

Duties will include, but not limited to: lambing barn daily chores, feeding, watering, cleaning, lamb nursery, and giving vaccinations.

Time: 40-50 hours (5-6 days)/week, some night time lambing checks. Pay: $10/hour with a $1,000 scholarship at completion of the internship.

Housing with utilities and internet provided.

Some presentations to attend.

Give a presentation at the end of the internship describing what was learned.

An evaluation giving us feedback to improve the experience.

Summary

The goal of the Simon Sheep Immersion Internship is to expose youth to the Sheep Life. During this exposure, one will receive opportunities to observe and participate in many aspects of sheep production. After having this experience, the hope is to encourage young entrepreneurs to start in sheep production.

If you are interested in learning about sheep production from farm to plate at an innovative, progressive farm, there will be no better place to intern. Even if you have no experience with livestock production, you are

encouraged to apply. Out of the box solutions to issues are welcomed. Being in the sheep industry is exciting, but not easy. Learning continues with experience and hard work.