Farm-Raised Meat Guide: Lamb
Idaho Preferred Farm-Raised Lamb guide
Enhance your dining experience this season with a variety of locally sourced meats from Idaho. Fill your freezers with lamb produced right here, ensuring transparency in your food source and direct support for Idaho’s dedicated ranch families.
Raising sheep is one of Idaho’s oldest agricultural traditions ranking in the top ten states in the nation for sheep and lamb production. Its sweet and tender meat that can be cooked in many ways, and Idaho Preferred sheepherders and ranchers offer a variety of direct buy-purchase options.
Further, Idaho cultivates over 185 commodities offering a bountiful state where you can more likely find almost anything you need for your dinner table grown, raised, or crafted locally. Check out the Idaho Preferred Farm + Food Finder and discover a local sheep and lamb producer near you!
GUIDE TO DISCOVERING IDAHO PREFERRED’S DIRECT-BUY SHEEP & lAMB pRODUCERS
American Ostrich farms
Kuna
Not everyone knows it, but the folks at American Ostrich Farms also raise grass-fed lamb right here in Idaho. Between Sun Valley and the Treasure Valley, their animals grow up the simple way—on open land, with fresh air and natural forage. It’s not fancy, just thoughtful, hardworking stewardship. Like everything they do, this lamb is raised with care and meant to feed families who appreciate honest food raised close to home.
Boise River Lamb
Caldwell
Brett and Liz Wilder are second-generation sheep producers and the 6th generation on the family ranch. They raise farm fresh, high-quality lamb for every occasion, ethically and sustainably raised. They prioritize their animal’s well-being while being considerate of the impact they have on their land.
cunningham pastured meats
caldwell
Sean’s father had been raising natural grass-fed cattle for decades and when Liz came to the ranch she noticed that there was a shortage of quality grass-fed beef in the Treasure Valley. Never having eaten grass-fed beef in her life Liz felt that the quality of the meat was too good to only have in their freezer and decided to start making it available to families in the Treasure Valley.
Cushman Family Farm
Bonners Ferry
Cushman Family Farm is renowned for its high-quality barley-fed lamb and beef. The farm utilizes black Angus genetics for their cow/calf operation and Texel genetics for their lamb.
GOODING FARMS
PARMA
Gooding Farms boasts over 750 acres and 12 varieties of hops. Starting in 2020, the farm shifted focus to regenerative agriculture: chickens, sheep, cattle, and multi-species cover crops are found in rotations throughout the farm.
Gutierrez Family farms
nampa
Gutierrez Family Farms grazes their ewes and lambs year round on their small farm in Nampa, Idaho. Livestock graze rotationally through spring and summer months, and Gutierrez Family Farms preserve their winter hay fields to provide year-round grazing.
lucky four farm
marsing
Tucked away in Marsing, Lucky Four Farm is home to a family of four who traded the Meridian suburbs for a slower, land-rooted life back in 2009. Since then, they’ve raised sheep, angora and dairy goats, and chickens with care and heart. Daren and Julia offer handmade goods from the land—yarn, soap, felt, wool, and spinning batts—as well as a cozy on-farm Airbnb for those wanting to wake up to roosters, fresh air, and a view of the pastures.
mellifera farm
Troy
Set on rolling forest, grassland, and shaded draws near Troy, Idaho, Mellifera Farm was homesteaded in the late 1800s and maintained as a diverse family farm for much of the next century. Today, the farm is a special place, inspired by art and science, and dedicated to the sustainable production of cut flowers, Icelandic sheep for meat and fiber, and queen bees.
mountain valley farmstead
carmen
Randal and Carol Stoker of Mountain Valley Farmstead are artisan producers of sheep cheese. The farmstead, nestled along the scenic Salmon River in Carmen, Idaho, is a family-run dairy which began in 2016, crafting traditional alpine-style cheeses that showcase the natural richness of sheep’s milk. They have partnered with Aldersprings Ranch Provisions to offer online, direct sales of their delicious, Idaho-raised and sourced dairy products.
Purple Sage Farms
middleton
Purple Sage Farms is a family owned and operated organic farm in Middleton, Idaho. They grow fresh herbs, greens, edible flowers, and specialty produce in greenhouses. They also raise grass-fed, hormone-and-antibiotic-free sheep, goats, and cattle.
Sonshine Acres
emmett
Owned by U.S. Air Force veteran Ted Kovarik and located in Emmett, Idaho, Sonshine Acres Farm is a distinctive, year-round homestead-style operation offering a wide range of seasonal vegetables and farm-raised meats. The farm provides fresh produce such as lettuce, cabbage, tomatoes, zucchini, peppers, and pumpkins, along with Lamb Shares, Pasture Pork, and a variety of fresh eggs and proteins from their animals, including Katahdin sheep, New Zealand rabbits, ducks, and chickens.
weiser river ranch
council
Weiser River Ranch is a small family business that grows and sells organically-grown beef, lamb, and raspberries (and Jamie’s JAM). They raise their animals on grass, organic alfalfa in the winter, river water, and love. Their meats are USDA certified.
winchester ridge farms
winchester
At Winchester Ridge Farms, Eric & Shelia raise exceptional meat with care, integrity, and a deep respect for the land. By grazing the timber pastures along with rotational cover crops on the farm ground, you will find their American White Face lamb some of the mildest, yet most flavorful lamb you have tried.
Don’t forget to browse our other ranch-raised meat guides!
