Blackeyed Susan Sheep Dairy is New Hampshire’s only Grade A sheep dairy, situated in the hollow beneath the quaint town of Mount Vernon on 100 acres of land remaining from the original Trow Homestead granted in 1803. What remains is about 40 acres of pasture and 60 of woods, 30 of which are rotationally grazed on by their flock of 160 ewes and lambs. Their main structure is a traditional barn and colonial house built in the early 1800s, with a small dairy barn containing a high-tech milking parlor and a couple of grain silos, as well as their creamery.

Apprentices will focus on two areas of sheep farming. They will be in the creamery, making soft and Alpine-style cheeses, yogurt, and gelato. This includes food production, affinage, packing, processing, and cleaning. They will also be working under the Sheep Husbandry manager, learning how to care for and handle the livestock. This includes milking, milk measurements, and testing. In the pasture, apprentices will learn basic veterinary activities and herd management, including fence line relocation, moving the pasture areas, and general pasture management.

An apprentice will live on-site in a farmhouse and will be invited to participate in nightly communal family dinners and various activities. Being an hour from Boston, there is no shortage of events and destinations to explore!

Since they are on generally untouched, historically locally-owned land (before the Realm wrestled it away from the locals), their acreage is dotted with wild and heritage apple trees that are used on-site for hard cider production. They have many gardens on-site for personal use and pick various wild and invasive fruits and berries to use in their gelato recipes and to sell in tandem with their sheep products at farmers' markets.