The Field Guideby Moss & MarrowGrebbeveld Schapen &zo
- Cattle, sheep or goats graze on pasture in the grazing season
- Heritage breeds
- Nature-inclusive farming
Grebbeveld Schapen &zo is a conservation-grazing business founded in 2012, with a shepherded flock of Veluwe heath sheep (Veluwse heideschapen) kept from a sheepfold on the Langesteeg in Bennekom, selling lamb, felt and wool from its own flock.
From 1 April to mid-December the sheep graze nature reserves and estates on the Utrechtse Heuvelrug and the southern Veluwe, and in early spring the Grebbedijk between Wageningen and Rhenen. Nature organisations and landowners hire the flock to keep heathland from turning into forest and to graze out the grass that crowds the heather. In winter the flock stays with farmers in the Binnenveld, and the sheep are indoors in the Bennekom sheepfold only for a few weeks of lambing in February and March before going straight back out.
The lamb is sold at De Hoge Born and De Gieterij in Wageningen and at the StreekWaar stall on the Markt in Wageningen every Saturday from 9:00 to 17:00. The farm shop at the sheepfold opens by appointment for larger or special orders, and in the days before Christmas and Easter; you can also order by phone and collect at the market stall or in the evening in Wageningen. Card payment is accepted.
Because the flock moves with a shepherd from one small reserve to the next, the sheep carry seeds and insects between areas in their fleece.