The Lambert family moved to the Ozarks from Delaware and now have a growing sheep and goat operation
SEYMOUR, MO. – Qadosh Farms is a 7-acre farm near Seymour, Mo. in Webster County. Fred and Heather Lambert have owned and operated the small farm for two years.
“Qadosh is a Hebrew word that means set apart,” Heather explained. Before moving to the Seymour area, the Lambert family lived in Delaware. Heather’s step-dad had just passed away, and she helped care for him the last six months of his life. After he passed, her husband lost his job. They had previously talked about moving to the Ozarks because of the faith community.
“We sent our resumes out and he got a job in Springfield,” Heather said.
Also residing on the farm is their son, Carter (23), and Heather’s mother, Patricia Larrimore. Their older son is in the Navy.
They started their farm with chickens and ducks, but Heather and Fred decided they wanted sheep. She talked to a neighbor who had a brother-in-law who had some available. “So we went to our Amish neighbor and picked up four ewes and one ram,” Heather stated.
They now have 12 sheep. They are Katahdin and Dorper cross, although some are full Katahdin. Heather did research on the breeds. She likes that they are hair sheep and don’t require shearing.
“They are also more resistant to parasites,” she said.
Next came goats.
“They were gifted to us. Somebody needed to find a home for their goats and she reached out to me and said, ‘I think your farm would be a beautiful place for them’ and gifted them to us,” Heather explained.
They had six Nigerian Dwarf goats, but recently sold their billy. Nigerian Dwarfs are a dairy breed, but they haven’t milked them yet.
“It’s a work in progress,” Heather said. “This is their second round of kids.”
If she had to pick her favorite animals it is “probably the sheep.”
“They seem a lot easier. I probably say that right now because the goats like to be escape artists,” Heather said. “I’m also trying to interact with them and get comfortable so I’ll be able to milk them.”
There is a lot going on at the farm in the summer and Heather is trying to “service all the different areas that need to be serviced and remove any obstacle.” The sheep have been the easiest to work with.
“Last year when we got our ram, Reuben, he was as sweet as could be. This year, he’s older and he’s starting to be a little obstinate as far as trying to ram you and stuff like that,” Heather said. Learning how to deal with his temperament is a challenge for Heather. It wasn’t until spring of this year that he started to get difficult.
Last winter, they had seven lambs and they all survived.
“That was great. It’s been beautiful to watch,” Heather said. “My husband considers himself a concrete man and it’s all new to him. He’s growing a lot in all of this. We’ve never farmed or done any of this before,” she added. “Having a farm has always been a dream of mine, since I was a little girl.”
She thinks the best thing about having sheep is having their own food source.
“Eventually they’re meat. If it’s cooked right, I find it very tasty. I love lamb chops and grilling them. I find it very delicious. My husband is still trying to get used to it, but he’s more of a beef eater,” Heather explained.
But when it comes to the sheep, Heather says they’re just “enjoyable to be around.” She didn’t get to witness any of the births, finding the young lambs when she would go out in the early mornings.
“It’s enjoyable just watching them grow,” she stated.
Heather believes the biggest challenge with having goats is keeping them contained.
“Make sure that your fencing is a minimum of 12.5-gauge, not the 14, because that’s what we ran into a lot of trouble with ours,” she said. “As far as sheep, just do it. It has probably been the best thing for us.”
Trying to keep them still and trimming their hooves is also quite a task.
“My husband held them and I trimmed them. It was very interesting, to say the least,” Heather said.
She enjoys the personalities of the goats and “watching how fun they are as they play. Even at night you can hear their hooves hitting the little castle I have for them,” she said.
Once they start milking, Heather would like to make cheese and soap.
“That is a goal,” she said.
They have had sheep for a year and goats for about nine months.
