Harvest Hill Acres is located in the beautiful SOGN valley of south central Minnesota. We have a purebred flock of CVM Romeldale sheep. This breed of sheep is one of the rarest breeds of sheep in the United States. The Romeldale breed was developed in California during the early 1900s as a cross between New Zealand Marsh Romney and Rombouilet. They are a dual purpose breed that provide a mild flavored meat and a fine fiber. Romeldales were originally bred for the more commercially accepted white fleece. During the 1970s, color patterned lambs were born. This patterned part of the breed was further developed through thoughtful breeding. This breeding for fleece with colors and patterns created the Californica Variegated Mutant or CVM portion of the breed.
The fleece of this breed generally darkens and softens as the animal ages. The fiber is soft enought for next to skin wear with micron counts ranging from 20-25. Our sheep are coated to help keep their fleeces as clean as possible. With a variety of colors and soft fleece that is easy to spin, knit or weave, these sheep are a fiber artist’s dream.
Our flock started in the spring of 2015 with two wethers from friends that needed a home. It was love at first sight. We continued to search for a breeding group and acquired a starter flock late in 2015. We now manage our own breeding program with consideration for breed standards, quality fleece, good conformation and a variety of color patterns. Because of our commitment to wildlife conservation, we looked at minor breeds for our home farm. We consider this an honor to steward this critically endangered breed of sheep.
About Our Approach to Fiber
We focus on remaining 100% United States sourced fiber and work with local midwest mills to produce our yarn. By partnering with other small businesses we ensure the United States wool industry can thrive.
Our wool is simply cleaned and spun with no additional processing. This raw form of wool allows for the natural spring and smoosh of the fiber to come through in the yarns. Wool as a fiber is sustainable and long lasting. Since the fiber does not absorb odor it can simply be cleaned with steam rather than harse laundry chemicals. It can also easily be laundered on a gentle cycle with mild detergent and laid flat to dry.