Hillside Sheep Dairy

The Background of Hillside Sheep Dairy.

I'm Caleb Crubaugh. I'm 15, and most of you have probably heard of my family's farm Crubaugh Hillside Farm. My family purchased this farm about three years ago, and when we did my Dad offered to let me use some of the land for some type of agriculture. I researched and thought sheep would be a great livestock to start with. I raised Katahdin meat sheep, but I wanted to produce a product that was more unique and different. I researched and found out that sheep could also be raised for dairy products. I was sure this was what I wanted to do. I participated in the Young Entrepreneurs Academy program, and with the help of many other farmers and businessman, started making my business, Hillside Sheep Dairy. I created a business plan, found investors, visited other dairy farms, and learned all I could about making cheese. Everything was going great, until one day I learned about the government's regulations for milk, cheese, and other dairy food products. They were unbelievable! If I lived in New York or a few other states I could have gotten started easily, but in Kentucky the laws for dairy products are extremely strict. It would have cost me around $50,000+ just to get started because of the high cost of specialized cheese-making equipment. I was persistent, but this just wasn't possible. I had no idea what to do, until one day I found out about making soap from sheep's milk. I did some more research on it and found out that sheep's milk was perfect for soap due to its high fat content, which makes it smooth on the skin, and other healthy ingredients that make it a great for soap. The sheep also provide wool, lanolin, and other natural ingredients that could be used to make felted soap or other future products for my business. I had found my product. I made changes to my business plan and was ready to start. I found investors, learned everything I needed to care for the sheep, made plans to purchase the equipment, and am almost ready to start. So get ready to start searching for us at local farmers markets, because Hillside Sheep Dairy is projected to be ready to sell soap in just three months!