Grassfed Lamb
We believe that building health is better than fighting disease.
Our Approach to Raising Lamb
We started our flock with 10 Katahdin and Dorper ewes. As of January 2022, we have 25 ewes, one Dorper ram and one Katahdin ram. They produce an average of 30 lambs per year.
Starting in 2020, our animals are certified USDA grassfed.
Sunrise Ranch sheep are naturally raised in a safe, humane and environmentally sustainable way. Our philosophy is that healthy animals produce healthy meat. We practice only stress-free handling techniques with our livestock.
Our herd grazes on non-sprayed pastures using a system known as rotational grazing. During the summer months, ewes, lambs and rams are moved frequently and enjoy the company of their alpaca and llama guardians. Our sheep are able to eat grass and grass hay from our valley and mountain pasture until they are content.
Sunrise Ranch lambs do not receive disease prophylaxis antibiotics, growth promotion steroids or hormones. We know exactly where our animals come and what they eat because they are born here on our ranch! We do not buy lambs from outside sources.
Our sheep are fed only grass from our pastures and a grass/alfalfa mix hay that we buy from a farm in our valley. Our pastures have never been sprayed with chemical fertilizers or pesticides. The only natural supplement our sheep receive is continuous access to salt and minerals.
Double J Meat Packing
We have our lambs processed at Double J Meat Packing in Pierce, Colorado, a locally owned and USDA-approved processor. They dry-age the meat for 21 days and then vacuum-pack the cuts. We have chosen these facilities because they have skilled employees who treat our animals humanely and process small numbers of animals each day, compared to larger corporate facilities that butcher hundreds of animals per hour.
How to Buy
It’s easy to place an order; just click here. If you have any questions, please e-mail them to sunrisebeef@sunriseranch.org. Or visit us at the farmers markets in Fort Collins and Loveland. See our Farmers Market page.
Our 100 percent grassfed and finished lamb is:
- grassfed and grass-finished; no artificial supplements or grain, ever!
- locally raised in Loveland, Colorado
- rotationally grazed
- natural—no disease prophylaxis antibiotics or growth promotion steroids or hormones
- humanely produced and handled
- processed locally in a small, family-owned, USDA-inspected facility
- sold in individual cuts and in packs
- from animals that are certified USDA grassfed
Our Promise to You
- No artificial fertilizers
- No artificial pesticides
- No artificial herbicides
- No added hormones
- No disease prophylaxis antibiotics
- No animal by-products
Nutritional Benefits of Meat from Grassfed Lamb
- Researchers who compared grassfed with grain-fed lamb meat that “lambs grazing in pasture had 14 percent less fat and about 8 percent more protein compared to grain–fed lamb.”
- Meat from grassfed lambs contains a significant source of omega-3 fats, a nutrient associated with a decreased risk of inflammation and potentially a reduced risk of heart disease. Also, the ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fats is far better in grassfed lamb than in the average American diet.
- Grassfed meat is also known to have significant levels of a good fat called Conjugated Linoleic CLA is associated with reduced body fat and other health benefits. Research shows that CLA may help reduce the incidence of cancer.
- Grassfed lamb is a good source of selenium and Healthy amounts of these minerals provide protection against oxidative stress.
- Grassfed lamb meat is also an excellent source of vitamin B-12, niacin and zinc; it’s also a good source of iron.
- We think grassfed lamb tastes much better, as well!
