Sheep Harvest and Butcher Course

Service Description

For over 11,000 years, humans have lived alongside sheep. Among the first animals to be domesticated, sheep have provided fiber, food, and companionship across generations. Today, many of us are disconnected from the origins of our food and from the human rituals of giving and taking life. This workshop is an invitation to reconnect with these ancient practices through a hands-on lamb harvest. In this two-day course, you will learn how to humanely dispatch, skin, gut, and butcher a lamb. The class is taught by professional butcher Brett Jensen and Withywindle Valley Farm’s Carissa Miller. Working in pairs, participants will process lambs born and raised on the farm. Each person will leave with half a lamb they’ve butchered themselves. We also offer discounts for our future hide tanning course if you’d like to tan your own hide. This class is ideal for hunters (the same skills apply to deer and elk), farmers, aspiring homesteaders, or anyone curious about harvesting their own meat. Whether you raise animals or simply want to connect more deeply to your food, this workshop will equip you with the skills to process any four-legged animal—from dispatch to freezer-ready cuts. The course is held at Withywindle Valley Farm in our cozy family gathering barn. We provide morning coffee and hearty lunches both days. On Friday evening, we’ll share an optional organ-meat feast and drinks. On-farm camping is available (be prepared for winter weather). All tools and materials are provided—just bring bags or a cooler to transport your meat. Day 1: We begin with coffee, introductions, and a class overview. The morning covers slaughter methods, tools, and hands-on lamb dispatch and hanging. After lunch, we’ll demonstrate skinning and evisceration, then guide you step-by-step through your own lamb. The day closes with carcass cooling and an optional organ-meat dinner. Day 2: We’ll start with coffee and a class recap before diving into butchering techniques and best practices. You’ll learn how to break carcasses into primals, then work on your own butchery. After lunch, we’ll cover custom cuts, wrapping, and vacuum-sealing. You’ll spend the afternoon preparing your meat and finish the day with clean-up and sanitization.