This little fellow is a miracle. It is a miracle he was born because at this time last year his mother was under a sentence of death.
That was, until we went public with "Adopta Sheep" and invited anyone who cared to 'sponsor' one sheep by paying for its feed for 100 days. You see, we run a sheep farm in the Wellington district of NSW. We have been in drought for 5 of the last 6 years and 7 of the last 10. Last November, after we had sold 1000 wethers, we were faced with selling off the rest of the flock - 2500 ewes and their lambs. And everthing going to the saleyards then, like now, was going straight to the slaughterhouse. The ewes and lambs were our breeding flock - the result of 10 years of work. 
The night we decided to send them to market, I sat up alone - just like tonight - and wrote a letter to anyone who cared. I posted it on a blogsite, and sent a note to two Sydney newspapers. And waited. And waited. And it started as a trickle, then grew to a flood and we were almost washed away in a tidal wave of support. The entire flock was adopted... and fed well, thanks to a lot of wonderful people.
“Adopta Sheep” was a stunning success. It was more than a way to get the money for drought feed. It brought people together to help each other. Some adopting ‘parents’ say they get more out of it than we do. For us at the time, we were so depressed that their support was more important than the $35. People are amazing.
So now, with drought closing in, we are offering the "Miracle Lambs" and their mums for adoption. They are so healthy and fit, having been well fed. We had the best lambing ever this year - sadly, with the conditions being as they are.
But a more permanent solution is needed because these aren’t ordinary droughts. This is Climate Change. We are now urgently trying to 'drought-proof' the property - so we have grass to feed our lambs and their mothers even when it doesn’t rain for long periods. We are fencing our paddocks into smaller units and running water to them because this will allow us to use ‘time-controlled grazing’ which encourages native grasses to grow more thickly.
We have planted a wildlife corridor of 2500 trees and shrubs, connecting stands of native trees to encourage birds and mammals because more biodiversity encourages the growth of soil carbon and this precious stuff helps hold water in the soil. We have plans to renovate several poor paddocks by ‘pasture cropping’ and ‘biological farming techniques' (composting).
We are organising conferences where all the latest methods for making the most of what little water falls on the earth are discussed.
I bless the day I thought about you and all the people like you who love the land and love animals. I bless the day I had this stupid idea to offer you the chance to adopt one of our ewes or lambs. Or one of the rams. They've all got beautiful natures and loads of personality.
Sheep are more intelligent than many give them credit for. They can identify up to a dozen faces, including humans. They can learn their names. They have their own social circles. A couple of ewes will conduct a creche of lambs, for instance, allowing the other ewes to go off foraging for feed.
Our sheep are precious to us and we'd hate to lose any more. We grow sheep for wool because it's not the same as growing animals up to slaughter them. We make sure they have enough shade and water and we use the most humane handling techniques. And we're always looking to improve. Because we believe contented sheep produce better wool, and better karma for everyone.
You get a specially prepared certificate - delivered by email or Australia Post, ready for framing. It includes the sheep's name and your name... or the name of the person you are giving it to.
Many adopting 'parents' have visited the sheep to enjoy the encounter with animals and the beauty of Uamby valley.
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