11/24/2025
This is great discussion. What would you add?
Avoiding Greenwashed Genetics: How to Match Genetics With Your Program
Sheep buyers hear the same marketing words everywhere … pasture-raised, forage-only, grass-fed, no grain, hardy, easy-keeper.
But those same terms can describe wildly different management systems, depending on pasture quality, acreage, stocking rate, environment, and breeder goals. One producer’s “pasture-raised” might mean hundreds of acres of native grass, while another’s might mean 50 sheep on 10 acres with supplemental feeding.
Most buyers simply want sheep that can stay sound, grow reasonably, breed on time, and hold condition on whatever forage their own land provides. The best way to make that match is through transparency, because when breeders explain how and why they feed the way they do, buyers can decide whether those genetics will work at home.
Transparency builds trust, and trust builds repeat buyers.
PASTURE-RAISED:
What people assume: Sheep on grass with minimal help.
Reality can be: Lush legumes, irrigated pasture, sheep that graze by day and get heavy alfalffa or grain at night.
FORAGE-BASED / FORAGE-ONLY:
What people assume: Grass, hay, browse.
Reality can be: Dairy-quality alfalfa, almond hulls, baleage, or high-calorie forage blends that act just like grain w no or limited access to pasture.
GRASS-FED / GRASS-ONLY:
What people assume: Simple grass pasture.
Reality can be: cover crops, brassicas, legumes, dairy quality alfalfa.
NO GRAIN:
What people assume: Natural, low-input growth.
Reality can be: Calories from tubs, pellets, alfalfa, or hulls, nothing technically labeled as “grain.”
HARDY / EASY-KEEPER
What people assume: Thrives anywhere with minimal input.
Reality can be: They looked great on one system but may not have faced drought, low-quality forage, parasites, or harsh winters.
Supplementing doesn’t necessarily mean weakness or coddling. Just like athletes need enough protein to build muscle, sheep need adequate nutrients to express their genetics, milk well, breed on time, and stay healthy, especially in operations where:
• pasture quality is thin, drought-stressed, or winter-killed
• producers have limited acreage or inconsistent access to pasture
• grass growth can’t keep up with stocking rate
• parasite seasons are heavy
• ewe lambs need to reach proper frame size for early breeding
• weather extremes reduce forage availability
Many operations don’t have unlimited acres of mixed grasses. It’s unrealistic (and unprofitable) to let animals fall apart just to say they weren’t supplemented.
Responsible supplementation supports animal health, productivity, and the producer’s bottom line.
Coddling is when everything gets fed so well that the weak ones never show themselves, whether that weakness is structural, metabolic, or just poor doers.
There’s a sweet spot between feeding enough for health and not feeding so much that you hide genetic weakness. The goal is sheep that stay productive on your forage, with supplementation as a tool, not a crutch.
***Understand the Breeder’s Goals
You might want hardy, low-input grass sheep.
Someone else may want the fastest gain possible in a feed-rich system. Both are valid, and both types have a place, if they match your goals.
One of the best questions a buyer can ask is:
“What kind of sheep are you trying to produce long-term?” Goal alignment matters more than any label.
Six Questions Every Buyer Should Ask:
1. What were they actually eating from birth to now?
Grass, hay, cover crop, grain, alfalfa, pellets, whatever it was.
2. What made you choose that feeding program?
Pasture quality, acreage, drought, winter, stocking rate, or growth goals.
3. What does your pasture look like through the year?
Native grass, legumes, dry lot, rotational grazing, small acreage, or mixed systems.
4. How do they hold up when feed quality drops?
Do they maintain, melt, or stay productive?
5. What pressures do they face in your environment?
Parasites, heat, cold, thin pasture, limited acreage, or heavy rotation.
6. What type of sheep are you trying to produce long-term? Low-input hardy? Fast gain? Maternal? Muscular? Balanced?
Everyone’s goals and management styles are different, and that’s exactly how it should be. Ask what the sheep were actually raised on, understand why, and choose genetics that match your pasture, your goals, and your environment. Doing that sets you up for long-term success.
