Our Story:
- Linda has raised and shown sheep for over fifty years
- Before the Cotswolds, Linda started in 4-H with Suffolks.
- In the mid 1970’s, Linda’s mother, Vicki Rigel was interested in the spinning and weaving end of the sheep business and decided she needed a wool breed and Merino’s were her choice.
- In the early 1980’s, Vicki decided she wanted a different breed and the Merino’s left and along came the Cotswolds.
- We decided to concentrate on one breed and Cotswolds were our choice.
- After a few more years, Linda was missing the trimming of the meat breeds and decided to try Cheviots. These two breeds have stayed since.
- In 1996 Fred “married into” Orion Acres.
- Today we run about 30+ ewes between the two breeds, show all over New England and some National shows and have done very well in the show ring.
Our Farm Name - Orion Acres:
- Many have wondered where the name came from. It is named after the Orion constellation. The star that represents Orion’s foot is named RIGEL
- Hence where the farm name came from.
Our Vision:
- Is to raise quality sheep with correctness and lots of breed type
- We strive for:
Easy keepers that will do well both in the show ring and on the farm
Good mothers with great milking ability and ease of lambing
Good fleeces and meat quality for the Cotswolds
Lots of meat value on the Cheviots - faster time to market than most other breeds