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Let the Sunshine In

Keeping a positive mindset in farming is an often-underrated quality for survival. In fact, in what can sometimes be a relatively precarious profession, lightheartedness, laughter, and an acceptance of what can and cannot be controlled might be the only way to achieve any semblance of success and sanity for those dedicated to the propagation of growing and delivering food for others. The development of manufactured technology in the 20th and 21st centuries has been dedicated almost entirely to alleviating the realities of human suffering and expanding human comfort and convenience. This is partly why I find it so sobering to talk to farmers about what works well on their farms, what is sometimes difficult, and how they have come to learn these lessons. The wrinkles, hard hands, and tanned skin have been born through years of dedication and perseverance, overcome despite the challenging realities, aching muscles, and nature’s way of reminding us who is really in charge. Some things are born, some things die, something new grows, and the cycle continues, again and again.

While we have a few dozen chickens and goats on our farm, our primary source of production comes from vegetables. So, I remain in awe by the mystery of life, which further unfolds for me whenever I meet farmers practicing the ancient art of animal husbandry. Their work is a daily reminder of the positive and negative life-and-death relationship we humans have with the rest of the animal world.

Situated at the Northern edge of Guilford before moving into Durham on Route 80, Arbor Farm is a testament to the power of dreaming big and believing in the payoff of hard work and positive energy. Schuyler Beeman is known in the area for many of his accomplishments on and behind theater stages as a performer, dancer, choreographer, and animal trainer. He is equally respected for his talents as a shepherd, now caring for sheep at the historic Dudley Farm in addition to his own farm about 6 miles away. I first met Schuyler as a member of the Guilford Agricultural Commission in 2022 and appreciate his regard for the history and community of farmers while also thinking creatively about new ways to push the growth of farming and farm promotion as a first-generation farmer. On a brightly lit, warm evening, as the early summer breeze blew through the waving blades of grass in the pasture while sheep ate and a bantam rooster crowed, I was humbly introduced to the carefully crafted and supported ecosystem of plants and animals Schuyler has cultivated since first founding the farm in 2019. Below is an excerpt of that conversation, and, for more information, readers can follow Schuyler’s work at Arbor Farm and The Dudley Farm by visiting in person or subscribing to his Patreon service.

SGM: What a tremendous spot you have! It’s beautiful here on the edge of the Guilford and Durham town border. Tell me, how long have you been here, and as a first-generation farmer, what are some of the lessons you have learned since beginning?

SB: If you can imagine, when I bought this property in 2019, the entire hillside was covered in every single invasive species, multiflora rose, bittersweet, autumn olive, all growing above my head! I took it all down by hand with a saw, and then I brought the sheep in to help eat the rest down until it became pasture again. Now, I encourage it to seed itself. I’ll do a first cut with lots of seeds in it, let the sheep eat some of it and stomp it in, and the fields are regenerating after years of being somewhat neglected.

SGM: Before we go up and take a closer look at the animals, can you tell me about this kitchen garden you have?

SB: Yeah, so I grow a lot of greens and some perennials in these raised beds. One of the things I am always trying to do is think of new ways to use the whole animal in an integrated farm system. So all of these vegetable beds are mulched with excess wool from the sheep.

SGM: Very cool. I would have never thought to do that.

SB: Anyone can try it! I find it really helps with nutrient and moisture retention, to the point I rarely water the beds. I want to get wool in the hands of people who aren’t sheep-head like me.

SGM: How does one become a “sheep-head”?

SB: I did the majority of my shepherding down in Maryland after a friend of mine from Middlebury invited me to his family’s sheep farm down there. In between theater gigs, I found myself spending all of my time there and fell in love with sheep. I now raise Border Cheviots because the sheerer down there had them, and the lambs grow superfast but aren’t the size of ponies!

SGM: So you have the sheep you’re raising here and at Dudley Farm? How many are there, and do you have other animals as well?

SB: So, depending on the season with lambs and adults, I usually have 8 to 10 sheep at my farm. I used to have pigs at the suggestion of another farmer who promoted using them for responsible brush clearing, but I found them much less manageable. I also raise and harvest a lot of rabbits in another barn on the property.

SGM: Wow, do you ever have time to come up on this hillside and just rest?

SB: Rest? (laughing) No, not really. Nap? Never. Haha. But, if I am starting to feel off, people I care about will begin asking me, “Have you sat with your sheep lately?” It helps me reset, and so I call it “sheep therapy.” It’s also just good practice to sit, observe them and their behavior, so when something is off or different it’s easier to recognize what’s out of the ordinary. There is something really primal about raising sheep, and they were one of the first animals we domesticated as humans.

SGM: So, how does raising sheep keep you grounded and centered? Can you talk a little more about why you’ve connected with sheep particularly?

SB: You have to move slowly with sheep. If you don’t move slowly, you’ll end up yelling expletives at them! Ha! Sheep are really good at being sheep, and they are really smart. If I am moving too fast and they’re not doing what I want them to do, it’s not their fault. It’s mine. I talk in my cabaret, Three Bags Full, about a study teaching sheep and monkeys a variety of tasks, and there are certain instances when the sheep learn and repeat the task more quickly than the monkeys. They’re much more perceptive and intelligent than most people think. They truly make me slow down, which is important for me as a go-go-go person. I just think they are so cool. I think wool is so interesting. I think lamb is delicious. I think sheep can save the world! They are so underrated and have lived beside us for so long. (laughing)

SGM: Everyone should be this passionate about what they’re doing. Animal husbandry also has a nice, consistent routine to it.

SB: Yes! I used to travel a lot for work. I loved getting to travel and being on the road, but the animals do help me slow down and meet them where they’re at. I also raise dozens of rabbits, which I think are so much easier than chickens and much healthier.

SGM: You’ve talked before about how you got into farming through visits to your friend’s sheep farm, but can you tell me a little of the story of your farm’s name, Arbor Farm?

SB: Well, my parent’s house in downtown Guilford was originally built to support a farm there. They have an old advertisement sign hanging in their kitchen from the original Dudley family, which says, “Get your veggies and flowers from the Arbor Store.” The arbors in their yard are remnants from this time and have all of these Concord grapes plants still growing on them. So, I have dreams of one day perhaps reopening the Arbor Store and once again selling farm products there!

SGM: Even if the sheep help you to slow down, you are keeping yourself really busy.

SB: It’s true, and I am finishing up my master’s degree in education. Part of what I was brought on to do at Dudley Farm is to create educational programming for visitors and students who visit. After I graduate, I want to teach middle school and continue managing what I am doing with the sheep.

SGM: Can we check out what you’re doing at Dudley Farm with the sheep there? (We pause to take a trip from Arbor Farm to Dudley Farm down the scenic Route 77) What do you most enjoy about working here?

SB: Well, first and foremost, there is a lot of room. Room for the sheep, room for pasture and hay storage, and room to shear. (With the sound of sheep baaing in the background) And, the mamas and their lambs love the south-facing fields here.

SGM: Schuyler, you could be doing so many other things. Why do you subject yourself to the challenge of shepherding, and what is most important for others to know about what you do and agriculture in this area in general?

SB: So, people ask me when am I going to get back into theater? The truth is, I didn’t like the lifestyle. Also, once it became a job, I lost a lot of the passion for it. Shepherding will always remain a passion for me because I will keep it at a scale that is doable and allows me to know each sheep and their personalities well. I like continually learning about the sheep and from other farmers about how to care for them in new and better ways. That community is important to me. I hope that others find ways to take a moment and connect with farmers and farm animals near them. Slow down! (laughing), I’ve learned it’ll do your spirit and our culture some good. One of the slogans from the American Lamb Association is, “Eat lamb. Wear wool.” So, let’s all do more of that!