Turning the Land Around: Lessons in Rotational Grazing and Ecosystems Recovery

Press The Natural Farmer

Author Danielle Zimmerman

Published Summer 2025

The Natural Farmer - Summer 2025

It’s late summer, teetering on the edge of fall, and farmer Caleb Smith is at the base of Dorset Peak, bunching up portable sheep fencing. The towering mountain, part of the Taconic Range, looms above the valley, where his sheep, despite their large flock size, appear like flecks in the sprawling landscape. The evening pasture rotation is a new routine for Caleb, who recently transitioned from conventional dairy cows to rotationally grazed sheep. 

Caleb changing pasture in the evening shadows of Dorset Peak, VT.

Dorset Peak Sheep and Cattle Co. operates on part of Smokey House Center’s 5,000-acre nonprofit farm and forest in Danby, Vermont. Caleb is one of two Partner Farmers who lease land and work the property, which promotes sustainable agricultural and forestry practices. He came to the Center in 2009, bringing his dairy and farming background, and quickly launched Dorset Peak Jerseys — a 78-cow conventional dairy operation. This turned out to be a lot of work for a one-man show. As Caleb reflects, “Having Jersey’s is great but challenging. They are like a BMW — amazing, but they need a lot of attention!”

After more than a decade running the operation alone, weathering price fluctuations and the shrinking of the dairy services industry, Caleb started to question the long-term viability of his dairy enterprise. In 2021, Caleb began researching the feasibility of switching to sheep. By 2022, he sold his dairy cows and purchased 430 Polypay sheep. The transition wasn’t exactly linear, though. Initially, he tried feeding them total mixed ration (TMR), breeding them to lamb continuously throughout the year, and keeping them in the barn all winter, which didn’t work well. Caleb learned that the basics of what he needed were “Sheep that can spend all winter outside, stay in good condition, and raise a nice big lamb with minimal inputs.” 

The turning point came when Caleb abandoned mechanically harvesting corn and silage for rotational grazing. With portable fencing and less water demand than cows, rotational grazing sheep quickly proved more sustainable. In 2022, Caleb received an NRCS EQIP contract to seed all his annual crop acres into perennial grasses and legumes. Since then, it’s been fascinating to see how those mixes perform under grazing pressure. What’s particularly striking is how the sheep prefer a diverse mix of plants compared to the clean grasses he used to grow for cows. Once introduced into a new rotation, the sheep generally go for plantain, chicory, and forbs first, then eat all the legumes before finally eating the grasses. 

Caleb noticed benefits to his pastures as a result of these changes. Fields where cowpeas, soybeans, millet, sorghum, turnips, clovers, and ryegrass were planted have seen an 80% reduction in supplemental mineral consumption by the sheep. This new system also has a lighter environmental footprint, with reduced fertilizer use, less soil compaction, and increased biodiversity in the pasture. The changes have also attracted more birds to the land and more roadside gawkers. Caleb notes, “People find sheep relatable in a funny way. It’s interesting because the story of sheep is the story of human evolution. They are made to live with us. And we are drawn to them.” 

This summer, Caleb will be the first in North America to implement the Optiweigh system for sheep — an Australian-made tool used in conjunction with RFID tags to track real-time weight gain in relation to pastures. This system also showcases species and weather differences — a bellwether for parasite load. In addition to this innovative system, Caleb is excited to partner with Smokey House Center to implement a silvopasture system as part of their new keystone program, the Living Lab. Together, they will experiment with two systems: one that involves thinning a degraded forest edge, seeding it, and creating a shaded pasture, and another that consists in planting Yellowbud Hickory and establishing fodder banks in a low-priority field. These trials, combined with data from the Optiweigh system, will help determine which system, if any, is most beneficial for the sheep’s overall health. 

As Caleb’s story continues to unfold, it demonstrates that recovery of living agroecosystems is possible through thoughtful, sustainable practices and a willingness to innovate. Connect with Caleb on Instagram @dorsetpeaksheepco and Smokey House Center @smokeyhousecenter. Visit www.smokeyhouse.org to learn more about the Living Lab and other research projects happening there, centered around farming and forestry.

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