Our Sheep
freedom run farm lamb
When we began this journey in 2011, we knew there was a demand for high-quality American lamb with consistent, year-round availability. Through many years of diligent work, we’ve discovered the breeds and refined the agricultural practices required to provide larger animals with a higher ratio of meat, superior marbling, and the most delicious, flavorful lamb.
Freedom Run Farm uses a variety of heritage breeds to preserve an important agricultural product that could easily be lost to the demands of industrial agriculture, and to raise and produce the finest quality American lamb. Among these breeds are Katahdin, Merino, Suffolk, Rambouillet, Hampshire, and hybrids of these breeds, all specifically raised to be versatile, robust animals with the exceptional qualities of highly-marbled, tender, and mildly-flavored lamb.
What Sets Our Lamb Apart
When most Americans think of lamb, they think of the tiny “lollipop” chops imported from Australia and New Zealand. But most imported lamb is actually a byproduct of wool production, which means it’s not raised for the qualities we find important in delicious lamb.
Freedom Run Farm lamb is not only larger and meatier than imported lamb, but is highly marbled and has a milder, sweeter flavor. Our sheep are bred specifically for their meat, resulting in a taste quite different from the average rack of lamb. We look for distinct qualities in our breedstock and, through careful and controlled breeding operations, we continue to hone in on specific breeds and breed hybrids that help us bring consistently delicious lamb to market year-round.
Additionally, one of the most critical factors that leads to our highly sought-after flavor profile is how our sheep are raised. Much of the flavor and fat marbling is a result of the regenerative grazing and farming practices that have taken years to develop. Our pastures are carefully managed and maintained to ensure there is a diverse variety of plant foods available to our sheep. This is both art and science, utilizing modern regenerative grazing and traditional farming techniques and methods to produce the highest-quality feed for our flocks. Years of planning and cultivation go into this process, and a careful consideration for the longevity and protection of our pastures is essential.
Born in Kentucky, Enjoyed Nationwide
Born in the lush pastures of Kentucky, Freedom Run Farm has been able to develop a network of shepherds through the region that follow our meticulous practices to ensure larger animals with superior marbling and the unique Freedom Run Farms flavor profile. As we continue to bring on new shepherds that follow our standards, we’re able to further fill that need for high-quality American lamb.
But while we could speak about the breeds and agricultural practices all day, the proof is in the flavor. Once you try Freedom Run Farm Lamb, you’ll taste the difference with the first bite.
Learn More about What Makes our Lamb unique.
“Freedom Run Farm lamb is the pinnacle lamb that I’ve had, not only in Kentucky, but anywhere. With a very mild, sweet flavor, it is sure to please the lamb lover as well as a first time lamb eater.”
Our Farm
Valerie Samutin founded Freedom Run Farm in 2011. After attempting to recreate the meal she enjoyed with her husband on their wedding night—roasted lamb, naturally—they were both disappointed with the quality of lamb that was available. Unable to find grass-fed, organic lamb proved to be a challenge, so Valerie set out to learn everything she could about lamb shepherding.
She took a deep dive into not just lamb, but sustainable agriculture as well. When the desire became too much to bear, Valerie took the leap and ditched urban life in Chicago to set up shop in rural Kentucky. She started her farm and slowly grew her flock to about 100 heads. These sheep enjoy a quiet life in the pastures of Freedom Run Farm, foraging their own food in open space.
Beyond her own flock, Valerie is deeply dedicated to returning Kentucky to its lamb producing heyday.
For decades, Kentucky was the primary producer of lamb in the United States—the region even developed its own regional style of lamb barbecue. However, with the onset of synthetic fabrics and the reduced demand for wool, the lamb industry bottomed out after WWII.
Valerie saw an opportunity in the rise of sustainable and heritage foods, and she’s now helping to lead the way in reintroducing lamb as both a profitable agricultural endeavor and a means for the region to reconnect with its culinary heritage.
Learn More About Kentucky’s Culinary Heritage.
“With over 10 years of working in kitchens I have been honored to use some amazing quality lamb; however, when we received our first whole lamb from Freedom Run Farm I was amazed with the quality. The marbling is amazing and the flavor of the meat and fat is superb.”
Our Shepherds
After founding Freedom Run Farm, one of the first challenges that Valerie met was marketing her product. This is an issue that any small-scale agricultural producer runs into, and finding a way to overcome this is critical for long term success. The Lamb Association of America has a meager marketing budget, which is about half of what New Zealand spends marketing its product to Americans. With limited resources and support, and competing against the big dollars, Valerie knew she had to do something to create a new way for her to help bring this amazing lamb to market.
After studying how other small-scale agricultural producers (cheese, produce, livestock) overcame these challenges, there was one solution that made the most since—create a consortium.
A consortium is similar to a collective, or co-op of producers, who work together to bring their product to market under one brand.
This has numerous positive effects on all of the businesses, and the reason is quite simple—there is power in numbers. Each member of the Freedom Run Farm Consortium follows the same rigid standards of sustainably pasture-raised Katahdin sheep. Our program consists of shared performance genetics, nutritional program and management practices. Working together, we have perfected our production method to ensure consistency, product availability, and premium quality.
Additionally, the consortium allows the collective of shepherds to pool their resources to help market their product. This means things like consumer education, packaging, and print materials (even this very website) would be hard for one small farm to accomplish; but together, they can create the messaging and marketing needed to successfully build the consumer base needed to sustain individual small family farms—and tell the world how unique and delicious their lamb is!
The FRF consortium allows shepherds who might not otherwise want to risk moving into sustainable agriculture feel that they are being supported and have a greater chance at success. The end result is two-fold. First, more and more farms are shepherding lamb, restoring an important piece of Kentucky agricultural heritage. And secondly, by helping to support these shepherds and proving that a market exists for pasture-raised lamb, more producers are switching to a model that is sustainable and abides by good agricultural practices.