Saturday – September 23rd, 2023
New River Valley Fairgrounds
Dublin, VA
Upcoming Events
Lamb Chop Dinner at the Draper Merc!
Friday, June 16, 2023 7pm
Fundraiser – Lamb Chop Dinner at the Draper Merc! Our friends at the Draper Merc are holding a Fundraising Dinner to benefit our club! The dinner will be held on Friday, June 16 at 7pm and include lamb chops, potatoes and green beans. The dinner will cost $25 per person – dessert or wine & beer are extra. This exciting event is open to the public, so spread the word! Invite your friends and neighbors!
There will also be a Silent Auction at this event with beautiful and original items!
The Draper Mercantile is located at 3054 Greenbriar Road, Draper, VA 24324.
Please email nrvsheepgoatclub@gmail.com to reserve your spot!
Annual Club Bus Trip – July 13 – 15, 2023
This year’s overnight bus trip will be a great one! This will be a three-day/two-night trip July 13 – 15. We will be going to SouthEastern Ohio this time around and just look at all the great places we will visit: A meat goat farm, a dairy goat farm, a fiber goat farm, a hair sheep farm, a wool/meat sheep farm, a wool sheep farm, a woollen mill, and some Amish shops! Whew! This trip will be jam-packed with exciting things to see and learn about! Let us know if you are interested in this awesome trip!
Third Annual Greatest Of All Time (G.O.A.T.) Sheep & Goat Festival – September 23rd, 2023
MARK YOUR CALENDARS!!! This year’s Festival promises to be the biggest and best ever!!! This year’s festival will be held at the New River Valley Fairgrounds in Dublin, Virginia! Yes, we will still have all of your favorite attractions – Live Music, Live demonstrations including sheep & goat shearing, goat milking, yarn spinning and Dog Trials! Petting Zoo, Kid’s craft and activity area, Photo booth, Sheep and Goat Breed Display, Many Vendors – Club Members who make exciting creations from wool and/or goat milk! Educational booths and displays, and everyone’s favorite – the Spinning Wheel of Prizes! This year we will also have a Starter Flock Sale! If you’ve been “on the fence” about raising sheep or goats, this is your chance to get a great start! Be prepared to be dazzled and have more fun in one day than you can imagine! EWE don’t want to miss this!!!
Plus: Please check out our Calendar of Events page frequently as we are always adding Wool-working classes, and other fun and educational events that you may be interested in!
Welcome
The New River Valley Sheep & Goat Club was established in August of 2014.
We are a network of sheep and goat producers dedicated to promoting, advocating for, and growing the number of sheep and goats in the mountains of rural Southwest Virginia, as well as nearby regions of North Carolina and West Virginia.
At this time, we boast over 250 Member Farms, totaling almost 600 individual members. Our members understand the importance and value of sheep and goats to the economic health of our communities and agricultural diversity of our communities, as well as our responsibility to educate the general public regarding issues related to farming, working with animals, and rural economic development.
Our Mission, Our Responsibility
Support our Sheep and Goat Farmers: We feel a strong responsibility to support our members, including those who are established producers of sheep and goats, but also to guide and encourage our young members and those who represent our future generations. Our mission is to provide that support wherever possible and to also provide a united sense of community among our member producers. Our sheep and goat producers generate many benefits to our communities that are provided by the raising of sheep and goats on our hillsides and the NRV Sheep and Goat Club is here to help.
Support our Artisan Members: One vital part of our organization are our artisan members, those of our members who use their artistic skills to create many unique and specialized handcrafted products. Our talented member artisans create products such as fiber arts (including handspun yarns, knitted and felted items, and wearable art and clothing), goat milk and other soaps, and lotions.
Preserve our Culture: We are also respectful of the fact that thousands of years of raising sheep and goats as part of man’s agricultural practices have provided many of the ingredients necessary to allow us to survive, prosper, and live a more comfortable life.
Interested in joining the club? Click here.
Club Newsletters!
Keep up with the club with our quarterly newsletter!
Why Join?
- Become a part of our network of Sheep and Goat producers: Together we can help educate, inform, and this build a strong sheep and goat industry in Southwest Virginia. We welcome all aspects of the sheep and goat industry, including all meat, milk, and fiber breeds as well as derived products, such as pelts, fleece, fiber, and health and beauty products and individuals who keep sheep and goats just for pets.
- Access our Member Directory; Find help, knowledge, and resources through our members. We list information about breeds and specialties of each of our members. An additional benefit of being a club member is, your farm will be included in our directory.
- Participate in Exclusive Events, Festivals, and Sales: We assist in marketing our members sheep & goats, generally our members receive higher prices through collectively shipping larger loads. Also, we organize trips to festivals and hold educational meetings!
Club News
Artisan Trail is less than a month away! Grab a brochure and map out where you'll be stopping on this year's Trail 🌿
There are 40 different participants this year, including artists, galleries, restaurants, farms, and other small businesses. Some folks will be doing demos throughout the weekend at their studios so make sure to check out the details on the brochure.
Artisan Trail is a traditional event in Floyd County designed to support our local creative economy. FCA is proud to host this event once again. Bring your family & friends and make it a long weekend in Floyd!
#floydcenterforthearts #floydva #artcenter #floydartisantrail #artisantrail #openstudios #supportlocalart #buylocal #supportsmallbusiness #floydcounty #newrivervalley #visitfloydva
We will be holding a Needle Felting class on Thursday May 25. We will be making a needle felted brooch! Yours can be either a sheep or goat – or a dog or cat or horse! You can even make it into a necklace or a pair of earrings! That’s the fun of these classes – everyone’s turns out different and it’s great to see all the creative minds at work!
We’ll be meeting at “Thee Draper Village at Merc Farm” located at 2980 Brown Road, Draper VA 24324 on Thursday May 25 – Class will begin at 6pm and you can proudly wear your creation home in just a couple of hours! This class will cost $12 for club members and $15 for non-members. Come on out and learn a fun and exciting new skill!
Please email nrvsheepgoatclub@gmail.com to sign up!
Looking forward to it!
Don't Forget to Mark your Calendars!!!! AND the New Location!!
Our Festival has grown SO much that we had to move to a larger venue. So join us at the New River Valley Fairgrounds in Dublin, VA for this FREE community event. Hope to see you there September 23, 2023!!
This content isn't available right now
When this happens, it's usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it or it's been deleted.Wish this wasn’t always on the same day at the VA State Fair open sheep show.
This content isn't available right now
This content isn't available right now
When this happens, it's usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it or it's been deleted.Nature is amazing, but this sounds like having Bonnie and Clyde “guard” your bank. Definitely taking a chance things will not go well for you!
Wyoming Sheep Rancher Says Coyotes Guard His Flock, As Does Eagle-Stomping Ewe
cowboystatedaily.com
A Riverton, Wyoming, sheep rancher said he stopped randomly shooting coyotes after some of them became “guard coyotes” for his sheep herd, which included an eagle-stomping ewe.Coyotes are the best livestock guardian dogs out there. Initial purchase price is low, as is cost to feed and vet. The neighbors won't call if they wander or make noise. Nobody loses their mind when you blast one for messing with your livestock. Don't have to buy dog tags. Once you get good ones that don't mess with your stock, they will run off other predators and they are very good at eating small vermin.
If you are in the Floyd area, support a local business and a talented member (Piney Creek Farm & Studio VA)We have a new artist in our store! Thanks to Piney Creek Farm & Studio VA for trusting us to sell your beautiful jewelry!
Hoping you can come see the new collection, relax on the store porch with a cup of coffee, and camp out with us soon!
#farmlife #farmstore #youpickflowers #artisanmade #tentcamping #Virginia #virginiaisforlovers #blueridgemountains #blueridgeparkway #visitfloydva #floydva #camping #flowers #handmadejewelry
I love her jewelry! I’ve bought several pieces.
Sheep for Sale, Goats for Sale, and Other Services from Our Members
- Explore classified ads from our members
- Organized by breed and species
- Endorsed by the NRV Sheep & Goat Club
Upcoming Member Events
- Club Booth at Blue Ridge Fiber Fest! on 06/02/2023
- Club Booth at Pulaski County Flea Market! on 06/03/2023
- Club Booth at Blue Ridge Fiber Fest! on 06/03/2023
Sheep for Sale, Goats for Sale, and Other Services from Our Members
- Explore classified ads from our members
- Organized by breed and species
- Endorsed by the NRV Sheep & Goat Club