From Inspector General to Shepherd in Chief
by Tom Shea
Travis was a man who found himself at the end of a long military career as an inspector general for the Army. After many years of service, he was ready to retire to the 25-acre Whistling H Farms, a property he had previously used as a boarding barn.
When I first met Travis Hawkins, it was three months after a move back to North Carolina from Minnesota, and I had just begun working as an ag agent. Travis lived in the county next to where I was working and had been collaborating with his agricultural agent to renovate his current pastures and address sandspurs, a common issue in North Carolina's sandy soil, particularly on horse farms. Travis had mentioned that he was interested in raising sheep, and his ag agent connected Travis and me. I had spent the last few years raising sheep and thought they were an excellent species for small-acreage farmers to start raising livestock. I was working with other ag agents in the area to support veteran and small ruminant programs. Travis scheduled a farm visit, and, by the time of my visit, he had whittled down the number of horses boarded on his property to set aside a few acres dedicated to sheep. At that first visit in 2022, he had three Katahdin ewes that he had recently purchased. Travis had a blank canvas to build his dream, and we were going to learn how to start a sheep operation from scratch together.
That first year, Travis and I were in constant contact, with phone calls, texts, and almost monthly visits to the farm. It didn’t hurt that he lives down the road from an amazing taco shop. Travis was like a sponge; he was reading every sheep book and article out there, taking everything we discussed to heart, and implementing most of what we discussed. I had never had someone put so much trust in what I was saying, and it was terrifying. I was determined that, no matter what, I would be there to help support him. My wife and I would go out there on weekends to help with anything we could, such as vaccinating, deworming, and hoof trimming - you name it. We were in it together that first year. Travis was ready to retire and jump in headfirst. He began looking for rams and ewes to expand his flock. By fall breeding, he was up to eight ewes and a ram and ready to go. The flock began to grow.
Over the last several years, both the flock and Travis began to grow. Now retired from the Army, Travis is a full-time farming. The flock continues to expand, almost reaching his target of 150 ewes. Using temporary fencing allows the flock to graze on fresh grass more frequently, providing them with a greater grazing area than continuous grazing, and helps reduce their health problems, such as parasites, a significant concern in the sheep and goat industries. Travis also plans to expand into greenhouses. He is an excellent example of how new and beginning farmers, with a little determination, guidance, and a lot of grit, can join the agricultural industry without huge swaths of land.
Sheep and Goats present a perfect opportunity for new and beginning farmers to enter the industry or current producers to diversify their operations. If you are interested in learning more about the economic impacts, multispecies grazing benefits or small ruminants in general, join us for “Graze-on Over” on September 3rd at 7 pm Eastern time. Click here to learn more and register.
