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Jade Pope, owner/operator of Jade Agritech lives in Burley, WA with his wife and daughter. Jade Agritech is a purveyor of fencing and quality agricultural services. For more information please visit Jade Agritech.

Thank you.

Jade and Cynthia Pope

Last modified on 2010-04-18 19:03:31 GMT. 1 comment. Top.

The Blessings of Raising A Family and Sheep

For Jade Pope, a New Zealand native and current resident of Burley, 1994 was a lucky year.  A student at Lincoln University in Canterbury, New Zealand, that was the year he met his future wife Cynthia, a Lincoln University exchange student from Springfield, Oregon.

Elliana, Cynthia and Jade Pope

The international romance blossomed, the pair kept in touch, and by 2000 Jade came to the United States where they married and settled down on a four-acre plot of land in Spanaway, Washington to start what would be their first sheep farm together.

Woolen Acres registered Oxford sheep

“There are about ten sheep for every human in New Zealand and I was the only one in my group of friends who wasn’t involved with sheep farming, though I did spend a lot of holidays and summers with sheep,” Jade said with a laugh.

But Cynthia grew on a farm in Springfield where the family did own sheep. So after graduation from veterinary school, she took over the family flock and, together with Jade, began breeding and raising purebred, registered Oxford sheep for wool, meat, and breeding stock sales.

Soon the couple longed for a more rural atmosphere and life style so in May, 2003, they purchased a 10-acre plot of raw land in Burley. While the pair rented near Gig Harbor, Jade cleared land, erected fencing for pastures and built a house that would be completed in July 2005.

In a Foul Mood at Woolen Acres

Since that July, the Popes have moved into their new Burley home, the sheep also moved to the farm, their 13-month-old daughter,  Elliana, was born, ducks are now being raised, and two herd guard dogs added to live with the sheep – an Italian Maremma and a Turkish Akbash. Jade says the farm is still “a work in progress”.

Painted Woo-Hoos

As of this week, with the lambing season just completed, the Popes own 22 adult sheep and 25 lambs.

Walking the Line at Woolen Acres, Burley, WA

“Our primary purpose is raising breeding animals and we actually sell more sheep for breeding than we do lambs as meat animals,” Cynthia says.

Lambs can be sold as soon as they are weaned, usually around three months of age (many are available now) and they are ready for slaughter at 6 – 9 months of age, depending on size and maturity. For custom exempt slaughter, they must be sold prior to being slaughtered. Price is based on live animal weight. The Popes can help customers arrange for slaughter and butcher once the animal has been purchased. Many customers purchase their lambs now and either take them home or arrange for later pickup and/or slaughter.  Breeding stock is available for sale now too.

Their sheep product business is under the name “Woolen Acres”.  Cynthia adds that she also has a thriving wool-selling business.

“My biggest wool buyer is actually in Portland, Oregon,” she says.

But like many small farmers, the Popes supplement their farm income with other work. Cynthia is a veterinarian at Purdy Animal Hospital and Jade does a variety of farm related work under the name Jade Agritech, LLC.

Bonded and licensed, Jade can do just about anything needed around a small farm.  He is also on the boards of several agriculture associations, such as the KCAA and the PSMPC. Fencing has been his bread and butter, but also has lots of experience in Irripod irrigation, liming, and seeding.  He hopes to offer tillage services in the near future.

“I can take raw land and turn it into finished land that can be used for farming,” says Jade.

For Woolen Acres sheep products, e-mail woolenacres@hotmail.com  For Jade Agritech, telephone (253) 381-7856; e-mail jadeagritech@hotmail.com or go to www.JadeAg.com