OUR FAMILY FARM STORY – ROOTED IN LOVE, LAMB, AND LOCAL LIVING

How it all Began

In 2014, John retired from the Army after 27 years and moved his family back to Central New York to start a sheep farm! Though the land had seen better days—and John had spent decades in another field, he had a plan to turn the land around and create a thriving business. John, Martha, their daughter Olivia, and son JJ, put in long hours returning the land to health by implementing sustainable management practices.

In memory of their daughter Elly, who passed away in 2016, John and  Martha started Elly’s Acres Farm. In 2014, they brought 20 breeding ewes and a ram to their 500 acre family farm in Jamesville, NY. With the help of Olivia, JJ, and our faithful dog, Stanley, the flock has grown from 20 breeding ewes to over a hundred. Elly’s Acres Farm specializes in pasture raised, grass fed, hormone and antibiotic free lamb and wool production. They started selling cut to order whole and half lambs to friends and family in 2015 after their first lambing season, and have since expanded to local restaurants and farmers markets.

 

A Family-Owned Sheep Farm in Upstate New York

 

Elly’s Acres Farm is a family-owned sheep farm in Upstate New York that is based on tradition, hard work, and a lifelong dedication to taking care of the animals in a responsible way. We run a reliable sheep farm just outside of Syracuse. Our goal is to raise healthy, pasture-fed animals while protecting the natural beauty and resources of our area.

Our goal is to raise clean, healthy lamb for people who care about where their food comes from. We are one of the best sustainable meat farms in New York. We rear our sheep on grass, without hormones.

We make sure that our animals do well on wide-open pastures by using rotational grazing. This makes the meat taste better, have better nutrition, and have less of an impact on the land.

In addition to lamb, we also make eco-friendly wool products from the sheep on our farm. Each product shows how much we care about quality and eco-friendly craftsmanship.

Elly’s Acres Farm is more than simply a farm; it's a place where values, heritage, and sustainability all come together. You help a family-owned farm that values honesty and animal welfare when you pick us.

A family of four feeding sheep and goats in a grassy outdoor field, with trees in the background.
A young girl in rain boots holding a lamb inside a barn, with a dog observing nearby.
A group of sheep with white, fluffy wool standing on green grass.
A young boy wearing an orange hat and a colorful winter jacket kneels inside a barn at night, caring for three yellow baby goats lying on hay. A sheep stands beside him, sniffing his head, as red heat lamps illuminate the scene and a wooden wall is i
A young woman smiling and holding a lamb in her arms in a barn or farm setting.
A flock of sheep grazing on green grass in a field.
Farmer herding sheep across a grassy field with trees and cloudy sky in the background.
A man wearing a white apron with a lamb logo, holding a plate of cooked lamb ribs, standing in front of a red wall.
A flock of sheep standing in a snow-covered field during winter, with a cloudy sky and trees in the background.
Group of three adults and two children outdoors in a grassy field with cloudy sky, holding two dogs and a ball, with trees in the background.