About

Ms. Bit greeting a visitor

History
We purchased ARLESA Vineyard in 2013 and renamed the property Devilsbliss Farm -- it's a hellava lot of work but we love it ;) 

Our starter flock of East Friesians, from Sheri Palko (TN, 2015) taught us so much. Sheep ARE lovebugs and DO produce a lot of wool! As we learned the art of shepherding, our interest in sustainability and being good land stewards grew. We wanted to provide not only our family, but our animals, a healthy and safe home.

In 2015 we also saw our first photos of Zwartbles and fell in love. While learning about the breed, we learned that East Friesian and Zwartbles were originally both bred down from the same stock in the northern Friesland region of the Netherlands. We decided to bring this critically rare breed to the US, and in 2018 & 2019 lambed using artificial insemination. Our EF ewes were a perfect match for the Zwartbles and we are thrilled with our Z/EF crosses!

Due to import issues during the pandemic, we did not breed for two years. We are planning for lambs and will have our first F2s (75% Zwartbles) in 2023!