We call our farm Edeldal Farm because "edeldal" is the Norwegian word for "noble valley" and since our farm is nestled snugly in the Green River Valley in Western Washington State, it seemed to us a very fitting name.
On our farm, we raise Jacob Sheep and Angora Goats for their wool and mohair. Jacob Sheep are a beautiful and unusual breed, that very nearly went extinct in the 1970's, when some clever British breeders began to take notice of the dwindling numbers of remaining Jacobs, and developed a plan to bring them back to a healthy population.
Jacob Sheep get their name from the biblical Jacob who bred spotted sheep to spotted sheep and "Ta da!" he got more spotted sheep (the first recorded incidence of controlled breeding)! The breed that we know today had graced the estates in England for over 400 years, but their spotted fleeces were not in demand for commercial wool production, so slowly, people bred them less and less in favor of great big white sheep breeds.
The resurgence of the Jacob breed has much to do with the growth of the handspinning craft. Jacobs may not be valued by commercial wool mills, but the spinners love the colors in the Jacob fleece, the springiness of the wool, its ease in spinning and the fact that every single Jacob fleece is unique to that animal alone.
