Short Documentary: Kentucky’s Lost Lamb Legacy
Kentucky. The Bluegrass State. So named for the lush fields of green that tilt to a shade of blue in the right light across a rolling landscape that opens wide between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River. It’s beautiful, to be certain, but once upon a time it also fed over a million sheep in a thriving industry that designated the state as the “buckle of America’s sheep belt.”
THE WOOL AND THE WAR
The 19th Century saw an influx of immigrants from Scotland and Ireland settling in a recently ratified new state called Kentucky. Most of them arrived with few possessions and little money but they were equipped with a wealth of knowledge about whiskey distilling and shepherding that would eventually forage the path for two of the state’s most lucrative industries.
At the peak of American shepherding in 1942, Kentucky was home to 1.4 million head of sheep, more than any other state east of the Mississippi. In those days, sheep were more valued for the production of wool since a single animal could produce multiple wool yields over a lifetime and could only be used for meat once. The meat was the by-product and more readily consumed by the shepherds and their neighbors developing a deep culinary tradition of lamb dishes unlike anywhere else in the country.
After World War II, cheaper synthetic fabrics were developed and the demand for wool plummeted dealing a crushing blow to the shepherds of Kentucky and around the world. And the meat? Since lamb meat was a cheap alternative to other meats during the war, returning soldiers only viewed its potential through the lens of the cans of mutton they were given during their deployment.
By the turn of the 21st Century, the farmed sheep population was on life support, totaling only 10% of its prime in 1942.
THE HOMECOMING
When someone asks you to imagine a shepherd, you probably won’t picture anyone quite like Valerie Samutin. She has an unassuming glamour about her and a sweet, measured meter to her speech. When you spend any amount of time with Valerie, you begin to understand how she became a central figure in reviving the lamb industry east of the Mississippi.
Valerie Samutin, Executive Director of Freedom Run Farm
Valerie was born in Kentucky, but was only raised here when she spent long stretches of time in the summers on her grandmother’s farm. The rolling hills, thick humidity and easy pace of life she experienced led her to think “that Kentucky was the most magical, beautiful place in the whole wide world.” Visceral memories of packing up egg salad sandwiches and riding around horse farms in her grandmother’s blue wing-tipped Chevrolet came rushing back when Valerie decided it was time to make a change and leave her life in Chicago behind.
Valerie and her husband, George, enjoyed years of real estate success in Chicago, but always raised their children with a deep appreciation for nature and fresh, locally produced food. The family loved preparing meals together and spending weekends at a getaway outside of the city to cook on an open fire and tend to the chickens pecking around their modest vegetable garden. Soon, it was the only place they wanted to be.
In 2010, they bought a beautiful property about 30 miles outside of Louisville to enjoy the best of both worlds. Valerie’s husband was tasked with building their dream home and Valerie had to figure out what to do with all the land surrounding it. As they embarked on a new chapter together, Valerie thought back to their wedding feast. The centerpiece was lamb, lovingly drenched in pomegranate juice and herbs, prepared by her husband-to-be for everyone they loved to share.
SHEPHERDING A MOVEMENT
Valerie immersed herself in research. Her initial interest in raising sheep was sparked by a sentimental memory, but she quickly realized that she had stumbled into a vast, bygone world that existed in Kentucky decades before she was born in St. Joseph’s Hospital on the outskirts of The University of Louisville’s campus.
Another Place Sandwich Shop’s Nathan Price breaks down one Freedom Run Farm’s mutton.
It’s not easy to switch gears from real estate to running a sustainable, working farm of any kind. The Samutin family went through several business models in their early years. They tried ducks and vegetables in addition to lamb, bent over backwards to become the first grass-fed only farm in Kentucky and at the end of the day, her flocks were suffering.
Placing the welfare of her animals above all else, Valerie began connecting with other shepherds around the state who were focused on raising the same Appalachian Heritage Breed she had taken on, the Katahdin. The shepherds in her new community had a more balanced approach than strictly organic and their flocks appeared to be thriving. Valerie asked some of the chefs she supplied if they would think less of her lamb if these certifications were abandoned as a priority. Each and every one of her customers said that the quality and consistency of her product mattered more because they knew Valerie and knew her commitment to the welfare of her animals.
“At the peak of American shepherding in 1942, Kentucky was home to 1.4 million head of sheep.”
This idea of consistency stuck in Valerie’s mind. If the lamb industry was going to come back to life in Kentucky, she wasn’t going to do it alone. Leaning on the wisdom of her community of shepherds and the feedback from her chefs, the idea of the Freedom Run Farm Consortium was born. With this new alliance, participating shepherds unified on the process for raising a consistent lamb product across each of their farms and Valerie would take it to market. By pooling their resources and knowledge, they are able to combat the budget disparity when it comes to marketing American lamb compared to other proteins.
Valerie added more and more to her plate. She was working on branding, meeting with grocery store suppliers, forging personal bonds with chefs for valuable menu placements and making sure her flock stayed healthy back at home. Speaking of her home, it didn’t come easily either. The Samutins aren’t an easily daunted bunch and together they worked through all the trials of getting the farm off the ground without a driveway, electricity or water on the property at the beginning. The land they purchased was raw and ten years later, their “deconstructed farm house” is still under construction, but the layout has a clear purpose. The wide open first floor, only briefly disturbed by a grand concrete staircase, is perfectly suited to hosting everyone that could ever want to visit their little slice of paradise.
LAMB STEPS INTO THE LIMELIGHT
At the beginning of 2020, we met Valerie. We were already accustomed to seeing Freedom Run Farm in dish descriptions all over Louisville but her lamb was getting ready to hit Kroger shelves and was rapidly becoming a boutique protein choice for notable chefs all up and down the eastern seaboard. We spent several hours walking the grounds of her farm on a brisk morning in early February before half of our team took off to New York City to shoot chef profiles. When they were in the airport coming home, Tommy called me and said, “Valerie got on the menu at Momofuku.”
Chef David Chang’s flagship New York City noodle destination felt a world away from the humble farm we had just left, but it’s a trendsetting restaurant; the kind of place that can turn the American palate back towards lamb.
Freedom Run Farm’s proprietary Appalachian Heritage Breed lamb is derived from the katahdin of Maine.
The Katahdin Lamb produced by the Freedom Run Farm Consortium is tender, mild and sweet compared to breeds favored in New Zealand which have given lamb a reputation of gaminess in recent decades. The breed is native to this region and the shepherds let them forage and feed on the vast expanses of wild grasses that create a flavor unlike anything we’ve experienced elsewhere. The consortium is also dedicated to processing and using the whole lamb as another step in their efforts to achieve a sustainable and ethical industry.
All of this is to say: don’t be scared to try lamb. If you happen to see Freedom Run Farm ground lamb in the grocery store, know that it will make an amazing burger. If you see it on a menu tucked in an expertly made ragu, know that the chef put it there for a reason. If you see it in burgoo, know that you’re eating a convergence of Kentucky’s past, present and future.
