Aug 26, 2026
Story and photos submitted by Elly Sheetz ’22
For my independent study, I have been focusing on sheep production. I chose this area to study because I am interested in that career path. I have learned about different sheep breeds and their purpose, sheep behaviors, cuts of meat, zoonotic diseases in sheep and how to treat and prevent them, the cost to start a sheep business (including land, supplies, and sheep), and I created my own facility design. I am currently working on advocating for sheep production by organizing a taste test with ground mutton during lunch.
In the future, I would also like to organize an experiment on sheep behavior. I currently have two ideas that I would like to try. The first idea is to do an experiment with how sheep react to music. My second idea is to test different handling methods on sheep and which one causes the least amount of stress. Overall I am excited for the future in my independent study and my growth that I have shown over this semester.