A Permaculture Vine Podcast roundtable with Kerry Brown, Christopher Nesbitt, and Matt & Bronwyn Monger
In this episode of The Permaculture Vine Podcast, I’m joined by Kerry Brown, Christopher Nesbitt, and Matt & Bronwyn Monger for a practical conversation about using sheep in regenerative and permaculture systems.
The discussion focuses on lived experience rather than theory: why each of them brought sheep into their systems, how they manage grazing and fencing, what challenges they’ve faced, and how sheep fit into broader land-use goals
across very different climates.
Who’s at the Table
Kerry Brown runs Strong Roots Resources, an edible landscape design, consulting, and education company based on a fourth-generation family farm in East Tennessee. The farm is managed as a permaculture and regenerative demonstration site, hosting classes, gatherings, and events.
Christopher Nesbitt manages the Maya Mountain Research Farm in southern Belize with his wife Seleni. The farm spans roughly 30 acres, includes over 500 plant species, and integrates sheep alongside poultry, rabbits, and past livestock systems, with a strong focus on agroforestry.
Matt and Bronwyn Monger are based in the central Colorado Rockies at around 6,500 feet elevation. Their context includes cold winters, wildlife pressure, and a mixed-animal homestead system incorporating horses, poultry, guardian dogs, and Dorper sheep.
Why Sheep?
Across all three sites, sheep were introduced primarily as a land management tool, not as wool or dairy animals.
- Kerry runs Katahdin sheep, a hair sheep breed suited to hot summers and cold winters, with no need for shearing.
- Christopher manages Dorper and Dorper-cross sheep, introduced initially as a way to productively use land previously damaged by cattle.
- Matt and Bronwyn also keep Dorper sheep, chosen for their low maintenance and suitability within a mixed-herd system.
In each case, sheep are used to:
- Manage vegetation
- Improve soil conditions
- Cycle nutrients
- Fit into broader grazing and rotation plans
Rotational Grazing and Soil Response
Kerry described bringing sheep onto land that had been fallow for decades, including areas with compacted soil and persistent bare patches. After a single grazing pass, followed by rainfall, previously bare ground began showing new growth — including grasses and forbs — even during a hot, dry season.
The emphasis was on short-duration grazing, followed by rest, rather than continuous grazing. Paddock size and timing were adjusted based on forage availability and animal behavior, rather than fixed formulas.
Christopher shared a similar approach in Belize, where sheep are used to convert degraded land into grassland before introducing trees for agroforestry. In his case, sheep grazing also played a role during wildfire events, where managed pasture helped slow fire movement across the landscape.
Fencing, Training, and Movement
Fencing systems varied widely:
- Kerry uses three strands of polywire, step-in posts, and a solar energiser, with sheep trained early to respect electric fencing. A donkey is used as a guardian animal.
- Christopher currently relies on hog wire fencing, though he noted growing interest in electric fencing for flexibility and ease of management.
- Matt and Bronwyn described a hybrid fencing approach, combining permanent perimeter fencing with movable internal systems suited to a community homestead and wildlife-heavy area.
A recurring point was the importance of fence quality. When animals escape, the first step is checking grounding, voltage, and fence integrity before blaming animal behavior.
Climate Differences, Same Management Questions
The conversation highlighted how similar challenges show up in different forms:
- In Tennessee, winter brings cold snaps, ice storms, and variable forage.
- In Belize, the “winter” equivalent is the dry season, when growth slows and cut-and-carry forage becomes necessary.
- In Colorado, snow cover, frozen ground, and long winters require planning around feed access, particularly for sheep that cannot paw through snow like horses.
Despite these differences, all participants described adapting management rather than abandoning grazing.
Parasites, Health, and Selection Pressure
Parasite management was discussed candidly.
Kerry described a severe barber pole worm outbreak shortly after combining flocks. After losing several animals, the remaining sheep were medicated once. From that point forward, the decision was made not to re-medicate, allowing parasite resistance to emerge naturally. Animals that survived went on to thrive and reproduce.
Christopher and Matt raised concerns about ticks and parasites in their regions, noting strategies such as mineral supplementation, pasture movement, and long rest periods between grazing cycles.
Lambing and Breeding
Lambing practices differed by context:
- Kerry’s Katahdins lamb outdoors with minimal intervention, even during snow and freezing temperatures.
- Christopher’s sheep lamb year-round in Belize, with very low management input.
- Matt and Bronwyn are still early in their breeding cycle, observing heat timing and herd behavior within a mixed-animal system.
Across all sites, low-intervention lambing was emphasized, with monitoring rather than hands-on control.
Processing and Yield
Kerry described on-farm processing of meat sheep within a private membership structure allowed under Tennessee law. Animals are dispatched in the field to reduce stress, then processed and shared between partners.
Dorper and Katahdin sheep were consistently described as low-maintenance, meat-focused animals, fitting well into regenerative systems where wool and dairy are not priorities.
Closing Thoughts
This episode wasn’t about promoting a single “right” way to keep sheep. Instead, it showed how similar principles — short grazing periods, rest, observation, and adjustment — are being applied across very different landscapes.
Sheep, in these examples, are not the end goal. They are one part of a larger system — responding to land, climate, and human capacity rather than forcing a fixed model.