Our History
Baleout Ranch started informally in 2004 after friends asked us to goat sit while they were away. We purchased our first breeding package of 11 pygora goats and began Great Lakes Pygora at our former 5 acre site in West Olive, Michigan. The first GLP goat kids were born in the spring of 2005. Through the course of our goat ownership we grew to the largest pygora breeder in Michigan. It was an amazing start and fueled our desire to move to a bigger farm one day.
Shortly after starting with the goats we added Icelandic, Cormo and Bond sheep. The sheep produced nice wool to blend with the pygora goat fiber making luxurious yarn. We maintained a flock of about 30 ewes and about 7 rams. Ewe Spun Wool Works was the name for our sheep operation.
Our goats and sheep worked under the Goat Mowers business. For a few years we also operated natural brush removal company. The the goats and sheep would go out on location for few days up to a few weeks. We would always keep a handler near the critters during the jobs.
All along we had been helping our hay supplier as needed with his operation. This would prove to be a huge asset as we transitioned into making our own hay.
Finally in 2010 our dream to own a larger farm was realized. We moved 25 miles north of our West Olive location to settle on a 40 acre farm in Ravenna, Michigan.
