There’s always something happening at PA Preferred® member farm Dragonwood Ranch. Victoria Boehmer and her family produce fiber, meat and fresh eggs at their small farm and homestead in Corry, Erie County, where Shetland sheep, Angora rabbits, pigs, chicken, ducks and other frisky, friendly creatures keep them on their toes. Boehmer also runs Tybout House yarn shop in Warren, where you can find fibers produced on the farm, knitwear patterns and all kinds of events focused on knitting, spinning, embroidery, feltwork, crocheting and more.
As a PA Preferred member, Boehmer says, “PA Preferred means that I am producing products in PA, which helps our local economy and our business to stay in the area. Since people know you and see you in the community, they trust where their food is coming from and can be confident in locally produced products.”
Learn more about Dragonwood Ranch in our Q&A with Boehmer.
PA Eats: What do you love about what you do, and why?
Victoria Boehmer: Boy, this is tough. I love knowing where my food comes from, I love the connection to the Earth and I love having my children learn about agriculture, which is the most fundamental part of living a healthy life. But I also love teaching others the differences in food and how it is raised can affect your health. This includes not just the food in our bodies but also what we put around them in our clothing.
What are the greatest challenges your farm faces, and how do you respond?
Time is always the greatest challenge for any farm! We have been striving to change our infrastructure to save on time while allowing the animals to have the best grazing possible.
What excites you about the future of your farm and business?
Our farm has been changing as our children grow and they are taking on new roles in the farming decisions and what animals we raise. One example is the addition of pigs to our farm this year by our youngest son. I am also excited to see that we are reaching a more sustainable breeding program for all of our animals with multiple genetic lines.
What are your most popular products and what do people love about them?
Our most popular products are eggs and fiber. People love the rich flavor, health and yolk color of our chicken eggs. They also enjoy the mixes of eggs so that they can experiment with duck eggs without having to commit to a full dozen.
People love the versatility of Shetland fiber as a finished yarn and as a hand spinner [used for twisting the fibers into yarn by hand]. A portion of our fiber is used for demonstrating the process from sheep to shelf and working with different groups in our area to teach them about farming, food, and how textiles are produced.
What sets Dragonwood Ranch apart?
Our farm is completely run by our family (myself, my husband and our three children). We are working on a hybrid version of regenerative agriculture and sustainability in order to keep our soil fertile and our animals the healthiest possible with the least amount of added chemicals necessary. And, we do this all while keeping our other businesses going.
Learn more about Dragonwood Ranch by following its Facebook and Instagram pages, and keep an eye on its website for changes in the near future!
This series was created in collaboration with PA Preferred.
PA Preferred® is Pennsylvania’s statewide branding program that promotes locally grown and processed food and other agricultural products.
- Photos: Victoria Boehmer of Dragonwood Ranch
