The Farm-Her

When Nell Ruedin started Bear Creek Bend Farm in 2015 she knew she didn’t want to be a crop farmer like her mother, instead she jumped headfirst into the sheep and the lamb market. But life on the farm wasn’t new for her, Nell is the 14th generation in her family to find herself in farming. Having not grown up with livestock directly other than working on the original family farm with her uncles, she was determined to create a name for herself. A desire to always grow in knowledge and a hefty dose of stubbornness helped her persevere as she built everything from the ground up. Utilizing the historic barn on her property, she added fencing, created pastures, pens, educated herself on proper sheep husbandry, learned how to recognize proper body form, provide medical care, obstetric care, proper nutritional requirements in addition to numerous other things along the way and all while raising her 4 children. Nell is proud of the product and animals that she raises. She keeps her flock small intentionally to maintain that quality and as something she can run herself.

Prior to her farming adventures, she earned her BA in History from St. John Fisher University with a focus on public and local history. and worked with both the Monroe County and Rochester City Historians on a variety of oral history grants that created Rochester Voices..