7-year-old sells flowers, vegetables to buy sheep

BLUFFTON — Ezra Lehman is only 7, but he already knows what he wants to do in the foreseeable future. The soon-to-be second grader, who is a Pandora Gilboa Rocket, hopes to raise enough money to buy the start of a flock of sheep and become a shepherd. Ezra has already been working hard to show his mom and dad, Ella and Jason Lehman, that he's responsible enough for the challenge by caring for his older sister's three Pygora goats named Pompom, Waddles and Barley. "That's how I'm showing responsibility with the goats," Ezra said. To fund the future flock, he's been selling flowers and vegetables grown on the family's full working hobby farm, located just over the Putnam County line at 1712 Road P1. Ella said the property has a lot of history. "There was a family named the Carr family that owned a good portion. I don't even know if there was a road here when this house was built," she said. "So the Carrs had always called it the Hickory Farm because there are two large hickory trees. But there were a whole bunch so they called it the Hickory Farm, and we just kept that." The farm is just under four acres which provides enough room for a large garden and a big red barn that is home to numerous chickens, baby chicks, ducks and donkeys, as well as a goose named Quesadilla, cats Mac and Cheese, and Button, a Flemish giant rabbit. Last year Ezra sold vases of flowers from a table set up in the front yard. He made $200 and bought a Nintendo Switch. But this summer, he has a different goal. "The whole reason we decided to have a farm stand is just so we have some skin in the game, and he has money invested in this, too," Ella said. "We're just always trying to teach our kids something." Ezra is raising money to buy sheep supplies, and he wants to raise sheep and care for them, said Ella. She posts announcements on her Facebook page when Ezra has a supply to sell. She said a family member has also taken an interest in the idea and wants to hear Ezra's business plan. "I'm a nurse and he's 7, so I'm not really a business person," Ella said. "Ezra's been working really hard to come up with a business plan for his sheep." He wants Icelandic sheep which can be used for food, milk to make soap and fiber, but the animals are rare in the United States, she said. "They come right from Iceland," Ella said. "He loves this breed of sheep." They learned that there are more sheep than people in Iceland — 800,000 head of sheep compared to only about 350,000 people, she said. They've also been watching videos about how they raise these animals. Ezra collected more information by calling area farmers and from people who come to the farm stand. Ella said a woman who had seen her post visited. She has sheep and gave them a lot of information. "And she bought all the zucchini for $20, but we had a lot of zucchini on the table," Ezra said. Ella said they're very appreciative of the community and how they've come together to help support her son. "Even if it isn't to buy anything, just all the advice that's been given, it's just been very valuable. He's learned a lot," she said. Ezra is also a gardener, having helped his mom since he could walk. "He's always taken an interest in it," she said. "I didn't necessarily want him to help when he was little because it was more chaos gardening when he was helping when he was 3, throwing seeds." For the past two years though, he's planned out the whole garden, row by row. Then the family travels to Amish country every January to get their year's supply from Berlin Seed. Unfortunately, the garden hasn't been producing this year like it did last, other than Ezra's popcorn and tomatoes which he hopes to sell this fall. The plan is to start with three sheep — a ram and two ewes — so hopefully they can start breeding, said Ella. They also hope Ezra will show these sheep at the Putnam County Fair. "The two older kids show at the fair. We're hoping eventually that that's the plan for him," she said. "We believe in 4-H. We believe it's a good program for kids. It definitely teaches them responsibility and showing animals and caring for animals." When he's not helping with animals or working in the garden, Ezra likes being outside, swimming in the pond, rollerblading and and bouncing around on a pogo stick. "In my opinion, there's nothing better than raising feral farm kids," laughed Ella. "Between the go-kart track, the trampoline and the haymow that you guys jump off the barn beam and land on, I think this is the best way to raise kids."