Naturally Sylt

In a lighthearted game of "What am I?", contestants would probably have been stumped by this profession: shepherdess. Uta Wree is a veterinarian by training. Today, however, she lives with well over 1.000 fjord sheep on a historic farm near Schleswig during the winter . In the summer, her animals roam in two flocks along the Schlei fjord and on the island of Sylt. She also sells the wool from her hardy animals, which live outdoors year-round.

Uta Wree left her era as a veterinarian behind because the mother of one son wanted to return to what truly resonates with both animals and humans. To animal husbandry that goes beyond organic standards, that integrates naturally into the cycle of nature. A way of raising animals that benefits the landscape and provides them with a near-perfect life. However, bluetongue disease* has also affected her animals. "As a veterinarian, my sheep rarely need me. Because they are mostly perfectly healthy. They belong here, in this climate, in this landscape. They have been perfectly adapted to nature since the Bronze Age and are exceptionally well-nourished. Even the Vikings kept this breed, taking them on their raids – as provisions and a source of supplies." 

Uta Wree's vision of a future-oriented project with a high sustainability index is to produce Sylt Tweed from the wool of her sheep. This fabric embodies all the wonderful qualities of natural wool and could be stylishly crafted. Such a collection would certainly be a hit – not just on the island.

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The UN has designated 2026 as the International Year of Pastures and Pastoral Peoples (IYRP) . For years, Uta Wree has been working internationally to build networks within her rare, ecologically valuable, and endangered profession. For greater sustainability, visibility, and significantly less stress for her animals, she envisions transporting her herd from Schleswig to Sylt not by truck, but along the natural footpath by foot, following the causeway. Perhaps a wonderful project for 2027, when the connection between the island and the mainland celebrates its 100th anniversary…

The Sylt contract is a crucial source of income for Uta Wree. Sheep grazing on the island is put out to tender every few years – across Europe. The services to be provided, the exact grazing days, and daily grazing hours in the protected areas are contractually stipulated. The Sylt Landscape Conservation Association (LZV) is responsible for island-wide nature conservation measures, often also for their financing and implementation. The LZV finances 57 percent of the migratory sheep project – the state covers the remainder. The results of the long-term grazing measures are unanimously rated as "excellent."

When Daniela Andersen decided to become an industrial clerk after finishing school, managing an organic-certified farm with Sylt's largest flock of 850 ewes , along with Angus cattle and chickens , was certainly not on her initial vision board .* But the young woman, who grew up in Kiel and Lübeck, fell for Jan-Uwe from Keitum. "The Andersen family actually wanted to give up farming. But then we made new plans," says the cheerful woman, mother of two sons and busy multitasker.

The third generation decided to dedicate their full energy and entrepreneurial creativity to the "Sheep Of Sylt" label . Today, the young farmers market felt and wool products on their website and in a small farm shop, provide information about sheep sponsorships, and explain the opportunities for school classes, incentive events, or children's birthday parties to gain exciting insights into modern organic farming .

In addition to everything else, Daniela has also been a certified farm educator for some time now. "As a full-time farmer, you have to diversify so that you can make a living as a family. We operate on a modular system – and it works in such a way that it's enough to live on," she assures us.

Several times a day, her husband and the farm's only employee drive to the Braderup meadows or the dike, where their 850 ewes graze in winter and now during the summer months. They tend to their animals, check for any abnormalities, and trim their hooves. The sheep are brought in once a year for shearing, and a team of shearers travels to the farm. "It's backbreaking work. We have four to five tons of wool. We currently only process a fraction of it for ourselves—mainly into felt products and fertilizer pellets. Wool is primarily washed in Portugal, Poland, and Belgium. Transport is hardly possible due to the regulations. My knitting and medicinal wool is processed by a company near Niebüll," explains Daniela. Just to gain a deeper understanding of this topic, a visit to the Höst farm in Keitum is worthwhile. 

When you spend six weeks every year acting as a male midwife, ensuring that hundreds of lambs are born healthy and happy, your life, the lives of your family and your team are in a state of emergency. How is it that you can say almost to the day when wild lambing season begins and that it ends between May 5th and 10th?

Jürgen Wolf-Diedrichsen: Normally, it's said that domestic sheep have a gestation period of 150 days, give or take two days. Since we learn something new every year through observation, we eventually noticed that our sheep lamb after only 144 days. And because we know exactly when to introduce the rams to the ewes and when to separate them again, the lambing season is very predictable for us. 

Who will help you – including with the bottle-fed lambs that are rejected by their mothers?
Jürgen Wolf-Diedrichsen: We work in three teams at night. And of course, we're always here during the day as well. Normally, the sheep need little assistance during lambing itself. But we can help if necessary. We immediately bring all the newborns and their mothers into the barn for the first few days to ensure proper bonding. Until last year, even my father, who was over 80, came all the way from Bavaria to help. We often have support from the village, too. Melanie Steur from the "Nature Experience Center" takes two weeks of vacation specifically for lambing season. My wife, Maren, cooks for us and takes over all my responsibilities in the rental business. Our sons, Cornelis and Boy-Ole, and his girlfriend, Aurelia, are part of our midwifery team.

Are your sheep, which roam freely throughout much of Listland and the Ellenbogen peninsula all year round, a specific breed?
Jürgen Wolf Diedrichsen: The differences between our animals and other domestic sheep are not huge, but sheep experts in the north say they can recognize the Listland sheep.

Can you tell all 180 of your ewes apart?
Jürgen Wolf-Diedrichsen: There are always special sheep personalities that you naturally know. But – as unromantic as it may sound – I don't have an individual relationship with all of them.