Elaine Dustin: The Lady of The Lamb

“We thought we needed a vacation.” Howard and Elaine Dustin speak with a faint trace of an accent. At first, I can’t identify the origin. Howard has a spritely demeanor and efficiency to his speech—not quite the drawl of a southern farmer. Elaine mentions her love of fall leaves, and it clicks: they’re northerners. The couple has come to Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, from the bustling state of Massachusetts. The shorter vowels are striking. Both, by all appearances, are happy to have landed in the South. 

Retirement brought the couple to this quiet, sprawling farmland two hours outside of Nashville. The golden years, however, quickly lost their glimmer: “We started on our “retirement” road trip across the USA,” Elaine explains. “Howard and I wanted a bit of a break, but only a few days into our trip, we turned around the car. We wanted to get back to the farm.” 

Horses are Elaine’s first love, but this feisty female farmer has brought something new to Tennessee’s palate. Clusters of sheep spread across the Belfair Farms Pasture, and Elaine and Howard slowly drive me past their beloved flock. Sheep bleat at random intervals—almost shocking in their forcefulness. Some graze, and buckle forward onto their elbows to reach the grass. This flock represents a mixture of two main sheep breeds: black-headed Dorpors and hearty American Khatans. 

Elaine looks proudly at the flock, and says, “Lamb is the forgotten food.” But Elaine highlights lamb’s versatility and nutrition—countries around the world celebrate the meat, and Elaine believes the American palate will soon follow. To this end, the couple troops to the Farmer’s Market in Nashville on Saturdays, and supplies fresh lamb to the growing market in Nashville. 

The couple yields about three hundred lbs. of meat every two weeks, which is about as much as Belfair Farms can produce. The care and quality that the couple brings to their farm, however, hasn’t always been easy. Elaine mentions the unique struggle that comes with being a female farmer. Walking into the Farmer’s Co-op, she recalls, elicited “stares of disapproval.” Her husband did much of the public work, while she operated behind the scenes. Yet, when a partnership opportunity with fellow female farmer Judy Conway arose to sell lamb at the Farmer’s Market, Elaine jumped. The taste quality, and ethical commitment to healthy sheep, spread the success of the product. 

Since its inception, “Ladies of the Lamb” meat and cheese products have sold out with almost every weekend at The Nasvhille Farmers' Market. The commitment to quality—and healthfulness—has created a quality lamb product for the benefit of Tennessee. Yet the love of the land, of farming, keeps the Dustin family going. We drive by the pastures again, and I ask about two large, gorgeous white dogs lounging near the water trough. Another sleeps in the shade of the tractor tire. “They’re Akbash—Turkish guard dogs.” Elaine discusses their renown herding instincts, and the heroic efforts of the dogs to protect their flock. I note the names. “Are male dogs the leaders?” I ask unwittingly. 

With a glint in her eye, Elaine smiles. “No,” she says. “It’s the female.”