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Photos: Icelandic sheep living on farmland in Mattituck

GIANNA VOPLPE PHOTO | Olivia, 11, and Max, 7, are the children of Carol Festa and Tom Geppel. They are the junior owners of 13 Icelandic sheep currently living on 22 acres of leased land in Mattituck.

One Mattituck family has traded the Big Apple for big-haired sheep.

New York financial industry professionals Tom Geppel and Carol Festa, along with their children Olivia, 11, and Max, 7, own 27.5 acres of certified organic farmland on Cox Lane in Cutchogue, but you won’t find rows of corn or potatoes or wine grapes.

Eventually the view will be unique with 13 shaggy-fleeced Icelandic sheep roaming about.

Icelandic sheep are one of the oldest domesticated breeds, famous for their thick wool and used predominantly for meat in Iceland.

The family has no such plans, and instead looks forward to one day making cheese. The breed produces less milk than some other sheep, but it has a higher fat content with produces a greater volume of cheese.

Check out the complete story in Thursday’s issue of The Suffolk Times.

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