Meet the Rancher Who Turned a 4-H Project into a Lamb Business

Farming isn’t about standing still—it’s about evolving, season after season. That’s something I’ve learned firsthand talking with folks like Glenn Brunkow, a fifth-generation farmer from Wamego, Kansas, who’s taken his family’s rich agricultural history and turned it into something new. 

Glenn runs Brunkow Family Lamb, a diversified farm that’s been in the family since the 1880s. What started as a few 4-H lambs for the kids has grown into a flock of 70 sheep, all raised for high-quality, grain-fed lamb. And while the kids have moved on, the lambs stayed—and the business kept growing. 

From Dairy to Direct-to-Consumer 

Glenn’s family farm didn’t always look like this. Over the years, they’ve raised dairy cows, hogs, and beef cattle. But after buying out his dad and sitting down with his wife to decide where to focus, they leaned into livestock and shifted the operation toward a mix of beef cattle and sheep. 

They also made some big changes to the land. Glenn transitioned lower-performing crop ground into intensively grazed cover crops, co-grazing sheep and cattle to maximize the land’s potential. This shift also allowed them to reduce equipment needs and focus more on livestock. 

And then came a bold step: selling lamb directly to customers. 

How Brunkow Lamb Found Its Market 

At first, Glenn sold lamb to a local butcher shop. But when that shop closed, he and his wife took the leap into direct-to-consumer sales. Now, they offer everything from ground lamb to leg of lamb, racks, stew meat, and more. 

They started simple—with whole and half lamb sales—and slowly added more cuts as customers requested them. They even added stew meat because folks kept asking for it. Glenn’s biggest tip for anyone wanting to sell direct-to-consumer? Start small. Keep it simple. Let your product speak for itself. 

These days, their best sellers are leg and rack cuts, and they’ve even had to buy lambs to keep up with customer demand. It’s been that successful. 

Making Lamb Easy to Love 

Lamb isn’t always a familiar meat in Kansas kitchens, but Glenn and his wife are helping change that. They include cooking tips and easy recipes with every sale—like marinating chops in Italian dressing and tossing them on the grill. 

Because their lamb is grain-fed, it has a mild flavor that wins over new customers who may have had a different experience with grass-fed lamb. Their goal is to make it easy for folks to try it—and even easier to come back for more. 

Selling Online with HitchPin 

As demand for local meat grew, Glenn added a new tool to the toolbox: an online storefront on HitchPin. 

HitchPin makes it easy for producers like Glenn to list and sell farm products, whether it’s lamb, beef, hay, or equipment. With a secure platform and built-in audience of ag buyers, it’s a simple way to reach new customers without losing the personal connection. 

Glenn likes that selling online gives smaller farms a way to compete and capture more of the value they create. It may not always beat the top of the market, but it helps protect from the bottom—and that kind of stability is worth a lot. 

Advice for Other Farmers 

When I asked Glenn what advice he’d give to others thinking about selling their products direct, he said it comes down to this: 

• Keep your product list simple at first 

• Start with whole or half animals before jumping into cuts 

• Be ready to pivot—customers change how they want to shop every year 

• Don’t underestimate the power of returning customers 

If you’re curious about trying lamb or looking to stock up for your next gathering, check out Brunkow Family Lamb on HitchPin. They’ve got Easter leg of lamb, rack cuts, stew meat, and more—plus the know-how to help you cook it right the first time. 

Visit their storefront at HitchPin.com and search "Brunkow Family Lamb" to see what’s available.