The Basque sheep herding tradition is alive and well in Northern Nevada. In 1914, Raymond Borda, Ted Borda’s grandfather, immigrated from the French Pyrenees Mountains, taking a job herding sheep for his Brother-in-Law in Carson Valley. He eventually founded his own sheep ranch there in 1921.  The business grew and eventually his sons Raymond “Dutch” and Pete took over.  Today, Borda Land and Sheep Company, LLC. carries on with Pete’s son Ted and sisters, Joyce Gavin and Angie Borda Page running the operation. They take pride in continuing the family legacy keenly focused on improving the quality of the fine wool and the Merino sheep they raise.   

The Borda family has worked collaboratively for the past several decades with multiple entities on grazing and habitat conservation and enhancement – agencies like the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife Department, and with Nature Conservancy.  They have successfully shared grazing lands with multiple endangered and threatened species like Big Horn Sheep, Sage Grouse, Lahontan Cutthroat and more, adjusting various aspects of their operation to foster positive outcomes for all species.  Their cooperation with the local communities of Carson City and Washoe County in concert with the U.S. Forest Service and the Nevada Department of Agriculture on Targeted Grazing Fuels Reduction Projects.  The common goal was for them to use their sheep to graze down fuels in the prevention and control of wildland fires, especially close to urban areas in northern Nevada. 

Borda Land and Sheep is one of only a few large sheep ranches still operating in Nevada today and the only one of Basque heritage.  Ted serves as Vice President of the Nevada Wool Growers and is a County Representative to the USDA.  He is active as a guest lecturer for the Forest Service on ecosystems and positive grazing impacts.  Ted is a visible spokesperson for the sheep industry, maintains outstanding relationships with agency partners, and works closely with those agencies on some of the latest natural resource challenges we all face today. 

Through Ted’s effort, the operation is on a mission to keep his family’s heritage alive. He is making positive impacts through managed grazing on the area’s natural ecosystems. He was also the first rancher to join Imperial Stock Ranch in being certified to the Responsible Wool Standard, forming the Shaniko Wool Company Farm Group.