2024 Shepherd of the Year: Naveed Malik
Naveed began his journey into farming as many do – with chickens. The flock of chickens went from a few to over 60 quickly.
Next up was the garden. If you have a garden, you start worrying about pollination – so bees were added to the farm.
As the farm grew, so did the desire to produce more food and, to meet the goal of more sustainable clothing, sheep seemed the perfect fit.
Naveed, his wife Raheena and their two children have fully embraced the farming life. Along with this came the desire to educate others and Naveed could be found attending classes and trainings and visiting farms and festivals. Now you can find him giving back to the community by manning a space in the breed display at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival and can be found vending at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival, The Shepherds Farm Market, the Frederick Fiber Festival and the Maryland Alpaca and Fleece Festival.
Naveed is also a member of the MSBA board of directors where his positive energy, creative solutions, and willingness to step up when helping hands are needed, left us no doubt that he should be recognized with this award.