Step by Step

I’ve wanted to learn how the professionals shear for a long time. I’ve enjoyed shearing sheep as they stand on a trimming table for 4-H shows and national sales, but I wanted to learn the Bowen Technique, the method developed in New Zealand to remove a whole fleece in one piece.

When I was in high school, I gave a presentation on how to shear a sheep using this method. I demonstrated the process stroke by stroke, using information from my parents’ livestock handling textbook, a toy ewe stuffed with cotton and a set of Shearmasters (turned off, of course).

In my adult life, I’ve been to shearing school twice and watched several shearing competitions, similar to this one in New Zealand.

Despite all this, I’ve had a hard time remembering the steps when I try to shear. I would start with the belly and then completely forget where to go next. So I asked a nearby shepherd and shearer to walk me through the Bowen technique step-by-step.

Last Sunday, he came to the farm and helped me shear our Shetland ewes to prepare for Friday’s Greencastle Wool Show. While he demonstrated shearing the first two sheep, I sat on a bucket, writing the steps down and asking questions as needed.

Then, I sheared the rest with his step-by-step guidance: belly, right back leg, tail end, left back leg, neck, shoulder, side, other shoulder, other side, out.

Like the best basketball players make a dunk look easy, the best shearers make shearing look easy. As I watched my instructor, I thought, Okay, I remember this part from the shearing school, this won’t be so bad.

And then I started shearing, and my legs and back burned.

At first glance, the positions for shearing look weird and uncomfortable for the sheep, but it is even more weird and uncomfortable for the beginning shearer. With the Bowen technique, the sheep’s wrinkles are stretched out with the nonshearing hand, minimizing the risk of cutting the animal. The sheep sits comfortably and, most of the time, won’t wriggle, making the shearing process safer for people, as well.

The process is good for the wool, too, as it comes off fluidly in one complete fleece. After all the shearing is done, I lay out the fleeces one at a time on a skirting table, where I remove mud and vegetative matter from the fleece. Then, I roll the fleece and place it in a large clear plastic bag. (Note from Jeff: These bags are really hard to find the night before competition….)

Then, off to the fairgrounds to enter the show. Since last year’s show went so well, I was optimistic for these entries and especially excited I was able to shear them with the help of a local shepherd.

Thanks for Reading!

And I hope you feel refreshed and rejuvenated for the week ahead with this moment preserved in picture and prose. Consider:

• What new skill would you like to learn in the next six months?

Share your answer and this newsletter with a friend who would like to learn with you!

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This Week on the Farm

🙂 At the Greencastle Wool Show, Bruinen’s fleece won his division! We also received a third place with a Shetland/Shropshire cross fleece.

☀️ The farm was just barely outside the eclipse totality zone last Monday, so we drove a few miles south to watch from a nearby town park. It was fascinating to see how far visitors had traveled to see totality. We saw license plates from as far as North Dakota and Wyoming.

🏀 Even though Purdue fell in the men’s basketball national championship, we are still excited for the team and their accomplishments. 🚂 🚂

It was an exciting past week, and we’re looking forward to this upcoming week!

Farm Shop

Some of our fleeces sold at the Show, but don’t worry, we’ll be listing more in our Etsy shop in the coming week!