Sheep Shearing Schools Slated for Spring
The Maine Sheep Breeders Association and University of Maine Cooperative Extension will offer three sheep shearing schools in March and April, designed for people with different levels of experience.
Four instructors will teach beginner sheep shearing from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, March 7, at Wolfe’s Neck Farm, 184 Burnett Road, Freeport, Maine. The $40 per person fee includes a shearing manual and lunch. Enrollment is limited to 16. Spectators are welcome.
Kevin Ford teaches a two-day blade shearing school 1–4 p.m. Friday, April 17 and 8 a.m.–3 p.m. Saturday, April 18, at Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village, 707 Shaker Road, New Gloucester, Maine. The $120 per person fee includes a shearing manual and lunch each day. Participants will be taught to set up, sharpen and use hand shears. Enrollment is limited to 10; previous sheep-shearing experience is recommended. Shears will be available for purchase. Spectators are welcome.
Gwen Hinman will instruct intermediate-level sheep shearing from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, April 26, at Meadowcroft Farm, 45 Hopkins Road, Washington, Maine. This school is designed for participants to improve their shearing skills; attendees should bring their own shears. The $85 per person fee includes a shearing manual and lunch. Enrollment is limited to six.
Beginner- and intermediate-level schools use a conventional shearing method with handheld electric shears. The blade shearing school uses nonelectric hand shears or blades. Register online. For more information, or to request a disability accommodation, call Andrea Herr, 207.781.6099, 800.287.1471 (in Maine).