UNDERWOOD, Ind. – The Indiana Sheep and Wool Market Development Program will be sponsoring a shearing school, hosted by the Indiana Sheep Association (ISA), on March 5 at Purdue University’s Sheep Center.

The statewide workshop, also sponsored by the Indiana Sheep and Wool Market Development Program, will take place at 5480 ASREC Drive, West Lafayette, IN. 47906, and run 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. EST. Check-in will begin at 8:30 a.m.

Anyone is welcome to register, regardless of experience level, to learn the skills and methods required to successfully shear a sheep. All instructors will be experienced shearers, including organizer and master shearer Steve Kennedy, whose family have been great instructors for shearing schools going back to Kennedy’s grandfather.

A registration fee of $50 will cover the cost of the workshop, lunch and required shearing equipment, though participants are encouraged to bring their own equipment if they have it.

Registration forms, found at http://indianasheep.com/, must be mailed to ISA Executive Director Bob Benson at 3506 Heathcliff Ct. Westfield, IN 46074. The completed registration form, with the fee enclosed, must be received by March 1, 2022. The class is limited to 10 participants. As part of registration, attendees must sign a liability waiver.

“There is a continuous need for young and new sheep shearers as the older generations retire,” said Gerald Kelly, manager of the Purdue Sheep Center and shearing school co-organizer. “Producers and 4-Hers benefit from being able to shear their own sheep efficiently instead of trying to find a professional shearer. The Purdue folks are happy to help the industry just as we have for the last 150 years.”