By DOUG GRAVES Ohio Correspondent
HEBRON, Ohio – According to the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA), Ohio does not currently face a shortage of sheep shearers. However, to keep the number of sheep shearers in the state at a strong level, OSU Animal Sciences and Extension hosted a Fall Statewide Sheep Shearing School last month at JDC Livestock in Hebron. Farmers learned the Australian shearing method at this one-day event. Sixteen participants participated in this day-long class, two each at eight training stations. Veteran shearers led the class and walked participants through each step in shearing, teaching each how to properly position the sheep and shearing hand piece in the correct location. The program was spearheaded by Brady Campbell, assistant professor in Ohio State University’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) Department of Animal Sciences and state small ruminant specialist with OSU Extension. Campbell stressed to participants that the task of sheep shearing is physically demanding and requires stamina, precision and animal-handling skills. Many shearers, he said, combine shearing with other farm work. “While the sheep industry remains strong in the state, new sheep shearers will be needed to ensure the longevity of the industry’s future,” Campbell said. “The state is proactively investing in training to prevent future shortages.” In late 2020, the Ohio Sheep and Wool Program proposed $25,000 in funding to help support a small ruminant specialist position at Ohio State University. The university used to have a sheep specialist, but that position sat vacant for years. Campbell was hired in that role in 2021, and his position covers goats in addition to sheep. Campbell also led sheep shearing instruction at this year’s Farm Science Review, where he gave visitors there a closer look at sheep shearing, hoof trimming, animal health and other basic care practices. “Demonstrations like at the shearing school or here at Farm Science Review provide practical and relevant skills and techniques that may be implemented in any small ruminant system to improve operation efficiency while focusing on animal and handler safety,” Campbell said. According to Campbell, Ohio’s average sheep flock comprises about 40 head and those sheep producers raise livestock on relatively small acreages. “Highlighting the needs of our small and moderate-sized operations is critical for the continued success of the small ruminant industry,” Campbell said. “Finding someone to shear sheep is becoming more difficult as fewer shearers are available for hire. “Sheep shearing is specialized and a dying skill, just as horse farriers are. It’s a skill and not every sheep producer who has sheep shears their own sheep. Fifty years ago, you could drive a country mile and meet a few sheep shearers along the way, but not so today.” Campbell knows a lot about sheep. He’s a third-generation sheep farmer and has been involved with sheep at his family’s farm in Waterford, Ohio, for as long as he can remember. “Sheep have always been pretty near and dear to my heart,” he said. Campbell develops educational programs for sheep and goat farmers throughout Ohio, helping with youth sheep and goat programs, and researching small ruminant production and management. Greg Meyer, Warren County agricultural educator, oversaw events at the Small Farms Zone at this year’s Farm Science Review, including the shearing demonstrations. In his 33 years of experience, Meyer has seen the dwindling number of full-time sheep shearers in Ohio. “We don’t have a lot of people who travel across Ohio shearing sheep anymore,” Meyer said, “and part of that reason is the wool isn’t worth quite as much. Add to that the flocks in Ohio are smaller and the gas prices to do just a few shearings isn’t worth the time and money. Many years ago, you did have people who would travel across the state sheering sheep. The farmer would keep the wool and eventually sell it. “Wool nowadays is worth about 7-8 cents a pound so it doesn’t pay for the shearing. So, if the small farm only has a few ewes the farmer needs to shear them himself. Besides, most who raise sheep are thinking along the lines of the meat rather than the wool.” Many sheep trimmed by the first timers at the Sheep Shearing School at JDC may not have looked professionally trimmed, but that’s not essential, Meyer said. “When you shear your sheep, they don’t have to look pretty,” Meyer said. “Farmers learn to shear so their animals remain cooler in the summer, rid their hair of any parasites and make them easier to manage during breeding season. Sheep should get sheared once a year.” According to the American Sheep Industry Association, few make sheep shearing a livelihood these days, adding that those who do earn around $36,162 annually, with entry-level shearers around $28,458 and senior-level shearers near $39,512. Hourly rates can range from $20 to over $45 per hour, depending on skill, efficiency and contract terms. A skilled shearer, they say, can handle 120 to 200 sheep per day. |
