Skip to Main Content

Sheep checkoff to hold 4th annual shearing school at Purdue

The Indiana Sheep and Wool Market Development Program will sponsor 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, and run 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET. 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 present will be experienced shearers, including organizer and master shearer Steve Kennedy, whose family has been 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, 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. 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-H’ers 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.”

The Indiana Sheep and Wool Market Development Program was created to support educational, promotional and research efforts involving sheep in Indiana. Funds for the council are collected from the sale of all sheep in Indiana — 0.5% of the net market price of each sheep sold. All funds collected by stockyards, sale managers, producers and others should be sent to the council’s business office at Purdue. More information is on the program’s website.

Featured Stories

Dog outdoors drinking water
Keeping your pets safe during the dog days of summer

As temperatures and humidity rise across the U.S., Candace Croney, director of the Center for...

Read More
Eastern hellbender salamanders feeding on bloodworms in their raceway at the Purdue Hellbender the Hellbender lab.
Metazoa Beer to Benefit Help the Hellbender Lab

Metazoa Brewing Company and the Indiana Lakes Management Society have teamed up to collaborate on...

Read More
Sonling Fei in front of digital trees
Digital forestry can help mitigate and prevent wildfires

The National Interagency Fire Center reports that, as of this writing, 19,444 fires have burned...

Read More
tomas hook next to boat
What you can do this summer to reduce the spread of aquatic invasive species

In 2020, an alligator was captured in a lagoon of Chicago’s Humbolt Park. The reptile out...

Read More
Researcher uses pipette on parsley plant
Researchers examine nanotechnological methods for improving agriculture

Nanoscale particles could potentially help address agricultural and environmental sustainability...

Read More
Fairgoers ride a tractor, sponsored by the Indiana Soybean Alliance, and browse food tents during the 2023 Indiana State Fair. (Purdue Agricultural Communications photo)
Purdue Extension to present engaging art and nature demonstrations at Indiana State Fair

The Indiana State Fair kicks off Aug. 2 and highlights the theme “The Art & Nature of...

Read More
To Top