National Wool Handling School To Be Held In Massachusetts

The Worcester County & Eastern Massachusetts Sheep Breeders Association is hosting the ASI Wool Handling School and The American Lamb Board for a two-day event on June 2-3 at the Norfolk County Agricultural School in Walpole, MA. Any interested parties are invited to attend.

 

On Saturday, June 2 the event will begin with registration, coffee and donuts from 8 AM to 9 AM. At 9 AM, Nick Forrest from The American Lamb Board will speak about what the ALB is doing for sheep producers. From 10-15 AM to 5 PM on Saturday, and continuing into Sunday, June 3rd, the American Sheep Industry Association (ASI) consultant Ron Cole will be conducting a hands-on Wool Handling School. Topics to be covered include: Wool Science 101, wool value determining characteristics, wool handling classing and skirting, preventing wool contamination, setting up the shearing crew, wool warehouse issues, scouring and top-making, and wool quality improvement programs. Participants will receive hands-on practical experience in fleece preparation, classing, skirting, throwing, the parts of a fleece, and baling and labeling wool bags. There will also be discussions comparing wool, wool/hair fleeces, hand spinning fleeces, and the end uses of each. This is a rare opportunity to participate in a comprehensive wool school close to home in the Northeast!

 

The registration fee is only $20 (includes lunch), payable to Worcester County Sheep Breeders, and mailed to Nancy Miniter, PO Box 729, Sherborn, MA 01770 together with your name, address, telephone and email address. Nancy can be contacted at jnen@aol.com or 508-740-3839. A block of rooms has been reserved under the name "Worcester County Sheep Breeders” at the Holiday Inn Express, 395 Old Post Road, Sharon, MA (781-784-1000) for $90 per night plus tax. The Norfolk County Agricultural School is located a few miles away on Route 1A in Walpole.