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Wes and Esther Moser.

Hattie and Jaycee Moser, daughters of Caleb and Holly. Photo by Holly Moser.

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Alex has demonstrated his expertise in both national and international competitions. He was the U.S. sheep shearing champion in 2018 and runner-up in 2019. He’s regularly been one of two American representatives to the World Shearing & Woolhandling Championships. He’s represented the U.S. at the competition in Australia, Ireland, France and New Zealand (twice). There are 30-35 countries who participate at the international competition. Alex placed 24th at the last world competition in 2019. Katherine has taken part in some competitions as well, although she’s quick to point out she’s only at an intermediate level, while Alex competes at the highest professional level. The couple is also part of a group of instructors who go to colleges to teach shearing. The colleges handle the logistics of getting the students and the sheep there. “We help set up the equipment and then work with the students on shearing,” she said. Katherine had the honor of leading the instruction for students who gathered at the Dawson Family Ranch in Oregon two years ago. She grew up on a sheep farm in Oregon. She was planning to move to Maryland, live with her sister there, and work with a friend in the shearing business. But the friend suggested she call Alex. “I called him and asked him if I could work with him and I guess we ended up getting along pretty well,” Katherine said with a laugh. She helps in the lambing barn at the farm, as does Caleb’s wife, Holly, who works part-time as a dental hygienist when she isn’t home taking care of their daughters, Hattie, 4, and Jaycee, 2. Alex and Katherine have one daughter, Mary, 5. Katherine said Mary has shown some curiosity for the family shearing business: “I’ll hold her hand and help her shear a little one – sometimes she’s interested and sometimes she’s not. Mostly she wants to play with Hattie.” Alex and Caleb’s mom, Esther, can also be found helping in the lambing barn and in other ways around the farm. Katherine said, “Esther take cares of everyone. She makes phenomenal dinners. If she knows you’re going to be there working, she will have quite the dinner ready.” The brothers’ grandfather purchased the Lyon County farm in the mid-1950s, and Wes and Esther moved to the farm in 1983. Alex said, “Dad started raising sheep when he was in high school in the late 1970s. Grandpa had fed a few lambs before that, but he didn’t have any ewes. Dad also fed cattle up until 1993. But the bottom land here next to Mud Creek flooded 11 times and he didn’t have a crop to feed the cattle. The banker said he’d give him money

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