Country
Friday, March 15, 2019 • Edition 3
cres A
Focusing on Today’s Rural Environment
PHOTOS BY DANNA SABOLIK
Alex Tullis, (from left) Jared Nickel and Doug Rathke work together to shear the Dennis and Brenda Lieser flock March 1 near Belgrade. It takes less than two minutes to completely shear a sheep.
Kroll’s team collaborates to shear Lieser flock By DANNA SABOLIK Staff Writer BELGRADE – The hum of clippers and oldies music beckon from the barn and upon entrance, there are welcoming, smiling faces. Tim Kroll and his team of sheep shearers are working together to shear 300 of Dennis and Brenda Lieser’s 800 ewes. Sheep are sheared before they lamb and these ewes are due to lamb in the next couple months. Lambing season is typically December to May, varying from farm to farm. Kroll has experienced this firsthand as a shearer, with his busiest months from January through April. On March 1, Kroll worked at the Lieser farm with
Doug Rathke of Hutchinson, Alex Tullis of Brooten and Jerod Nickel, of Litchfield. Dennis and his son, Jeremy, also helped the group, raking the fleece that was sheared and stuffing it into a burlap sack, called a bale, that was taken with Rathke to Hutchinson. From there, Rathke works with Groenewold Fur and Wool Company in Illinois to contract a fair price for the product. The wool is evaluated based on quality, length, crimp and cleanliness and sold for a premium. The premium is then sent back to the farm and Lieser will receive the payment for his wool. When shearing a sheep, there is a pattern to the way a clipper should move. In only 46 strokes, an animal can be completely sheared.
This month in the
The shearer begins with the belly of the animal, then moves the clipper to the legs. Next, the left side of the animal is sheared up to the neck, after which she is laid on her left side as the clipper continues to work from the head to tail. The sheep on the Lieser farm are either Polypays or Rambouillet, which are sheared once a year. On that day, Kroll and his crew were shearing the Rambouillet, whose wool is used for apparel because it has a durable, fine crimp. This is a genetic quality, but mostly found in specific breeds of sheep. Other breeds, like Suffolk and Hampshire, have coarser wool, used for rugs and hats. A typical workday for a shearer begins on the farm at
Wooly sheep gather in the barn before lining up for shearing. The breed of these sheep is the Rambouillet, known for their fine wool, best used for clothing.
7:30 a.m. and lasts until about noon, depending on how many sheep need to be sheared and how many people are working. For shearing, the men wear wool-felt moccasins, to protect their feet, move across wooden floors easily and absorb sweat. They also wear double-lined pants, which allow flexibility necessary while navigating around a sheep.
At the Lieser farm, the group sheared 300 ewes in five hours, resulting in 21 burlap bales of wool, about 200 pounds each. On average, it takes less than two minutes to shear a sheep. “I thought the day went perfectly,” said Kroll. “We had a great time.”
KROLL continued on page 2
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