22 Salmon Arm fleece


brings top dollar Fundraising auction at Wool ‘n Ewe attracts 77 lots


by BARBARA YDENBERG CLOVERDALE – The Lower


Mainland Sheep Producers’ Association (LMSPA) annual wool show and sale fundraiser, the Wool ‘n Ewe A- Fair, was held at the Cloverdale Fairgrounds on June 9.


The top-selling fleece sold


for $41.25 per pound, for a total of more than $160. It was a CVM x Merino fleece in the Fine Colour Class from Bruce Husband and Sonia Gregg of Salmon Arm. A total of 15 producers


entered 77 fleeces. Judge Sherry Stewart from Maple Ridge made her decisions according to breed standards. Scoring was based on soundness, evenness, fleece weight and yield, length of staple, strength of fibre, brightness and lustre.


Fleeces were of high


quality and in a variety of colours, bringing good prices in the afternoon at the auction. The average fleece price was $13.18 per pound and the average fleece weighed 5.35 pounds. All but four fleeces were sold at auction. The fleeces entered were sorted into classes for down, long wool white and colour, primitive white and colour, and fine white and colour. Breeds of sheep


represented were Suffolk, Charollais, Cheviot, Dorset, Finn, East Friesian, Clun Forest, Romney, Romeldale, Shetland, Icelandic, Gotland, Merino, California Variegated Mutant (CVM), Ile de France, Canadian Arcott, Rideau Arcott and various crossbreds. There were ewes on display and a shearing display by


PUSHING THE LIMITS OF


Fleece judge Sherry Stewart of Maple Ridge shows buyers at the Lower Mainland's Wool 'n Ewe A-Fair what she looks for in a quality fleece. Here she is examining a Shetland fleece. BARBARA YDENBERG PHOTO


local shearer Alex Lee. Stewart gave a demonstration of how to skirt a fleece, and how to examine and judge a fleece. A craft and trade show


displayed a variety of wool


crafts, sheepskins and sheepskin products, spinning equipment and dyed fibres. Approximately 150 people attended the event. The fleece show and sale


started decades ago as a platform for Lower Mainland sheep producers to present their fleeces to be judged for quality and to market their fleeces to handcrafters. The quality of fleeces has improved greatly over the years due to better preparation, improved breeding of sheep and attention to hand-spinners’ requirements. Producers from across BC


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view the sale as an opportunity to maximize the market value of their fleeces, which are shorn each spring. Gone are the days when farmers could only think to burn or dump their fleeces because there was no market for them. Today, there has been a revitalization of hand- spinning, weaving and knitting where raw sheep fleece is turned into beautiful works to be enjoyed by local purchasers. The show and sale raises funds that help the LMSPA provide education in sheep husbandry, wool production and animal welfare.


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COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • JULY 2018


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