By Mike Augustin

For Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN 

The hum of an electric clipper blended with the buzz of conversation and laughter on a recent spring Saturday near Zumbrota. Friends gathered for the annual sheep shearing at the farm of Melissa Peteler and Catherine Friend. Gates were tended, sheep herded and sheared, fleeces skirted and packed.

While some folks came to work and others to be social, the process of harvesting wool was the draw. "For us it's kind of a rite of spring," explained Friend. "Shearing can be a solitary activity for the shearer, but we decided to make it social."

Friend said a typical ewe, depending on its breed, carries 6-10 pounds of wool from a year's growth. If left too long, it can be difficult for newborn lambs to find milk, it can get dirty, and in some breeds, grows over their eyes and causes wool blindness.

'Learning to love wool'

Reflecting on the versatility of the natural fiber, Friend said, "I'm learning to love wool. It has a long history of uses for clothing and shelter." She also cited a timely lesser-known use: the inside of a baseball. There you will find, among other things, more than 200 yards of tightly-wound wool thread.

Environmentally, Peteler and Friend avoid chemicals and artificial fertilizers in managing their flock. "The inputs to raising sheep are sun to make the grass grow and water," Friend noted. Contrasting wool production with that of another natural fiber, cotton, she said, "Cotton takes a lot of energy. Wool doesn't need as much fertilizer and energy inputs, especially when you do it this way."

Regarding synthetic fibers, she added, "Our love affair with polar fleece is going to come back and haunt future generations because it's not going to break down -- wool does."

Hard work can be fun, too

Getting the wool off the sheep takes a shearer like Drew Eberley, who has done it for more than three decades. What are the job requirements? "You need to love sheep and have a strong back, as you're bending over at the waist for hours," Friend explained. Beyond that, she speculated shearers often possess showmanship mixed with a touch of insanity, as it's a tricky business to simultaneously handle sharp clippers and a squirming animal that doesn't always cooperate.

"I enjoy it," Eberley said. He tends his own flock in the Chatfield area. "If I can't have fun, I'm not going to do it," he added, hoisting a soon-to-be-sheared sheep onto its backside. With hooves in the air, sheep usually become docile, allowing removal of their fleece.

Chilly spring weather found the handful of on-lookers bundled, sipping hot cider to stay warm and eating treats provided by Irene Friend, Catherine's mother, who grew up on a sheep ranch in Montana. Each year she makes the trip from Eau Claire, Wis., for shearing, providing food and refreshments to those gathered.

Meanwhile Eberley worked the clippers in short sleeves, steaming from the effort. Pausing to point out desirable characteristics, he said, "You can see the wave, or the tiny crinkle in the fibers -- that's called crimp. The more crimps per inch, the finer quality the wool."

Peteler, clearly enjoying the process, was a blur of activity. She knelt at the shearer's side, examining the health of each animal emerging from under its heavy fleece. The next moment found her scouting another sheep to shear, then zipping to check on wool being stepped and compacted into a seven foot tall bag for storage and eventual shipment to processing facilities.

Friend, a writer who has shared her farm experiences in numerous books for children and adults, also showed her prowess in hands-on labor. Toting gates and herding animals where needed, she paused occasionally to answer questions from onlookers.

While the process may seem disconcerting to the sheep, Peteler reassured that they are better for it. "You can tell it feels good for them to get that heavy stuff off in the spring," she said.

Mike Augustin is a Rochester freelance writer.

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