Shearing is the equivalent to the pinnacle of being in an AFL Grand final. It's what wool growers put their blood, sweat and tears into to produce the best merino wool fibre in the world as they are so renowned for.
The shearing shed is such a buzz of energy the music is glaring, people constantly on the move, shearing, drenching, sweeping, classing, pressing and so much more! Dogs puffing and tails wagging while they keenly look to their master to be given the go ahead to work the sheep.
Our children, Sam & Lucy, eagerly wait for the cake at smoko, chocolate of course. As much as they try, they cannot hide their taste tests, chocolate smeared across their excited but guilty faces.
The smell of lanolin is intoxicating and you can almost feel it hydrating your skin as you walk in the shearing shed. It's so obvious to see why Lanolips has done so well with the byproduct of wool, a no-brainer - natural and oh so moisturising. I touch a fleece with a beautiful crimp and instantly feel the hydration at work.
Big bright fleeces are thrown onto the wool table to be classed by the wool classer. A pivotal role during shearing. We hope for AAAM classed wool. And as many bales as possible, the most we have cut is 400 bales! That is a lot of woolly jumpers!
Our main shearing is in March. 15,000 sheep are somehow all mustered in and out across 4 of our main properties, two shearing sheds. The majority of the shearing is executed at our 6-stand shed on our station “The Gums.”
Our ewes are all Collinsville bloodlines and produce on average around 21 micron wool. It's not just the micron the wool buyers look for when buying wool at auction, it's the vegetable matter, how clean it is, the volume, the price and more.
As the saying goes, riding on the sheep's back. Without the humble merino sheep, Iris & Wool would not exist, I owe it to them, the incredibly hard-working wool producers and hope to do them all proud by flying the woolly flag!
Cheers & love, Em xx
Explore the 100% Merino Wool fashion that is made from shearing Merinos PROVENANCE AW23 – Iris and Wool
