Sheep – Page 16 – Dan Routh Photography

I Saw Esau

Esau is a ram at Rising Meadow Farm near my home in Grays Chapel, North Carolina. Farm owner Ann Fay said he was named for an old playground ditty. For those that don’t remember the rhyme, it goes in one version:

I saw Esau, sitting on a see-saw,
I saw Esau, he saw me.
I saw Esau, sitting on a see-saw,
I saw Esau, he saw me.
I saw Esau, he saw me, and she saw I saw Esau.

Angora Goat

Animals, Goat, Portraits, Sheep

An Angora goat from Rising Meadow Farm in Grays Chapel, North Carolina.

Llama in the Pasture

Animals, Farm, Sheep

The folks at Rising Meadow Farms in Grays Chapel, North Carolina have several llamas with their sheep herd. The llamas produce some wool, but their main responsibility is to protect the sheep from potential predators like coyotes.

Sheep Dogs Working

Animals, Dog, Farm, Sheep

Sheep dogs demonstrate their natural herding instincts at the Open Farm Day at Rising Meadow Farms in Grays Chapel, North Carolina.

Lambing Season

Sheep

Lambing season, Rising Meadow Farms in Grays Chapel, North Carolina.

Sheep Barn

Animals, Farm, Sheep

Barn images from Rising Meadow Farm in Grays Chapel, North Carolina.

Shearing Tools

Sheep

Still life of sheep shearing tools.

Shearing at Rising Meadow Farm, Misc Images

Sheep

While watching Kevin Ford work was a definite pleasure, the shearing weekend was by no means a one-man job. Along with Kevin, top blade shearer Emily Chamelin from Maryland did her share of the shearing as did Joy Moore who was learning from two masters. Of course, Rising Meadow Farm owners Ann and Ron Fay were there moving sheep and inspecting, weighing and cleaning the fleeces with help from the Walls family.

Kevin Ford, Master Blade Shearer

Farm, Portraits, Sheep

Thursday and Friday of last week I spent several hours at Rising Meadow Farm in Grays Chapel, North Carolina, watching sheep being sheared during the farm’s annual shearing weekend. It was a new experience for me, for while I was raised on a cattle farm and I am familiar with pigs and goats as well, I have never been around sheep and had never actually witnessed one being sheared. What made the experience even more fascinating was the folks doing the shearing were doing it with hand powered shears or “blade shearing”. To top it off, the lead shearer was Kevin Ford, from Charlemont, Massachusetts, arguably the most experienced blade shearer in the United States and one of the top shearers in the world. Kevin has written “the” book on blade shearing, he gives workshops, and he competes in shearing contests in this country and internationally. He also shears commercially, traveling from Massachusetts south to North Carolina every year shearing flocks along the way.

Blade shearing is slower than shearing with electrical clippers, but it easier on the sheep and leaves a little more wool on the sheep for protection. There seems to be more control and finesse involved with hand blades, and it was fascinating watching Kevin work with a sheep. The control he had over the blade and the sheep was amazing. I felt very lucky to be able to watch a master at his profession work the first time I was witness to it and I am appreciative of Kevin and the folks at Rising Meadow Farm for letting me get close to the action and to answer all my questions.

Shearing

Farm, Sheep

This weekend was the annual shearing time at Rising Meadow Farm in Grays Chapel, North Carolina. I spent several hours on Thursday and Friday watching the sheep being sheared, a unfamilar but fascinating experience for me. I grew up around southern livestock, cows, pigs, horses and the occasional goat. Sheep are new to me, so I enjoyed watching the master blade shearers work, and, I must have asked a thousand questions. I hope to post several images this week, so please check back.