I’m Just Like Ewe… Sammi Townsend

Who am I?

A Sheep Lover!!

Where am I from?

Lyndhurst,

In the Central Tablelands

Population: 258

I went to school with 300 other country kids!

23 of which were in my class…

We were just like you!

School Dances Human Pyramids

Selfies!

And studying HARD!

So what is your impression of a farmer?

I’m not really a grub!

I Love to dress up

The family…

Mum Dad Brother

What is wool?

Wool is a natural fibre and environmentally friendly! It is made up of complex proteins and contains small amounts of fat, calcium and sodium. A single wool fibre!

Sheep in Australia

Merino

Woollen Sheep Breeds

Corriedale

Meat Breeds

Poll Dorset Suffolk Border

Leicester

Cleanskin Sheep

Dorper Wiltipoll

A female sheep is called a ewe A baby sheep is called a lamb A castrated male is called a wether A male sheep is called a ram

Teeth are

Important

Just like you and I, lambs have milk teeth when they are very young.

Sheep do not have upper front teeth.

Sheep have 32 permanent teeth. Sheep are aged by their teeth.

sheep are unlike you and me

system

How Does Wool Grow?

Your hair grows 10 mm per month

Wool grows on average 6mm per

month

FACT!

Wool grows like human hair outwards from the skin.

How long a fleece will grow is

dependant on factors such as the environment and nutrition

There is enough wool on the average adult sheep to make 3 men's suits, 6

dresses or 70 pairs of socks

Wool- From the Farmer to You!

1. Wool Grower

2. Auction

3.Early Stage Processing scouring Carding Combing drawing

4. Spinner 5. Weaver

6. Garment marker

7. Retailer

How is wool processed?

Scouring Carding Combing Spinning

Dyeing Knitting Weaving

Colour Wool growers usually exclude black

sheep from their flocks as not only is their dark fleece hard to dye, but it may contaminate the bright white fleeces we can dye

these amazing colours!

Shearing Most sheep are shorn once a year. It takes around 3 minutes for a shearer to shear a sheep.

60 minutes / 3 minutes x an 8 hour working day = 160 sheep!

The first bits shorn off are around the head and belly. These par ts are usually a bit stained and are

kept separate from the rest of the fleece.

Shearing a wether…

Starring Skeet, my poddy lamb all grown up!

The Shearing Process

Shed Duties The rouseabout helps the classer skir t the fleece, sweep the floors and pen up more sheep for the shearer.

The wool classer assesses (classes) the skir ted fleece and places it in the appropriate wool bin.

The wool presser takes the wool from the wool bin and presses it into wool bales.

Mum- bakes all of the yummy biscuits and cakes for smoko!

Bloopers Just like you might find some funny things in your cereal box other people have found Strange things in their wool bales!

Tea towels Spanners Clothes Babies- don’t worry, it was okay! Work boots Hammers

Did you know?

It takes 50 skir ted fleeces to fill a wool bale!

Most wool bales weigh in

the range of 170-190 kilograms. That’s more

than a few of you and I!

Wool Fibres Wool fibres naturally group together as they grow from the sheep’s skin. These groups are called staples! Wool fibres growth with a natural crimp which gives wool its elasticity. Merino and

crossbred wool staples.

Micron Wool What is a micron? The measurement used to express the diameter of a wool fibre. Microns are TINY! A micrometre one millionth of a metre!

Fine wool Less than 20 microns

Medium wool 20-23 microns

Strong wool` More than 23 microns

Wool Value- Where does my wool sit in the market? Fibre diameter- how many microns? Yield Staple length- length of wool fibres measured in millimetres.

Colour- white and cream wool can be dyed any colour!

Staple strength- amount of force required to break the wool fibre affects the way wool can be processed and what it is used for.

Wool makes you look the top of your game!

Copenhagen Fashion Week

Miranda Kerr spor ting wool!

…And feel it too! The natural oil in wool that coats each fibre and gives it impor tant insulation proper ties is called lanolin. This stuff is GREAT for your skin!

What things do YOU think

are made from wonderful wool?

Other Things Made From Wool

Felt tip pens Doonas

Insulation in roofs of houses Felt hats

Tennis ball covers Filters to stop oil and dust

Firefighter uniforms Piano key hammers

Doonas The inside of cricket balls

It doesn’t burn easily

It doesn’t get dir ty easily

It keeps you warm in summer

And cool in winter

It’s environmentally

friendly!

Why is wool so wonderful?

Why Farmers Are Impor tant?

Just think: What would you be eating without the work of our farmers? Would you even be wearing clothes?

Careers in Agriculture Agriculture is everywhere- from the boardroom to the bush!

AND… it’s not just for the boys!

A teacher

Farmer/ Producer

Chef

An ar tist

Accountant

Scientist

Fashion Designer

The oppor tunities are ENDLESS!

Let’s Work Together…

Thank you!

“You don’t have to be someone to do anything:

Why not help clothe the world as well?”

Let’s Our Aussie Farmers!