At Namaste Farms, in Southern California’s Temecula Valley, Natalie Redding raises and shears about 160 sheep and Angora goats per year. Her one-woman shearing operation can be a physically tough job—one, she says, that occasionally earns her an extra snickers bar.
In addition to selling the fleece that she shears, Redding spins the fiber from her sheep and goats into yarn. The fiber is of premium quality, which she maintains by feeding her animals a healthy diet with lots of vegetables.
Above all else, Redding puts her sheep’s and goats’ safety first when shearing. “You want to be kind to your animals,” she says. “They give us all this wonderful fiber; it’s the least we can do.”
If you’re considering shearing your own fiber animals, Redding is one person you can learn a lot from. Watch the video above as she and her favorite Wensleydale Longwool ewe demonstrate how to make sheep shearing a good experience for both shearer and animal.
