September 2025

Behind-the-scenes look at sheep shearing

When you put on that beautiful sweater hanging in your closet, do you ever wonder where the wool comes from? No? Well, I must confess, neither do I.

When I heard that the sheep on the farm where we are currently staying were going to be sheared, I asked the farmer if I could see how it was done.

Question: Why is it necessary to shear sheep?

The shearing of sheep is not only important for wool production, but also for the welfare of the animals. It keeps them healthy, prevents overheating, and ensures high-quality wool. Andries, the farmer on the farm where we stay, told me that shearing is usually done once a year. According to farming magazines (which I read online), this ensures that the animals stay comfortable while farmers collect wool for textiles and other industries.

Workers busy in the shearing shed

Woolly sheep are waiting their turn to be sheared

The sheep shearers are not workers of the farm, and their only job is to go from farm to farm to shear all the farmers’ sheep. It’s quite impressive to see how comfortably and quickly they shear the sheep. One of the men sheared a big sheep in only 2 minutes, while a lamb was done in one minute and 30 seconds.

Shearer in action

Sometimes the sheep lie down and other times they sit upright

To do this job, you need to know how to hold and shear a sheep at the same time

Long steady strokes close to the sheep’s skin help remove wool efficiently without harming the sheep. This creates a single fleece that can be rolled up for processing.

The fleece is sheared off in one piece

The permanent farm workers lend a hand to ensure that everything runs like a well-oiled machine. While the sheep shearers focus solely on the sheep, there are two workers who are constantly sweeping away the loose pieces of wool with a broom so that the area where the sheep are being sheared can remain clean at all times.

Ricardo constantly gathers up all the loose wool

The sheep are kept together until everyone has been sheared, after which a door is opened, and they then run outside.

Sheared and unsheared sheep

Once the fleece is removed, it is shaken free of debris, weighed and then prepared for grading.

Scale to weigh the sheep’s fleece

Every sheep has a tag in its ear, which makes it easier to record data and track individual sheep. Before each sheep is sheared, Andries scans the tag and then Rachel prints a barcode indicating the weight of the fleece. The average weight of a sheep’s fleece is between 4kg – 5kg.

Rachel and one of the sheep shearers’ helpers weigh the fleece

Tag inside sheep’s ear

Barcode and weight of one sheep’s fleece

The fleece that has been sheared are folded in a certain way so that it can be thrown open on the wool handling table in one motion for the grading process to begin.

Folded sheared fleece

Sheared fleece thrown open on the table

The sheep shearers’ team have a classifier and skirter who remove all skirting/edge trimming and double-cut wool (this wool is handed over to the pieces table). The fleece is then divided by the classifier and skirter on the fleece lines and placed into wool bins.

Classifier and skirter busy working on the sheared fleece

Wool bins

At the pieces table, the skirting and double-cut wool, as well as urine-stained wool, dirty wool and pieces are sorted. This is also the table where the permanent farm workers are stationed.

Farm workers, Adam and Richard, at the pieces table

Richard sorts through pieces of wool

The filled wool bins are now taken to the wool press where the men are required to jump/tramp the butts by stomping on the wool and pushing it down. This is repeated each time the butt appears full, until the top corners of the butt are tight and it can be packed into bales that will later be sold. The wool press is also manned by two of the permanent farm workers.

Wool at the wool press

Ballie and Eugene working at the wool press

Filling the butt until it’s full

Wool bales (compressed wool)

As mentioned earlier, once all the sheep in one group have been sheared, a door is opened so that they can go outside. Andries stands inside with the sheep and two men outside, and then each count how many sheep there are. It was fascinating that all three men ended up with the same number every time – all of this happens within a minute. I also tried to count but had to stop after 5 sheep because I lost track. (I suspect I won’t be asked to help with this particular task anytime soon).

Sheared sheep getting ready to leave the shed

1, 2, 3, 4, 5 … oh, hang on …

The last few sheared sheep on their way out

With a well-deserved break, before the next flock of sheep shows up for their ‘haircut’, it is time for the sheep shearers to put new combs and cutters on their electric clippers.

Sheep shearers getting ready (left) and their clippers

Everybody is taking a break

When I left the shearing shed, I walked over to the field where I saw unsheared and sheared sheep. The whole process of shearing sheep is definitely hard work, and I think I will perhaps appreciate my sweater more the next time I wear it.

Are we next?

Fabulous, bare and maybe even slightly offended by the breeze

A few weeks after the sheep were sheared, a large truck arrived at the farm to load the bales so that they could be taken to Gqeberha (previously known as Port Elizabeth) where it could be auctioned.

Wool bales ready to be transported and auctioned

Marthinus and Joos (left) and Adam and Richard (right)

Loading bales on a forklift

Loading the bales on the truck

All the bales loaded and ready to leave the farm

Richard, Marthinus, Adam, Eugene, Ricardo and the truck driver

A beautiful thought on the truck

The farm’s sheep wool on its way to being turned into beautiful sweaters

As the wool heads off to its next chapter, I’m left with a heart full of farm stories (and even the sheep blink in disbelief). Thanks for joining me – until next time, may your days be fleecy and full of wonder.