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Wednesday, June 10, 2015 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Keeping control of shear chaos
to go at his pace, keeping out
of his way.
Correspondent
One of the barns on the
A well-organized shearing Cyrus family ranch was the
barn is a place of controlled recent scene of a shearing
chaos. Restless sheep con- day. Awbrey Cyrus, daughter
stantly move and rustle and of Matt and Kelly Cyrus and
bleat in their pens. Dust motes at least the fourth generation
hang in the air, stirred up by of her family to raise sheep,
activity in a shed that sees a got her helpers all lined up,
multitude of use. There’s a and local photographer Gary
clear space for the shearer, a Miller spent the afternoon
clean area for the wool to fall behind his lens, capturing
and a wool bag in a nearby the action of the day. When
stand. Extension cords lie Sisters resident Allan Godsiff,
ready for the clippers. Brooms a New Zealander who’s been
are nearby to sweep the wool shearing for 37 years, arrived
away. The rancher and helpers with his clippers in hand,
shift from foot to foot, waiting everything was ready.
for one of the biggest days of
There’s an economy of
the year to begin.
motion involved in shear-
The shearer is the master ing, a set pattern of “blows”
of this small universe. The that a shearer makes with his
success of the day hinges on shears. He begins with the
his skill and ability to cope sheep tipped belly up, the clip-
with sheep that are not always pers traveling across the skin
cooperative. He expects to under the fleece just below the
find sheep waiting in the pens breastbone. He removes the
and a cooperative crew ready belly wool, tossing it aside,
then heads south
to the genitals,
backside, and left
hind leg.
The next blow
divides the neck
wool near the
jugular. Several
more take the
clippers around
the back of the
head and down
the left front
leg. One step to
the right and the
sheep is lying on
photo by Gary Miller
its side, ready for
awbrey Cyrus pitched in to process the wool.
the “long blow,”
By Kathryn godsiff
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a sweeping movement of the
shearer’s arm that causes the
fiber from the back to cascade
off in even waves. It generally
takes three long blows before
the shearer steps back, lift-
ing the sheep to rest between
his legs again. The right front
leg, right side and right hind
leg are clear of wool in a few
more swift blows.
The shearer steps away
from the sheep, which scram-
bles to its feet and out the
door. The fleece is left lying in
a pile on the floor, waiting to
be tossed into the wool bag.
A skilled shearer makes it
look easy, but Godsiff quips
that some of his best custom-
ers are those who’ve tried to
shear their own sheep, usually
without much success. He also
notes that while he expects
certain things from his clients,
he also sees the shearing as a
team effort. He works with the
clients to make sure things go
smoothly.
Awbrey’s sheep, raised to
be competitive in the show
ring, are a meat-producing
breed and don’t grow a long
and lustrous fleece. Wool
from meat breeds is typically
used in quilt batting or insula-
tion and sells for less than fine
garment or craft wool.
“Even though this wool
isn’t worth much, it’s worth
something,” she said. “Those
two bags of wool will pay for
Allan being here. It covers
the cost of keeping my sheep
healthy.”
Shearing reveals issues
covered by a full fleece.
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photo by Gary Miller
alan godsiff has the technique down after decades of shearing experience.
Observing her freshly shorn
sheep allows Awbrey to
see the ewes’ body condi-
tion and adjust her manage-
ment accordingly. This year’s
shearing uncovered a flock in
good shape, testament to her
passion for ranching, a long
family tradition with sheep
and a shearer’s skill.
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