Classing 101
by Anne Marie Parcell In October, near the end of the season, one of the wool handlers asked me ”AnneMarino are you really glad to be finished at the end of the classing season?”. The answer was a resounding no!…
Annual Conference and AGM
With the new year well underway, members of the BCSBA are beginning to think of the 46th Annual Conference and AGM to be held in Palmerston North, April 20-23 2023. Members will also be preparing entries for the annual competitions;…
Improving lock structure without losing productivity
By Wendy Allison With the price of wool down and the price of meat up, many sheep farmers are turning to lamb sales as their main source of income. But where does that leave those of us who are breeding…
Preparing a fleece for carding
by Steve Clarkson The aim of fleece preparation is to achieve a high quality carded product, which is suitable for further processing (usually spinning or felting). The better the preparation, the better the carded product will be; the proverbial ‘Rubbish…
Instructional Videos on Sheep Care and Fleece Production
The BCSBA is making a series of instructional videos on sheep care and fleece production available via YouTube. The first two have been made and are now available for viewing as follows: Shearing Sheep Testing Rams for Brucellosis As new…
Black and Coloured Milking Sheep Appearing in Paddocks All Over New Zealand
By Kim Lewis, Alamae Stud The most commonly associated breed of sheep associated with milking is the (white) East Friesian which like their bovine cousins of the same name are, le's face it, not the prettiest animal to see in…
Overdyeing Natural Coloured Fleece
Text: Catherine Jane. Photos: Kate Mahoney. This article was originally published in the March 2019 issue of Creative Fibre magazine. Note: the colour definition in the photos is much more clear in the printed article. The theme for the September…
Farming Corriedales in Southland, New Zealand
by Anita Erskine, Westwood Farm When you think of Corriedales in New Zealand, often your first thought is that they are likely to be in the Canterbury area or maybe hill country. Corriedales, being fine-wool sheep, like drier areas with…
Site Maintenance, Tuesday 9 August
Some maintenance work on this BCSBA website is scheduled to take place during office hours (New Zealand time) on Tuesday 9th August 2022. There may be short periods of interruption of access to the site during this time. We apologise…
A second generation breeder of coloured sheep
By Mistelle Jack I grew up on the outskirts of town, and by that I mean town was on one side and paddocks were over the back fence! My parents came from two different parts of the country; Dad grew…