Class 5 of the BCSBA annual handcraft competition is an open class, allowing entries from non-members as well as members of the BCSBA. The class in 2024 is for a hand held toy made using 100% natural coloured wool. All…
By Wendy Allison New Zealand is known as a country with a lot of sheep. Most of them are white but as the Association that represents black and coloured sheep breeders, we’re often asked how many coloured sheep there are…
Members of the BCSBA were delighted to bestow Life Membership status to two of our members, and a National Merit award to another at our recent AGM. Shirley Wallace, who also retired as our secretary after ten years service, and…
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!…
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;…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…