FENNVILLE, Mich. -- Spring is a special time of year for sheep farmers in West Michigan because it means it's time to shear and collect the wool. There's a farm in Fennville where the wool is especially valuable.
Romeldale-CVM, Leicester Longwool and Teeswater are all breeds of sheep cared for at Time Together Farm. The rare and critically endangered sheep are some of only 2,000 left in the U.S. The farm is part of an organization trying to preserve rare breeds so that their particular characteristics aren't lost in cross-breeding.
"We being a smaller farm wanted to contribute to helping share, enjoy and preserve the genetics of these critically endangered sheep," owner Susan Munson told FOX 17.
Their fine and lustrous wool needs to be sheared off yearly. The shearing process is surprisingly calm, but part of that is because of the skilled work of award-winning shearer Timothy Wright.
"The hardest part is learning your footwork. There is a pattern to how you hold them and if you don't hold them the right way, they kind of fight you," says Wright.
Wright has sheared about 20,000 sheep in his four and half year career.
For more information on Time Together Farm, visit their website.
