A PDF copy of the slides from the Introduction to Wool Judging presentation by University of Maryland Extension Sheep & Goat Specialist Susan Schoenian.

1. An Introduction to Wool Judging 2/26/2010
An introduction to
wool judging
Susan Schoenian
Sheep & Goat Specialist
Univ. of Maryland Extension
sschoen@umd.edu
www.sheepandgoat.com
Hair Wool
Artificial selection
Mouflon – ancestor to all
domestic sheep breeds
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2. An Introduction to Wool Judging 2/26/2010
Wool history
• First commodity to be traded
worldwide
• Columbus brought sheep to Cuba
and the Dominican Republic on his
second voyage to America in 1493.
• In Colonial times
– Massachusetts passed a law requiring young
people to spin
– Spinning duties fell to the eldest unmarried
daughter
– Wool trading in the colonies was a
punishable offense (punishment was cutting
off the right hand)
– Despite the King’s attempts to disrupt wool
commerce, the wool industry flourished in
America
Sheep vary considerably in the
type of wool they produce.
Fine wool from Merino Carpet wool from a Karakul
One type of wool is not better than the other. They just have different uses.
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3. An Introduction to Wool Judging 2/26/2010
Breeds of sheep are grouped according
to the type of wool they grow.
• Fine
Rambouillet, Merino
• Crossbred (fine x medium)
Targhee, Corriedale, Columbia
• Medium (fine x long)
Suffolk, Hampshire, Dorset, Cheviot,
Montadale, Southdown, Shropshire,
Tunis, Polypay
• Long (coarse)
Romney,
Romney Border Leicester Lincoln
Leicester, Lincoln,
Cotswold
• Carpet or double-coated
Scottish Blackface, Karakul, Icelandic
• Hair (shedding) - not sheared
Katahdin, Dorper, Barbado, St. Croix
Rambouillet (fine wool) sheep
Talk like a
woolgrower
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4. An Introduction to Wool Judging 2/26/2010
Fleece
The wool from one sheep.
Sheared off in one piece.
Grease or raw wool is wool as
it is shorn from the sheep.
Clip
The amount of wool shorn from
the sheep in one flock.
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5. An Introduction to Wool Judging 2/26/2010
Fineness – fiber diameter
Thickness of the wool fiber
Measured in microns (one millionth of a meter - µ)
Fineness - fiber diameter
Long
Coarse Medium
Crossbred
Fine
$$$$
Thicker Thinner
> 40 µ < 17µ
Grade refers to the relative diameter of the wool fibers (fineness).
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6. An Introduction to Wool Judging 2/26/2010
Fiber diameter
Short, dirty
Coarser
Coarser
Britch
Breech
(hairy)
Short, dirty, kinky
Polypay
Crimp
The natural curl or waviness in the wool fiber.
Fine wool usually has more crimp per inch than coarse (long) wool.
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7. An Introduction to Wool Judging 2/26/2010
Staple
Refers to the length of a (unstretched) lock of shorn wool.
Long,
Long coarse
Medium Coarse wools
are usually
longer than finer
wools.
wools
Fine
Vegetable matter (VM)
Any material of plant origin found in
the fleece (hay, grass, seeds, etc.)
High VM lowers yield.
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8. An Introduction to Wool Judging 2/26/2010
Tag
Wool that has manure attached to it.
Lanolin
A natural oil extracted from sheep’s wool.
Used to make
ointments and
cosmetics.
Also called wool wax, wool fat, or wool grease.
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9. An Introduction to Wool Judging 2/26/2010
Skirting
Removing the stained, unusable, or undesirable
portions of a fleece (bellies, top knots, tags).
Show fleeces and
other high value
fleeces should be
skirted at the time of
shearing.
shearing
Wool judging
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10. An Introduction to Wool Judging 2/26/2010
Wool judging score card
Characteristic Points
Estimated l
E ti t d clean yield
i ld 35
Length 25
Quality or fineness 10
Soundness (strength) 10
Purity 10
Character and color 10
Total points 100
You will judge “like” (same type or grade) kinds of wool.
Yield
The amount of clean wool that remains after
scouring. Expressed as a percentage.
Wool yield is quite
variable: 40 to 70%.
Long wools have higher
yields than fine wools,
due to less grease.
Bulky fleeces have
higher yields.
Clean wool yield = Raw wool – shrinkage (VM, grease, impurities)
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11. An Introduction to Wool Judging 2/26/2010
Vegetable matter affects yield
Other contaminants: soil, dust, polypropylene from tarps, feed sacks,
and hay baling twine, paint, skin, external parasites, and foreign objects.
Length
Staple length adds weight to the fleece
more than any other characteristic.
Look for uniformity of length
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12. An Introduction to Wool Judging 2/26/2010
Quality or fineness
Appropriate grade for breed or type
type.
Look for uniformity of grade (fineness).
Finer wools are permitted less variability.
Soundness (strength)
Tender wool is wool that is weak and/or
breaks due to poor nutrition or sickness.
This wool does not have a break or tender spot.
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13. An Introduction to Wool Judging 2/26/2010
Purity
Freedom from pigmented fibers, hair and kemp.
Black fiber/hairs
Hair
Kemp
From a hair sheep The commercial wool
market favors white
wool that can be dyed
any color.
Character
General appearance of a fleece:
crimp, handle, and color.
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14. An Introduction to Wool Judging 2/26/2010
Weathered tips
Affects dyeing
“Tippy” wool
Wool classing
at the Maryland Wool Pool
2008 price 2009 price
Grade Type of wool
per lb. per lb.
Choice white-face Wool from fine wool and their crosses: $ 0.76 $ 0.55
Rambouillet, Merino, and Targhee; some
Corriedale, Columbia, and Polypay
Medium white-face Wool from white-face medium wool meat breeds: $ 0.55 $ 0.46
Dorset, Cheviot, Texel, Montadale, etc.
Coarse white-face Wool from long wool breeds: Romney, Border $ 0.49 $ 0.40
Leicester, Lincoln, Cotswold, etc.
Non white-face Wool from breeds with dark fibers and color hairs $ 0.47 $ 0.38
on their faces and legs: Hampshire, Suffolk,
Shropshire, Southdown, Tunis and speckled-
faced sheep.
Short Less than 3 in. length. Lamb’s wool, tags, belly $ 0.39 $ 0.30
wool, old wool, dirty wool, tender wool,
Black or gray wool or fleeces from hair sheep or their crosses are not accepted.
Wool sold to the niche (specialty) markets typically brings a lot more money.
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15. An Introduction to Wool Judging 2/26/2010
Do you have any questions?
I really
love wool!
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