The Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival is celebrating 22 years — Sep. 6-8 at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds in Jefferson.
Festival Coordinator Hedge Becker says the Leicester Longwool Card Grading Event is new this year, one of the first of its kind in the Midwest. It’s not exactly a “show” per se but an evaluation where the sheep exhibited are turned loose in a ring and evaluated by a national panel of three judges, each focusing on a separate trait or breed characteristic.
In addition to the three card grading sessions, there will also be several educational sessions offered by the Leicester Longwool producers, including one on Tasmanian Agriculture by Tasmanian breeder Brenton Heazelwood.
The Wisconsin Sheep Breeders Cooperative will host a full slate of producer education sessions including one featuring Woollets, an Argyle-based, alternate market for wool. There will also be sessions on solar grazing and dairy sheep.
The Pen of 3 carcass competition takes place on Sunday. In the Activity Center, Chef Paul Short from Madison College will do a lamb cooking demo.
The Crook & Whistle Stock Dog Trial returns with 60 handlers and three days of intense competition.
Then there is the Country Store with more than 120 vendors from across the country and more than 80 fiber arts classes, the largest such program in the country.
Learn more: https://wisconsinsheepandwoolfestival.com/
