FarmGirl's Homestead Sheep: Finnsheep and Gulf Coast Natives: Southeastern Animal Fiber Fair 2014!!! A Year of Big Wins!

What Fun!!

It all started with my flocksire Zeke's fleece taking first place in the Primitive Breed White category! This was my first time showing a sheared fleece at SAFF. The judge takes each fleece out of its bag and looks it over very well and a scribe writes the judge's comments on a sheet of paper for the owner. The comments for this fleece were: "Very clean. Very strong fiber. Very nice. Beautiful luster. Strength good. Very uniform." The judge then takes out the other fleeces in the category and places them accordingly. This reflects not only on Zeke and his lovely fleece, but also on the quality of skirting done before bagging and presenting the fleece. In addition, the fleece sold in the Silent Auction for winner's fleeces! I'll be showing/selling more fleeces at SAFF next year!

The Junior Sheep Show was held on Saturday. I was lucky enough to have some very accomplished showpersons showing my ewes: Hannah King, Bailey Strub and Anna Hopkins. Big Thanks!!! Since there aren't Icelandic Classes yet, Icelandics show in the Long Wool Classes with Leceister Long Wools, Lincolns, Teeswaters, Wendslydales, and all Long Wool crosses. Wiress won her Ewe lamb class with Twill second. Portia won her Yearling Ewe class and Deva won her Aged Ewe class. Deva went on to win the Breed Championship and the Supreme Ewe of the Junior Show. She also won the Long Wool Colored Fleece class. Thanks to Hannah, Bailey and Anna for showing my ewes with such professionalism!

Jr. Long Wool Breed Championship Class. 3 of my ewes in the running with Deva winning.

Deva and Anna Hopkins. Deva went on to win Jr. Supreme Champion Ewe.

The Open Show was held Sunday. Breed Classes are shown first and the sheep are judged 60% on wool and 40% on conformation. Haymitch took second place in Long Wool Ram Lambs White behind a Teeswater and ahead of a Teeswater. Cinna won Long Wool Ram Lambs Colored. Wiress won her LW Ewe Lamb class with Clove in third. Portia was 2nd in her LW yearling class. Deva came in 2nd in LW aged ewes with Yuli in 5th. Fleece Classes are a different story; they are judged 100% on wool. Deva won LW Fleece Champion and was one of the top 4 the judge pulled out of all the sheep in the fleece Supreme Champion class. My friend Susan Proctor's colored Montadale won Supreme Chamion Fleece as a Fine Wool entry. What an incredible day!