Where do sheep get their wool cut? At the baa-baa! 😂 Ok, but in all seriousness. Dan Macon and Dr. Rosie Busch talk about one of the most important events in the sheep production year… shearing! Shearing is an art, a science, and a sport. It can be noisy in a shearing shed and feel a bit chaotic, but settle in and watch the incredible craftsmanship of harvesting wool and caring for the animal. It is truly mesmerizing. We hope this episode inspires thought and appreciation.

Dan visits with Davy McCracken, director of the Scotland’s Rural College Hill & Mountain Research Centre, about opportunities for using technology to increase efficiency in extensive sheep and cattle operations.

Dan and Ryan. They actually talked about custom grazing too.

Dr. Busch shared her knowledge on some of the basics about goat or sheep dairies. Ryan proves that he literally knows nothing about goats and less about dairy. Make sure to message him on Instagram @californiasheeprancher plenty of questions on this topic. He learned a lot and hopefully you will too. Enjoy!

Dr Busch and Dan make the drive down to Emigh Livestock’s shearing and pull up a couple wool bales and shoot the breeze. A lot time is spent on animal handling and the differences between cows sheep and goats.

Dan Macon and Dr. Rosie Busch catch up on recent events, which always leads to great conversations about sheep! From schools, to shearing, to external parasites, and dogs…

Dan and Ryan chat about planning for perfection but ultimately conclude that the best way is to get your hands dirty and learn from doing.

Ryan Mahoney and Dr. Rosie Busch talk about the important considerations that are made when it comes to preventing disease and protecting flock health. Tail docking is an important topic, and today we hope to add to that conversation.

Dan Macon and Dr. Rosie Busch had a great time catching up on lambing events at Flying Mule Sheep, pondering why their breed up was so great this year, talking bits of nutrition and metabolic disease, and sharing “what not to do” stories from their past.

We discuss the importance and philosophy of work, especially as it relates to labor intensive endeavor like production agriculture. There seems to be a growing trend toward less work and while efficiency is important, we reflect on how important the day-to-day physical and mental challenge is toward lifetime fulfillment and actually contributes to overall success in farming and ranching.