ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The American Sheep Industry Association’s Wool Council has selected seven shearers and three mentors to receive $1,500 grants as part of an initiative to develop beginner and intermediate shearers and encourage them to remain in the industry.
Shearers who received grants and the states they work in include:
- Miles Thompson – Kentucky, Tennessee and Indiana
- Nicole Tomlin – Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado and Nevada
- Phoebe Smith – Oregon, Wyoming, Colorado and Idaho
- Luke Thompson – South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska and Wyoming
- Katheryn Carson – Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, New York and Minnesota
- Carlin Briner – Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, Minnesota, Washington and Oregon
- Walter Wright – Michigan and South Dakota
Shearers will receive $500 at the start of the program to help purchase equipment and supplement their income while further developing their skills. To complete the program, they will work with a mentor shearer and eventually submit a written summary and videos to show the progress they’ve made. At that time, they’ll receive the remaining $1,000.
Three of the mentors working with the developing shearers were also selected to receive $1,500 grants as part of the program. The mentor recipients are Anthony Steinfeldt, Mike Cowdrey and Gwen Hinman. Four other mentors are also working to help the developing shearers learn the trade. They are Doug Rathke, Loren Opstedahl, Alex Moser and Timothy Wright.
While there were funds available for just 10 total grants, the Wool Council received applications from 20 developing shearers and 15 mentors. A select committee of Wool Council members selected developing shearers that they felt were most likely to remain in the industry as full-time shearers and who could use the most assistance.
— American Sheep Industry Association
