no sheeeeep till brooklyn

Sheep have it bad.  One the one side we have the infamous Minor Threat analogy that to be like sheep in the modern world is the lowest of the low.  To follow blindly and accept anyone/any trend as leader seems to be the unfortunate choice of so many overstimulated American consumers (because we have now devolved into consumers, a definate downgrade from de Tocqueville's citizens).  On the other side of the pasture fence, is the peaceful little bundle of soon to be wool, that only asks for a green patch, and yearly sheering to blithely carry on its' eco-cycle of no-kill production of goods.  Well, yes, occasionally there is the one too many rams that need to be shipped off to start their own commune or perhaps eaten.  Of course the natural solution would be to let the wolves thin the flock, but unfortunately they don't kill by gender, and then all those handsome llamas and master sheep dogs would be out of work and that could get very ugly on a Saturday night  in downtown small townville.

ANYWAY, there I was  killing time while in line at my semi-local, overpriced, out to crush the little guy organic supermart and a lefty publication caught my eye, suggesting vegan options to WOOL!  Wool, the perfect no-kill winter weather protector?  Wool, the happiest product of the sweetest little rambouillet and hebridean? 

The article cited industrial sheep farming in Australia, as the destructive culprit, suggesting sheering leads to some animaIs freezing to death, and being unfairly treated. While I am not a vegan, I  do surely know that Industrial farming can lead to no good end.  What about all the small-time farmers who raise sheep as members of the family, naming them and grieving emotionally and financially if one should pass on before its time?   To take this encouragement of  avoiding wool to a practical application; If no one wore wool, then wouldn't sheep die out, in that no one would raise a farm animal that  wasn't  bringing in money?  I can't really continue this train of thought, it's too horrifying to think of a world without sheeeeeep...

For those who worship sheep and all they stand for, the holiest of weekends is fast approaching:  the annual Sheep and Wool Festival held at the Rhinebeck, NY fair grounds, October 20, 21.  Hundreds of vendors and small farmers from near and far haul their prized animals in to show folk how good the pastoral life can be. In past visits I've met some wonderful longtime farmers and just starting out, second career folks who are working hard to find a way to make a living off the land in an wholistic and individual way.  Quick, make that reservation for your Zipcar to carry you away to the land of sheep dog trials, home spun yarns, alpacas, maple candies and fabulous lamb stew.

Comments

[Dale Hazelton]

When I was a younger man my parents bought a lamb for my mildly-retarded brother that he promptly named "Mike." My father converted the old chicken coop (that had held a heifer calf after the chickens and ducks left, but long prior to Mikes arrival) into a place for him to while away his time eating clover and hay. There was no plan to sell wool or have a nice stew, he was just a pet for my brother to tend to. As Mike grew larger and his butting instincts became more finely defined, he knocked the coop door off the hinges one morning when he wanted to get out for some fresh air. A while later the whole front wall was subject to his very hard head, and the wall lost. The North wall came down sometime after that and my father propped up the roof with a few old 2X4s and rusty nails (made easier to hammer in by poking them into a worn bar of cake soap). Come winter Mike sure was pretty with a huge coat of wool, covered in snow, but admittedly he probably wasn't very happy, being the only sheep around for miles. That next year he finally was given to a farm family that spun and sold wool from their own lamb-baas. I still think about how nice it felt to stick a hand deep into Mikes coat when I see a skein of yarn, even the acrylic stuff. I'm sure he is enjoying himself eating Birdsfoot and Timothy and knocking down chicken coops in heaven as I write.

[Ivy]

I took up knitting two years ago and I attend several knitting and crafts shows. I'm always happy to see spinning demonstrations and "tops" (pieces of high quality wool, straight from the sheep) set out on stalls. A few months ago a knitting magazine here in the Uk published a poster of pictures of sheep of various breeds and captions stating what types of wool were manufactured from their fleece. My husband and I couldn't stop laughing when we saw it, as it looked like a combination of a wanted poster and personal ads for the sheep. I'm currently knitting a coat made with 13 skeins of a slub wool called Marshmallow from Collinette, which is hand dyed with various colours that come out as stripes when knitted up. By the way, there used to be a TV programme here called "One Man and his Dog" which featured filmed trials of dogs herding sheep.

[illlich]

I had this same argument with a vegan while hiking on the Appalachian Trail. She was opposed to milk and cheese because some cows are mistreated. "So. . . if the dairy industry were to slowly (or suddenly) disappear, then what? The cows would run wild and free? I don't think so." I have a certain amount of respect for vegetarians and vegans, but the danger is losing ones rationality in pursuit of some ideological perfection; if you are opposed to cows (or sheep) being mistreated, then work to stop the mistreatment, not the entire industry. Besides-- how is artificial wool really better? Things like polar-fleece or polar-tech which substitute for wool are made from plastics. . . so you are hurting a natural and ancient process like rearing sheep, and favoring the chemical industry, who have done far more damage to the environment than sheep farmers.

[Steve PMX]

GUILTY...OF BEING SHEEP

[Denise]

I noticed no Save the Sheep protesters at the Sheep and Wool extravaganza, but as I walked around I was disturbed at the growing trend to dress up animals in human clothing. This is the kind of animal mistreatment information they should have pamphlets about at Whole Paycheck.