EDUCATION - GSBANA 2023
Have you ever wondered - what's involved in raising sheep? What minerals should I be feeding? How should I prepare for lambing? What does correct conformation look like? How do I skirt a fleece? How do I show a wool breed? Everything that's involved with owning sheep is part of GSBANA's new Learning Library.
For the first time in the organization's history, the Gotland Sheep Breeders Association of North America, (GSBANA), has organized an Education Program designed specifically for its Membership and the subjects we asked for by survey. Prepared by experienced shepherds and Subject Matter Experts, it's designed to help cultivate successful shepherding and herd management
practices, to identify opportunities to show, share, and improve the Gotland breed in North America, and to explore a variety of other informative and creative subjects!
​
Join us! www.gsbana.org
EDUCATION & NETWORKING
​
MWGA Annual Convention
First weekend in December, annually. Wool producers of all breeds, fiber artists, and other industries that support the sheep industry come together for education and socializing with other producers. At this point Twisted Fleece is the only Gotland breed representative at the Convention, so it's a great opportunity to share the special qualities of the beautiful Gotland wool and charming faces!
​
A silent auction provides resources for a variety of interests, Make It With Wool regional winners compete for the opportunity to participate in the national competition, a fun demonstration and competition of ethical speed-shearing generates educational resources.
​
mtsheep.org
MSU Extension Wool Lab - Stay Tuned!
With the managers of the MSU Wool Lab we're exploring the possibilites of offering smaller producers educational opportunities to learn about wool - what exactly does it tell us about our sheep? We may have a physical or virtual tour of the Wool Lab, learn about the equipment they use, how to interpret their reports, and translate that information into flock management.
Much of the work the Wool Lab does is for commercial operations, but they realize that our specialty niches play a sizeable role in the wool industry. They're interested in learning about what we do, and playing a part in the development and understanding of specialty wool breeds - and some of the folks at the Lab are also fiber artists!
​
montana.edu/woollab