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I raise Montadale sheep at my Rocky Ridge Sheep Station. A Columbia X Cheviot cross developed in St Louis in 1920-30's. I like their clean white faces and legs. Columbia for size, Cheviot for grass eating efficency. Know full well what Al Gore did to the sheep industry (umm.....didn't he invent the internet too?) by discontinuing the Govt wool subsidy. Which by the way, was funded entirely by import duties on wool, and MADE MONEY for the US Govt, 'cus they NEVER released all the duty money to the sheep industry like they was supposta. Got 7 yrs of wool innna barn. Ain't nobody buying wool. Used to sell to Pendleton Wool in Oregon. $1.20/lb when I started, last wool I sold 60c/lb. Now, even the finest 70 count offfa Texas Rambouillets about 50c. At least wool don't spoil but the gunneysacks rot, and now cost $6/sack. And the wool buyers don't even want the wool in bags ennymore. They want it baled like the big sheep stations in Australia do it. Well I can drag a 200-250 lb wool bag and hiest it into my pickup. But be dammmd if'n I can justify $8000 for hydraulic woolbale press to make 500 lb wool bales (which is 2 yrs of sheering for me) just so the warehouse can store it more efficently with their forklifts. Ah yes, hair sheep, Barbadoes, St Croix, from the Carribean, Dorper from S. Africa. Katahdin's from slopes of Mt Washington in New Hampshire. Sheep, the only domestic livestock that won't go ferral like hogs, cattle, horses, dogs, cats. Guess after 10,000 yrs of sheepherding, they forgets how to live by themselves..... ....Dell
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