SHEEP & WOOL EXPO
The interactive Sheep & Wool Expo is a firm favourite with all age groups, and has been a frequent winner of awards from the Royal Agricultural Society.
The Expo covers all aspects of sheep (and goats) and wool, from conception to consumption.
The animals, as well as the products derived from them, are displayed side by side.
Visitors can watch regular sheep-shearing demonstrations, and can view a range of special sheep and goat breeds on display.
Those interested in farming these animals can chat with specialist representatives from the Agricultural Research Council and the Goat Agribusiness Project about starting or developing their own enterprise.
Educational institutions such as Grootfontein Agricultural Development Institute, Cedara Agricultural College and Mangosuthu University of Technology are also on site.
Their exhibits help to spread the word about educational opportunities in sheep and goat farming, and in agriculture in general.
There are daily workshops on spinning, dyeing, knitting, felting or leatherwork. Free entry to the Show is included in the workshop fees.
There is also a range of beautiful products on sale — sheepskin slippers, knitting yarns, leather belts and pouches, scarves, hand-knitted jerseys, pullovers, hats, mohair blankets, shawls, socks, and much more.
Finally, visitors can rest and refresh with a light meal or hot drink, while watching all the different activities.
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2023 EXHIBITORS
Grootfontein Angora Stud
Students and staff members from the Grootfontein Student Angora Stud brought their prize-winning Angora goats back to the Sheep & Wool Expo this year.
Surrounded by a range of mohair products in the Expo, the beautiful Angoras with their soft ringlets of hair show the very beginning of an incredible value chain in which the South African mohair industry has become a world leader.
The presence and knowledge of the Grootfontein students was massively valuable to visitors — to those who were generally interested in how mohair products are produced, and those who are interested in farming Angoras and becoming mohair producers themselves.
Agricultural Research Council
Researchers from the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) returned to the Sheep & Wool Expo this year to share their expertise with the public.
They hosted several interesting and informative workshops throughout the week on animal handling and the application of advanced reproductive biotechnologies in small stock, on hydroponic vegetable production systems and bag systems, on the application of genomics tools in breeding and selection, and on genotyping workflows for farmers’ needs.
Cedara College of Agriculture
Staff and students from the Cedara College of Agriculture were on hand throughout the week at the Sheep & Wool Expo to talk to prospective students interested in studying towards a diploma in Crop Production or Animal Production.
Their interactive display, which included hydroponics and live ewes with their lambs, was very popular with visiting children, as well as with Agriculture MEC Super Zuma, who visited the Cedara students to congratulate them on their achievements in the livestock competitions.
Mangosuthu University of Technology
The Hon Mr “Super” Zuma (left) receives a hamper from Dr MH Mapeka of the Mangosuthu University of Technology’s Agriculture Department at MUT’s stand at the Sheep and Wool Expo.
Mangosuthu University of Technology’s (MUT) Agriculture department showcased its different livestock and crop production programmes, which focus heavily on communal farming and strengthening basic agricultural management practices.
MUT promoted its Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) programme, a new short course skills programme focusing on sheep and cattle. The MUT representatives also demonstrated how farmers can use natural resources to formulate livestock feed in sustainable and cost-effective ways, and for different feeding purposes, including reproduction.
NWGA Wool School
At the Sheep and Wool Expo this year, the National Wool Growers’ Association (NWGA) held their Wool School for the Animal Science students from Cedara College of Agriculture. This is a short two-day beginner course that covers the basic aspects of wool handling after sheep shearing.
The Wool School covers the theoretical and practical classing of the wool fleece, and leads on to the Springbok Head Wool Classing Course, a five-day intensive course that students must pass before being allowed to class wool on farms.
Visitors to the Sheep & Wool Expo were able to observe, and had fun handling the fleece afterwards. Representatives from the NWGA were on site at the Expo throughout the Royal Show, to liaise with visitors and farmers and spread awareness about this important industry.
NWGA Sheep Shearing
The National Wool Growers Association presented their captivating sheep shearing demonstrations at the Sheep & Wool Expo over the two weekends of the Show.
In this mesmerizing display, highly skilled shearers carefully and efficiently removed a sheep’s fleece using either blade or machine shears.
These demonstrations were great crowd pleasers, and were an opportunity for visitors to learn about one of South Africa's oldest agricultural industries.
KZN Goat Agribusiness Project
The KZN Goat Agribusiness Project (GAP) is an innovative community project that supports small-scale goat farming and entrepreneurship.
At the GAP exhibit at the Sheep & Wool Expo, the GAP’s friendly representatives offered advice and information to visitors who were interested in farming goats.
The GAP had a range of educational materials available, including books on goat and chicken farming, protein blocks for sale, and a display of beautiful indigenous goats that attracted a great deal of attention.
Stitch by Stitch
Expo visitors had the opportunity to brighten up their homes with a "stitch of colour", thanks to Wartburg-based Stitch by Stitch, who brought their unique household accessories to the Sheep & Wool Expo at the Royal Show again this year.
Their collection included an array of creative and colourful everyday household items, such as tablecloths, table runners, scatter cushions, aprons, wrap skirts, woven toy baskets, wine bags, peg bags, bedding, crochet toys, mats, makeup bags, and more.
Made with creative attention to detail from locally sourced materials, Stitch by Stitch’s exhibit added a splash of colour to the Sheep & Wool Expo.
Yarn Stash
Yarn Stash, owned by Wendy Bloy, a local independent dyer, returned to the Sheep & Wool Expo this year. Yarn Stash specialises in small quantities of “one of a kind”, unrepeatable colourways.
Wendy’s vibrant, hand-dyed yarns are a labour of love, inspired by, amongst other things, jellyfish, summer holidays with her daughter, agapanthus in her garden after the rain, caramels and marshmallows, the first changes of autumn leaves, sunny summer days, and rainbows on a misty morning.
Her yarn bases are Merino, Mohair and Blue-faced Leicester, and include double knitting, sock weight or “fingering” yarns, all of which are processed in South Africa.
Mulberry Tree Café
The Mulberry Tree Café provided a welcome pitstop for visitors to this year’s Sheep & Wool Expo to refuel and refresh.
The café was perfectly located near to the NWGA stage on which the sheep shearing took place.
Apart from delicious breakfasts and lunches, visitors were able to get a range of winter warmers, including hot drinks, the tastiest home-made pies at the Show, a range of baked treats and sweets, and their famous sheepskin handmade slippers made from only the best skins.
Wool Haven
Wool Haven, a local supplier of all things to do with knitting and crochet, was a welcome return exhibitor to the Sheep & Wool Expo this year. True to its name, Wool Haven was a treasure trove of supplies and advice for everyone from novices to experts, and Expo visitors were often seen relaxing at their social knitting table with their new projects. Also on offer was a wide range of beautiful finished creations.
During the Expo, Wool Haven also hosted a venue for the ATKV’s 30-Hour Crochet Marathon, at which 15 dedicated ladies crocheted through the night to make the winter a little warmer for those less fortunate.
2023 WORKSHOPS
The Sheep & Wool Expo hosted 23 workshops at the 2023 Royal Show.
There was something for everyone, from beginners to experts, and there were a couple of workshops just for kids, where they could crochet a puppy toy, or have fun making pom pom creatures.
The workshop fees included free entry to the Royal Show.
