May 28, 2009 6:52 pm US/Eastern
KD Country: Shearing Sheep
EIGHTY FOUR (KDKA) ―
Freshly shorn sheep head for the hills of George Wherry's Washington County farm.
A solitary llama stands guard over a woolly flock of about 1,200, including a straggler who chooses not follow the others like, well, sheep.
The farmer in Eighty Four, Pennsylvania, is the fourth generation on a farm dating back to 1839.
"What the other generations brought down," he says, leaning on a fence, "I have strong feelings for them. They worked hard to get this land to where it's open, and began to utilize it."
He opens his barn each spring to future generations.
A two-day sheep shearing school, sponsored by Penn State's Washington County Cooperative Extension, is led by "shear master" Don Hunter.
"The other side needs to be sheared?" he asks student Heike Mills. "We'll just roll her over."
Heike is the only woman in the class. But her instructor says she's doing well.
"She's got a long smooth stroke," he says. "The sheep is comfortable. Life is good."
Life has indeed been good for Heike since she and her husband bought a farm near Claysville five years ago, even though: "He's a teacher and I'm an attorney," she smiles. "But it was always a dream that we had, and now we have sheep."
Which leads to shearing. Holding a surprisingly heavy electric shear, I decide to try it myself.
"Let the weight of that lay on the skin," Don tells me.
"I didn't quite get all the wool I could there, did I?" I ask, after an awkward attempt.
"No!" he responds. "You're messing up my fleece!"
I'm forced to admit - sheepishly - that I can't pull the wool over my teacher's eyes.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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