Sheep are very important to California's agriculture industry. Did you know that Dixon("lambtown") is home to , the leading US supplier of lamb! Sheep provide us with meat to eat, but they also provide wool or fleece, which is the sheep's "hair", and many other significant byproducts (see the following this story to learn more about the many uses for sheep products). Sheep have provided people with food and clothing for over 10,000 years!
When a lamb grows to weigh about 120 pounds, it is ready to go to market. Meat from a market lamb is called lamb. If an adult sheep is sent to market, the meat is called mutton. Lamb is a very low fat, mild tasting meat that can be prepared many ways. (See our and even submit your own!)
Not only do sheep provide the shepherd with income from the meat, they also provide wool. Each sheep gives an average of 7.7 pounds of fleece each year. When lambs are born, their fleece is very short. Sheep get their fleece cut, or shorn, when it is 4-5 inches long. The person who trims the wool is called a sheep shearer. The sheep shearer holds the sheep very tightly with his legs, and carefully cuts the wool using electric shears. He starts at the neck, then the chest and legs. The sheep shearer turns the sheep over and trims the sides and back. If the shearer is good at his job, most of the wool usually comes off in one large piece.(You can see this in person live at the fair!) The wool from several sheep is packed into a big, burlap bag, then bundled into a bale and sold.
How Sheep Fleece Becomes A Sweater
Before becoming a sweater, wool has to go through several steps after being shorn from sheep. Once shorn from the sheep, the bales of wool are sent to a factory. There, they clean the wool. Wool gets very dirty while still attached to the sheep! Bugs, mud, straw and other things from the farm can stick to the wool, so cleaning is very important.
Next, some of the wool is dyed into many pretty colors. The wool is then combed, kind of like combing your hair, except the "comb" is a big machine. Combing puts all the wool fibers going in the same direction, to make the yarn strong. Once the wool fibers have been combed into one direction, the wool is spun into ropes of yarn, then wrapped around spools.
The yarn is sent to knitting mills to make sweaters and other clothing. Yarn is also sent to fabric stores so people can knit their own sweaters, socks and scarves.
While providing meat for our dinner tables, sheep and lambs also provide significant by-products used by a number of American industries. These by-products are used in the manufacturing of many items you may use every day. They help contribute to the health and convenience of our everyday lives. Here are a few examples:
From Sheep Hide and Wool
- Lanolin (used in lotions to help keep our skin soft and moist)
- Clothing
- Yarns
- Baseballs
- Insulation
- Tennis balls
- Carpet
From Intestines
- Sausage casings
- Instrument strings
- Surgical sutures
- Tennis racquet strings
From Manure
- Nitrogen Fertilizer
- Phosphorus
From Fats and Fatty Acids
- Explosives
- Chewing Gum
- Paints
- Make-up
- Dog Food
- Margarine
- Medicines
- Dish Soap
- Tires
- Chicken Feed
- Antifreeze
- Crayons
- Floor Wax
- Candles
- Herbicides
- Shaving Cream
- Shampoo and Conditioner
- Lotion
From the Bones, Horns and Hooves
- Syringes
- Gelatin Desserts
- Piano Keys
- Marshmallows
- Bandage strips
- Adhesive tape
- Combs and toothbrushes
- Buttons
- Ice Cream
- Record Albums
- Wallpaper and Wallpaper paste
- Cellophane wrap and tape
- Photographic film
So you see, sheep and lamb are an integral part of our every-day lives! Come and celebrate the lamb at this years Lambtown USA festival with your family!
Information provided by:
The 16th Annual Lambtown USA festival will be held on July 27th 2001 from 10am-10pm on First and A streets in downtown Dixon California.
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