Preparation Steps for Wool Quality Improvement Step 2

Sort Sheep Before Shearing and Package Wool Separately

These categories are suggested guidelines for sorting and packaging wool separately at the producer level. Wool quality will vary within breed due to individual producer emphasis on wool.

Further separations based on wool quality (fiber diameter, length, degree of contamination, animal age, etc.) should occur within each category when volume, market opportunities and financial incentives exist.

Fine Wool Breeds

• American Cormo
• Booroola Merino
• Debouillet
• Delaine-Merino
• Rambouillet

Meat Breeds: White Face

• Cheviot
• Dorset
• Finnsheep
• Gulf Coast Native
• Montadale
• North Country Cheviot
• Texel

Meat Breeds: Non-White Face

• Clun Forest
• Hampshire
• Oxford
• Shropshire
• Southdown
• Suffolk
• Tunis

Double Coated and Hair Sheep Crosses

• Barbados Blackbelly
• California Red
• Dorper
• Icelandic
• Karakul
• Katahdin
• Navajo Churro
• Romanov
• St. Croix

Dual or General Purpose Breeds

• Brecknock Miniature
• Columbia
• Corriedale
• East Friesian
• Finnsheep
• Panama
• Polypay
• Targhee

Long Wool and Carpet Breeds

• Blue-Face Leicester
• Border Leicester
• Coopworth
• Cotswold
• Lincoln
• Perendale
• Romney
• Wensleydale