NORTHERN REGION
Regional Contact Member – Emma Chester
On Saturday 26th October the Northern Region held its regional AGM hosted by the FettleMead flock, Thirsk, North Yorkshire. The day was attended by 27 Northern members from all counties in the region and included both new and established JSS members. The day’s agenda consisted of refreshments on arrival and a meet and greet, followed by a talk and presentation from Lucinda Bird from the Benridge Woolworks on the potential market for raw Jacob wool fleeces. After lunch there was a walk and talk around the FettleMead flock and overview of the sheep looking at two and four horners sheep, and discussing the importance of supporting four horn breeding. The day finished off with the Northern AGM, questions and any other business.
Emma introducing her flock at the open day at FettleMead
Lucinda Bird processing Jacob wool at Benridge Woolworks
Lucinda Bird’s key points and topics:
The talk was about creating a viable business model for Jacob wool. Lucinda has a prosperous market for Jacob wool in saddle flocking and the art of crafting a quality saddle.
There’s also continued growth for the craft market, such as whole fleece rugs and peg loom rug making. We were all treated to seeing some examples of such rugs that have been handmade Lucinda states: “Farmers must be paid above the cost of shearing even if that starts small. Only waste wool should be for gardening or green burning. Therefore wool should either be sold to processors or the risk taken to process your own wool and sell fantastic products from it.” At the end, members spent a huge amount of time chatting and conversing with Lucinda with the many questions they had and further talking points that came up. With many excited with the potential for the versatile fleece our Jacob’s produce. I would like to say an enormous thank you to Lucinda for finding space in her extremely busy schedule to come to visit us all. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the presentation and were incredibly impressed with the information and details Lucinda spoke about. Everyone went away feeling inspired and motivated with the future prospects for Jacob wool and recognising the hard work Benridge Woolworks is doing for the raw wool market.
Going on from the topic of wool, FettleMead flock are also super passionate about raising the awareness of Jacob wool and what the fleeces have to offer and it sells most of the fleeces as private sales to spinners, weavers and crafters who appreciate the natural colours and long fibres this raw wool has to offer. Another part of what the flock prides itself on is the fresh meat side of it, rearing lambs for freezer ready lamb boxes in various pack sizes from whole through to smaller taste packs. Everyone who tastes Jacob meat admits how the flavour is leaps and bounds ahead of anything off the shelf they have tried. Jacob lamb is full of flavour with its meaty joints and chops with marbling throughout. When slow cooked it falls of the bone.
A ewe and lamb from the Beacon View flock in West Yorkshire
Finally, I talked around how sheep from the flock are taken to local and national shows, and have also more recently been entered for regional Show & Sales which I enjoy and feel should be supported. I finished off by talking about how important I feel it is to keep supporting and breeding the four horn Jacob, which are bred in fewer numbers compared to the two horn Jacobs. I am passionate about keeping the four horners relevant and popular. Over the 15 years of the flock we have had a plethora of four horn sires bringing in excellent bloodlines, which has meant other flocks can continue the richness of having new four horned bloodlines. I also love the two horned sheep too, hence why FettleMead is a mixed two and four horns (but slightly weighted towards the four horners).
| I would like to take the time to thank all members for attending and supporting the open day. Young member, Georgia Knowles, wrote: “Last year, me and my family attended the national, northern AGM at Emma Chester’s. One thing I found particularly interesting was meeting a lady from Benridge Woolworks and seeing just how special and popular the Jacob wool is. Another interesting fact we learned was that people particularly like Jacob wool to fill the main seat of saddles for horses. But thank you to everyone for all the hard work that went into organising it. Me and my family really enjoyed it.” It was great to host a regional AGM for the Northern members; especially to talk around many topical points that got all thinking ahead, but even more so getting everyone together to have a good catch up. |   |
||
I look forward to our next events this year, and already have dates in the diaries for 2025. As a parting note, if anyone would like to contact me about hosting a 2025 spring/early summer or autumn (possibly Northern AGM combined) open day please do not hesitate to get in touch. Many thanks in advance.
Ewes at Fenton & Fozzard’s Greenacres flock
Ewes from Jen Hurford’s Studley flock in winter