Imagine starting a sheep shearing business not knowing how to shear. That’s exactly what a young woman did out of college about three years ago. Today, the national business, Riversong Shearing, is thriving.
Briana Bateman had not had a farm interaction until her 20s. While a student at UW-Madison, she grew an interest in agriculture, specifically sheep and alpacas.
In 2021, she and her partner spent all of their money on shearing equipment. And then they reached out to sheep and alpaca farmers in Florida on social media. Bateman says the need for shearers and people to provide basic care like teeth and hoof trimming is so great in the East and Southeast parts of the U.S. that they had no problem getting clients.
The first week was a learning curve. Batemans says they didn’t know how sore they would be after shearing 100-head over a week. A few weeks of work led to a few months as word spread. After taking a break back in Wisconsin, they realized they needed to continue providing the service to the flock owners who continued to reach out.
Today, they work with 400+ clients across 13 states.