Our job is to help promote, preserve and educate on the craft of wool and fiber removal in the United States. The Council is open to all sheep, goat, llama and alpaca shearers.
The ASSC is also the main governing body for the selection of shearers to represent our country as Team USA for the Golden Shears World Championship.
Photo by Lisa McKinley Surber
Our Mission
This site has been put together to help facilitate getting information out there to anyone wanting to learn more about sheep shearing, find a shearing school, connect with contractors for a job, seek out a position on a crew and keep all our members updated on new opportunities in the shearing world. We hope to provide you with the most up to date information all in one spot. Please check back often for updates on shearing schools and our members in the news as well and Golden Shears World Championship updates.
Marcus Irrthum shearing in Iowa shortly after returning from Australia.
The ASSC provided me with numerous opportunites to improve my shearing skills. For example, the Blackhills Stockshow Shearing Competition helped me understand what a quality shearing job entailed. My highlight of last year was shearing in Australia all thanks to the ASSC putting on the advanced shearing school at Mosers Triple Creek Farm. It was there that I first met Mike Pora and even considered going abroad to shear. It was then the continued support and encouragement from the other ASSC members, especially the support from the current president, Katherine Moser, vice president, Nolan Abel and ASI wool council representative, Alex Moser that pushed me to actually travel abroad.
While over in Australia Mike pushed me to enter competitions which helped me to see where my skill was lacking in relation to other shearers. This made me focus on how I could improve and practice these skills in the shed. I am honored to be able to pass along what I have learned from this experience to future generations of shearers as well as current colleagues.
Nolan wearing his team U.S.A. Hooding after making the team for the world Competition.
My name is Nolan Abel, I am 37 years old. I live in Iowa, which is located in the Midwestern portion of the United States. I shear around 20,000 ewes/lambs are year mainly in Iowa and adjoining states with my father and a few other shearers. I have a beautiful wife Torie and 6 children that greet me when I get home and help take care of our 160 hd flock of ewes.
Kurtis Mooney demonstrating for students at the ND shearing school.
Kurtis has been around sheep his entire life. He grew up running around the shearing floor and first picked up a hand piece as a small boy. He is now grown and even recently married to his childhood sweet heart, Jacobie. Kurtis just started contracting his own trailer and recently came in 4th at the National Shearing Contest in Rapid City, SD.