SHEEP & WOOL EXPO
SHEEP & WOOL EXPO
Important!
There will be no Sheep & Wool Expo in 2025
As the Royal Agricultural Society (RAS) finalises its relocation from its premises of 122 years and we get our new home ready for you, a different Royal Agricultural Show is planned for 2025.
Unfortunately during this time, sheep, along with cattle and goats, will not be able to have a presence, and there will be no Sheep & Wool Expo.
A “Royal Roadshow” is planned, as a way to consult with sheep and goat farmers, and with those who beneficiate their products, to strengthen the RAS’s ties with them ahead of our 175th anniversary in 2026.
Informed by this consultation process, the Sheep & Wool Expo will be able to return in full force in 2026 for our special 175th anniversary show, stronger than ever.
The interactive Sheep & Wool Expo is a firm favourite with all age groups, and has been a frequent winner of awards from the Royal Agricultural Society
The Expo covers all aspects of sheep (and goats) and wool, from conception to consumption. The animals, as well as the products derived from them, are displayed side by side.
Visitors can watch regular sheep-shearing demonstrations, and can view a range of special sheep and goat breeds on display.
Those interested in farming these animals can chat with specialist representatives from the Agricultural Research Council and the Goat Agribusiness Project about starting or developing their own enterprise.
Educational institutions such as Grootfontein Agricultural Development Institute, Cedara Agricultural College and Mangosuthu University of Technology are also on site.
Their exhibits help to spread the word about educational opportunities in sheep and goat farming, and in agriculture in general.
There are daily workshops on spinning, dyeing, knitting, felting or leatherwork. Free entry to the Show is included in the workshop fees.
There is also a range of beautiful products on sale — sheepskin slippers, knitting yarns, leather belts and pouches, scarves, hand-knitted jerseys, pullovers, hats, mohair blankets, shawls, socks, and much more.
Finally, visitors can rest and refresh with a light meal or hot drink, while watching all the different activities.
For more information on the Sheep & Wool Expo, please contact
Marlize du Preez at
marlizedupreez77@gmail.com
Previous exhibitors
Grootfontein Angora Stud
Each year students and staff members from the Grootfontein Student Angora Stud bring their prize-winning Angora goats back to the Sheep & Wool Expo.
Surrounded by a range of mohair products in the Expo, the beautiful Angoras with their soft ringlets of hair show the very beginning of an incredible value chain in which the South African mohair industry has become a world leader.
The presence and knowledge of the Grootfontein students is massively valuable to visitors — to those who are generally interested in how mohair products are produced, and those who are interested in farming Angoras and becoming mohair producers themselves.
NWGA Wool School
The National Wool Growers’ Association (NWGA) holds a Wool School at the Sheep & Wool Expo for the Animal Science students from Cedara College of Agriculture. This is a short two-day beginner course that covers the basic aspects of wool handling after sheep shearing.
The Wool School covers the theoretical and practical classing of the wool fleece, and leads on to the Springbok Head Wool Classing Course, a five-day intensive course that students must pass before being allowed to class wool on farms.
Visitors to the Sheep & Wool Expo are able to observe the course, and have fun handling the fleece afterwards.
Representatives from the NWGA are on site at the Expo throughout the Royal Show, to liaise with visitors and farmers and spread awareness about this important industry.
NWGA Sheep Shearing
The National Wool Growers Association presents their captivating sheep shearing demonstrations at the Sheep & Wool Expo.
In this mesmerizing display, highly skilled shearers carefully and efficiently remove a sheep’s fleece using either blade or machine shears.
These demonstrations are great crowd pleasers, and are an opportunity for visitors to learn about one of South Africa's oldest agricultural industries.
Cedara College of Agriculture
Staff and students from the Cedara College of Agriculture are on hand at the Sheep & Wool Expo throughout the Royal Show to talk to prospective students interested in studying towards a diploma in Crop Production or Animal Production.
Their interactive display, which includes hydroponics and live ewes with their lambs, is very popular with visiting children.
Agricultural Research Council
Researchers from the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) return to the Sheep & Wool Expo each year to share their expertise with the public.
They host several interesting and informative workshops throughout the week on animal handling and the application of advanced reproductive biotechnologies in small stock, on hydroponic vegetable production systems and bag systems, on the application of genomics tools in breeding and selection, and on genotyping workflows for farmers’ needs.
KZN Goat Agribusiness Project
The KZN Goat Agribusiness Project (GAP) is an innovative community project that supports small-scale goat farming and entrepreneurship.
At the GAP exhibit at the Sheep & Wool Expo, the GAP’s friendly representatives offer advice and information to visitors who were interested in farming goats.
The GAP has a range of educational materials available, including books on goat and chicken farming, protein blocks for sale, and a display of beautiful indigenous goats that attracted a great deal of attention.
Stitch by Stitch
Expo visitors have the opportunity to brighten up their homes with a "stitch of colour", thanks to Wartburg-based Stitch by Stitch, who brings their unique household accessories to the Sheep & Wool Expo.
Their collection includes an array of creative and colourful everyday household items, such as tablecloths, table runners, scatter cushions, aprons, wrap skirts, woven toy baskets, wine bags, peg bags, bedding, crochet toys, mats, makeup bags, and more.
Made with creative attention to detail from locally sourced materials, Stitch by Stitch’s exhibit adds a splash of colour to the Sheep & Wool Expo.
Mulberry Tree Café
The Mulberry Tree Café provides a welcome pitstop for visitors to the Sheep & Wool Expo to refuel and refresh.
Apart from delicious breakfasts and lunches, visitors are able to get a range of winter warmers, including hot drinks, the tastiest home-made pies at the Show, a range of baked treats and sweets, and their famous sheepskin handmade slippers made from only the best skins.
Yarn Stash
Yarn Stash, owned by Wendy Bloy, is a local independent dyer. Yarn Stash specialises in small quantities of “one of a kind”, unrepeatable colourways.
Wendy’s vibrant, hand-dyed yarns are a labour of love, inspired by, amongst other things, jellyfish, summer holidays with her daughter, agapanthus in her garden after the rain, caramels and marshmallows, the first changes of autumn leaves, sunny summer days, and rainbows on a misty morning.
Her yarn bases are Merino, Mohair and Blue-faced Leicester, and include double knitting, sock weight or “fingering” yarns, all of which are processed in South Africa.
Wool Haven
Wool Haven, a local supplier of all things to do with knitting and crochet, is a regular exhibitor at the Sheep & Wool Expo. True to its name, Wool Haven is a treasure trove of supplies and advice for everyone from novices to experts, and Expo visitors are often seen relaxing at their social knitting table with their new projects. Also on offer is a wide range of beautiful finished creations.