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Perthshire farmer’s unloved fleeces are ‘shear’ delight for gardeners

Faced with plummeting wool prices, Tessa Sands has come up with a new use for the fleeces from her flock of sheep at Oakfield Farm near Errol.

Tessa Sands with husband Michael and kids Fergus (4) and Elizabeth (2) and a field of sheep at Oakfield Farm near Errol
Tessa Sands with husband Michael and kids Fergus (4) and Elizabeth (2) at Oakfield Farm near Errol. Image: Steve Brown/DC Thomson.

Ask any sheep farmer and they’ll probably tell you they’re lucky if they can cover the cost of shearing when they come to sell their wool.

But Perthshire mum Tessa Sands has come up with a novel new use for her flock’s fleeces.

Because it turns out the cast-off coats from Oakfield Farm are the sustainable gardener’s secret weapon.

Tessa Sands standing next to sign for Oakfield Farm.
Tessa Sands at Oakfield Farm in the Carse of Gowrie. Image: Steve Brown/DC Thomson.

The fleeces from the Sands’ 350-strong flock of blackface sheep have a multitude of uses in the garden.

They are ideal for keeping down weeds, protecting tender plants and pots from extreme cold, or heat, and holding in moisture.

They’re even a natural slug deterrent, possibly due to the lanolin in the wool.

And best of all, they break down naturally over time, releasing essential elements into the soil, meaning they’re as environmentally friendly as it gets.

Tessa Sands laying fleece on the ground to keep weeds at bay under her new hedge at Oakfield Farm
Tessa has been using fleece to keep weeds at bay under a new hedge at Oakfield Farm. Image: Steve Brown/DC Thomson.

Tessa, who runs Oakfield Farm, near Errol, with her husband Michael and their two children, has sold more than 70 fleeces to local growers since she put the word out a couple of weeks ago.

At £3 a time (or five for £10) they’re a relatively small investment for gardeners.

But £3 is twice what Tessa could expect if she sold them for wool.

And this way, everyone – including the planet – wins.

“Some people have said what a shame it is that they’re just going to rot over time,” says Tessa.

“But I don’t see it as a shame. This way they’re being put to good use.”

Michael and Tessa Sands in a field with children Fergus, 4, and Elizabeth, 2, and some of the Oakfield Farm flock of sheep.
Michael and Tessa Sands with children Fergus, 4, and Elizabeth, 2, and some of the Oakfield Farm flock. Image: Steve Brown/DC Thomson.

“There’s just no demand for blackface fleeces any more,” the mum-of-two added. “Manufacturers all want New Zealand wool now.

“It costs us £1.50 a fleece to get them clipped, with other costs on top of that. And with current wool prices we’d be lucky to break even.”

‘Think differently’ could be Oakfield Farm motto

Tessa has been using fleece to keep the frost off new plants in her own garden for some time.

She and husband Michael recently planted a beech hedge at the farm, and they are helping to keep weeds down there too.

Recently clipped blackface sheep at Oakfield Farm.
Blackface sheep shorn of their fleeces. Image: Steve Brown/DC Thomson

Gardeners who have responded to her offer on Oakfield Farm’s Facebook page have been sharing their own tips for making use of them.

Tessa says she has been amazed to learn how versatile they are.

“I’m learning so much from the people who’ve been coming in,” she said.

“They’re using fleece for things I’d never even have thought of.”

Luckily, thinking outside the box is second nature for the Sands family.

Fergus Sands, 4, and a small blackface sheep.
Fergus, 4, helping out at Oakfield Farm. Image: Steve Brown/DC Thomson

Tessa and Michael were tenant farmers before moving to Oakfield Farm. But the couple always dreamed of having their own place to raise Fergus, 4, and two-year-old Elizabeth.

So they bought an overgrown stretch of ground, near the Horn Milk Bar at Errol and have turned it into productive farm land.

As well as blackface sheep, they rear Kelly Bronze turkeys and hold regular events, including the popular Tots on the Farm play scheme, which gave youngsters a taste of farming life over the summer holidays.

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