Name

Susie Parish

Where are you from?

Hampshire 

Age

51

Details of your farm/shearing business

I’m a shepherdess at The Grey Sheep Company, running a flock of 500 sheep bred for wool production. I also work in the on farm spinning mill, processing the wool ready for spinning. Alongside this, I run a sheep and alpaca shearing business.

My personal and professional achievements

Becoming the first female shearing instructor for British Wool

Winning the Farmers Weekly Farm Diversification Award as part of The Grey Sheep Company. We produce high-quality knitting yarns from our sheep, spun in our on farm mill, and then sold across the UK and exported globally. 

I’ve been fortunate enough to promote shearing, wool and its many uses on many prime-time TV and radio shows across the channels. 

Demonstrating shearing and talking about processing the wool on a live stream into schools, reaching 60,00 children as part of the NFU schools’ project. 

Southern Region Chairman and Hampshire representative for British Wool 

Southeast Region Chairman for the NSA 

BISCA shearing judge.

Lister shearing Ambassador 

How long have you been farming?

I was brought up on a farm and have worked in farming all my life. 

Why Farming?

I have always loved working with animals, especially sheep and border collies. Farming also enables me to work outside on the land and fully experience the different seasons, wildlife, flora, and fauna that I love so much. I find it hard to imagine doing anything else. 

Proudest moment in shearing/wool handling

The first time I won the ladies class at the Royal Welsh Show