![Rob Howard and sheepdog Bonnie in the sheep yards. Picture by Quinton McCallum Rob Howard and sheepdog Bonnie in the sheep yards. Picture by Quinton McCallum](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/quinton.mccallum/6da794c7-81ba-433d-9e76-f88be77f883a_rotated_270.JPG/r0_1071_3712_5575_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Kangaroo Island farmer Rob Howard is adept at spinning a yarn or two, a skill that has served him well in his time offering sheepdog and shearing demonstrations to tourists.
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In its heyday in the 1990s, the demonstration attracted busloads of tourists each day.
Though he has moved location, from Birchmore to east of Penneshaw, and the attraction has achieved its goal of helping the farming enterprise through some tough times, Rob says he still loves educating visitors about Australia's wool industry.
"I want people to leave here with a better impression of who farmers are and what we do," he says.
So how did Rob's Shearing and Sheepdogs start? A stroke of luck, Rob says.
"I was shearing back in 1991 and interest rates had gone through the roof and the price of wool had gone the other way," he said.
"We'd borrowed money to buy the farm and I think we would have lost it if it wasn't for the fact I was shearing at a bloke's place and a busload of Japanese tourists were coming up the road on their way to Seal Bay.
"We were moving sheep up the road for shearing and the driver, who was a local, asked if they could come in and have a look.
"Between the interpreter, the bus driver and the boss they explained what was going on. The tourists couldn't speak much English but they loved what they were seeing.
"The driver said to me 'it's a shame someone doesn't do this on a regular basis - there's a really good story to be told'."
The interaction left Rob in contemplation for the rest of that day. He went home that night to his wife Linda with a business idea and a dream.
In October 1991, the business was born with its only advertising a humble sandwich board placed on the main road.
"We had 17 carloads the first morning and I said to Linda "we could be onto something here"," Rob said.
"We got busier, busier and busier and I barely had time to go shearing for other people anymore."
Rob's parents helped him keep on top of farm jobs as the shearing and sheepdog show boomed in popularity.
The family moved to a property near Penneshaw in 2001 where the show has continued.
Rob runs Murray Grey cattle and Merino sheep on the 465 hectare property and while a couple of farm accidents mean Rob now gets shearers in for his own flock, he still pulls the handpiece out when a tourist group arrives.
![Rob Howard with a group of tourists. Picture YHA Australia Rob Howard with a group of tourists. Picture YHA Australia](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/quinton.mccallum/2a99ef50-f0a6-49b3-a026-ed733e323f16.jpg/r0_0_750_450_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Rob educates them on the history of his family and the farm upon arrival, then gets groups lined up along the race as he sends his trusty Kelpies out into the yards to pen up.
He talks about sheep husbandry and the importance of good working dogs.
"A lady said to me recently 'I saw in the news that someone paid $30,000 for a Kelpie dog' - I said a good dog is worth two or three people and they were probably using that one to breed from," Rob says.
"It would cost more than that to employ one person for a year - and a dog never complains, it works on weekends, and it works in the heat, rain, cold," he chuckles.
Rob educates the group about the history of the wool industry, shearing feats and the evolution of equipment.
Next is what a shearing day looks like, how many numbers they get through, and the rivalry in the shed that exists amongst shearers.
Innovations like Bioclip and robotic shearing are discussed before Rob warms up for the main event.
He leaves 80 lambs unshorn at the property's December shearing for use in the demonstrations over summer and autumn. From springtime, he can use sheep that have nine months wool.
Shearing a sheep like so many times before, Rob allows people to get a close and hands on look at what is involved.
Next is the throwing of the fleece and skirting, all while he talks about wool classing factors like micron and tensile strength.
While Rob's business venture has long served its purpose of keeping the farm afloat, he still gets a thrill seeing tourists leave with a newfound appreciation for the wool industry and its farmers.
And having spun another yarn or two.