LAMORINDA WEEKLY | It's goat shearing time with Lamorinda 4-H


Rachael Schonfeld (Left), Linnea Chang, Allison Curletto (right) with Beatrice before being sheared. Photo provided

The Lamorinda 4-H Goat Club sheared three of their club's angora goats on Oct. 6. Angora goats are raised for their lustrous fiber called mohair and need to be sheared twice a year. Each goat can produce over five pounds of mohair a year. Much of that fiber is sold as finished specialty yarn at the Lambtown Fiber Festival in Dixon every October.

The local 4-H goat project is run by adult leader Allison Curletto and the kids (human) learn the entire process, from Farm to Fashion. The group meets at Campolindo High School where many of the goats are housed. Rachael Schonfeld, a seventh-grader at Joaquin Moraga, sheared her 8-month-old goat Beatrice. Rachael raised Beatrice from 2 weeks old until she was old enough to live with the other goats at Campolindo's Garden.

Lamorinda 4-H Club President Chloe Haussman, a senior at Carondolet High School, sheared Totes. Miramonte High School student Linnea Chang, sheared Princess. Chang owns three of her own angoras at home and shows them each May at the Contra Costa County Fair. Campolindo students Sandro Curletto and Madeline Carpenter were also helpers for the day.

Goats are only one of more than dozens of fun projects for kids in Lamorinda 4-H. 4-H is the largest national nonprofit youth organization in the country. In addition to the hands-on learning the club prioritizes, 4-H fosters community service and youth leadership. 4-H is open to youth from 5-19 years old and offers STEM animal projects from goats and rabbits, to baking, bee keeping, and many more. To learn more, find them on social media Lamorinda4h or, to join 4-H, contact lamorinda@

contracosta4h.org