05/17/2008
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Staff photo by Andy Molloyfrom the Kennebec Journal
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from the Morning Sentinel
"He's so soft, I want to take him home," Cameron said after holding a tiny rex rabbit in his arms Friday at the second annual Northeast Livestock Expo.
His mom, Stacey Beamis, said they don't have enough room in their North Berwick barn, even for a tiny bunny -- though she at least agreed Cameron could ask his dad later.
The Beamis family has one large- and two medium- sized other reasons to be at the Expo other than looking at rabbits: They're selling their purebred Black Angus bull, and Cameron and his 5-year-old brother, Connor, are showing their Suffolk sheep in the sheep show Saturday.
The family is staying in a local hotel for the duration of the three-day event. Many farmers showing or selling their animals stay in campers and trailers parked at the rear of the Windsor Fairgrounds.
"We've got a trailer for the animals, but not for us," said Deborah Beamis, the boys' grandmother. "It's a fun time here, very relaxed."
Members of the Western Maine Rabbit Breeders Association gave demonstrations on how to start with a rabbit and end up with a sweater -- while still having the rabbit around to produce more fur.
Sheri Cormier, who lives just 4 miles or so from the fairgrounds, in Augusta, said the old standard for German Angora rabbits was you could get enough fur out of them in a year to make a sweater. But she said many breeders are producing rabbits that can provide much more fiber in a year than that old standard.
She said the rabbits grow fur fast enough for them to be sheared about every 90 days.
Fellow rabbit breeder Mary Merriam, of Auburn, said the fiber from a rabbit is seven times warmer than wool from a sheep.
"This is where Angora sweaters come from," Merriam said to children peering into the many rabbit cages stacked inside the exhibition hall. "You can spin it right from the rabbit."
Among the biggest events at the Expo are livestock shows and auctions, including goats, cows and sheep.
Throughout much of the fairgrounds Friday, animal owners carefully trimmed and groomed their critters, making them look their best for shows and sales.
Cindy Kilgore, a livestock specialist with the Maine Department of Agriculture, said people are coming from as far away as Tennessee for the Expo. She said participants and spectators will likely number in the thousands at the event, which continues today and Sunday.
The event is hosted by the Beef Producers of Maine, Boer Goat Breeders of Maine and the Maine Sheep Breeders Association.
Keith Edwards -- 621- 5647
kedwards@centralmaine.com
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