Hilary Gietzen

Hilary Gietzen offers sheep shearing services out of Minot, North Dakota, traveling a regional route that covers Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota, with Bismarck sitting within easy reach of the territory. Work runs year-round, fitting the rhythm of ranches and feedlots rather than a single seasonal rush.

Gietzen has sheared professionally since 1978, building a route across the northern plains that now includes several hundred regular customers along with sheep, alpacas, llamas, and Angora goats. Flocks range from a handful of animals up to several thousand head, and portable chutes and a hydraulic wool packer allow work to happen on-site at the farm. Decades of shearing abroad, including seasons in New Zealand and Australia, have shaped an approach built around efficiency and careful handling of both wool and animals.

For producers managing small hobby flocks or larger commercial operations, this kind of established, self-run route offers a dependable option during shearing season, with equipment and scheduling built around minimizing downtime for both shearer and livestock.