He travels all across Wisconsin, Michigan and Illinois for weeks at time. He sleeps literally on the road and his job sometimes takes him overseas. It's physically grueling and is a talent that is treasured by many a farmer.

"Looks like I got all my stuff I need so..." David Kier says.

His day starts with a van -- a van where David Kier also often ends his days. On a foam mattress. For three weeks at a time.

"I have a sub-zero sleeping bag for the winter time," Kier says. "I find you can get more sleep and be more efficient if you just say on the road so that's what I do."

David Kier is a rarity now-a-days; a man who dedicates his days to the art of shearing sheep. It's a bit of a overlooked skill.

"It's very difficult to learn and even once you learn it, it's a difficult job," Kier explains.

Perhaps even a forgotten craft.

"This plant is 31 years old. That's how long, I’ve been shearing,” he says.

His equipment has to be set just so.

"There are different styles of combs, different patterns of combs."

He wears wool for mobility and even his shoes have a purpose.

"You're actually in a position which is very difficult to do in a boot because you're on the edge of the boot," Kier says as he demonstrates just how he has to stand.

"OK, come on girl, don't be bashful," Kier says, encouraging a reluctant ewe.

His movements are fluid, his shear moves smoothly.

"Ideally there's only 58 blows on a sheep. A blow is one pass of the hand piece," Kier says.

It's a technique that took a decade to perfect.

"They'll tell you when you get your shearing to under four minutes a sheep your back will quit hurting and it does," Kier says.

But, he says most beginners don't get to that point.

“The physical demand is sometimes almost extreme. They kick, they shove, they pull, they bend. One thing I do love about it is the physical challenge. You know shearers do get into numbers so you're always trying to make sure that this year you could shear as many sheep as last year even though you're a year older," Kier says.

On Friday, David had 30 sheep to shear. Every year, he shears 7,300 sheep right here in Wisconsin. But, for the last four years, he's also gone to Scotland, bringing his total to 13,300 sheep a year.

"He's done great. Dave's been very helpful," says sheep farmer Jon Tappe.

Tappe’s farm is just 40 minutes from David’s own Eleva farm, one of many yearly stops on David’s map.

“You need the constant practice. It's not something you just go and do. It takes practice," Tappe says.

"You have to like sheep. You have to enjoy good hard work," Kier adds.

So from February through the start of July and again in November, David hits the road.

"It's not a bad life. It's definitely a lifestyle and a lot of people don't want it," he says.

But, it's one David plans on keeping for years to come until he physically can't continue.

"Some people are lucky and they find out what they really like to do in life and some people aren't quite as lucky and I can say I’ve definitely been lucky,” Kier says.

David says in his three decades of shearing, a lot of people across the country talked about joining him in the shearing business, but he says not one of them lasted. David's wage starts at $2.75 a sheep and his minimum is $35 per farm. He says you'll never get rich, but it's enough to make a living.