Profit from wool

In the past, income from the sale of wool from annual sheep shearing was sufficient to pay for the flock’s feed for the year. Today, that’s no longer the case for most who raise sheep. But Diana Dougherty and Gabriella Nanci bucked the trend and found ways to make a profit with wool.

Dougherty raises Navajo-Churro sheep on Hestia’s Homestead, her New Jersey farm. While Dougherty is a relatively new sheep owner, she had a goal and a plan. Dougherty chose Navajo-Churro because the breed is listed as critically endangered by the Livestock Conservancy. After contacting breeders in the southwest, Dougherty selected her starter flock.

As she grows her flock of 15 breeding ewes, six lambs and six rams, wool is her main product. She sends wool for processing into yarn, roving and batting, and sells raw wool and meat. Dougherty also uses sheep milk to make body butter.

Her research proved that in-person outlets such as farmers markets and festivals lead to loyal customers. She made sales when she took some products to a tattooing event where there was a strong market for bones, skulls and hides.

Customer conversations at live events are critical. “Never prejudge your customer base,” Dougherty said. “Let them decide what they’re looking for. Once you uncover their needs and what they’re looking for, they start to open up and talk. People are always looking for something new.”

A challenge for many sheep producers is finding a consistent, reliable shearer. Dougherty has her sheep sheared twice a year to avoid matted fleeces. Another obstacle is processing time. Dougherty said most mills have a turnaround of between 18 and 24 months, so planning is critical. She found that some mills won’t process fleeces if the staple length is more than six inches.

Low-quality wool such as from the belly, rear end and legs is usually discarded, but Dougherty places this wool under her beehives to prevent Varroa mites from pupating in the soil. This wool also suppresses weeds. Dougherty sells market animals live on the hoof and customers can determine what cuts they want. She provides a custom cut sheet for those unfamiliar with the options.

While some may balk at her prices, Dougherty said pricing comes down to production costs including feed, shearing, processing and shipping. Although some customers are priced out, she believes it’s necessary to price items realistically to ensure income for subsequent production and to maintain the farm.

Nanci, who owns Belle Fourche Farm in Georgia, first started raising rare breed sheep when the Livestock Conservancy was known as the Minor Breeds Conservancy.

“I was almost a teenager and was given a grant for a starter flock of Navajo-Churro sheep,” Nanci said. “That was my first rare breed sheep, then I added Shetlands and Jacobs and raised those for about 15 years.”

Today Nanci has 100 ewes including Teeswater, Romeldale, Cotswold and Leicester Longwool.

Although Nanci has developed a good market for products, she had to become creative to solve some of the challenges she faced. It’s been difficult for her to find a shearer to come to the farm twice a year, so last summer Nanci sheared 100 sheep herself – a few at a time.

Mills aren’t always willing to process fleece types that are different than those of the most popular breeds. Some mills can handle all wool types; others can’t. Most mills require a minimum amount of wool for processing and may not be able to provide the type of yarn customers want.

The fleeces and other products Nanci sells depend on the breed. “Navajo-Churro doesn’t have a lot of grease and people don’t have trouble washing it,” she said. “The opposite is Romeldale. At one time I sold whole fleeces, but people had trouble carding it because it wasn’t sufficiently clean.”

(If fleeces are clean enough, locks in four-ounce bags are good sellers.)

For processing, clean fleeces that are mostly free of vegetable matter (VM) are a must. “Dirt comes out, VM doesn’t come out,” Nanci said. “If VM is the problem, there isn’t a lot the mill can do – the product is going to come back with some.”

Marketing rare breed wool and products is a matter of understanding what customers want. “People are interested in the names of animals,” she said. “That seems to mean a lot to them, so it helps to put the sheep’s name on the label.”

However, if customers return the following year to purchase yarn from the same sheep, Nanci explains that natural-colored fleeces change from year to year and the color will likely be different. Potential purchasers are not always aware that crimp can vary from fiber to fiber. It’s also important for sellers to explain the grease level and staple length of a fleece so they’re not disappointed.

For those selling online, Nanci emphasized the importance of using good photos. She’s found that washed fleeces don’t sell because in pictures, fleeces sometimes look like dryer lint. Nanci has had success selling yarn at craft fairs, especially in kits that include wooden needles, a pattern and enough yarn to complete the project.

In some cases, customers have become accustomed to knitting from a skein, but a mill may switch to producing yarn on cones. Explaining the switch often convinces knitters to try knitting from a cone.

Inferior fleeces might be worth spinning for bulky yarn that crafters seek for primitive doll hair.

For fleeces with excessive VM, Nanci suggested looking for a mill that produces wool pellets, which are gaining popularity for use as a natural fertilizer. However, it’s never worth trying to sell inferior wool at a low price unless the customer fully understands the poorer quality.

“The thing you sell for the least is the one that gives you the most trouble,” said Nanci. “It’s better to discard it or use for yourself.”

Visit the Livestock Conservancy’s priority list for all species at livestockconservancy.org/heritage-breeds/conservation-priority-list.

by Sally Colby