Producers FInd Creative Ways to Use Wool

The American Sheep Industry Association is among the many agriculture groups hoping for a new farm bill to be passed sooner than later. Executive Director Peter Orwick says of the programs that they are looking for re-upping in the next farm bill is the wool loan program. When COVID-19 hit, he says they lost a market for wool for probably half the growers in the nation.

“Really, right now is the only revenue available for that coarser, maybe even more colored walls during the pandemic, they just stacked up wool all around the world. And just so the demand at any price for some categories is very tough. So it's hugely important for us to have the wool on program 40 cents pound greasy, is available today. And since the program was done 20 years ago, we're asking Congress we need to update modernize those rates. And so we could see hopefully 40 to 50% increase.”

A lot of wool is being stored on the farm right now according to Orwick, but there are other creative uses for wool.

“We've got a speaker here at the convention that he started pelleting wool for the major retailers. They're using it obviously for potted soil for flowers and plants. So we know of another project started up in Oregon, and there's probably a few more that are underway. So that's just one of the ideas of how you can use that product.”

About 420 people attended the recent ASI annual meeting in Colorado.