Sheep producers find niche markets for wool

Duckworth Wool in Montana is leading the way in the value-added game.

The market for wool has changed significantly over past decades as synthetic fibers have undermined demand. American wool competes with coarser wools from New Zealand and fine wools from Australia, which supplies nearly two thirds of the world’s wool. 

Despite the challenges, wool production in the U.S. has finally begun to increase in recent years, after declining along with the lamb inventory. (Wool production per animal has stayed relatively steady at 7.2 pounds per shearing.)

Wool quality is assessed according to fiber diameter and fineness, length, uniformity, strength, color, and contaminants. Higher quality wool grades are used for apparel. Lower quality grades are used for blankets, carpet, felt, and upholstery.

The production of high-value fine wools (25 microns or less) accounts for more than half of U.S. wool production. The largest customer for U.S. wool is the U.S. military, which consumes around 20%.

Many wool traits are heritable, making efforts like the National Sheep Improvement Program (NSIP), with its system of estimated breeding values (EBV), an effective way to increase wool quality. 

Much U.S. wool is exported as fiber, often to China, with the finished product imported back into the U.S. The trade war is taking a toll. Meanwhile, producers are looking to creative marketing – from value-added ventures to meeting niche markets for artisanal fibers – to keep wool production viable.

READ MORE: New ideas for the sheep industry 

Helle Family, Duckworth Wool – Helle Rambouillet, Dillon, Montana

Duckworth Wool in Montana is leading the way in the value-added game. Wanting to find a way to capitalize on vertical integration in the declining wool industry, John Helle created Duckworth Wool (duckworthco.com), the only source-verified, 100% made-in-USA Merino wool action-wear company.

All wool used by the Duckworth Clothing Company comes from Helle Rambouillet Merino and certified Duckworth Wool Cooperative growers, controlling wool quality and ticking off the source-verified box for consumers. 

“All of our wool that meets quality standards is going to Duckworth,” explains son Evan Helle.

At age 28, Evan is the fourth generation to raise sheep on the Helle ranch, which runs around 4,000 ewes and produces both breeding and commercial stock. “When we need more wool, we reach out to those who buy our genetics. That way we can monitor the quality.” 

Along with alliances with their genetic partners, the Helles are involved with NSIP and the Fine Wool Breeders Consortium, a group of seedstock producers created in 2015 to create a wool breeding index using NSIP data.

By bringing more producers into the system, they can also increase the linkage in the NSIP database, which Evan describes as filling in gaps in the family tree, to increase database accuracy. The project was funded by the American Sheep Industry’s Let’s Grow grant program.

Producing fine-grade wool (less than 19.5 microns) with high enough value for garments worn next to the skin takes top-notch Rambouillet Merino genetics.

The wool finds its way into ultra-light base layers, classic waffled underwear shirts, fleece garments, and puffy coats. Products are available via the Duckworth website and select retail outlets. There’s a lightweight vapor wool blend designed to keep you cool in summer, and new flannel products have just hit the market.

“Wool is a great fabric,” says Evan. “It regulates body temperature, just like it does on the sheep. Your body works with the fabric, instead of fighting against it. Wool is comfortable to wear for an extended time, and it’s naturally antimicrobial, so it doesn’t have to be washed frequently.” 

Along with the genetics, the Montana climate is ideal for the type of wool used by Duckworth. The high elevation, hot dry summers, and cold winters of the Rocky Mountains produce a soft, durable fiber with exceptional loft and breathability. Long fibers with natural crimp and wave create strong, elastic material.

“We’re taking our wool, adding value, and giving consumers a good product without the wool, or the finished products, having to travel thousands of miles,” says John Helle. “Most wool apparel sold in the U.S. has traveled upwards of 20,000 miles by the time it hits the shelf.”

READ MORE: Raising animals for fiber

Duckworth products are manufactured in the Carolinas, injecting new life into that area’s waning textile industry. Creating the supply chain meant working with industry insiders to retool factories’ knitting and spinning mechanisms to accommodate the fine wool.

“There’s no doubt in my mind Duckworth will continue to grow,” says Evan. “Products and programs like this are in demand. The consumer wants sustainably sourced goods, and we’re in a position to provide them.”

Christopher and Kaden Schauer, Schauer Sheep Company, Hettinger, North Dakota

Using genetics to increase wool production is the concept behind a research project in North Dakota. Chris Schauer, director of the North Dakota State University Hettinger Research Extension Center, is experimenting with his personal flock to combine the benefits of the Polypay breed’s prolificacy and the wool quality of range breeds. It’s a joint venture with his son, Kaden, and his FFA Supervised Agriculture Experience project.

Chris and Kaden are looking to decrease the fiber diameter and variability and increase wool grade of their Polypay ewes by cross breeding them with Targhee and Ramboulee rams. Developed nearly 50 years ago, the Polypay breed is a cross of Finnsheep, Dorset, Targhee, and Rambouillet. Polypays easily adjust to multiple environments and are known for high lambing rates, or multiple births.

“We’ve found, over time, the Polypay is being used less out West because of that region’s emphasis on wool quality,” says Chris. “Western producers need to be able to make money on wool and not give up lambing rate.” 

Producers in dry-range regions are used to lamb loss due to harsh weather exposure and predators. Yet, like their Eastern counterparts, more lambs per ewe makes that ewe more efficient.

The Schauers are attempting to create two new composite lines that will provide both wool quality and multiple lambs. They are using NSIP data to identify the most effective breeding stock and track progress, and could have two new registered lines as early as 2020. 

As wool prices have declined and shearing costs have increased in recent years, some producers, especially those with small Eastern flocks, have focused on the meat segment of the industry with hair breeds like Katahdins. Yet, those with large flocks on the Western Range need a hearty sheep that can provide both meat and wool, with enough lambs to stay profitable.

“We have to remember that sheep in America serve a dual purpose,” says John Helle. “Even producers focused on the wool end of the business also produce meat. U.S. lamb producers have yet to meet market demand, importing the excess. That makes lambing rates, maternal traits, and an animal’s ability to grow and gain more than just additional features.”