With the widespread use of synthetic materials for textiles, the global wool market became volatile in the 1990s, often times leaving shepherds with shorn wool without a sales market. Much of this “waste wool” ends up in landfills.

In the late 2010s, shepherds in the Caucus Mountains region of Europe began experimenting with alternative uses for this “waste wool”. By the end of the decade, wool pellets had their foothold in Europe as an organic, natural fertilizer appealing to a wide variety of growers. Since then, wool pellets have arrived in America via the innovation at Wild Valley Farms in Utah.

There are many articles & research projects exploring the benefits of wool pellets for soil health, some of which you can find on our “resources” page. These studies show that wool pellets are useful in aerating soil, retaining water, &, best of all, provide slow-release nitrogen which becomes available to the plants growing in the soil. Wool pellets also provide macronutrients/trace minerals iron, zinc, manganese, & copper to the soil.

All our wool is proudly sourced from Colorado’s High Rockies & Western Slope which supports Colorado sheep farmers & our local fibershed.

We love wool pellets because they support resilient local agriculture through two levels of circular economy. There is a reclamation process in paying sheep farmers for what could otherwise be waste, bringing them income where there has only been cost. There is also a land stewardship practice in giving the wool back to the soil biome, which is greatly extracted from with annual growing. As biodynamic farmers, we believe in the necessity for animal systems to be integrated with plant systems, just as they are in Nature. Wool pellets are a great access point for farmers & gardeners who don’t have need or capacity for livestock.

For more info, please explore our “resources” page or reach out via email.