FOR VIRGIN FLEECE
As organic cotton and hemp fiber industries expand, so should natural wool. Sheep were among the first animals domesticated. An archeological site in Iran produced a statuette of a wooled sheep which suggests that selection for woolly sheep had begun to occur over 6,000 years ago. The common features of today's sheep were already appearing in Mesopotamian and Babylonian art and books by 3000 B.C. Selection for wool type, flocking instinct and other economically important traits over the centuries has resulted in more than 200 distinct breeds of sheep occurring worldwide. Modern breeding schemes have also resulted in an increasing number of composite or synthetic breeds which are the result of a crossing of two or more established breeds.
What makes wool so useful as a fabric? Several characteristics set it apart from other types of fiber and make it a favorite of many clothing manufacturers. Reasons follow:
• FLAME RESISTANCE
Because of its unique physical and chemical makeup, wool does not melt or support combustion.
• ABSORBENCY
Wool works with the body's natural temperature regulating system to keep you warm in the winter and cool in the summer. How does it work? It all revolves around wool's absorbent capabilities. During the winter when the air is cold and damp, wool absorbs the moisture and keeps a layer of dry, insulating air next to the skin. When it is warm, it again absorbs moisture in the form of perspiration and keeps insulating dry air next to the skin. In fact, this special feature has also caught the attention of the oil industry. According to the American Sheep Industry Association, more and more companies are turning to wool products for help in cleaning up oil spills. Wool can absorb from 10 to 30 times its weight in oil while still repelling water. The oil can then be squeezed out and the wool used again. Actually it can be reused up to eight times.
• ADAPTABILITY
Wool comes in a variety of weights and weave. The quality of the wool depends upon the type of sheep from which it comes, and the conditions under which the sheep is raised. Some sheep produce fine woolen fibers, while others grow coarse or medium ones. The wool industry uses all types. Coarse wool makes excellent carpets, medium wool turns into comfortable blankets, and fine wool produces beautiful dresses and suits.
• DURABILITY
With the high cost of clothing these days, consumers want clothing that wears long and well. Wool provides persevering wear, resists snags or tears, and retains its original shape for a long time. It doesn't even wrinkle, which is good for people on the go.
A SHEEP RAISING STORY
The McMurry family has transformed their once-conventional dairy farm in the bluffs and bottomland of the Missouri River into a small, sustainable agricultural operation. For years they've sold raw wool to fiber artists, but last year in June they decided to create a line of handwoven apparel and blankets from their wool. They named their new business Genopalette, wool in a palette of sheep-produced colors.
At the end of high school Andy McMurry participated in a Future Farmers of America program, "Work Experience Abroad." He spent nine months working in New Zealand where the average family farm runs two thousand head of sheep. In New Zealand and the world over, the wool industry standard is white. It was there that Andy was first introduced to the "subculture" of colored sheep and wool, raised to provide wool for cottage industry fiber artists. The experience changed his life.
Ten years ago Andy imported naturally-colored Romney and Merino sheep from New Zealand breeders. The animals were shipped to Canada, quarantined, then transported to Missouri. Those original sheep were the world-class breeding stock he used to build his flock of colored wool-producing sheep. Eventually the family sold raw fleeces to fiber artists nationwide. The wool regularly took top honors at leading fleece competitions due to extraordinary colors, luster, unusual softness, style and cleanliness. Genopalette items began with this innate palette of luminous undyed colors and award-winning palette of exceptional textures.
Andy raises those sheep in central Missouri on what he calls a "grass-based system." The sheep graze on high-protein annual and native grasses with legumes in this proven natural animal production method.
MANAGEMENT INTENSIVE GRAZING
Andy manages the grass by planting winter annual rye, wheat and triticale. He then moves the sheep from small grassy paddock to grassy paddock, sometimes as often as every twelve hours. As the sheep move forward, the grass behind them is fenced off and given the chance to rest and replenish. Rain and sunlight then naturally cleanse and refresh the land. This in turn greatly reduces or eliminates the need for pesticides, herbicides and fertilizer. A major benefit to management intensive grazing (MIG) is that last year Andy McMurry had only one vet call for his entire flock. "They're a lot more self-managed and they require a lot less fuss," he says. "By managing grass and feeding grass, the last two years I've been able to graze all year." The method also helps keep the wool clean, an important quality. Free of hay and chaff, it doesn't need the harsh chemicals that are often required to clean raw wool. Other positive ecological results of MIG include greater plant diversity, density, health, and a degree of soil erosion protection equaled only by native prairies grazed by the buffalo, prior to the plow. Recent research supports MIG, which is how the buffalo instinctively grazed.
SURVIVAL OF SMALL FARMERS
Other small farmers in their area are learning to prevail by adding value to their crop and taking advantage of the Missouri Department of Agriculture's Value Added grant. "In other words, take the next step in the process of those products," said Tony Stafford, a program manager with the Missouri Agricultural and Small Business Development Authority quoted in the Columbia Daily Tribune. "It would put more money in the farmers' pockets if instead of selling blueberries, sell blueberry syrup, jam and jelly. Instead of selling whole pecans, sell pecan pies."
"When you take on purebred sheep it is a long-term project," Andy quotes to the Columbia Daily Tribune. "And I'm talking decades, not years." In the ten years taken to establish his flock, he sometimes supplements his income as an interior-finishes contractor while nurturing the farm until it can once again support the family that works it. "Starting small is really important," he says. "The only way to learn this kind of stuff is by doing it. I really do think there is an opportunity for small farms again, but totally different from what small farms used to be."
Andy holds a county Grassland Farmer Award as well as a Sustainable Agriculture Grant Demonstration Award. His model operation has been presented at a State Sustainable Agriculture Conference. A national agricultural TV show, Ag Day, reviewed the Genopalette story in July 1999 which led to appearances on local news programs.
BECOMING VOGUE
The McMurry's Romneys and Merinos, with their shades of walnut, beige, taupe, silver and black fleeces, are bred for their distinctive wool. Colored sheep are rare. Among predominant wool breeds, only about one in one thousand occur naturally. Intrigued by the unusual beauty of these naturally colored sheep, only a few pioneering shepherds worldwide produce small amounts of colored wool.
The McMurry family now raises several hundred head of sheep on their farm in Franklin, Missouri. The sheep are shorn, the wool is sorted and classified, then gently washed without harsh chemicals and spun to their specifications. As the colors are mixed by hand, they are never exactly the same from year to year, much like vintage wine. Yet many distinct color categories are created. The completed woven good is never treated with moth or shrink-proofing chemicals.
This year the McMurry family is again keeping part of the wool shorn in the spring. The yarn from their virgin, undyed wool is handwoven into ready-made garments they are selling to nearby retailers.
FARMING PURSUITS
Given present concerns of many consumers over the effects of conventional farming and textile processes on our planet, Genopalette is excited to meet the challenges of this growing niche market. The innovative tradition of producing beautiful, undyed colors and warmth from totally natural fiber, grown and harvested with environmental consciousness, persists. As the environmental fashion industry grows, so should the appreciation of pure virgin, naturally-colored wool.
Written by: Delia Montgomery, Chic Eco
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