By JULIA BARATTA

Michigan Correspondent

PITTSBORO, N.C. — When many people think of agriculture, their mind conjures up visions of food – and though it is the base of agricultural operations, there are other uses of such homegrown resources.

One underappreciated product is fiber for clothing and home accessories. The nonprofit Livestock Conservancy of Pittsboro is sponsoring an initiative that will be promoting rare breeds of sheep and their wool – “Shave ‘Em to Save ‘Em” began in early February and will continue through 2021.

The idea is similar to those who preserve the genetic diversity of plants by saving seeds from heirloom varieties, except these farmers are working with live animals. The Conservancy is responsible for the maintenance of 150 breeds of livestock and poultry as it strives to keep these animals from extinction.

“I think it's a great campaign to promote breeds that are endangered,” fiber producer Jill Bowman of Jeffersonville, Ky., said. “I do not believe the vast majority of people even realize that there are certain breeds that need our help.”

Fiber artists have been invited to sign up for the program at a cost of $15. Once registered for the initiative, they receive the rules, a “passport,” and a lapel pin bearing the image of the campaign.

It works like this: The fiber artist purchases at least 4 ounces of wool from a producer who is participating in the initiative and is a member of the Conservancy. They are required to make something with the fiber, such as a hand-spun skein of yarn or a braided rug with roving.

Once the project is finished, they post photos of it on either the Facebook or Ravelry group webpages. The fiber artist emails the picture to Livestock Conservancy and receives a prize for every five completed items, up to 15 total.

There are 22 breeds in the Conservancy and they include Florida Cracker, Hog Island, Gulf Coast or Gulf Coast Native, and Santa Cruz on the Critical list, meaning there is a world population of fewer than 1,000 of each breed. Black Welsh Mountain, Clun Forest, Cotswold, Dorset Horn, Jacob-American, Karakul-American, Leicester Longwool, Lincoln, Navajo-Churro, Romeldale/CVM, and St. Croix are on the Threatened list, with fewer than 5,000 each worldwide.

Barbados Blackbelly, Oxford, Shropshire, Tunis, and Wiltshire Horn are on the Watch list, with a global population of under 10,000; and the Recovering list consists of Shetlands and Southdowns (but not the Babydoll Southdowns, as they are not purebred Southdown).

Value-added effort

While many producers started their journey with sheep because they were interested in raising the animals to supplement their interest in the fiber arts, some have come to appreciate the fiber as additional income for the farm as well as other value.

Jason Seelow of Seelow Sheep Farm in State Center, Iowa, has raised the animals all his life. It was in the last five years the family decided to add some fiber to their farm products. In 2018, Seelow was able to purchase some Lincolns from fellow producers and friends.

“A fellow producer from Wisconsin lost his fight with cancer, and we purchased a few ewes from his estate to honor him and his family,” he explained. “From his flock, we were able to increase the interest in the breed with other sheep producers, and now there are five registered Lincoln breeders in Iowa.”

He and his wife grew up on agriculture and animals and wanted to share those values with their two little girls, ages 2 and 4, who are already enjoying the animals.

Seelow Sheep Farms is participating in the campaign as fiber producers, along with Karen Walasek Pulaski, Tenn., who raises Gulf Coast sheep – one of the rarer breeds. Her story revolves around her intergenerational biodiverse farm, where the idea of docile sheep appealed to her.

“When you understand that biodiversity ensures life and that our interrelationship with domestic animals ensures our own lives, the thread of restoring some of what we have lost becomes very tangible,” she said. “It is my hope that knowing where your clothing comes from is one thread in a fabric of many threads that lead us back to a more sustainable and sound future.”

Laura VanVickle of Peoli, Ohio, is another participant benefiting from the initiative from both sides, as she sells Shetland wool in various forms and is filling out the passport with her own experiences with a number of breeds.

“I am a shepherd who enjoys spinning, dyeing, needle felting, and other fiber arts,” she noted. “I love sharing the wonderful, limitless world of fiber with others.”

Historically, these animals are a gateway to those who developed the nation and an opportunity to explore different cultures through them. Indiana resident Kristin McFarland is a Bloomington fiber artist who understands the importance of sheep to the past and the future.

“If we have an opportunity to preserve a variety of sheep and show the clothing and even yarn industries that we're interested in wools with different properties, that's an investment in the future, especially because sheep as fiber-producers are a renewable resource,” she explained.

The Livestock Conservancy began in 1977 with the intention of preserving rare breeds of livestock. It has many programs that are available for educational purposes and displays in public venues. More information on it and this initiative may be found at www.livestockconservancy.org under the “Get Involved” tab.