Should I Feel Sheepish That I Didn't Know About This Use for Wool?

Bob Benenson
17 hours ago
3 min read

Sheep Shearing Exhibition at Liberty Prairie Event Turned Learning Experience

*Professional sheep shearer Will Kleinert relieved five animals of their heavy fleece at the Plant Sale and Farm Festival presented May 10 by the Liberty Prairie non-profit in Grayslake, Illinois*

Liberty Prairie is a non-profit, located in the pioneering Prairie Crossing "agri-hood" in Grayslake, a city near Illinois' northeast corner. Formerly the Liberty Prairie Foundation, it took a new direction in 2022 as a partnership, headed by Executive Director Karen Wilkes, that merged the organization with the adjacent Prairie Wind organic farm developed by the married couple of Jen and Jeff Miller.

To help advance its missions of farm education and expansion of vibrant and resilient local food ecosystems, Liberty Prairie on Saturday (May 10) held a Plant Sale and Farm Festival. Barb and I took a leisurely drive up from Chicago, admiring the beautiful flowering trees in the North Shore suburbs, with the expectation of a few pleasant hours in the country.

What we didn't expect was that we'd learn, while watching our first-ever sheep shearing, of an important agricultural use for wool about which we were not previously aware.

*Photo by Bob Benenson. While most of the sheep quietly waited their turn, the one in the background (the last to be sheared) nervously paced, looked unsuccessfully for a way out, and bleated.*

The exhibition featured Will Kleinert, a young professional shearer based in Ashkum in east-central Illinois, who travels across Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Wisconsin and Kentucky helping sheep farmers to gather wool. Showing both skill and strength, he gave each of the five very wooly sheep residing at Liberty Prairie's learning farm an ovine crew cut. The sheep may not have been happy about it, but they will be when the hot weather sets in soon.

During breaks from his hard work, Will talked about the shearing process, how few professional shearers there are, and how he got into the trade. But the real eye-opener came when he explained that wool is becoming an increasing popular... soil supplement.

He described how wool is full of lanolin and other nutrients that enhance soil health. He noted that wool's natural fibers help with water retention. It may also break up heavily clay soil, enabling plant roots to grow. The wool used for this purpose may come right off the sheep, or may be processed into pellets.

This practice also helps farmers put to use wool that would otherwise go to waste. As we could see as Will applied his clippers, the wool on a sheep's underside and hindquarters often is caked with dirt, debris and poop, rendering it unsuitable for processing into fabric — but perfect for use in promoting soil health.

For all I know, this may be common knowledge among farmers, but over years of reporting on soil health, cover crops, microbiomes and regenerative agriculture, this was the first time I'd heard about its use as a soil supplement. If you are a farmer who uses this practice, I'd love to hear from you.