Selling wool

[CarrieAnn]

Does anybody here own and shear sheep and sell the wool? If so, who do you sell to? I'm just curious if there's any money in it.

[RichZ]

Selling wool isn't easy. If you have a wool processing mill near you, then you should contact them. But even a wool processing mill can be very picky. The fleeces have to be VERY clean and trimmed. And they're often looking for wool from particular breeds. Selling wool to wool spinners is another option, but you need to have contacts with spinners. Contact your local cooperative extension, they should be able to tell you if you have a local wool mill or help you find local spinner groups. Or they may have other ideas for marketing fleeces.

[Tuesday]

I did not know that there are wool processing mills and wool spinners. What do they do to the wools? Do they convert them into yarns to be made into textile?

[Pumpkin]

As soft as sheep's wool is, I can't imagine the process of shearing the wool, and getting it clean enough to sell. If there are mills in the business, I really don't think that someone could make it worth their while with just a few sheep.

[RichZ]

It all depends on what you consider to be worth your while. If you have a few sheep as pets, you can make a little (emphasis on little) money by selling their fleeces to a wool processing mill. As I said before, the mills are very particular as far as the breed of the sheep and the condition, quality and color of the wool. If you were looking to get into raising sheep to make money by selling their fiber (wool) I'd suggestion that you forget that notion.

In my own case, our farm's main business is goat milk, but my wife is a spinner and has a small flock of sheep. She spins some fleeces herself and she has sold fleeces privately in the past. A new wool processing mill has just opened in our area. We have spoken to them about the marketability of our fleeces and they are interested in buying some from our next sheering. However, I don't expect it to become a major income source for our farm.

Wool processing mills spin the wall into yarn, and often dye it, as well, for commercial sale. Spinners are people who spin wool by hand, usually with a spinning wheel, but there are other methods, as well. Spinning is a rapidly growing hobby.

[eccentricfarmer]

I have known 1 couple to actually make some money in this field. It was very tough and got very complicated to network with enough people to get it all together including wool classes, getting people to help shear, the daily chores, plus weaving and spinning product and going to shows to show off the stuff, it is not a commitment lightly taken, but it can be done. Just go in with eyes open!!

More fun is to get a couple and learn how to shear (and finding shearers is getting harder and harder). Beg or borrow a carder and spinning wheel. Then you can assess, and look at how much work/FUN it really is.

I wanted to make a pair of sox, it took me 5 years but i learned how to shear, give shots, worm and generally take care of sheep in general (other peoples flocks), then learned how to card and spin and knit and follow a pattern. I have been at it a while and have made tons of gifts but very little sales. I have about $1000 invested, but could recoup that in equipment sales if i get out of the hobby.

My next endeavor is to get milk from a goat.