Mid-State Wool Grower's Cooperative

 Since I am in Columbus with my car, I decided to visit the Mid-State Wool Grower's Cooperative in Canal Winchester.  With my bike, it would have been too far.  But since I am travelling in air-conditioned comfort today, I stopped by without an appointment.  

They were very gracious.  My first impression was that it was a large industrial building. 

As I opened the door, I saw a "store" on the left.   Many of the items sold in the store are also available on their website. 

I spoke with a woman behind a desk, who was probably very busy doing her work.  Nethertheless, she spoke with me and told me that they mainly operate on consignment, they receive wool from approximately 2500 shepherds or shearers from Maine to Arizona, and then grade it, consolidate it, and ship it to mills in China or elsewhere.   The theory behind the "co-op" is that if multiple producers band together to consolidate their marketing or purchasing power, they will come out better economically. 

Depending on the grade and quality of the wool, the producer receives between 2 cents to 20 cents per pound for medium wools and up to 80 cents per pound for fine wool breeds like Merino, Rambouillet, Targhee and some Corriedale.  In addition, if the producer has filed the proper application with the Farm Service Administration before selling to the co-op, they can receive a federal subsidy.  This year it is 40 cents per pound.  

For reference, I found this information on wool yield per sheep for a  typical Corriedale. "The fleece from mature ewes will weigh from 10 to 17 pounds (4.5-7.7 kg) with a staple length of 3.5 to 6 inches (9-15 cm). The yield percent of the fleece ranges from 50 to 60 percent." and for a Merino, "A Saxon Merino produces 3–6 kg (6.6–13.2 lb) of greasy wool a year, while a good quality Peppin Merino ram produces up to 18 kg (40 lb). Merino wool is generally less than 24 micron (μm) in diameter."   So, the yield from a single sheep can range from 5 to 20 pounds, and varies between 2 cents to 80 cents per pound, or in economic terms, between 10 cents to 16.00 for the wool from a single sheep.  It can take from one to five minutes to shear a sheep, plus of course travel time for the shearer. Or time to load the sheep and take them to the shearer, as some do to consolidate small flocks at one location for the shearer's convenience, since the shearer is the scarce resource.  

In the warehouse, I spoke with Stanley Strode. 

 

He had a few minutes to talk to me before unloading a truck. He explained that wool comes into one side of the building and is shipped out the other.  The received wool is placed into the large bags you behind him,  and then later after grading the wool, it is packed into bales and stored in the warehouse awaiting shipment. 

It takes about six bags to make one bale.  The various grades of wool are sorted into the warehouse bays. 

I asked him if COVID had affected the business.  He said that yes, apparently there was less worldwide demand for fine dress wool suits when people were not working.  "Demand, demand, demand, that's the name of the game" and that is how commodity prices are set. 

We talked about the availability of shearers.  He said there is only one full-time shearer that he is aware of in Ohio, Sam Cunningham in New Concord.  The rest work as a second job, so availability could be limited.  I later found a list of "wool handlers"  on the website, where Sam's name was listed,  along with another page listing the various methods of marketing wool through the cooperative. 

I left the warehouse and returned to the store.  I purchased a brass sheep bell.  As I talked to the woman at the counter, and she asked me where I was from, I learned that she grew up in an area only a few miles away from my home, and even closer to my grandmother's family, in the old German Church area north of Crestline off SR 586.  I told her my grandmother's name was Klahn, and there is a Klahn road in that area.  Her name was Kris Kinnamon Doyle.  It is truly a small world.  

  She was very nice and talked me into buying a 1-pound bag of medium-grade roving for $13.00.  She said they sell a lot of it to local spinners.  It is quite soft, and I  will be trying it out soon.