Rhody Warm Blanket Project - RI Sheep Cooperative

The Rhode Island Resource Conservation & Development Area Council, the RIDEM  Division of Agriculture, and the Rhode Island Sheep Cooperative are working  together to create a market for wool blankets made with Rhode Island wool.

Members of the RI Sheep Cooperative gathered at the Urban Edge Farm in Cranston, RI for the 1st Rhody Warm Wool Collection

Background

Rhode Island sheep farmers are having difficulty selling their wool. The decline of wool textile mills in New England and low wool prices have turned much raw wool into a nuisance rather than a product. As a result, excess raw wool is often stored on the farm, used as compost, buried, or disposed of at local landfills. Rhode Island sheep producers approached RI RC&D with a request to investigate options for the local use of their raw wool.

RI RC&D facilitated the formation of a project steering committee to move the project forward. Committee members include representatives from the Rhode Island Sheep Cooperative, RI RC&D, URI, USDA-NRCS and private citizens. The Committees short-term project goal was to produce wool blankets by fall of 2006 for sale during the holiday season.

Wool collection day was held on June 17, 2006. Producers collected over 1,400 pounds of wool at the Southside Community Land Trusts Urban Edge Farm in Cranston, Rhode Island. The group then collaborated with the Connecticut Sheep Breeders Association to ship the wool to Faribault Mills in Minnesota for cleaning and processing before returning to southern New England for blanket production.

Clean wool arrived back in New England for processing into a finished blanket in late August 2006. The blankets were completed in early December 2006.

The long term goal of this project is to develop a process to produce quality wool blankets to bring more income to farmers. Ultimately, we hope that more wool producers will participate in the project and serve to promote the sustainability of local agriculture and agricultural products.

The Process

Shearing	Raw Wool Collection	S&D Spinning, Millbury, MA
Spinning Yarn	Finished Yarn	Napping
	Finished Blanket

Participating Sheep Growers

• Barbara and Marcus Thompson, Seldom Seen Farm, Glocester
• Heather and Don Minto, Watson Farm, Jamestown
• Robin, Jeff and Taylor Meek, Bally Duff Farm, Glocester
• Sheila and Anthony Donatelli, Cedar Knoll Farm, North Scituate
• Christine Sederback, Chepachet
• Kate Malmborg, Sunny Acres Farm, Chepachet
• Shirley Moniz, East Freetown, MA
• Polly and Kevin Hopkins, Maybe Tomorrow Farm, Glocester
• Fred and Barbara Andrews, Cranston
• Susan Barrett,  Highmeadows Farm, Charlestown
• Mary Calenda, Camelot Farm, Warwick
• Gregg Cassidy, Sweet Hill Farm, Harrisville
• Jane Christopher, Foster
• Rhoda Dexter, Foster
• Jenny and Brandon Lee,  Tall Oaks Acres, Greene
• URI,  Peckham Farm, Kingston
• Pat and Fritz Vohr, In The Woods Farm, Charlestown
• Barbara Donnelly, Red Horse Farm, Exeter
• Heather Place, Fenner Hill Farm, Hope Valley
• Kim, Byron and Faith Bellevoine,  Leaping Lamb Farm, Chepachet
• Susan Charlwood, Lady Slipper Farm, Foster
• Linda Chrostowski, Nest Egg Farm, Rockville
• Tina Fisk-Colt, Birchwood Farm, Clayville
• Maryanne and Larry Moulton, Two Sons Farm, Warwick
• Irene Nebiker, Mistwood Farm, North Smithfield
• Devan and Mary Newton, Amour Acres, Foster
• Art, Angie and Colin Siegmund, Siegmund Family Farm, No. Grosvenordale, CT
• Luise Strauss,  485 Enterprises Inc., Middletown
• Linda and Bob Sutton, Jamestown
• Beverly and David Tirrell, East Meadow Farm, Foster
• Brenda Titus, Haven Hill Farm, Greene
• Kurt Van Dexter, North Kingstown
• Claire Wanebo, Windholme Farm, Bristol
• Bill Cournoyer,  Preston, CT

Current Partners

• Rhode Island Sheep Cooperative
• RIDEM  Division of Agriculture
• USDA-NRCS
• USDA-Rural Development
• University of Rhode Island-Department of Textiles & Fashion Merchandising
• Connecticut Sheep Breeders Association
• RI Rural Development Council

How To Order

Blankets are available in the following sizes:

• Lap Throw  45" x 60"
• Long throw  45" x 72"
• Full  80" x 90"
• Queen  90" x 90"
• King  90" x 106"

Order your Rhody Warm Blanket online at the RI Sheep Cooperative web site - www.risheep.org

For more information, contact:

Chris Modisette, RC&D Coordinator, USDA-NRCS
60 Quaker Lane - Suite 45
Warwick, Rhode Island  02886
Tel: 401-822-8877, Fax: 401-828-0433
Email: chris.modisette@ri.usda.gov

Robin Meek, President
RI Sheep Cooperative

© Copyright 2005-2010 RI Resource Conservation & Development Area Council, Inc. All rights reserved.
60 Quaker Lane, Suite 45 • Warwick, RI 02886
Phone: (401) 822-8877 • Fax: (401) 828-0433
Email: Chris.Modisette@ri.usda.gov