RI Resource Conservation and Development Council -- Rhody Warm Blankets

Rhody Warm Blanket Project - RI Sheep Cooperative

What's grey and white and warm all over?
Wool blankets made of locally grown, natural wool!
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.

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.

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

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

Seldom Seen Farm, Glocester

Experience Acres, North Smithfield

Watson Farm, Jamestown

Bally Duff Farm, Glocester

Stonebridge Farm, Glocester

Cedar Knoll Farm, North Scituate

Christine Sederback, Glocester

2 Sheep Farm, South Kingstown

Kate Malmborg, Glocester

Woodland Farm, Glocester

Douglas Langdon, West Kingston

William Conoyer

Shirley Moniz

Maybe Tomorrow Farm, Glocester

Fred Andrews, Cranston

Dakota Livestock, Wakefield

Seth Bowerman, East Greenwich

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:

Large Throw - 45" by 72"
Limited Custom Orders - White Only

To order a Rhody Warm Blanket, please contact the RI RC&D Area Council at:

401-822-8877
chris.modisette@ri.usda.gov

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

Irene Nebiker, President, RI Sheep Cooperative
28 Grange Road
North Smithfield, RI 02896
(401) 767-2677

© Copyright 2005-2007 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