Montana Wool Lab

As part of ASI’s Wool Reimagined contest, we’re highlighting finalist ideas that expand potential uses for American wool, particularly lower-value fiber with limited markets.

Finalist spotlight: Wool Mulch (Alex Rodriguez, Melanie Stock, Chad Page).
This project evaluates coarse (>30 micron), unwashed, unmarketable wool as a field mulch alternative to plastic w**d fabric or bare soil, testing performance in a cut-flower production system.

Early results (July 11–Oct 31) showed wool mulch used about 29.6% less water than plastic fabric or bare soil, while also moderating peak summer conditions by keeping root-zone temperatures 10°F cooler than bare soil (and 6°F cooler than fabric). Crop growth (canopy cover) was 10–25% greater with wool mulch compared to fabric or bare soil.

This is a practical, measurable pathway for underutilized American wool that reduces waste, conserves water, and creates a new connection between sheep producers and crop growers.

We received many strong entries and will be featuring Wool Reimagined finalists throughout the year.

Calling all small & midsize wool mill owners/operators: ASI is using a short survey to update the Small & Midsize Mill Directory and help guide future support for mills. This directory is heavily used by producers and customers to find mill services, so keeping your listing accurate matters.

If you receive the survey, please take a few minutes to respond.

Check out the current directory here:
sheepusa.org/contacts/wool-pelt/small-midsize-mills

Happy to share this graphic.

Some fibers return to the earth quickly. Others… don’t.

Natural fibers like linen, wool, and cotton break down in weeks. Synthetic fibers can take hundreds of years to decompose.

The materials we choose matter, from the moment they’re made to the moment they return to the soil.

mecardo.com.au

This week saw the Australian wool market record successive days of strong gains, with the EMI finishing 54 cents higher at 1,934ac/kg and the WMI closing 39 cents firmer at 2,125 ac/kg.

This places the EMI at its highest level since 9th May 2019.

Notably, the market absorbed both the price increases and the firm Australian dollar, indicating underlying demand within the auction system remained strong. This suggests processors and exporters are focused on securing volume.

For the full market summary, head to 👉 https://info.wool.com/2648t

AWI Extension NSW AWI Extension QLD AWI Extension SA AWI Extension TAS AWI Extension VIC AWI Extension WA Leading Sheep

Scientists Turn Wool Into Bone-Healing Material in Medical Breakthrough Wool-derived keratin membranes helped regenerate organized, stable bone tissue and may offer a promising alternative to collagen in regenerative medicine.

Wool’s complex chemistry unlocks sustainable applications beyond textiles Once the cornerstone of industrial wealth, wool has struggled against synthetic fibres for decades. Now, its versatile protein structure, featuring keratin helices and sulfur-rich crosslinks, is inspiring innovative applications beyond traditional textiles.

🌎🐑 Roswell Wool Brokers Market Update 🐑🌎

The wool market continues to show strength both domestically and abroad! 📈🇺🇸🇦🇺

🧶 Utah Wool Marketing held their wool auction on 5/21, featuring 4 active buyers competing aggressively across all micron classes. The sale moved approximately 575,000 lbs of wool with solid performance throughout the market and continued confidence from buyers. 💪🐏

📍 Roswell Wool Brokers’ 3rd Wool Auction is coming up next week on Thursday, 5/28 with approximately 800,000 lbs committed to the offering!
👀 Wool viewing begins Tuesday, 5/26
⏰ Sale starts at 9:00 AM Thursday

🇦🇺 The Australian wool market posted slight gains this week, with the strongest improvements seen in the medium and coarser micron categories. Fine wool values remain steady as global demand continues to sort itself across quality and specification. 🌏

🌱 RWS-certified wools continue to lead the market, maintaining premiums approaching 5–10% above conventional wool as welfare-driven programs remain highly sought after by processors and brands worldwide. 🐑✅

🌦️ While drought conditions continue to challenge many sheep-producing regions, some areas have finally received much-needed moisture over the last 24 hours. Producers continue to demonstrate resilience, adaptability, and optimism heading into summer. 🤝🌱☔

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Spring is a busy time of the year for producers and at the lab between running samples on the shearing floor, helping wool pools, keeping up with samples mailed to the lab, preparing for the upcoming Montana Range Sheep School, the MWGA Summer Campout and a long anticipated move into the new lab while still conducting research and writing grants for new research. Sigourney Bradshaw is one of our student interns this summer and comes to us from the Dan Scott Ranch Management School here at MSU. Sigourney wants to learn how we get wool from sheep all the way to clothing and definitely has the interest to learn this process. Dr Chris and several students are dialing in the accuracy of our new strength tester and seeing how it compares to other instruments used around the world. We hope to see everyone at the producer tour for the new wool lab on June 20th at 2pm. We might not be fully moved yet but after twelve years of working on this, we can be patient to make sure it is finished right.